More of the Best

October 17, 2009 10:39 AM

Having previously put together a post with links to stories from the 2009 edition of Best of American Crime Reporting, I decided to go to earlier editions to gather together what is available on the web. Starting in 2007 with The Tainted Kidney: Charles Graeber, New York. A serial killer who chooses to donate his kidney has his motives questioned.

Continuing in 2007 with

The Inside Job: Neil Swidey, Boston Globe
A trusted employee pilfers millions.
Double Blind: Matthew Teague, The Atlantic
An undercover agent helps take down the IRA.
A Kiss Before Dying: Pamela Colloff, Texas Monthly
A legendary haunting inspires a reporter to dust off a 45 year old killing.
The Devil in David Berkowitz: Steve Fishman, New York
Born again, David Berkowitz now has Christian advocates.
The Man Who Loves Books Too Much: Allison Hoover Bartlett, San Francisco
A book collector doesn't want to pay.
Dirty Old Women: Ariel Levy, New York
Teachers who seduce their students.
Who Killed Ellen Andros? / Dan P. Lee, Philadelphia
The prosecution of a police officer plays out between competing Medical Examiners.
Fatal Connection: David Bernstein, Chicago Magazine
The murder of a high class prostitute.
Last Seen September 10th: Mark Fass, New York
A doctor disappears the day the towers fall. Previously discussed.
My Roommate, The Diamond Thief: Brian Boucher. New York Magazine.
An aspiring writer lucks out by stumbling into a good story.
The Monster of Florence: Douglas Preston, The Atlantic
A journalist and a crime novelist investigate a series of murders near Florence, Italy and become part of the story.
Also, previously discussed. The Loved Ones: Tom Junod, Esquire. A riveting account of a New Orleans couple scapegoated for the sins of those who did not adequately respond to Katrina.
Also previously linked. The School: C.J. Chivers, Esquire
Over a thousand students, parents and teachers are taken hostage in a Russian school.

A couple more in the collection were not available online.
The Talented Dr. Krist: Steve Fennessy, Atlanta Magazine
The perpetrator of a notorious kidnapping appears to be trying to go straight after prison.
not available.
The Case of the Killer Priest: Sean Flynn, GQ Magazine
After a quarter century, a priest is brought to trial for the murder of a nun.
Not available.

2008

The Story of a Snitch: Jeremy Kahn, The Atlantic.
A police witness gets careless.
A Season in Hell: Dean LaTourrette, Men's Journal
A surfer in Nicaragua is accused of murder.
I'm with the Steelers: Justin Heckert, ESPN Magazine
A con man convinces local women he's a pro football player.
The Caged Life: Alan Prendergast, New West
A white supremacist spends decades in solitary confinement.
Badges of Dishonor: Pamela Colloff, Texas Monthly
Two border patrol agents shoot an illegal alien and become heroes to some.
The Ploy: Mark Bowden, The Atlantic
Mark Bowden revisits the subject of interrogation and how it was used to find Al-Zarqawi.
Day of the Dead: D.T. Max, New Yorker
The life and death of Malcolm Lowery.
Just a Random Female: Nick Schou, Orange County Weekly
A student's murder appears to be the first of a serial killer.
The Serial Killer's Disciple: James Renner, The Cleveland Free Times
A man is executed for three murders. But was he the one?
Mercenary: Tom Junod, Esquire
A self-proclaimed government assassin is hired as head of security at a nuclear plant.
Murder at 19,000 Feet: Jonathan Green, Men's Journal (pdf file)
Mountain climbers witness an execution and face a moral dilemma.
Dangerous Minds: Malcolm Gladwell, New Yorker
A deconstruction of criminal profilers. (previously discussed)

And again a couple in the anthology that are not available online.
The House Across the Way: Calvin Trillin, New Yorker
In an isolated town in Northern Canada, townsfolk go to war with an alleged drug dealer.
Dean of Death Row: Tad Friend, New Yorker
CO Vernell Crittendon becomes the public face of California's death row.

posted by dances_with_sneetches (18 comments total)

Cool. Thanks!
posted by ph00dz at 10:46 AM on October 17

Awesome! Thank you.
posted by rtha at 11:18 AM on October 17

I hate that NY Mag seems to have no printer/single page option. GRAR.
posted by rtha at 11:27 AM on October 17

rtha, it does. Look all the way at the bottom of the page, with the "share" icons.
posted by ocherdraco at 11:38 AM on October 17

Very, very nice. Thanks!
posted by zerobyproxy at 11:41 AM on October 17

Thank you!
posted by StickyCarpet at 11:50 AM on October 17

Thanks, great post!
posted by capnsue at 11:55 AM on October 17

Holy crap, dude.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 11:55 AM on October 17

When I read true crime books, I'm always on the lookout for the part that says, "When the police searched the serial killer's house they found among his possessions the book XXXX, the lurid tale of a serial killer."

When my true crime book shelf reached several hundred, I thought it best to pack them up and store them in my brother's attic. Now that I think about, I'd better un-favorite this post.
posted by StickyCarpet at 12:00 PM on October 17

A couple of notes. I apologize if I failed to note others of these that were previously discussed. There are a lot to check. Most of these could have made for a decent single story post. As it is, these total hundreds of pages of reading. It's unfortunate we won't have a discussion on the blue about some of the individual stories.
I was struck by how many are available online - all but two each year. Here we have the best of the traditional media available via a that may be contributing to its demise.
For fascinating stories, I recommend The Monster of Florence, Mercenary, The Loved Ones, The School, Murder at 19,000 Feet, and Badges of Dishonor. I've not read four or five. The two weakest (IMO) were "I'm With The Steelers" (can someone explain to me why it's supposed to be interesting or do you have to live in Pittsburgh to be in on the joke?) and "The Case of the Killer Priest" (the writer oversold his outrage and convinced me of the opposite of what he was trying to say).
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 12:03 PM on October 17

God, this will eat my whole weekend up. I love and hate you at the same time.

Excellent post.
posted by reenum at 12:19 PM on October 17

rtha, it does. Look all the way at the bottom of the page, with the "share" icons.

Thank you!

(I blame insufficient coffee for my failure to notice them earlier.)
posted by rtha at 2:01 PM on October 17

whoah! Thank you so much! I agree that great discussions could evolve from any and all of these singly, and it's a pity that can't really happen here.
posted by taz at 2:28 PM on October 17

Thank you for the excellent post. The few I've read so far are amazingly thought-provoking. I have a probably futile hope that I'll be able to get a series of small tasks done this weekend by promising myself the reward of reading one for each accomplished.
posted by Morrigan at 7:54 PM on October 17

This is truly excellent.
posted by Football Bat at 12:26 AM on October 18

Flagged.

for awesomeness
posted by PostIronyIsNotaMyth at 12:40 AM on October 18

You know what? Me too, PostIrony; Flagged. I keep forgetting about the "Fantastic" flag, and this is decidedly deserving.
posted by taz at 1:38 AM on October 18

This is awesome, thank you so much! On a side note, I have only recently discovered the Texas Monthly and am really loving the consistently good stuff they put out.
posted by triggerfinger at 2:38 AM on October 18