Another book by Tom Philbin and Michael Philbin.
The Killer Book of True Crime by Tom Philbin and Michael Philbin
This book covers everything from Homicide, Rape and Mass Murder to the more mundane crimes like car theft and arson. I found the whole thing very informative and very interesting. (Having always been interested in Criminal Justice, this book was right up my alley. I think I will go buy the book for myself!)
I wanted to cover some interesting things I found in the book:
The Brinks Job
The Brinks Job was one of the best planned and best executed bank robberies of all time. On January 17, 1950, seven armed thieves in Boston made off with $1,218,211.29 in cash and $1,557,183.83 in checks, money orders, and other securities. The Job took seventeen minutes and the FBI spent $29 million investigating it.
The mastermind of the group who concocted the whole thing was Anthony "Fats" Pino. It took eighteen months to plan out and they made twenty-seven trips to the Brinks building complex and made copies of keys from the lock cylinders. They took the cylinders, made a key, then returned the cylinders before they were missed.
When they entered the building on January 17th, they got to the counting room easily due to the fact that they had keys and had on chauffeurs uniforms and bizarre masks so they could not be easily identified. In fact, it would be 5 years and 361 days before they were caught.
One of the robbers, "Specs" O'Keefe had entrusted his $90,000 of his share to a fellow thief and when he asked for it back, the other man wouldn't give it to him. O'Keefe threatened to go to the cops if he wasn't paid. Pino and others reacted by hiring Elmer "Trigger" Burke, a New York hitman, to "clip" O'Keefe. He was unsuccessful and O'Keefe went to the authorities. They were all arrested only 5 days before the statute of limitations would have expired. All they had to do was wait 5 more days.
We have already covered Serial Killers in my previous posting. But they are nonetheless extremely interesting.
Mass Murderers
The difference between Mass Murderers and Serial Killers is that mass murderers kill several people (sometimes large crowds) at one time. Serial Killers kill 3 or more people over the course of a year or more.
Some infamous Mass Murderers are:
-Ronald DeFoe Jr. who murdered his entire family in their sleep on the early morning of November 13, 1974. The real Amityville Horror had taken place. He shot his entire family: his mother, his father, his two brothers and his two sisters. They were all found in the same position: lying face down in there beds, faces in the pillows.
-Howard Unruh was a soldier in WWII who after being discharged return to his home town of Camden, New Jersey. He had a shooting gallery in his basement that he used quite often and practiced regularly with several knives he had. On September 6, 1946 something finally broke inside him and while walking the streets of Camden, he randomly shot to death anyone who was around. He killed 13 people in a matter of minutes.
-On July 21, 1984, James Oliver Huberty walked into a McDonalds near the Mexican border on Interstate Highway 5 in San Ysidro, California. He was carrying an Uzi, a shotgun and a pistol, the weapons in plain sight. Then he began shooting at anything that moved: children, men and women, and didn't stop until SWAT picked him off over an hour later. The final toll was twenty-one dead, including Huberty, and thirty adults and children injured.
-On July 14, 1966 in Chicago in a place called Jeffrey Manor, eight nurses were found killed in their apartment. At 6 in the morning Mrs. Freda Windmiller heard what she thought was screaming. She got dressed to investigate. Meanwhile Robert Hall, walking his dog, heard the screams and rushed to where they were coming from.
When Hall and Windmiller got there, they saw a young, dark skinned woman crouching on a ledge outside of a second story window, screaming for help and speaking in half broken english. They were afraid that she would jump and convinced her to go back through the window through the house.
When the officers arrived on the scene, they discovered eight young nurses in the apartment, all stabbed several times. The girl had escaped being killed by hiding under the bed until the killer left, then she waited for hours to make sure he had gone and then climbed out onto the ledge and started screaming.
Their names are:
Pamela Wilkening, twenty years old, stabbed in the left breast but then finally strangled by a bed sheet.
Mary Ann Jordan, twenty years old, stabbed three times in the neck, breast and eye.
Suzanne Farris, twenty-one years old, stabbed eighteen times in the back, neck and chin. She was also sexually assaulted.
Nina Schmele, twenty-four years old, stabbed in the neck and then strangled.
Valentina Pasion, twenty-three years old, stabbed in the neck.
Merlita Gargullo, twenty-two years old, stabbed and strangled.
Patricia Matusek, who was twenty years old. (Its not said how she died, but I figure she was stabbed as well.
Gloria Davy, who was twenty-three years old. The killer paid special attention to her.
The book also covers criminal investigation, rape, terrorism, theft, death row, prison, stalking, female killers, arson and much more. It's a great read if this is what your interested in, but still very informative if your just looking for a specific topic. I will be buying this book for myself as soon as I get money and can buy it.
Again, anything by the Philbin brothers is a great read. Recommend it. :)
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Killer Book of Serial Killers
This book, written by Tom Philbin and Michael Philbin, is a goldmine of some of the worst serial killers out there, such as John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, David Berkowitz, and many more.
The first chapter in the book, however, is about Albert Fish and his kidnapping, and subsequent consumption of, 9-year-old Grace Budd in 1928. Yes, he cannibalized her. Sick bastard.
Ted Bundy
It's no wonder all the women went with him, he was rather good looking! He liked women with long dark hair, parted in the middle. He would feign an injury and ask the unsuspecting woman for help. She obliges and walks with him to his VW. He layed the back seat of his car flat and hid a tire iron behind the seats. When a woman came with him, he would take out the tire iron, knock the woman unconsious, and then take her to a wooded area, kill her then rape her. Nice eh?
Authorities estimate that, conservatively, he has killed over forty women. They will never know for sure because dead bodies dont talk and Ted Bundy was sent to the electric chair on January 25, 1989.
John Wayne Gacy
It is said that the most dangerous position a young boy could be in was with John Wayne Gacy in his home.
He had a home with a crawl space underneath it, and occasionally he would torture and kill a young boy and bury his body beneath his house in the crawl space. His neighbors started to complain about the smell, which Gacy had claimed was sewage problems, just like everyone else had.
When officers discovered the bodies, they discovered that Gacy had covered the bodies with lime to hasten decomposition. They discovered 27 bodies and Gacy confessed to five more.
Gacy was executed May 10, 1994 by lethal injection.
David Berkowitz
The Son of Sam
David Berkowitz was convinced demons were talking to him, and they wanted blood. They instructed him to drive the streets or wander the malls/clubs until they saw a victim that they liked. Then he would walk up to them and shoot them, usually people or couples in their cars. The demons liked long dark haired women.
Near the end, the demons told him to go on a shooting spree in a campground in Southampton, Long Island. Luck was with those on the island as it had started to rain, then downpour. Berkowitz decided to pull over and wait it out. Soon however, the demons told him to go home, the rain had cleared out too many prospects. When he got home, the demons criticized him on his inability to complete the mission. They told him he had to die. The police had finally discovered who was behind the killings because of a traffic ticket.
Soon, every available officer surrounded his house. When he was arrested, he just looked at them and smiled. Like it was all just a game.
I enjoyed reading the book and learning about the different serial killers. I did not enjoy reading the Albert Fish story, because I dont much like cannabalism, and they only focused on one victim: Grace Budd. To be a serial killer, you must have killed at least three people and the killings must be over a long period of time, 1.5 years at least.
I just finished their first book: The Killer Book of True Crime, and I will post the fascinating facts and stories of the book soon. I want to own these books for myself. Happy Reading!
The first chapter in the book, however, is about Albert Fish and his kidnapping, and subsequent consumption of, 9-year-old Grace Budd in 1928. Yes, he cannibalized her. Sick bastard.
Ted Bundy
It's no wonder all the women went with him, he was rather good looking! He liked women with long dark hair, parted in the middle. He would feign an injury and ask the unsuspecting woman for help. She obliges and walks with him to his VW. He layed the back seat of his car flat and hid a tire iron behind the seats. When a woman came with him, he would take out the tire iron, knock the woman unconsious, and then take her to a wooded area, kill her then rape her. Nice eh?
Authorities estimate that, conservatively, he has killed over forty women. They will never know for sure because dead bodies dont talk and Ted Bundy was sent to the electric chair on January 25, 1989.
John Wayne Gacy
It is said that the most dangerous position a young boy could be in was with John Wayne Gacy in his home.
He had a home with a crawl space underneath it, and occasionally he would torture and kill a young boy and bury his body beneath his house in the crawl space. His neighbors started to complain about the smell, which Gacy had claimed was sewage problems, just like everyone else had.
When officers discovered the bodies, they discovered that Gacy had covered the bodies with lime to hasten decomposition. They discovered 27 bodies and Gacy confessed to five more.
Gacy was executed May 10, 1994 by lethal injection.
David Berkowitz
The Son of Sam
David Berkowitz was convinced demons were talking to him, and they wanted blood. They instructed him to drive the streets or wander the malls/clubs until they saw a victim that they liked. Then he would walk up to them and shoot them, usually people or couples in their cars. The demons liked long dark haired women.
Near the end, the demons told him to go on a shooting spree in a campground in Southampton, Long Island. Luck was with those on the island as it had started to rain, then downpour. Berkowitz decided to pull over and wait it out. Soon however, the demons told him to go home, the rain had cleared out too many prospects. When he got home, the demons criticized him on his inability to complete the mission. They told him he had to die. The police had finally discovered who was behind the killings because of a traffic ticket.
Soon, every available officer surrounded his house. When he was arrested, he just looked at them and smiled. Like it was all just a game.
I enjoyed reading the book and learning about the different serial killers. I did not enjoy reading the Albert Fish story, because I dont much like cannabalism, and they only focused on one victim: Grace Budd. To be a serial killer, you must have killed at least three people and the killings must be over a long period of time, 1.5 years at least.
I just finished their first book: The Killer Book of True Crime, and I will post the fascinating facts and stories of the book soon. I want to own these books for myself. Happy Reading!
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Hey
Hello to anyone who actually reads this blog. (Of which there are none.) But anywho, due to some rules put in place at my work we are no longer allowed to have books on post. They came out of the blue. We cant have books, magazines, newspapers, cell phones, any kind of game or craft, etc. We never let them get in the way of our job before and the boss knew it. He said it was all okay. Until monday. So, this will be getting very slow from now on.
Whats sad is, that I have to sneak my journal into the post so I can write at lunch. Thank God he never comes at lunch! (Hey, we aren't even supposed to take lunch, but we do anyway.)
So, no books of any kind, no games, no making things, no cell phones, etc. Fun fun stuff. Not even on holidays when the doors are locked and the whole place is shut down. Not even then.
So, like I said, this will be slowing down quite a bit as I try to find time to read. Sorry to the ghosts that read this.
Whats sad is, that I have to sneak my journal into the post so I can write at lunch. Thank God he never comes at lunch! (Hey, we aren't even supposed to take lunch, but we do anyway.)
So, no books of any kind, no games, no making things, no cell phones, etc. Fun fun stuff. Not even on holidays when the doors are locked and the whole place is shut down. Not even then.
So, like I said, this will be slowing down quite a bit as I try to find time to read. Sorry to the ghosts that read this.
Saturday, August 1, 2009
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
This book is a book about two boys and a carnival where things are not as they seem.
The house of mirrors shows you who you really are, the carousel plays the calliope backwards while in reverse, and the freaks are not who they seem to be.
Written so it takes place over just two or three days, it's not a slow read. It's well written in the classic Bradbury style.
I like how the story seems to be that eventually you become your sins and your doings. It's not a big part, but it is a part.
Now, I would like to see this in movie form. I hear that there is a movie out there, but I have yet to see it.
Anywho, sorry for this short and sparse review, but all I can say is I loved it! Who doesn't like Bradbury? I mean really?
The house of mirrors shows you who you really are, the carousel plays the calliope backwards while in reverse, and the freaks are not who they seem to be.
Written so it takes place over just two or three days, it's not a slow read. It's well written in the classic Bradbury style.
I like how the story seems to be that eventually you become your sins and your doings. It's not a big part, but it is a part.
Now, I would like to see this in movie form. I hear that there is a movie out there, but I have yet to see it.
Anywho, sorry for this short and sparse review, but all I can say is I loved it! Who doesn't like Bradbury? I mean really?
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Horse Stone House by Harold K. Moon
Okay, I picked up this book from the library because, honestly, I wanted something new to read and thought this would be a good try. (I strayed away from my genre...)
I hated the book. I'll tell you what it's about, then I'll tell you why I hated it.
The story takes place in the early years of the LDS church, over in England. Its the story of Lydia and her friend Emmeline, who confides in Lydia that she is reading a book from a new religious sect: The Book of Mormon.
When she tells Lydia she believes it, Lydia dismisses her outright and asks her to come to her senses and forget the book. Emmeline cant do that and continues to read the book, all the while hiding it from her other friends, family and especially her husband.
When Lydia takes up the challenge to read the book and once and for all prove to Emmeline that it's not real, but it doesnt go according to her plan.
Without spoiling the ending for those of you who probably wont read it anyway, here's what I didn't like about it:
-Not enough character/plot development.
-Told me what was happening instead of "showing" me.
-The ending is weak and the conversations didn't flow naturally.
-And, although this could be my fault, it was a little hard to read. (Probably due to my speaking american and not english... crazy redneck family...)
It seems to be a trend that in LDS fiction that they make the book as slow as possible, force conversations, weaken plotlines, and break up the flow of the book. Can anyone name a good LDS book of this genre that isnt any of the above?
I hated the book. I'll tell you what it's about, then I'll tell you why I hated it.
The story takes place in the early years of the LDS church, over in England. Its the story of Lydia and her friend Emmeline, who confides in Lydia that she is reading a book from a new religious sect: The Book of Mormon.
When she tells Lydia she believes it, Lydia dismisses her outright and asks her to come to her senses and forget the book. Emmeline cant do that and continues to read the book, all the while hiding it from her other friends, family and especially her husband.
When Lydia takes up the challenge to read the book and once and for all prove to Emmeline that it's not real, but it doesnt go according to her plan.
Without spoiling the ending for those of you who probably wont read it anyway, here's what I didn't like about it:
-Not enough character/plot development.
-Told me what was happening instead of "showing" me.
-The ending is weak and the conversations didn't flow naturally.
-And, although this could be my fault, it was a little hard to read. (Probably due to my speaking american and not english... crazy redneck family...)
It seems to be a trend that in LDS fiction that they make the book as slow as possible, force conversations, weaken plotlines, and break up the flow of the book. Can anyone name a good LDS book of this genre that isnt any of the above?
Friday, July 17, 2009
Three Novels by James Patterson
"When the Wind Blows" and "The Lake House" by James Patterson
When the Wind Blows, and it's sequel, The Lake House, are about six genetically altered human children. They are part of a genetic experiment which combines human DNA with avian DNA, thus creating half breeds: human children with avian characteristics such as wings.
They live at a facility called The School where they are experimented on and continually tested... Until they escape. Now the doctors from the School are after them and will do anything to get them back, dead or alive.
This was a very interesting book and made me think about the repercussions of genetic experimentation and the rights/laws governing living outcomes of said experimentation. Where does one's government draw the line? What can a person do to stop it? Is it legally, morally, or even ethically right? In any sense of the word? Its a good story, but it makes you think.
I know in the title it says three novels by James Patterson, and here's the third:
Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment
It's pretty much the same storyline as When the Wind Blows, but it's written for Young Adults and you get more of a feeling for the characters then you do with the other two. And this one is the first in a series. I will be reviewing the next several novels, but I have several other books to finish first. (And some reviews to catch up on.)
When the Wind Blows, and it's sequel, The Lake House, are about six genetically altered human children. They are part of a genetic experiment which combines human DNA with avian DNA, thus creating half breeds: human children with avian characteristics such as wings.
They live at a facility called The School where they are experimented on and continually tested... Until they escape. Now the doctors from the School are after them and will do anything to get them back, dead or alive.
This was a very interesting book and made me think about the repercussions of genetic experimentation and the rights/laws governing living outcomes of said experimentation. Where does one's government draw the line? What can a person do to stop it? Is it legally, morally, or even ethically right? In any sense of the word? Its a good story, but it makes you think.
I know in the title it says three novels by James Patterson, and here's the third:
Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment
It's pretty much the same storyline as When the Wind Blows, but it's written for Young Adults and you get more of a feeling for the characters then you do with the other two. And this one is the first in a series. I will be reviewing the next several novels, but I have several other books to finish first. (And some reviews to catch up on.)
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
The Science of Vampires by Kathleen Ramsland Ph. D.
This is a thesis written about how, if vampires like the legends existed, they would survive in today's society. It covers biology of vampires, legends, and discussions of "real-life" vampires such as Elizabeth Bathory and Bela Kiss.
It also discusses how to create a vampire, both in folklore and also in real life, how to kill a vampire, and how a vampire procreates.
Throughout the entire book, she keeps going back to Bram Stoker's Dracula and Ann Rice's vampire series about her famous vampires: Lestat, Louis and Armand. She does well to tie them into the book and what she is covering in that section.
If you are interested in vampire folklore or just science and biology, this book is an awesome read. It gets a little redundant at times, and I would have liked to have more varied descriptions of the famous vampires, but all in all it's pretty good. I've read this book several times and I enjoyed it immensely.
Next reviews are going to be short ones of "Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader: Dog Lovers and Cat Lovers." I am also reading "Ghost Files", a bunch of stories and stuff from www.ghostvillage.com.
I will do these reviews when I get more time.
It also discusses how to create a vampire, both in folklore and also in real life, how to kill a vampire, and how a vampire procreates.
Throughout the entire book, she keeps going back to Bram Stoker's Dracula and Ann Rice's vampire series about her famous vampires: Lestat, Louis and Armand. She does well to tie them into the book and what she is covering in that section.
If you are interested in vampire folklore or just science and biology, this book is an awesome read. It gets a little redundant at times, and I would have liked to have more varied descriptions of the famous vampires, but all in all it's pretty good. I've read this book several times and I enjoyed it immensely.
Next reviews are going to be short ones of "Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader: Dog Lovers and Cat Lovers." I am also reading "Ghost Files", a bunch of stories and stuff from www.ghostvillage.com.
I will do these reviews when I get more time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)