True Crime Audiobooks | Mystery, Thriller & Horror

Paddy Whacked: The Untold Story of the Irish American Gangster

Here is the shocking true saga of the Irish American mob. In Paddy Whacked, bestselling author and organized crime expert T. J. English brings to life nearly two centuries of Irish American gangsterism, which spawned such unforgettable characters as Mike "King Mike" McDonald, Chicago's subterranean godfather; Big Bill Dwyer, New York's most notorious rumrunner during Prohibition; Mickey Featherstone, troubled Vietnam vet turned Westies gang leader; and James "Whitey" Bulger, the ruthless and seemingly untouchable Southie legend. Stretching from the earliest New York and New Orleans street wars through decades of bootlegging scams, union strikes, gang wars, and FBI investigations, Paddy Whacked is a riveting tour de force that restores the Irish American gangster to his rightful preeminent place in our criminal history and penetrates to the heart of the American experience.

T. J. English (Author), David Colacci (Narrator)

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Goat Castle: A True Story of Murder, Race, and the Gothic South

In 1932, the city of Natchez, Mississippi, reckoned with an unexpected influx of journalists and tourists as the lurid story of a local murder was splashed across headlines nationwide. Two eccentrics, Richard Dana and Octavia Dockery, enlisted an African American man named George Pearls to rob their reclusive neighbor, Jennie Merrill, at her estate. During the attempted robbery, Merrill was shot and killed. The crime drew national coverage when it came to light that Dana and Dockery, the alleged murderers, shared their huge, decaying antebellum mansion with their goats and other livestock, which prompted journalists to call the estate "Goat Castle." Pearls was killed by an Arkansas policeman in an unrelated incident before he could face trial. However, as was all too typical in the Jim Crow South, the white community demanded "justice," and an innocent black woman named Emily Burns was ultimately sent to prison for the murder of Merrill. Dana and Dockery not only avoided punishment but also lived to profit from the notoriety of the murder. Strange, fascinating, and sobering, Goat Castle tells the story of this local feud, killing, investigation, and trial, showing how a true crime tale of fallen southern grandeur and murder obscured an all too familiar story of racial injustice.

Karen L. Cox (Author), Pam Ward (Narrator)

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Cruel Doubt

Joe McGinniss (Author), Stacy Keach (Narrator)

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The Autobiography of an Execution

Near the beginning of The Autobiography of an Execution, David Dow lays his cards on the table. "People think that because I am against the death penalty and don't think people should be executed, that I forgive those people for what they did. Well, it isn't my place to forgive people, and if it were, I probably wouldn't. I'm a judgmental and not very forgiving guy. Just ask my wife." It this spellbinding True-Crime narrative, Dow takes us inside of prisons, inside the complicated minds of judges, inside execution-administration chambers, into the lives of death row inmates (some shown to be innocent, others not) and even into his own home--where the toll of working on these gnarled and difficult cases is perhaps inevitably paid. He sheds insight onto unexpected phenomena-- how even religious lawyer and justices can evince deep rooted support for putting criminals to death-- and makes palpable the suspense that clings to every word and action when human lives hang in the balance.

David R. Dow (Author), David R. Dow (Narrator)

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Midnight in Peking: How the Murder of a Young Englishwoman Haunted the Last Days of Old China

In the last days of old Peking, where anything goes, can a murderer escape justice? Peking in 1937 is a heady mix of privilege and scandal, opulence and opium dens, rumors and superstition. The Japanese are encircling the city, and the discovery of Pamela Werner's body sends a shiver through already nervous Peking. Is it the work of a madman? One of the ruthless Japanese soldiers now surrounding the city? Or perhaps the dreaded fox spirits? With the suspect list growing and clues sparse, two detectives-one British and one Chinese-race against the clock to solve the crime before the Japanese invade and Peking as they know it is gone forever. Can they find the killer in time, before the Japanese invade? Historian and China expert Paul French at last uncovers the truth behind this notorious murder, and offers a rare glimpse of the last days of colonial Peking.

Paul French (Author), Erik Singer (Narrator)

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Homicide Special: On the Streets with the LAPD's Elite Detective Unit

A riveting, behind-the-scenes look at one of the most elite, highly trained units of homicide detectives in the country Los Angeles is a town of dreamers--and of those who prey on them. The scene of innumerable bizarre crimes, it is also home to a unique police unit called Homicide Special, whose mandate is to take on the toughest, most controversial, and highest-profile cases. Now acclaimed writer Miles Corwin uses his unprecedented access to this legendary unit to portray six of its cases--and capture its newest generation at work. When a call girl from Kiev dies in the line of duty, detectives Chuck Knolls and Brian McCartin seek her killer among a circle of Russian women who have been sold unwittingly into white slavery. When a gangster's daughter, brought up in Las Vegas, takes a bullet, veterans Jerry Stephens and Paul Coulter trace clues scattered across the country to one of Manhattan's wealthiest real estate magnates. A cold case is reopened; a suspicious mother-daughter drowning and a baffling rape/murder case are solved. And finally, Corwin re-creates the investigation surrounding the late Bonny Lee Bakley--a woman driven, like her city, by the desire for fame--who was allegedly murdered by her actor-husband, Robert Blake. Compulsively readable, artfully written, and surprisingly redemptive, Homicide Special offers a thrilling insider's report on some of the nation's most high-profile and complex homicides--and the extraordinary men who solve them.

Miles Corwin (Author), Jonathan Davis (Narrator)

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The Mad Ones: Crazy Joey Gallo and the Revolution at the Edge of the Underworld

In the 1960s, a trio of rebellious young gangsters, the Gallo boys, sought to overthrow the reigning New York Mafia Dons and create a dynasty for themselves, an underworld revolution that was fueled by their leader's immersion into the era's countercultural revolution. The Gallo boys are steeped in legend, from being the subject of a Bob Dylan ballad to serving as inspiration for The Godfather trilogy to appearing in photo spreads in Life. Yet never before has their complete story been told. Now, "with the authority, swagger, and flavor of a true insider" (ForeWord magazine) Tom Folsom finally gives Red Hook, Brooklyn's most notorious figures their due and captures the radical spirit of 1960s New York City.

Tom Folsom (Author), Josh Clark (Narrator)

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Whitey on Trial: Secrets, Corruption, and the Search for Truth

After sixteen years on the lam, infamous Boston gangster Whitey Bulger was finally captured and brought to trial-and what a trial it was: evidence of nineteen gruesome murders, government secrets, FBI corruption, a dead witness, and an unbelievable tale of love. Whitey's machine guns and gangland-style extortions gripped the city of Boston for decades. Investigative journalist Jon Leiberman travelled the world with the FBI's Whitey Bulger task force. Former Boston area prosecutor and legal analyst Margaret McLean witnessed every day of testimony, heard every word uttered in court. Both authors have developed close relationships with the investigators, the lawyers, and Whitey's friends, his fellow mobsters, his victims and their families. In Whitey on Trial, the truth is revealed through trial testimony, interviews with cops, FBI agents, prosecutors and defense attorneys, and members of the jury that ultimately found Bulger guilty on thirty-one counts, including eleven murders. An exclusive letter from Whitey to McLean offers insight into his state of mind immediately following the verdict. Whitey on Trial is the definitive firsthand account of the Whitey Bulger trial.

Jon Leiberman, Margaret McLean (Author), Aaron Lyons (Narrator)

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Under Cover of the Night: A True Story of Sex, Greed, and Murder

Jocelyn Branham Earnest was found dead on the floor of her living room in Forest, Virginia. By her side was a gun and a suicide note—typed, lacking a signature, and with one fingerprint on it. A fingerprint apparently belonging to Jocelyn's estranged husband. Wesley Earnest was a respected high school administrator, poised to restart his life in a new community. Parents entrusted their children to his care and believed he was above reproach. But the investigation into the life the couple once shared would reveal adultery, troubled finances, and shattered dreams—enough for one man with murder on his mind to travel hundreds of miles.

Diane Fanning (Author), Dan John Miller (Narrator)

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Boston Strong: A City's Triumph over Tragedy

Veteran journalists Casey Sherman and Dave Wedge have written the definitive inside look at the Boston Marathon bombing with a unique, Boston-based account of the events that riveted the world. From the Tsarnaev brothers' years leading up to the act of terror to the bomb scene itself (which both authors witnessed firsthand within minutes of the blast), from the terrifying police shootout with the suspects to the ultimate capture of the younger brother, Boston Strong: A City's Triumph over Tragedy reports all the facts-and so much more. Based on months of intensive interviews, this is the first book to tell the entire story through the eyes of those who experienced it. From the cop first on the scene to the detectives assigned to the manhunt, the authors provide a behind-the-scenes look at the investigation. More than a true-crime book, Boston Strong also tells the tragic but ultimately life-affirming story of the victims and their recoveries and gives voice to those who lost loved ones. With their extensive reporting, writing experience, and deep ties to the Boston area, Sherman and Wedge create the perfect match of story, place, and authors. If you're only going to read one book on this tragic but uplifting story, this is it.

Casey Sherman, Dave Wedge (Author), Joe Barrett (Narrator)

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The Valley of the Shadow of Death: A Tale of Tragedy and Redemption

In this heart-wrenching memoir, former NFL star Kermit Alexander tells the devastating true story of the horrific massacre of his family and his subsequent years of despair, followed by a spiritual renewal that showed him a way to rebuild his family and reclaim his life. On the morning of August 31, 1984, in the South Central section of Los Angeles, three armed men broke into a house, brutally murdering two women and two young boys. The victims were Ebora Alexander, Dietra Alexander, Damani Garner, and Damon Bonner-the mother, sister, and nephews of retired All-Pro cornerback for the San Francisco 49ers Kermit Alexander. In his own words, Kermit Alexander finally shares the full story of what happened to his loved ones and the aftermath of that tragic day. He recounts the hours leading up to the massacre, and how afterward he lost himself in the LA underworld, pleading, bribing, and threatening in a search for answers. He describes his journey through the "wilderness" of despair-the years of isolation living out of his car, broke, depressed, and sick. We also learn about his coming-of-age in 1950s LA, the following decade he spent in the NFL, the events leading up to that fateful August day, and finally the shocking truth behind the murders. Kermit opens up about his darkest hours, but also what it took to turn his life around, rebuild his family, and ultimately find peace. Ominous and intense, powerful and uplifting, tragic and triumphant, The Valley of the Shadow of Death is more than a rendering of one man's adversity; it's testament to the value of family and the resilience of the human spirit in the face of overwhelming loss.

Alex Gerould, Jeff Snipes, Kermit Alexander (Author), Kermit Alexander (Narrator)

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Wasted

On an August night in 1986, Jennifer Levin left a Manhattan bar with Robert Chambers. The next morning, her strangled, battered body was found in Central Park. Linda Wolfe goes beyond the headlines and media hype to re-create a story of a teenager whose immigrant mother was determined to make a better life for her son, a petty thief and drug user who'd been expelled from the best schools. It's all here, from the initial police investigation, during which Chambers claimed Levin died accidentally during rough sex, to the media frenzy of the courtroom, where Chambers took an eleventh-hour plea. Wasted powerfully depicts the freewheeling 1980's society that spawned a generation steeped in violence and the fatal impulses that drove Robert Chambers to kill.

Linda Wolfe (Author), Pete Cross (Narrator)

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True Crime Audiobooks in Mystery, Thriller & Horror