Daily True Crime Brief · August 28th

A few years ago, sharing the stage at a book festival with another crime writer, there was a question from the audience about what kind of research we did. My fellow author talked about getting a private tour of a “body farm,” where corpses—donated by the deceased, before death, of course—are studied for their rate of decomposition in a natural environment. The author’s main character needed to have this kind of expertise. (The writer was quite proud of herself that she did not throw up during the tour.) My research seemed bland by comparison.

Featured image credit: Ketchup Entertainment Among the many genres covered at crimereads dot com is the “legal drama.” We’ve got articles about Lincoln lawyers, Perry Masons, and the John Grisham universe. And now, we’ve got an article about another landmark legally-inclined work: Coyote vs. Acme. If this sounds to you like something from the Looney Tunes universe, your instincts are spot-on! Yes, indeed, Coyote vs. Acme is a part-animated, part-live action comedy SLASH legal drama, in the tradition of Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). Coyote vs. Acme. is the story of Wile E.

There is something undoubtedly addictive in reading about a courageous lone character facing overwhelming odds, while surviving in utter isolation. History and mythology are brimming with such examples, proving that isolation not only fascinates, but terrifies us. Especially in our technological dependent age. Imagine becoming lost in a sea of green up a misty mountain with no GPS, no signal, no means of contacting support. Imagine surviving a catastrophic event like a storm at sea, only to find yourself adrift, clinging to a piece of wreckage, with no sign of other survivors.

Over the course of the four Erin McCabe books, Robyn Gigl made a name for herself a great writer of legal thrillers. Her new book All We Hide is a departure, and also her best book to date. Lauren Kelly, a newly promoted Lieutenant in the DA office and having been harassed since coming out as trans, is exiled to the cold case unit. The murder of a high school classmate, a trans woman named Sherry Darling, ultimately leads Lauren to connect it to the disappearance of her mother, her father who now has Alzheimer’s, and a county corruption scandal.

4 new works of true crime history and reportage out this month, as selected by the CrimeReads editors. Kimon de Greef, The Ego Trip : Psychedelic Toads, a Trail of Deaths, and the Guru Who Peddled Transcendence “A true crime tale spiked with psychedelics. . . .