True crime stories

  • The Lynching of Peter Wheeler

    Creator

    Komar, Debra

    Abstract

    At 2:21 am on September 8, 1896, authorities in Nova Scotia killed an innocent man. Peter Wheeler — a "coloured" man accused of murdering a white girl — was strung up under a porch with a slipknot noose. The hanging was state-sanctioned but it was a lynching all the same. Now, a re-examination of his case using modern forensic science reveals one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in Canadian history. On the night of January 27, 1896, 14-year-old Annie Kempton found herself home alone in the picturesque village of Bear River, Nova Scotia. She did not live to see the morning.

    Publisher (Source)

    Fredericton

    Goose Lane Editions

    Not specified
  • Forensics For Dummies

    Creator

    Lyle, Douglas P.

    Abstract

    A plain-English primer on crime scene investigation that's a must for fans of CSI or Patricia Cornwell. Since the O. J. Simpson case, popular interest in forensic science has exploded: CBS's CSI has 16 to 26 million viewers every week, and Patricia Cornwell's novels featuring a medical examiner sleuth routinely top bestseller lists, to cite just a few examples. Now, everyone can get the lowdown on the science behind crime scene investigations. Using lots of fascinating case studies, forensics expert Dr. D. P.

    Publisher (Source)

    US

    Wiley

    Not specified
  • The Trunk Murderess: Winnie Ruth Judd

    Creator

    Bommersbach, Jana

    Abstract

    If history is right, a 26 year-old beauty named Winnie Ruth Judd murdered her two best girlfriends one hot Phoenix night in 1931. Then she hacked up their bodies, stuffed the pieces into a trunk, and took them by train to Los Angeles as her baggage. If history is right, she was sentenced to die but "cheated the gallows" by acting insane. She spent nearly 40 years in Arizona's insane asylum-flummoxing officials by escaping six times.

    Publisher (Source)

    US

    Poisoned Pen Press

    Not specified
  • The Bridge: The Eric Volz Story Murder, Intrigue, and a Struggle for Justice in Nicaragua

    Creator

    Glasgow, Michael

    Abstract

    Her Murder was Brutal and Savage, and the Nicaraguan People want Someone to Pay! In 2005, Eric Volz moved to Nicaragua to pursue his dreams. By 2006, he was living the worst nightmare of his life. Twenty-five year old Eric Volz moved to Nicaragua in 2005 in pursuit of paradise. Drawn by its pristine beaches, scenic mountains, lush rainforests, and economic potential, he quickly fell in love with the country. And when his start-up publication, EP Magazine, found success on an international level, Eric's life was taking off like a dream.

    Publisher (Source)

    [s.l.]

    Morgan James Publishing

    Not specified
  • Murder at Green Springs The True Story of the Hall Case, Firestorm of Prejudices

    Creator

    Brandau, J. K.

    Abstract

    Murder! Mystery! Outrage! Victor Hall, young railway depot master, married to the strikingly older widow of his former employer, was shot dead in his store just hours after someone torched his competitor's business. The sheriff, state investigator, and railroad detectives suspected Hall's business rival until strange circumstances, rumors of poisoning her first husband and of a freakish love interest fixed suspicion on the innocent widow. Even her own Pinkerton detective turned against her! Arsons, frenzy, and conspiracies forced Mrs. Hall's arrest for murder.

    Publisher (Source)

    [s.l.]

    Morgan James Publishing

    Not specified
  • Who Killed Janet Smith

    Creator

    Starkins, Ed

    Abstract

    <p>New Edition as part City of Vancouver’s Legacy Book Project, with foreword by historian Daniel Francis</p> <p><i>Who Killed Janet Smith?</i> examines one of the most infamous and still unsolved murder cases in Canadian history: the 1924 murder of twenty-two-year-old Scottish nursemaid Janet Smith.

    Not specified
  • Drop Dead A Horrible History of Hanging in Canada

    Creator

    Poplak, Lorna

    Abstract

    Shining a light on the dark history of hangings in Canada. Take a journey through notable cases in Canada’s criminal justice history, featuring well-known and some less-well-known figures from the past. You'll meet Arthur Ellis, Canada’s most famous hangman, whose work outfit was a frock coat and striped trousers, often with a flower pinned to his lapel. And you will also encounter other memorable characters, including the man who was hanged twice and the gun-toting bootlegger who was the only woman every executed in Alberta.

    Publisher (Source)

    Toronto

    Dundurn

    Not specified
  • C.W. Hunt's High-Flying Adventures 2-Book Bundle Dancing in the Sky / Whisky and Ice

    Creator

    Hunt, C.W.

    Abstract

    Canada’s past is rich with high-flying adventures — whether it’s pilots fighting in the skies or the King of the Rumrunners fleeing the feds! Read their stories in this two-book collection. Dancing in the Sky: The Royal Flying Corps in Canada Dancing in the Sky is the first complete telling of the First World War fighter pilot training initiative established by the British in response to losses occurring in European skies in 1916. A valuable addition to Canada’s military history, this book will appeal to all who enjoy an exceptional adventure story embedded in Canada's past.

    Publisher (Source)

    Toronto

    Dundurn

    Not specified
  • A Daughter's Deadly Deception The Jennifer Pan Story

    Creator

    Grimaldi, Jeremy

    Abstract

    2017 Arthur Ellis Award, Best Nonfiction Book — Winner A sinister plot by a young woman left her mother dead and her father riddled with bullets. From the outside looking in, Jennifer Pan seemed like a model daughter living a perfect life. The ideal child, the one her immigrant parents saw, was studying to become a pharmacist at the University of Toronto. But there was a dark, deceptive side to the angelic young woman. In reality, Jennifer spent her days in the arms of her high school sweetheart, Daniel.

    Publisher (Source)

    Toronto

    Dundurn

    Not specified
  • What Killed Jane Creba Rap, Race, and the Invention of a Gang War

    Creator

    Arvast, Anita

    Abstract

    The sensational story of a girl's tragic death and the whirlwind of racial prejudices that came in its wake. On Boxing Day 2005, fifteen-year-old Jane Creba was fatally shot on one of the busiest streets in Toronto. Police and journalists reported her death as that of an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire of rival gangs. In the months that followed Creba’s death, fifty-six men of colour were arrested in connection with the shooting. Twelve men went to preliminary hearings. One black man pleaded guilty, and another three men, also black, were convicted of her murder.

    Publisher (Source)

    Toronto

    Dundurn

    Not specified