True Crime Books

Chaz Higgs who was a respected nurse in Las Vegas is now serving a 20 year sentence for poisoning his wife, Kathy Augustine. Unlike other cases of killing spouses, Chaz is the fourth husband of Kathy Augustine, a power hungry politician in Nevada. The book does not paint the murdered victim as the devoted wife but rather jealous, posessive, and obsessed wife. I do feel sorry for Kathy since she didn't deserve her fate even if I felt that she was never going to let Chaz go. She doesn't get dumped but does the dumping. Even her previous husband was prepared to divorce her but died three years earlier. Sadly, Kathy's relationships with men, women, and even her own daughter are not idealistic. I felt that Carlton Smith, the author, should have just explained that her daughter, Dallas Voss Augustine, is a lesbian rather than just hint at it. I would have liked to have known the family's response to Dallas' alternative lifestyle as the author puts it. Dallas and her mother were not very close but not just for that reason since Kathy was a staunch Catholic Republican. Dallas and her stepfather, Chaz, became close because they could share their dysfunctional relationships with Kathy. Dallas was obviously disregarded in favor of Kathy's career. Dallas lost the mother that she never had in the first place. According to reports, Kathy was quite cruel and critical of her only child. When Chuck Augustine died, he adopted Dallas and her as his own child. The obituary read survived by three sons. Obviously, it must have hurt Dallas the most. Kathy was too busy with her future fourth husband and raised family suspicions. Kathy was always trying to achieve and satisfy her ego and lifestyle. With the power as state treasurer in Nevada, she was the only impeached politician to remain in office until her term was completed. She was ostracized by the politicians. Of course, Kathy had mistreated her own employees and ordered them to campaign for her on the state job. This violated state laws and she was admonished for her behavior. She created an unhealthy and hostile work environment for her employees even being heartless when one of her employees had to go home to take care of her diabetic cat. After reading the book last night, I began to see how complicated the situation for Chaz was in. He was in a hellish marriage with a demanding, dominating wife. He wanted out but nobody dumps Kathy Augustine. He probably felt that he had no choice but to do it. In the end, the jury gave him the lightest sentence of 20 years before parole. As for the rest of the people involved including Dallas who has her own troubles, I wonder what happened to them. Sadly, Kathy never found satisfaction in any of her achievements which were grand and took it out on people who were closest to her.

Just like read a long long laundry list. Or like read an operation manual written by someone just observed how people do the work but don't really understand.

Recommend: Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA. That book is a much better overview of what's CIA's contribution in cold war years and recent days.

The book was very informative. It sidewise criticizes libs as well as conservatives within the CIA. The text has quite a bit of value for the general reader.

Kessler managed to write a series of books throughout his literary career. It isn't his writing prowess that sells his books though- it is his ability to gather comprehensive information that is otherwise unavailable to the public regarding a very secret agency, and present that material to those with the curiosity about the CIA. Kessler writes much like a classroom notetaker, where organization is sometimes compromised by detail upon detail. But this is not a negative thing at all. There is just so much to tell and he leaves nothing out.

I have read many books on this field and Kessler is always good to go back to and be reminded about the basic construct that is the world's strongest spy agency. Granted, much has changed since the early fifties but Inside the CIA will give the reader the inside scoop of what began 50 years ago. Even more, how exactly the agency is run, who reports to whom, how information flows, how operations are carried out, etc... Enjoy this read. I know I did.

I should have read the published date, some of the material is a little out of date. It's good reading though.

This book has a good introduction to the organizational structure of the CIA (when it was written) but little discussion as to operations, policies, successes, failures, background of personnel and the production of intellegence estimates. Very little analysis of these.

Bugliosi leaves no doubt about the OJ murder trial and what went wrong from the beginning to the verdict. A must read for skeptics as he leaves no stone unturned.

Vincent Bugliosi does a terrific job explaining how and why O.J. Simpson was found not guilty. From the prosecution's inability to present the evidence to convict Simpson, to the defense's misleading the jury. Some main points that point to Simpson's guilt: 1) His blood and DNA found at the scene of the crime.2)His suicide note.3)Having alot of cash,a disquise and passport on his person after the chase.4)History of violence towards his wife.5)His statement to police.6)Having the same type shoes and gloves that was found at the crime scene.7) Just happens to a have a cut on his hand at the same time as the murders and not remembering how it happened.8)Claimed he was chipping golf balls around the time of the murders..yea right.9)Was not upset when told of his wife's murder. All just a coincidence?? No, just the facts that lead to one outcome...GUILTY!!!

Bugliosi is in high dudgeon here, but not without considerable justification. A book urged on him by his Norton editor, the tone is that of a conversation between author and reader, with copious asides and personal reflections. Bugliosi is outraged by the incompetence of the prosecution, the mendacity of the defense, the palpable guilt of the defendant, the many flagrant mistakes of the judge and the flawed and fawning reportage of the media. He is angry and he displays his anger with a rush of charges, examples, and--in bold type--examples of how he himself would have argued the case.

The book is not an unrelieved phillipic and Bugliosi takes the time to weigh, e.g., the degree of guilt that should be assigned and the degree of victimhood which should be appreciated in the case of a subsidiary figure such as Mark Fuhrman. Ultimately this is a book about our system of justice, which Bugliosi admires, but also the pathetic level of minimal competence (or maximum incompetence) with which those who are part of that system turn and grind its wheels.

Though not a point-by-point history of the Simpson case and trial, the book reviews the individuals and the evidence which were at its core. If you have ever been nonplussed by our system of justice, read this book for confirmation of your own feelings. If you want a pointed and reasonably comprehensive review of the case and trial, read this book. Expect some fresh insight, but do not expect a vast amount of new evidence. And yes, O.J. did it. The evidence is indisputable.

despite the fact that i think vincent bugliosi is the most brilliant and capable prosecutor of our lifetime, i found this book to be an unending tirade that just went on and on for hundreds of pages. there was nothing new about the case, probably because it all played out on tv. i would not recommend this book unless you were stuck in an igloo for 1100 years.

Even if you're among the many who, like the author, is convinced that O.J. "did it", this is not the book to read. Bugliosi comes across as so obviously biased against Simpson, his book, if anything, adds fuel to the fire for arguments by those who are convinced of Simpson's innocence. Bugliosi's arguments are contradictory, hypocritical and contemptuous of our legal traditions. For instance, after paying rich lip service to the legal principle that the burden of proof in a criminal case is entirely on the prosecution, he states openly that Simpson should have been convicted because he didn't have a convincing alibi. Also, after stating that ethical rules prohibit attorneys from "playing the race card" and criticizing O.J.'s defense team for doing so, he openly criticizes the prosecution for not trying to keep the trial in Santa Monica where Bugliosi asserts they would have been assured of a virtually all-white jury that would certainly have convicted Simpson. This book adds nothing of value to the long record of what is probably the world's most publicized case. Plenty of books have been written about this case. You'll get a lot more from them than you will from Outrage.

Goes into very much detail. You'll find yourself hating this woman. But don't be too harsh; possibly she was a product of her biology.

Kathryn Casey might be the Ann Rule of Texas true crime. This book is a complicated web of interesting characters including a bisexual, sociopathic gold-digging monster in the form of a beautiful woman named Celeste Beard who has no conscious for her actions. She would do anything to get what she wanted which was easily lying, cheating, having sex with men and women, manipulating her lesbian lover Tracey Tarlton who comes across as sympathetic but disturbed character, her ex-husband Jimmy Martinez who was having an affair with her during her last marriage to millionaire Steven Beard who tried as hard as others to get away from the monster in his bedroom. Celeste manipulated people as easily as she breathed. She was worse than any hurricane or tornado to hit Austin high society on it's knees. Her first husband was so terrified of another nasty divorce that he committed suicide even though he was married to a different woman and far unlike as Celeste was even in her youth. She made outlandish claims of abuse by her own adoptive father. Worse, she was a mother to beautiful identical twin girls who wanted nothing more than to be loved by their mother. They were also victims of Celeste's abuse to the worst degree. She manipulated Kristina to cover up for most of her own crimes. Jennifer and Kristina's relationship were always strained by Kristina's loyalty and devotion to Celeste, their mother. At one point, they stopped calling her mom and referred to her as Celeste. In my opinion, Celeste is more terrifying than any monster as this book makes her out to be. I felt sorry for Tracey who got caught up in Celeste's web of lies and terror and that she shot an innocent older man who she believed was terrorizing Celeste and abusing her. She is serving 20 years in the same prison as Celeste but separately away from her.

Being a true crime sleuth, I used to think Ann Rule was the best true crime writer ever. This book wiped my thought on that completely away. This author had such an amazing way of telling a great story, kept the book flowing from one page to the other, had amazing details about all of the characters. It felt like I was actually there witnessing it all myself. And the courtesy photos were superb too. I like to check back and forth while reading who the main characters are while I'm on that certain chapter. And while I did say "characters" I do know these are true stories. Still after I read this story, I went online to find out more about everyone involved. I have recommended this book to all of my fellow true crime pals.

A great book. Could there ever have been a more accurate portrait of a true-blue gold digger? Why some women (and men) feel a sense of entitlement to the money/property of others simply because they are (or were) married to a financially successful person is beyond me! You want money? WORK for it! Some lazy people would rather marry for it -- or kill for it! Great book. I felt so bad for Steve's family. They were helpless and had to sit by while Celeste planned, plotted and executed her plan to murder Steve -- all for the money. What a shame. Kathryn Casey is a great writer. I used to be hooked on Ann Rule, but got tired of her "Series" books. Now, I'm going to be looking for more stories written by Ms. Casey. She did a wonderful job of showing what a shallow and callous gold-digger Celeste really was.

I had seen Celeste's story on Power Privilege and Justice and Snapped and had been curious to read more about this woman who struck me as vindictive, unredeeming and just plain evil.

She has absolutely no good qualities at all. She uses everyone around her for her needs only. Her own daughters are treated like servants. I didn't blame Tracey Tarleton for shooting Steve Beard. She was another of the countless victims that Celeste used for her selfish reasons only. True crime fans will not be disapointed with this great read.

This is a riveting and spellbinding book about a woman who let her sick obsessions overrule her heart and her love for her children. It is a story about selfishness and desire. It is about how children become pawns in a world of lust and greed and how they paid the ultimate price. Thankfully, the perpetrator did not evade the justice that will be dealt her here on earth. It made me sad for children who are born into homes where there is no guidance and no love, only madness.

It grabs your attention from the very beginning and steers you through its pages with the sickening realization of where this woman's obsession is leading her. It is frightening that someone can walk around in our society without gathering any attention until it is too late.

This story reminds me a lot of the story of Susan Smith who also killed her children for "love" or her idea of love.

Now if we could just find a way to prevent it from happening again. And of course the sad thing is we can't or won't so someday there will be another story like this, and then another.

I recommend it but it will leave you both sad and angry. Ann Rule, as always, did a very good job getting inside the head of her subject, which makes the story come alive. She won't disappoint her readers with this book. She is right on target.

I bought this book after seeing the movie. I didn't get very far into the book before I lost interest because the movie has been on so much and is pretty much exactly based on this book.

Ann Rule portrays the sociopath like no other author can do.
While the book is deeply disturbing, the writing is excellent.

i thought the first half of the book was good but then it was slow towards the middle and it was getting a little hard to stay focused on reading it. it picked up again towards the end, so i would say it was an okay book overall, but nothing to get too excited about.

This is the book that got me hooked on true crime, and Ann Rule by far is the best true crime author. Diane Downs was a self serving monster who sacrificed her children for her own needs. I have read this book many times over, and am still chilled by the lack of compassion that Diane showed her own children for the sake of a man. I hope she rots in prison.

The murder of Eric Miller by his young wife should offer a writer a wonderful opportunity to explore human motivation, the failures of the NC criminal justice system, and the nature of evil. Unfortunately, Deadly Dose does none of these things. Instead, the book offers mechanical problems, problems with the plot, problems with the characterizations, and no new material.

First, a few examples of the mechanical problems. Cliches and overwrought metaphors abound. "Vicious cycle" is a colloquial neologism: the correct term is "Vicious circle". Ms. Lamb has trouble even using an appropriate cliche: for example, when she means "silver bullet" she uses "magic bullet". These issues interfere with the reader's enjoyment of the story and her/his engagement with the text.

Second, Ms. Lamb has trouble just telling the story. She wishes to "frame" the narrative, using Chris Morgan's reflections from his leather recliner as introduction and conclusion. The device is not well realized and neither bolsters the narrative structure nor provides any information. When did Chris Morgan tell this story? Who is he telling it to? We can assume that Morgan is telling the story to Lamb, but we are offered no reasons why he should be telling it to her. Worse, this "inclusio" simply obscures the narrative flow. The plot is laid out in linear fashion, and the framing device simply interferes with the plot.

Another issue with the plot is the introduction of other murder cases. This material is barely relevant, at best. The Laci Peterson murder is introduced to offer a parallel of a sociopathic killer. A more relevant comparison would have been the nearly contemporaneous case of Michael Peterson, who murdered his wife in Durham NC, using a method that he may have used 20 years previously. But the Laci Peterson case is far better known to a national audience.

It's unclear to me what the Stephanie Bennett murder has do with the case that Lamb is writing about, except that it increased Mr. Morgan's workload. The same issue occurs with the Vinson murder. All these cases may have had an impact on Mr. Morgan, but this book is about the Miller case. Introducing this other material simply interferes with the flow of the story Ms. Lamb is trying to tell.

Third, the characters in this book are two-dimensional. Ann Miller and her motives remain just as opaque at the end of the story as they did at the beginning. She is portrayed as completely self-centered, which she undoubtedly is, but this portrayal is monotone and un-nuanced. For example, important clues to her personality and motivation are mentioned, but dropped. Early on, Ms. Lamb establishes that Ann simply toys with the men around her. Yet, we are told that the affair with Carl M. was more important to her than to Carl. She financed his trip to North Carolina and paid for a beach house for a week so that she could be with him. What did this relationship mean to her? What was it about Carl that let him turn the tables, allowing, for the first time, the puppet to control the puppeteer? A tantalizing hint is dropped that the money used to finance this escapade with Carl may have been borrowed by Eric from his parents. But the lead is never followed up.

There is much left unexplored in the relationship between Eric and Ann Miller. Eric evidently suspected Ann of fooling around with Carl M. When did he realize it? Did he understand the extent of the relationship? Did he know about her other relationships, particularly the one with Derril? What was Eric and Ann's financial situation? Did Eric ever figure out that Ann was spending a lot of money on "business" travel that was never being reimbursed by her employer? How could he have been so clueless as to eat the final meal that she prepared when he had been told previously that there was reason to believe he was being poisoned? Addressing, let alone answering, any of these questions would have made this book far more interesting.

The preceding paragraphs illustrate another flaw with this book. Ms. Lamb does not appear to have done any research for it. There is nothing here that did not appear in the Raleigh newspaper, or that was not reported by Ms. Lamb's employer, WRAL TV. There are no new interviews with any of the participants. Even Chris Morgan's reminiscences closely follow the information published in the local media. The book is subtitled "The Untold Story of a Homicide Investigator's Crusade for Truth and Justice". It completely fails to deliver on this promise. "Deadly Dose" reveals little new information. This book could have been written by anyone with access to the Raleigh paper's web site.

To conclude, there is no new information about the Eric Miller murder in "Deadly Dose". The old information is cobbled together into a pedestrian "first this, then this, then that" plot. The quality of the writing is far below what one would expect from a professional journalist. The characters are inexpertly drawn and never come to life.

All these faults are a great pity. The Eric and Ann Miller case should have made a fascinating book with great suspense, unexpected revelations, and interesting, quirky, characters. Ms. Lamb missed her chance to write a truly interesting book, an exploration of the darkness at the core of everyday life. Finally, Eric Miller deserves a better description of the motives and events that led to his demise.

I couldn't wait to read this 'behind the scenes' account of the Eric Miller case. What a disappointment. The writing is atrocious: from the opening paragraphs to the last. In addition, one learns virtually nothing that was not already told in the local newspaper.
I was disappointed that Ann Miller only got a 25 yr sentence. Perhaps she should be forced to read this book as a further punishment.

This is a sad, fascinating story with unexpected twists written by a TV reporter--but the substandard writing style is a distraction to readers of "true crime" classics like Fatal Vision. The first paragraph alone has three overwrought metaphors about the investigator's leather chair that may cause a reader to start laughing. Slog through pages of repetition and you will wish that Ann Rule had written it instead. My recommendation is to skip the fluff and read the free online coverage from the Raleigh newspaper.

To this day, it's hard to believe that this happened. I had a class with Eric in high school. He was one of those guys that was nice to EVERYONE...not just to certain kids. He enjoyed life to the fullest and he enjoyed teasing and making people laugh. I know I laughed a few times with him.

It makes this book even more interesting for me to read. They do a terrific job of detailing every aspect of the case. It makes you want to read the entire book without putting it down.

I hope this book can bring some insight for other investigators who need to solve the most difficult crimes. I'm sure Eric would want that as well. May he rest in Heavenly peace.

Crime reporter and author Amanda Lamb has done an excellent job sharing the gripping story of incomprehensible murder. You will be moved by her intelligent, well-thought out re-telling of retired detective Chris Morgan's epic quest to solve the mystery of Eric Miller's tragic murder, murder at the hand of his own wife. You will grieve for Eric's family. And, you will indeed, as another reviewer points out, be deeply, profoundly grateful for the champions of truth and justice like Morgan and others who fight daily to solve and prosecute crime. Lamb and Morgan are a perfect pairing for an unforgettable true tale. You won't be disappointed by this provocative, first-rate account.

I just finished reading this book and highly recommend it.

This book pretty much focuses on the era when Tony Spilotro "King of the Strip" ran the strip with his alleged criminal activities and ties to the mob.

There is also a lot of information on Frank Cullotta and his subsequent role as informant.
The secondary focus of the book is the term of Sheriff John McCarthy and his team and their war on organized crime.

I found this book to be very detailed and informative, containing interviews with those, who, either lived or worked on the strip during the relevant period.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this factual, well-written book.

What a great read. Couldn't put the book down. If you read this book then you HAVE TO buy Culotta. "The Battle for Las Vegas" cuts right to the bone how Vegas used to be before all of the fake glitter it is today. A best buy book!!

This book is a good read. It's worth the time for any fans of the true crime genre, or the city of Las Vegas.

If you love all those movies dedicated to Vegas, you will love this book too!! If you have ever visited the city and enjoyed the excitement it brings, you will enjoy reading the history behind how it became what it is today!!

Billy Wannyn

This is the book that explains in wonderful detail, how the Mob came to control Las Vegas and what they did to lose it so quickly.

it also tells the tale of the Law Enforcement coming of age at the same time. Its growth problems and going from a small town to being a big city and dealing with the big city problems it had caused.

No real telling of Las vegas history would ever be complete without this book.

Denny writes in a unique style that grabs your attention and tells you what it was like. Not boring, yet filled with details and stories from the FBI, Metro and the Mob.

This is one of the earliest books written by Ann Rule, and one can tell. Ms. Rule hasn't yet honed her talent for drawing the reader into the world of the victim and the criminal. That's not to say that this is a bad book - far from it! It's just not quite as polished as Ms. Rule's later books. I have always enjoyed Ms. Rule's books, and I recommend this one, with the caveat that it is an early book.

I am a huge fan of Ann Rule's work and this is another good read....I couldn't put this book down. Rule does not disappoint with this book or any other of her books for that matter.

The book was good. Just read it. If you know Ann's writting then you won't be disappointed at all. If this is your first time reading Ann, then hang on. Ann is able to take you to where horror lives. Her descriptions of the killings and killers are intriguing. The worse part is this is all true crime. Ann having the back ground in law enforcement is how this author is able to get so detailed. I won't write about what's in this book because you just need to read all of Ann's books. This may not be helpful but, you know what. I got started on Ann because I picked the book up and just started to read it. Now, go out there and read !!!

I enjoyed this book but didn't find it as interesting as Ms. Rule's later works (e.g. Small Sacrifices, Stranger Beside Me). Perhaps it is because the investigative/legal aspects of the case were relatively trivial. It could also be that Ann's writing has improved but who am I to judge?

In any case, if you have read her later books first, you'll still like this one, but lower your expectations a bit.

Joel

Before serial killers were even "serial" (generically referred to as "mass murderers"), Jerome Brudos was collection women's shoes and undergarments. And when that wasn't enough, he collected the women themselves!

Ann Rule does a great job of detailing the crimes of sexual deviant Brudos as he escalates from stealing women's undergarments off clotheslines to raping his victims' lifeless bodies repeatedly. His crimes are so demented that even seasoned detectives (and true crime readers!) blanched at the things Brudos had done to his victims and his lack of remorse when confessing to them.

Rule also gives readers a glimpse into the effects of a perverts crimes on his family; specifically, Brudos wife, Darcie. This young lady was tried and convicted by neighbors and others simply on the grounds of "guilt by association." Despite suffering the humiliation of her husband's crimes, coping with the stress of knowing these things occurred within feet of her backdoor where her children played, and figuring out how to start over as a single women with no income and two small children, she was charged as an accessory based on blantant lies of gossipy old bitty who's sister lived next door to the Brudos'. Fortunately, a jury did not convict and Darcie was reunited with her children to begin their lives again.

A very interesting read. A bit tedious in places, but overall an excellent piece of true crime.