The nominees for the 2014 Edgar Award Best Fact Crime are a varied bunch, but all offer fascinating accounts of ordinary people thrust into extraordinary circumstances, as victim, perpetrator, or defender. You can certainly read them for their historical and entertainment value alone. But they also offer insights into human nature that provide a frame of reference for crime fiction writers.
Duel with the Devil: The True Story of How Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr Teamed Up to Take on America's First Sensational Murder Mystery by Paul Collins: The account of a landmark turn-of-the-19th century murder and the trial that ensued, with iconic political rivals Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr joining forces to make sure justice was done.
Mortal Sins: Sex, Crime, and the Era of Catholic Scandal by Michael D'Antonio: Part history, part journalism, and part true-crime thriller, Mortal Sins reveals a long and ferocious battle for the soul of the largest and oldest organization in the world. This is an account of the scandal that has sent the Catholic Church into a tailspin and the brave few who fought for justice.
The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness and Murder by Charles Graeber: Registered nurse Charlie Cullen was quickly dubbed "The Angel of Death" by the media after his arrest in 2003. He may well be the most prolific serial killer in American history, with his "career" spanning sixteen years and nine hospitals, as he became iImplicated in the deaths of as many as 300 patients.
The Secret Rescue: An Untold Story of American Nurses and the Medics Behind Nazi Lines by Cate Lineberry: The compelling untold story of a group of U.S. Army nurses and medics stranded after a plane crash and their fight to escape Nazi-occupied Europe. Aided by courageous villagers who risked death at Nazi hands to help them, the medics' months-long ordeal captured the attention of the American public.
The Hour of Peril: The Secret Plot to Murder Lincoln Before the Civil War by Daniel Stashower: The riveting true story of the “Baltimore Plot,” an audacious conspiracy to assassinate Abraham Lincoln on the eve of the Civil War as he traveled by train from Springfield to Washington for his inauguration. Over a period of thirteen days, legendary detective Allan Pinkerton and the young widow Kate Warne, America’s first female private eye, worked feverishly to detect and thwart the plot.
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