Best American Crime Reporting 2008 »

Child psychologist-turned-novelist Jonathan Kellerman uses his knowledge of the psyche's weaknesses to create chilling crime novels, many starring detective (and former child psychologist, natch) Alex Delaware and cop friend Milo Sturgis.

Thieves, liars, killers, and conspirators—it's a criminal world out there, and someone has got to write about it. An eclectic collection of the year's best reportage, The Best American Crime Reporting 2008 brings together the murderers and the master­minds, the mysteries and missteps that make for brilliant stories, told by the aces of the true-crime genre. This latest addition to the highly acclaimed series features guest editor Jonathan Kellerman, bestselling author of more than twenty crime novels, most recently Compulsion and the forthcoming Bones.

Joel W. Tscherne - Library Journal

Crime novelist Kellerman, guest editor of this seventh annual collection, features 15 essays, all but two of which appeared previously in periodicals ranging from the Atlantic and The New Yorker to the Cleveland Free Times and ESPN magazine. The essays feature stories of crime and criminal investigations. For example, Jeremy Kahn writes of a small-time criminal and his problems after snitching on a neighborhood drug dealer and killer. In another story, Charles Graeber reports on a serial killer who wants to donate a kidney. The book also features some essays that discuss past events, such as D.T. Max's review of the death of author Malcolm Lowry in 1957. Each entry features a coda by the author either to bring the story up to date or give the author a chance to add some more background. As a whole, this book is engaging to read and will definitely be of interest to fans of true-crime books. Recommended for most public libraries.

Preface Otto Penzler Thomas H. Cook ix Introduction Jonathan Kellerman xiii The Story of a Snitch Jeremy Kahn 1 A Season in Hell Dean LaTourrette 25 I'm with the Steelers Justin Heckert 41 The House Across the Way Calvin Trillin 53 The Caged Life Alan Prendergast 69 Badges of Dishonor Pamela Colloff 87 Dangerous Minds Malcolm Gladwell 111 Dean of Death Row Tad Friend 129 The Tainted Kidney Charles Graeber 155 The Ploy Mark Bowden 179 Day of the Dead D.T. Max 205 Just a Random Female Nick Schou 231 The Serial Killer's Disciple James Renner 255 Mercenary Tom Junod 271 Murder at 19,000 Feet Jonathan Green 309