Nonfiction
The angel makers : arsenic, a midwife, and modern history's most astonishing murder ring
McCracken, Patricia Nell, author.
364.1523 /McCracken
Nonfiction, True Crime, History
"THE ANGEL MAKERS is a true-crime story like no other--a 1920s midwife who may have been the century's most prolific killer, leading a murder ring of women responsible for the deaths of at least 160 men"--
College girl, missing : the true story of how a young woman disappeared in plain sight
Cohen, Shawn, author.
363.2336 /Cohen
Nonfiction, True Crime
"When Lauren Spierer-a gregarious young woman at a crossroads in her life-vanished from Indiana University in 2011, her story drew global attention from celebrities and news outlets such as People magazine, CNN, Fox News, and USA Today. What made the case so confounding to those outlets was that the 20-year-old was out with dozens of classmates in a bustling university town on the night she went missing. She was seen in public by witnesses and security cameras, and ended up in a townhouse complex with several wealthy, well-connected male students-never to be seen again. Despite the media frenzy surrounding the case, the police investigation went nowhere and her body was never found. Armed with the support of Lauren's parents and never-before-seen evidence that chronicles a cover-up, a botched investigation, conflicting testimony, and new interviews, Cohen leads readers through a gripping narrative before finally shining a light on those often forgotten in true crime: the innocent people left behind. College Girl, Missing will provide an incisive look at "Missing White Woman Syndrome" to expose the prejudice in true crime reporting and demonstrate how the excessive media coverage that Lauren received, paradoxically, damaged the quest to bring her home"--
One of those stories that continues to haunt years later, not only for because of the missing person, but also because of *how* people are searched for, and *who* gets searched for (or rather, who doesn't). -Candice
The King of Diamonds : the search for the elusive Texas jewel thief
Pederson, Rena, author.
364.162 /Pederson
True Crime, Nonfiction
"As a string of high profile jewel thefts went unsolved during the Swinging Sixties, the press dubbed the elusive thief "the King of Diamonds" because he eluded police and the FBI for more than a decade."--
Get your fill of crime with a side-helping of glitz! Jewel thieves are in a class of their own, and the setting of mid-century Dallas should be interesting. -Candice
American black widow : the shocking true story of a preacher's wife turned killer
Olsen, Gregg, author.
364.1523 /Olsen
Nonfiction, True Crime
"From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of If You Tell comes the chilling, unputdownable story of Sharon Nelson, the minister's wife whose two husbands mysteriously ended up dead. Colorado, 1976. When Reverend Mike Fuller and his beautiful wife Sharon arrive in the sleepy town of Rocky Ford, local residents think something's off about the new couple. The God-fearing minister is gruff and cold, while charismatic Sharon has her husband wrapped around her finger. It isn't long before Sharon is charming her husband's congregation, and finds herself in a tryst with local, married optometrist Perry Nelson. After the affair ends both their marriages, Sharon and Perry tie the knot. But shortly afterwards, Perry disappears. When his body is shockingly discovered the bottom of a canyon, his death is ruled an accident, allowing grieving widow Sharon to claim his substantial life insurance.Trying to move on from the tragedy, Sharon soon remarries fireman Glenn Harrelson. But when the charred remains of Glenn's body are discovered with two bullet holes in his skull, the police can't help but question if both men dying in such mysterious circumstances is one coincidence too many..." --
Ripped from the headlines! If you're a fan of Ann Rule books, you might like this as well! -Candice
Five stories
Ellen Weinstein
j813.54 Weinstein
Picture Books, History, Kids, Nonfiction
"Five children, from five different cultures and in five different decades, grow up in the same building on the Lower East Side of New York City"--
Fascinating look at the generations who arrive and make New York their own - the neighborhood businesses changes, cultures ebb and flow and blend, but the vibrancy and character remain and build year after year! -Anne W
This is not my lunch box!
Jennifer Dupuis
j591.73 Dupuis
Nonfiction, Kids, Animals, Picture Books
"Join in on a surprising camping trip and discover the favorite meals of your favorite forest creatures--from the wood frog to the moose. Rich art illustrates the beautiful biodiversity found in our forests and expressive, repetitive text helps even the youngest naturalists learn all about herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores"--
A cute book about animal diets that keeps kids guessing from page to page! -Anne W
I was : the stories of animal skulls
Katherine M. Hocker
j573.7616 Hocker
Picture Books, Animals, Nonfiction, Science
"Strong, smooth domes, skulls are more than remnants of creatures that used to be. They are artifacts that allow us to travel back through time. Every ridge, hollow, and crevice of a skull reveals something about an animal's habitat, food source, and skill set. By observing the characteristics of six different animal skulls, readers can learn about the lives once led by a lynx, a deer, a beaver, a hummingbird, a wolf, and an owl. Katherine Hocker's lyrical text and Natasha Donovan's fluid artwork, paired with sound scientific data and back matter resources, will ignite a child's native curiosity and encourage mindful observation of the wonders hidden in nature-and ourselves"--
A simple, satisfying juvenile nonfiction picture book that examines several animal skulls and connects them to characteristics and behavior the animal in question utilized while they were alive. The narrative, while based firmly in scientific knowledge, uses lyrical storytelling - it's not dry facts, but a poignant, beautiful celebration of perfectly-adapted animal behavior as evidenced by bone structure. A great first examination of how our physical selves have evolved to allow us to do specific survival tasks! -Anne W
The sea hides a seahorse
Sara T. Behrman
jE Behrman
Nonfiction, Picture Books, Nature
"The Sea Hides a Seahorse is a subtle seek-and-find story that journeys underwater to provide a glimpse into the secrets of seahorses as they swim, hide, hunt, court, mate, and more. Included at the back is more information about seahorses and how to support their protection and conservation"--
The Sea Hides a Seahorse is a beautiful pairing of seek and find and nonfiction. Littles will love looking for and learning about the various types of seahorses and seadragons presented. Add this to the picture book nonfiction 2024 shelf! -Casey
Rabbit heart : a mother's murder, a daughter's story
Ervin, Kristine S., author.
364.1523 /Ervin
Nonfiction, True Crime, Biographies
"Kristine S. Ervin was just eight years old when her mother, Kathy Sue Engle, was abducted from an Oklahoma mall parking lot and violently murdered in an oil field. First, there was grief. Then the desire to know: what happened to her, what she felt in her last terrible moments, and all she was before these acts of violence defined her life. In her mother's absence, Ervin tries to reconstruct a woman she can never fully grasp-from her own memory, from letters she uncovers, and the stories of other family members. As more information about her mother's death comes to light, Ervin's drive to know her mother only intensifies, winding its way into her own fraught adolescence. In the process of both, she reckons with contradictions of what a woman is allowed to be-a self beyond the roles of wife, mother, daughter, victim-what a "true" victim is supposed to look like, and, finally, how complicated and elusive justice can be"--
This book has rave reviews, and Booklist says: "This may be the best way true crime should be written, with nuance and unfettered compassion and with the words of the living victims or their families at the center." It looks to have a deep emotional impact, especially related to missing/absent parents and growing up with familial trauma, so read with care if those are triggers. -Candice
Little, crazy children : a true crime tragedy
Renner, James, 1978- author.
364.1523 /Renner
Nonfiction, True Crime
"In September of 1990, in the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights, sixteen-year-old Lisa Pruett was on her way to a midnight tryst with her boyfriend when she was viciously stabbed to death only thirty feet from the boy's home. The murder cast a palpable gloom over the upscale community and sparked accusations, theories, and rumors among Lisa's friends and peers. Together they wove a damning narrative that circled back to a likely suspect: "weird" high school outcast Kevin Young. Without a shred of evidence the teen was arrested, charged, and tried for the crime. His eventual acquittal didn't diminish the anger and outrage among those who believed that Kevin got away with murder. With a fresh perspective and painstaking research culled from police files, court records, transcripts, uncollected evidence, and new interviews, James Renner reconstructs the events leading up to and following that heartbreaking night. What emerges is a portrait of a community seething with dark undercurrents--its single-minded authorities, protective status-conscious parents, and the deeply peer-pressured teen within Lisa's circle. Who had the capacity for such unchecked violence? What monsters still lurk in the dark? After more than thirty years, questions like these continue to fester among the community of Shaker Heights, Ohio, still deeply scarred by wounds that remain hidden, unspoken, and unhealed"--Dust jacket flap.
James Renner created the excellent, deep-dive podcast called Missing Maura Murray, about about a still-unsolved case from his hometown. He also wrote a book (True Crime Addict, also in our collection) about how that case and his obsession affected him, so he's definitely making his mark in the true crime world. This book gets great reviews from journals, with Publisher's Weekly saying "True crime aficionados of all stripes will devour this." -Candice
A story that seems unlike any other, with an old-world, clandestine feel that could easily be the plot of a fiction book--but it isn't. -Candice