True Crime : Murder

Sarah Vowell exposes the glorious conundrums of American history and culture with wit, probity, and an irreverent sense of humor. With Assassination Vacation, she takes us on a road trip like no other -- a journey to the pit stops of American political murder and through the myriad ways they have been used for fun and profit, for political and cultural advantage. more...

Price: $14.00

She came from a tiny village in Kentucky. The State moved her as a child into a foster home in a town so small it had one stoplight. New to her own beauty and a little awkward, Katie had the biggest smile on her high school cheerleading squad. In September 2002, she matriculated as a freshman at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green. She majored in the dental program, but as it was for many college students her age, partying was of equal priority. She worked days at the smoothie shop, nights at the local strip club, and fell in love with a football player who wouldn't date her. more...

Price: $24.00

No one in Cape May Court House, New Jersey, was surprised when Eric Thomas, a popular young doctor, sued the Ford Motor Company for the wrongful death of his pregnant wife, Tracy, after a minor accident involving their powerful Explorer. Backed by the medical examiner's findings, the lawsuit claimed that the Explorer's air bag inflated improperly, causing injuries that resulted in Tracy's suffocation. But this seemingly simple product-liability case soon evolved into something far darker and more complex . . . After an exhaustive investigation, Ford turned the tables, alleging that Tracy Thomas did not die from injuries resulting from a defective air bag. She died because of manual strangulation. Now, it was the defendant, the giant automaker Ford, who became a de facto prosecutor, with plaintiff Eric Thomas, a passenger in the Explorer, accused of murdering his wife . . . more...

Price: $11.99

When he went to bed on the night of September 6, 1988, seventeen-year-old Marty Tankleff was a typical kid in the upscale Long Island community of Belle Terre. He was looking forward to starting his senior year at Earl L. Vandermeulen High School the next day. more...

Price: $28.00

Have newcomers to American cities been responsible for a disproportionate amount of violent crime? "Dangerous Strangers" takes up this question by examining the incidence of criminal violence among several waves of immigrant/ethnic groups in San Francisco over 150 years. By looking at a variety of groups--Irish, German, Italian, and Chinese immigrants, primarily--and their different experiences at varying times in the city's history, this study addresses the issue of how much violence can be attributed to new groups' treatment by the host society and how much can be traced to traits found in their community of origin. "Dangerous Strangers" fills an acknowledged gap in the literature of homicide studies and broadens our understanding of newcomer violence. more...

Price: $69.95