Tag Archives: crime

COVID Reviews #6 Cleaning Up with gangsters, Navajo, politicians, and so many Germans

Posted on October 20, 2020 by smellincoffee

Back in September and early October when I was under quarantine, I didn’t have computer access, so I couldn’t take many notes or write reviews when things were fresh on my mind. I tried to post comments intermittently, but some … Continue reading →

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Stalling for Time

Posted on October 17, 2020 by smellincoffee

Stalling for Time: My Life as an FBI Hostage Negotiator242 pages© 2010 Gary Noesner Having read extensively about the Ruby Ridge and Waco debacles, I couldn’t help but be curious about the “other side’s” perspective: the state’s. How did the … Continue reading →

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Re-read: The Ethical Assassin

Posted on July 29, 2020 by smellincoffee

The Ethical Assassin © 2006 David Liss 336 pages A few weeks ago for TTT,  I mentioned David Liss as an author who made me smile, and happened to think  about the first novel I read by him, The Ethical … Continue reading →

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Harvard and the Unabomber

Posted on July 23, 2020 by smellincoffee

Harvard and the Unabomber: The Education of an American Terrorist Original title: A Mind for Murder © 2003 Alston Chase 352 pages Ted Kaczynski was hunted fruitlessly by the FBI for eighteen years, until finally being done in by his … Continue reading →

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American Terrorist

Posted on June 19, 2020 by smellincoffee

American Terrorist: Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Bombing ©  2001, 2015 Lou Michel & Dan Herberck 426 pages   During a recreation period one day, a prisoner in an adjoining cage poured his heart out to McVeigh, telling him … Continue reading →

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How to Run a Drug Cartel

Posted on June 11, 2020 by smellincoffee

Narconomics: How to Run a Drug Cartel © 2016 Tom Wainright 288 pages I only know of one rule for the drug business, and that via Scarface: never get high on your own supply.  And as Manny could tell you, … Continue reading →

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Smuggler Nation

Posted on June 4, 2020 by smellincoffee

Smuggler Nation: How Illicit Trade Made America © 2014 Peter Andreas 472 pages “What can a Governor do, without the assistance of the Governed? What can the Magistrates do, unless they are supported by their fellow Citizens? What can the … Continue reading →

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Terror, Extortion, Revenge, Murder and The Birth of the American Mafia

Posted on July 8, 2019 by smellincoffee

The First Family: Terror, Extortion, Revenge, Murder, and the Birth of the American Mafia © 2009 Mike Dash 416 pages Although Prohibition is generally blamed for the rapid growth of the Mafia,   First Family demonstrates that America’s  mob problem began … Continue reading →

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The Thinking Man’s Gangster

Posted on June 28, 2019 by smellincoffee

Meyer Lansky: The Thinking Man’s GangsterRevised and expanded reprint of Little Man: The Gangster Life of Meyer Lanksy 457 pages© 2019 Robert Lacey There’s no such thing as a lucky gambler. There’s only winners and losers, and the winners are the … Continue reading →

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American Detective

Posted on June 22, 2019 by smellincoffee

American Detective: Behind the Scenes of Famous Criminal Investigations© 2018  Thomas Reppetto312 pages I’ve been playing through L.A. Noire lately, and its use of real-life crime (the Black Dahlia case)  prompted me to look for anything written about it. American … Continue reading →

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