Charming People Can Make the Deadliest Criminals
Many of the most successful criminals in history have something in common. They are polite, charming, and loyal only to rules of their own making. The Best New True Crime Stories: Well-Mannered Crooks, Rogues & Criminals reveals true accounts of lawbreakers from the past to the present.
This anthology, edited by acclaimed author and anthologist Mitzi Szereto, features all-new stories from award-winning international crime writers, true-crime podcasters, journalists, and experts in dark crimes. The tales on these pages prove that crime and gentlemanly (or gentlewomanly) behavior—which allowed many to escape justice for so long—can often be a killer combination!
Readers will be fascinated by accounts of well-mannered criminals penned by writers such as Dean Jobb, Paul Willetts, Janel Comeau, Morgan Barbour, T. Fox Dunham, David Breakspear, Anthony Ferguson, and many others.
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“This anthology’s contributors approach their subjects with the nuanced understanding of a historian or sociologist; rather than simply examining motive and opportunity, they consider factors such as historical backdrops, personality types, public perceptions, self-deception, gender, class, and inequality. VERDICT: A thought-provoking volume, with accounts that span continents and circumstances, that will appeal even to true crime fans who have seen it all.” — Library Journal
“Conjuring the spirits of Truman Capote and Damon Runyon (with the ghost of Patricia Highsmith looking on), the stories in The Best New True Crime Stories: Well-Mannered Crooks, Rogues & Criminals thrillingly depict real-life misdeeds throughout history. An Ecuadorian Robin Hood, an art scandal in Paris, new insights into the life and death of a Depression-era bootlegger—what’s not to love?”—Abbott Kahler, New York Times bestselling author (as Karen Abbott) of The Ghosts of Eden Park
“What a fantastic collection of spellbinding true crime stories from around the world! Each one is deeply researched, thoughtful and fascinating. This anthology is simply good reading for any fan.”—Kate Winkler Dawson, American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI
“Ever since E.W. Hornung—brother-in-law of Arthur Conan Doyle—introduced the public in 1898 to his character A.J. Raffles, genteel, cricket-playing thief, the notion of the nonviolent criminal, from Robin Hood to Danny Ocean, has captured the public’s attention. No blood, no gore: just people trying to scrape a living off the earnings of others. In her latest compendium, Mitzi Szereto has brought together a terrifically readable collection of new and intriguing case histories, including John Dillinger’s bagman and Ching Shih, the nineteenth-century woman pirate of the South China Sea.”—J.P. Smith, author of If She Were Dead and The Summoning
“An enjoyable collection of strange but true tales of unconventional lawbreakers, from the ‘Gentleman Bandit’ who went to jail rather than see an innocent man imprisoned, the exploits of the Ecuadorian Robin Hood, and the tangled web surrounding a mysterious diamond robbery.” —Choice Magazine UK
“Mitzi Szereto and a stellar group of authors bring us The Best New True Crime Stories: Well-Mannered Crooks, Rogues & Criminals. Real-life Robin Hoods, smooth-talking charmers and gentlemen robbers, and an unforgettable cast of criminal characters. True crime storytelling at its very best!”—Dan Zupansky, author and host of True Murder
“Readers have always been fascinated by charismatic criminals, from A.J. Raffles to Tom Ripley, and this anthology examines the nefarious activities of a very diverse bunch of their real-life counterparts.”—Martin Edwards, the Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger award-winning author of Mortmain Hall and The Golden Age of Murder
The Official Lineup of Contributors:
Dean Jobb, Paul Willetts, Morgan Barbour, Anthony Ferguson, David Breakspear, Deirdre Pirro, Paul Williams, T. Fox Dunham, Janel Comeau, Tom Larsen, Shashi Kadapa, David Blumenfeld, Jackie Barrow, and Mitzi Szereto.
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