1 comments about Zodiac Killer - Deciphering a Serial Killer (Biography).

1. I have been following the Zodiac case through books, DVD's and the internet over the past year and a half. My interest mostly stems from the fact that I grew up in Benicia and lived three miles from the first crime scene. This book is basically a very brief outline of the major Zodiac crimes and is only 56 pages long. Unfortuantely, it does not shed any new light other than what a person could gather from any one of the web pages concerning the Zodiac. (As a matter of fact, it is even available as a free down load.) It does not even share the author's name. Maybe if it were an "autobiography," it would have been more interesting than a "Biographiq". Unless you are a collector of Zodiac related items, I would recommend going to the free down load to satisfy any curiosity that you may have.

4 comments about A Knight of Another Sort: Prohibition Days and Charlie Birger, Second Edition (Shawnee Classics).

1. If Paul Angle's BLOODY WILLIAMSON got your attention, you might consider DeNeal's portrait of Birger and his violent life as a natural companion piece. His exhaustive examination of the gangster's persona and the spectacle of his death is well-written and enjoyable. For those not so interested in the particulars of Birger's life, this study offers a solid snapshot of southern Illinois culture during the years just before the Depression. Ballowe's smart, albeit brief, introduction is also nicely done.



2. Growing up in southern Illinois, the stomping grounds of Charlie Birger, I always heard the stories of gangsters. For anyone who has lived in southern Illinois, it is hard to imagine gangsters, bootlegging, etc. going on in this rural part of the state. Being curious about what was fact and what was fiction regarding Birger, I found this book.

   It is a really good read, covering all aspects of Birger, as well as some background information on southern Illinois and the Prohibition period there. It is especially interesting to read about areas you know really well, and soak in the history that took place there. I would recommend this book to anyone from the southern Illinois area.




3. I purchased this book originally while doing family research in Southern Illinois. My family had for years heard stories of my grandfather and Charlie Birger. I wanted to see if any dates/events coincided and to my surprise and relief there were not very many. During the reading of the book, however, I found myself being drawn in and even beginning to become enchanted by Charlie Birger. Don't get me wrong - he was a very dangerous and troubled person - but the writing by Gary DeNeal really drew me in. The history lessons as well as the interesting look at the world of a small time (even though Birger thought he was big-time) gangster was quite interesting. One of the most interesting facets was his association with other local gangsters and the historical look at how East St. Louis, now suffering from urban decay, was once a thriving and beautiful city. This book was a lot of fun and Mr. DeNeal did his research quite well.



4. I picked up the original edition of this book years ago. It seemed then to be the definitive biography of Charlie Birger but Gary DeNeal has seen fit to update it and expand it with new info. This is one of the best gangster biographies I've ever seen and the rural background adds to the fascination. The Birger-Shelton gang war, complete with machine guns, armored trucks, and aerial bombing, equalled the violence and color of Capone's Chicago. A well-written and researched work that brings to life the Prohibition era.

2 comments about The Story of Chicago May.

1. I was disappointed in the book. It had more biography of the author than the subject.



2. THe author gets too much inside the story and that don't let you get into the period that is describing.

5 comments about Right or Wrong, God Judge Me: THE WRITINGS OF JOHN WILKES BOOTH.

1. In my opinion "Right or Wrong,God Judge Me" is a blessing;mostly for the masses growing up believing only one side to a twisting and tragic tale.John Wilkes Booth is humanized,he is presented as a multi dimensional conflicted individual,far from the "mad man" we were all taught to despise for his repulsive crime against the US government and Lincoln. The evil I once thought he posessed is not the main struggle of his personality;his struggle seems to more or less be over his love and jealousy of brother Edwin and his fears of being loved and admired.His heart is tormented by the carnage of the Civil War,which in turn causes him to side with just about anyone who hates Lincoln. As I found by reading the book,he was not as mad as I once believed,but seemed more a sad and lonely man admired mostly for his looks yet he seemed to be upset about the sexual objectivity given to his person,hence he burned fan mail sent to him by rather amourous ladies,I feel from reading this book that he needed more than theatre and adoration from screaming females;he wanted to be taken seriously and make a difference in the world.Unfortunately he chose a rather brutal means of attaining this goal. I do think that his appearance can somewhat color judgement.Do we feel more sorry for him because he was extremely handsome? I wonder if he would have been homely if he would have gotten as much sympathy? Maybe not,but still I understand his mentality better and why he turned out the way he did.



2. This is an interesting book regarding the state of mind of the wealthy and famous actor of the time. The book carefully places his letters chronologically and also backs them by giving historic references and explanations of the events that surrounded the man. How his "flowery-like" letters could ever hint at a man struggling with the problems of the country isn't told in them. It's ironic from such writing that this man who had fame, fortune and social approval also had a deep and ever growing anger against northern politics. His inner anger seemed depressed awaiting a chance to explode. This book easily portrays Booth as a caring man yet also one who sympathized with the Southern cause. It briskly explains his premeditated thoughts of assassinating Lincoln and has little information regarding putting his thoughts into motion. Yes, this book is about his letters and offers a quick coverage of the events surrounding Booth before and after the killing of Lincoln. For those looking for a complete biography this book isn't the one. For those looking for added insight who may have already read about Booth before, this is a great bonus of information.



3. The title is a promising one, if you're interested in JWB and the Lincoln assassination; and the compilation is thorough, if what you want is to have the complete known products surviving from JWB. The problem is that 90% of what does survive (thus 90% of this book) is really insignificant stuff that sheds very little light on the man's ideas, opinions, or thoughts. It's mostly brief, impersonal, non-revealing notes written to confirm theatrical engagements, &c., &c. Much of it is repetitive variations on a few business-oriented themes. Too bad this is al that survives from him!



4. "Right or Wrong, God Judge Me" is a fascinating collection of all the known existing hand-written documents left by John Wilkes Booth. Most of his written materials were destroyed by family, friends and acquaintances in the aftermath of Lincoln's assassination for fear that the holders of the documents may be accused of being an accessory to the crime. What is printed here (many for the first time) are those documents left by JWB that managed to be preserved. These materials include letters written to a friend William O'Laughlin (brother of Michael O'Laughlin who was a co-conspirator) when JWB was a teen-ager, poems written in autograph books of fellow actors, information on his theatre work and financial investments written to his business partners, love letters to Isabel Sumner, and a lengthy pro-Union speech intentionally preserved by brother Edwin written only a few days after South Carolina seceded from the Union. In the latter as well as the famous "To Whom It May Concern" letter also published here, JWB explains his sympathy with the southern cause, the influence of watching abolitionist John Brown hanged, his feelings towards his country, his personal views on slavery, etc. Two pocket diary entries written while he was a fugitive (surprised at the negative reaction his deed received from the public) as well as a sarcastic letter written to a doctor who would not help him as he was fleeing authorities on an injured leg are the last entries in this book.
   
   What makes this book even more fascinating than reading the words of one of the most notorious men in American history, is the incredible research completed by the editors. Every document, including letters of only a couple sentences, are followed by many footnotes detailing the people, places, and events in JWB's life pertaining to the document. This information includes theatre reviews, most in praise of Booth's performances, especially his sword fighting. The dangers and hardships actors endured traveling to shows in those days is explained. The editors also include historical background and context to the documents. Even the letters on his theatre schedule and investments were interesting because of the additional information the editors provided. I felt as though I was following JWB's life through these letters and footnotes. I've come away from this book with a much better understanding of what motivated JWB to commit his crime. Anyone interested in Booth and the Lincoln assassination needs to read this book. The 171-page book includes a section of illustrations, including photos of three of the handwritten documents.



5. this book is a decent account of John Wilkes Booth, but there is nothing that has not been already examined in countless other books pertaining to this topic. The book does not give as much detail about booth as one would expect. If you really want a great book about John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln's assaination, and the several weeks that followed, i strongly recommend "American Brutus" by Michael W. Kauffman, this was one of the best books ive ever read on the subject.

No comments about Sniper: The True Story of Anti-Abortion Killer James Kopp.

2 comments about Ted Bundy: The FBI Files.

1. This book contains very little info and is not what you may think with tons of interesting documents. There is much blacked out on every page. Don't waste your money.



2. it appears that these are in fact... official FBI files, but all the interesting information has been blacked out... and so i say
   ...................WHAT IS THE POINT?

No comments about Like a Thief's Dream.

5 comments about The Bobbed Haired Bandit: A True Story of Crime and Celebrity in 1920s New York.

1. This book is a historically accurate, compassionate and insightful look at a fascinating couple who committed robberies in 1923-24. She was pregnant and fashionable and he was the mastermind. Together, they set both the Police Department and the population of NYC on their ears. They were fast, gutsy and a little desperate.
   
   The real story to me is one of triumph over adversity. Not only did "the Bandit" overcome a tragic childhood to become a strong, compassionate, fiercely loyal and independent woman, but she became a tax-paying, law-abiding citizen after her jail time. After her husband's death, she raised two boys on her own through the Depression and World War 2. She is a wonderful example of how it is possible to move past our negative histories and ethical blunders.
   
   I should know - she was my grandmother.



2. The 1920s was a decade when few major metropolitan newspapers didn't have National Enquirer style headlines every day. Renegade women were a fixture in these potboiler stories: Katherine Malm, a.k.a. the "Tiger Woman" and lethal flapper Wanda Stopa titillated Chicagoans, and in New York, a tough little laundress named Celia Cooney was determined to burst through the economic barrier between the Haves and the Have-Nots.
   
   Stephen Duncombe and Andrew Mattson have written the type of book I love: an intelligent re-examination of a now-forgotten media sensation. Celia Cooney and her husband, Ed, embarked on a brazen robbery spree after money worries galvanized them out of anxiety and into action. That's the simplified version. Seen from a broader perspective, the Cooneys' crimes provided an impetus for politicians and the public to argue their views on touchy political and social issues, such as consumerism, attitudes toward the poor, and women's liberation. While telling the story of Ed and Celia Cooney, Duncombe and Mattson also expose the ambivalent feelings that the New York public of the 1920s had toward social progress and change.
   
   The authors did an especially good job of capturing Celia's spunky personality, and showing how it kept her spirits up from her degraded childhood right into her feisty old age. Well done.



3. The Bobbed-Haired Bandit is about a pair of poor newlyweds, Celia and Ed Cooney, who turned to armed robbery to better their lot, sriking terror in the hearts of Brooklyn grocers in 1924. The competitive New York City tabloid press turned the girl desperado into a media darling, an anti-heroine for the age - Jesse James, in a flapper dress.
   
   The authors - both of whom are historians and "scholars of the media" - stumbled across the story by accident:
   
   "Digging through yellowed clippings in a scrapbook at the New York State Library in Albany, we came across a criminal with an intriguing moniker: the Bobbed Haired Bandit. With so much type set on her behalf, she was hard to miss. There were hundreds of articles about her, none of them all true."
   
   But these two fellows knew a good story when they saw one, and like me they have a fine appreciation for the rich vernacular of old journalism. They don't write headlines like these any more.
   
   NEW GIRL BANDIT, A BLONDE,
   
   HELPS KIDNAP TRUCKLOAD OF
   
   SUGAR: TWITS CHAUFFEUR
   
   ***
   
   BEWARE THE BOBS
   
   ***
   
   DEPREDATIONS BY GIRL ROBBER
   
   AND MAN COMPANION ROUSE
   
   POLICE OFFICIALS TO ACTION
   
   ***
   
   FORGET SEX - SHOOT !
   
   Now tell me the last time you saw a word like "depredation" in a headline. Or "twit" as a verb. I love it!
   
   Now back to the story. So this young lady and her man go on a tear, robbing store after store, making the police "look like brass monkeys almost every time the sun went down," in the lady's own words. The journalists of New York gave her the front page day after day, while the crimes of other, more ordinary folk were "passed over unnoticed" (Brooklyn Eagle). The lady robber became a blank canvas, and journalists threw lots of ink on her.
   
   The authors did something interesting with all these old clippings, using newspaper articles from elsewhere in the same papers to explore other themes in the life of the city at the time, from the impact of Prohibition, the changing roles of women, on down to the weather reports to flesh out the full story of the "naughty scamp," to try to explain why she became the media phenomenon she was.
   
   Then, like the Younger Brothers before them, the Cooneys attempted a poorly planned daylight robbery, and it was their downfall. Though they tried to flee, they were caught and returned to New York for a triumphant homecoming.
   
   It turns out the journalists liked her story a lot more before she had a name. Before she had a poor childhood. Before the truth of what she was negated a lot of the coverage of her crime spree. In an extraordinary editorial, the influential newspaperman Water Lippmann had this to say about Cecilia Cooney:
   
   "For some months now we have been vastly entertained by the bobbed-haired bandit. Knowing nothing about her, we created a perfect story standardized according to the rules laid down by the movies and the short story magazines. The story had, as the press agents say, everything. It had a flapper and a bandit who baffled the police; it had sex and money, crime and mystery. And then yesterday we read in the probation officer's report the story of Cecilia Cooney's life. It was not the least bit entertaining...."
   
   
   
   Even after she was caught, and, along with her husband, sentenced to prison, Mrs. Cooney continued to be a blank slate on which various parties wrote rants. But these biographers don't let the story spin off into a sidebar. The last couple of chapters tell the rest of the tale of the bandit and companion, and by that point, she's visible as a flesh and blood person through the headlines, a heart and mind in addition to a journalism phenomenon. As the authors remark --
   
   "Reading these stories... not only tells us how certain individuals and specific events were understood at the time but also reveals how the past is remembered and reminds us how history is made... "the record" of the past is documented mostly by the commercial mass media, which subject the events to a filtering of fact and fancy based on standards of popularity and profitability. For what mattered most to the newspapers of New York City in the Twenties is the same thing that ... [matters to] book publishers of today: telling, and selling, a good story."
   
   And ain't that a final truth.



4. The Bobbed Haired Bandit by Stephen Duncombe and Andrew Mattson tells the story of Celia and Ed Cooney in 1920s New York. Newlyweds and newly pregnant, Ed and Celia decide to rob some convenience stores to try and make a better life for themselves. Because Celia has bobbed hair, flapper style, the story of their robberies quickly grab the attention of the newspapers and soon the police. The Cooneys find that the stolen money doesn't last long and after a succession of several small hold-ups, flee to Florida only to be captured shortly after the death of their newborn daughter. The authors spend a great deal of time in the beginning of the book discussing the sociological implications of Celia's celebrity, but they can't seem to decide on what exactly the public's obsession with her meant. Much ink is also given to the personal histories of the cops chasing them, but they detract from the real story of Celia. Perhaps one of the most captivating details is that Celia's sons didn't find out about their mother until she had passed away. Celia Cooney was a woman of mystery to the papers in the 1920s and remained one in her life, even to her family. Now there's a story.



5. Celia Cooney, most celebrated as the "Bobbed-Haired Bandit" of the Twenties, comes vividly to life in this scholarly yet entertaining exploration of her brief life of crime and celebrity, with emphasis on the celebrity. Both Celia's own recognition of her fame and the multifaceted interpretations of it by police, press, and the public make for fascinating reading. Her duel persona as the aspiring flapper and expectant mother who joins her husband on holdups to make ends meet makes for one of the more compelling crime stories of the Jazz Age. Her later life, concealing her criminal past while raising her sons who knew nothing of it, presents a striking contrast to the young lady bandit who publicly gloried in her exploits. The photos are equally intriguing and belie the image of the dangerous gunwoman, especially when tiny, harmless-looking Celia is standing alongside husband Ed. And there are plenty of absolutely classic old crime cartoons from New York newspapers. Alternately funny, shocking, touching, and harrowing, this is one of the best historical crime books I've read in a while.

2 comments about The Enforcer: Spilotro--The Chicago Mob's Man Over Las Vegas.

1. I was looking for a good summary of mob connections between Las Vegas and other cities. The book does a pretty good job of summarizing Tony Spilotro's life and the activity of the Chicago and Milwaukee mobs in Las Vegas, but there is too much Bill Roemer in the book. It reads like a war story told over drinks in a tavern.



2. If you're going to read this book for information on Tony Spilotro, don't waste your time or money. If however, you are interested in hearing about the career of William Roemer Jr, then this is your book. In 355 pages, maybe about, 60-65 have any real information about Tony. The title is confusing, The Enforcer, is that in reference to Roemer's career? This book is primarily about what Roemer did in his years as an IFB agent and how he was the first to do this and the first to do that, and because of what he did this and that happened. There is lots of information explaining why some of his cases failed, all due to corrupt judges of course, not due to any mistake on his part or the FBI's. Also, there is a lot of stuff about his career after the FBI and all that he achieved then. Also, lots to read on just about anybody but Tony Spilotro. Let's not forgot to mention the inaccuracies--such as Meyer Lansky being called The Prime Minister of the Underworld and that Lanksy was a member of Murder Incorporated. Huh? First time I have ever, in my pretty extensive readings on the mob/mafia/outfit/LCN, heard these things. I believe he is thinking of Frank Costello and Albert Anastasia, respectively. This book is a "toot my own horn loudly" read. Not something that I would've chosen, if I hadn't been duped by the title and reference to Tony Spilotro. I really wish I had waited for Frank Cullotta's book. I recently heard an interview with him on The Vegas Tourist--WOW. I cannot wait to read his book! At least I'll get some real information about Tony Spilitro instead of this trite self-aggrandizement. Roemer should stick to what he does best, congratulating himself on a job well done and leave true crime writing to real writers. In closing, I would say, don't waste your time or money on this book!

5 comments about The Spy Who Seduced America: Lies and Betrayal in the Heat of the Cold War: The Judith Coplon Story.

1. Great story! Even more surprising that it is all true. A surprise ending for those of us who didn't live through the era. A good read for anyone who finds interest in U.S. history, good and bad actions by the government, or just good story-telling.



2. The fascinating and true case of Judith Coplon, who was arrested and charged with spying for the Russians against the US right after World War II, is a story which continued to unfold over a long period of time. For 18 years, the case was on hold, then dropped by Ramsey Clark, but interesting revelations have come forth quite recently. The Mitchells have done a masterful job of detailing this saga of love and betrayal, of guilt and innocence--some of the facts of this case still have powerful implications for today. This dramatic tale would make a wonderful film.



3. This is a great book, true, well written, and at times hilarious. It completes the story of Judith Coplon, a story which had many of us guessing, and which was subject to political slanting by both liberals and conservatives. And, strangely, although the liberals were more graceful, it turns out that conservatives were right. The book illustrates the tragedy brought to an innocent and lovely family by the criminal actions of a brilliant and idealistic daughter. There are several interesting discussion possibilities that the book brings to the fore.



4. As a man who lived through the generation myself; i found this book a disgrace to our times. Judith Coplon was innocent and prejudiced against because of her religion and gender. The book is severly baised. Judith Coplon was as guilty as the moon is made of cheese.



5. I gave this book to a Russian-born friend (he jumped from a Soviet ship to live in the West some thirty years ago), because his family name is the same as one of the spies named in the book. He gave them back because the author's bias in favor of Coplon had made him sick. He said: "For me, that woman help to kill my family". That was how I learnt that his grandfather had been the son of a small shopkeeper before the Russian Revolution and so, a member of an "enemy" class, and that was enough for him, his wife and several other relatives to perish in the Gulag, at the time when Judith Coplon was helping the regime who did it. I think he has a point. Just like Hitler's genocide was possible because "ordinary" germans were willing to perpetrate it, Stalin could kill more than thirty million people because "ordinary" Russians, and Americans like Judith Coplon, and other nationals were willing to ignore, condone or aprove it.

   Marcia Mitchell cannot ignore the evidence that probes Coplon's guilt beyond any reasonable doubt, so she tells us that she was a spy, but she never tells us that she was a traitor to her country or that she was helping the murderous regime of Stalin. Her sympathy for Coplon makes her draw each nice aspect of her with the rosiest colours, to make her look like the sweet, innocent victim she pretend to be at the time of her trial, and she goes ever farther. It is laughable when she claims that Coplon was severely punished because she could not leave on holidays with her family for many years. I think that even if the FBI was not a saint, there was a failure of justice because she was not punished for her crime.

   The book leaves you with a feeling that you want to learn more about the human side of the case, but you feel that it is always cut short when something may not be favourable to Coplon. For example: was her husband really so naive (if you can call him that way) to believe in her innocence for fifty years?, what does he says now that all the evidence has come to light?, does he still denies his wife actions like others deny the Holocaust?