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The Murder Room:  the Heirs of Sherlock Holmes Gather to Solve the World's Most Perplexing Cold CasesMark Capuzzo

The Accountant's Story: Inside the violent World of the Medellin Cartel
Roberto Escobar Gaviria
" Arguably the largest and most successful criminal enterprise in history, at times the Medellin drug cartel was smuggling 15 tons of cocaine a day, worth more than half a billion dollars, into the United States. Roberto Escobar knows - he was the accountant who kept track of all the money. How much money? According to Roberto, he and his brother's operation spent $1000 a week just purchasing rubber bands to wrap the stacks of cash -- and since they had more illegal money than they could deposit in the banks, they stored the bricks of cash in their warehouses, annually writing off 10% as "spoilage" when the rats crept in at night and nibbled on the hundred dollar bills. At the height of this cartel's reach, in order to help them deliver their goods, the Escobars purchased thirteen 727 airliners from Eastern Airlines when that airline went bankrupt. They also purchased six Russian mini-submarines. Roberto knows - he did the books. In short, this is Pablo Escobar's story in the words of one of his closest confidants, his brother Roberto. It's all here -- the brutal violence inside the world of the drug cartel, dealing with American drug forces and the CIA, the problems the Escobars faced when going up against the Colombian mafia, even Pablo's moments of kindness and compassion towards less fortunate countrymen in Colombia. others. As Roberto points out, although many people view Escobar as a monster, thousands still visit his grave every year to mourn him, and revere him as a savior. Now in his 60s, Roberto, who has served 10 years in Colombian jail for his part in the Medellin cartel, now wants to set the record straight, once and for all." Book Description, Amazon.com

A Question of Murder: Compelling Cases from a Famed Forensic Pathologist Including Anna Nicole Smith, Daniel Smith--Anna Nicole's Son--and More
Cyril H. Wecht and Dawna Kaufman
"Fantastic forensic detail. Great mystery writing. The reader is pulled right into A Question of Murder." -- Dr. Henry C. Lee, Chief Emeritus for Scientific Service for the state of Connecticut, and author of Forensic Files, Cracking Cases and Cracking More Cases "From the morgue as a forensic pathologist to the courtroom as an expert witness, Dr. Cyril Wecht gives the deceased a voice. This thrilling book explains the process he goes through to determine if a death is suspicious and needs to be dealt with by the criminal justice system." -- Dr. Michael M. Baden, former Chief Medical Examiner for New York City, and host of HBO's series, "Autopsy." "What a good combination: One of America's leading medical detectives paired with a very savvy crime reporter. Readers will enjoy A Question of Murder." -- Robert K. Ressler, M.S., an author and co-founder of the FBI's Violent Criminal Apprehension Program. "You might think someone who wrote true-crime all day would look for lighter reading. That's often true, but I was completely fascinated with A Question of Murder and read it far into the wee hours. Cyril Wecht is among a handful of outstanding forensic pathologists--his memory and files are filled with details of infamous death investigations. Now he shares his stories. Dawna Kaufmann co-authors with a style and fluidity that makes the pages fly by. This book is for the intelligent true-crime devotee who searches for the secrets behind the secrets in the most incredible cases of our time. I thought I knew the hidden details, but I found I didn't. This will become a classic in the genre. Spellbinding." -- Ann Rule, the author of The Stranger Beside Me, Too Late to Say Goodbye, and 27 more true-crime books

Gaspipe: Confessions of a Mafia Boss
Philip Carlo
"Anthony "Gaspipe" Casso is currently serving thirteen consecutive life sentences plus 455 years at a federal prison in Colorado. Now, for the first time, the head of a mob family has granted complete and total access to a journalist. Casso has given New York Times bestselling author Philip Carlo the most intimate, personal look into the world of La Cosa Nostra ever seen. This is his shocking story." Amazon.com "We've all read novelists and true crime writers who try to put you inside-the-mind-of-the-serial-killer, but I can't remember one that succeeded with the physical and psychological intimacy of this collaboration between the writer and the killer himself." -- New York Press

Facing Down Evil: Life on the Edge as an FBI Hostage Negotiator
Clinton R. Van Zandt
"Van Zandt, an early FBI specialist in hostage negotiation, shuns the fireworks his fictional Hollywood counterparts can't seem to avoid, yet veteran ghostwriter Paisner (Citizen Koch) has successfully converted his reminiscences into a surprisingly entertaining series of anecdotes. Despite the absence of gunplay, these nuts-and-bolts descriptions of bank robberies, dramatic prison riots, grotesque scenarios in which the offender yearns to die and exotic hostage dramas in foreign lands make for gripping reading. A standout is 40 pages on the 1985 siege of the Covenant, an armed survivalist cult living on a heavily defended rural Arkansas farm. Few Americans remember the outcome: a hundred men, women and children peacefully surrendered. Van Zandt also relates his autobiography, beginning as a poor youth with divorced parents whose dream was to become a G-man, which required overcoming obstacles such as failing courses in college. He describes himself as a deeply religious born-again Christian who, unlike colleagues, never subordinated family to career but who loves the FBI and America and holds a low opinion of criminals, America's enemies and liberals. This turns out to be charming and does not diminish the value of his stories, which could appeal to readers not normally drawn to such macho adventures." Publishers Weekly