Reviewed by Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite

Playing Dead: A Memoir of Terror and Survival by Monique Faison Ross and Gary M. Krebs is a memoir that chronicles the author’s abusive relationship with her childhood sweetheart, an abuse that escalated from verbal and physical hurt to an attempt at murder. Monique married Chris after she discovered she was pregnant with his child. But it didn’t turn out to be a happily-ever-after experience for her as Chris started abusing her verbally and physically. And when she couldn’t take it any longer, she escaped with her children. Chris didn’t let her be. He started stalking her and no warnings from the police could stop him. Then one morning, he kidnapped her in front of their children and drove off with her on a dangerous ride involving a car crash and rape. He beat her on the head with a shovel and left her alone in the woods, believing her dead.

Playing Dead is poignant and compelling, arousing the anger of the reader and their sense of compassion for the victim. It is bold and told with unwavering honesty. It is easy to applaud the courage and intelligence of Monique Faison Ross, especially at the moment when she feigns death to escape the cruelty of her husband. She is wise and she makes decisions to protect herself, something that is rare in people who suffer from a cycle of abuse. The writing is beautiful and the chapters are well-crafted, each chapter ending with a curious note that pushes the reader to turn to the next page. Playing Dead: A Memoir of Terror and Survival is a gripping real-life story that gives readers chills and has them rooting for the author. A powerful indictment of domestic and spousal violence!

Reviewed by Amanda Rofe for Readers' Favorite

They Must Be Monsters: A Modern-Day Witch Hunt by Matthew LeRoy and Deric Haddad is the true story of the McMartin preschool trial and the phenomena that surrounded the longest and most expensive criminal case in U.S. history during the 1980s. A sinister and frightening tale, littered with accusations of child molestation, satanic abuse and animal sacrifice, this book is a valuable historical record of events that occurred during that time. The authors examine the facts objectively and rationally, interviewing those families closely involved in the case, and disclosing previously unpublished evidence. It has taken thirty years for this incredible inside story to finally be told.

Having had no knowledge of the case before I read this book, They Must Be Monsters drew me in and held me completely spellbound until the very last page. I could barely believe what I was reading as I was taken on a dark and sinister journey, a tale reminiscent of the Salem Witch Trials of the 1690s. Matthew LeRoy and Deric Haddad perfectly captured the sinister and toxic atmosphere of the time. The hysteria and lack of objectivity of ordinary people and the authorities involved in the case were absolutely shocking, redolent of the excesses of the McCarthy era of the 1950s. The background material and the depth of analysis provided by these two intrepid journalists are compelling and insightful. It is an utterly astounding and previously untold narrative describing a complex and dark period in U.S. history. I highly recommend it.

Reviewed by Sarah Rollins for Readers' Favorite

Executive Hoodlum: Negotiating on the Corner of Main and Mean by John Costello with Larry Elder is a thought-provoking and engaging true story like nothing I’ve ever really read before. Personally, I always veer towards non-fiction stories, but as I read this book, I found myself forgetting that in fact it was not fiction. Through the personal struggles growing up and throughout his early adulthood, the challenges he faces with his family, towards his accomplishments as a businessman in a highly successful industry, the story gives the reader perspective that anything is possible if you strive for it, and work hard enough. For many, John’s upbringing and family life would perhaps define their future, but this story is why non-fiction stories really tug at your heartstrings, because they demonstrate triumph over obstacles.

What I mostly enjoyed about John Costello’s story is that I was brought into both worlds, but like a crime novel, you have an exciting mix of mobsters, crime and greed on the streets of Chicago, mixed with the corporate world with senators and executive antics. I felt hooked by every page, and I didn’t want the story to end. Executive Hoodlum: Negotiating on the Corner of Main and Mean was the perfect title for this fantastic read, and I would love to see more from this author in the future. He has a knack for bringing a real story to life in a way that readers will certainly relate to, with a message of values and honesty that leaves a good moral behind.

Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite

His Garden: Conversations with a Serial Killer by Anne K. Howard takes us inside the mind of a serial killer. In just a few short months in small-town Connecticut, seven people went missing and one man, William Devin Howell, better known as Bill, knew exactly what had happened to them. Howard struck up a relationship with Howell for the purposes of this book whilst he was already serving time for the murder of one of the seven victims. Initially treated with suspicion by Howell, Howard was eventually able to win over the killer’s trust to the point where Howell thought of her as a friend. He had promised Howard he would “tell all” once his trial was completed. When he decided to plead guilty to the remaining six murders, he openly confessed everything to the author and attempted to describe and justify his reasons for killing the six women and one man, most of whom were drug-addicted prostitutes at the time of their murders. In a series of letters, telephone calls and face-to-face meetings (through prison plexi-glass), Howard has managed to capture the essence of this man’s/monster’s need and desire to kill and yet, like us readers, she remains perplexed.

This is the first “True-Life” murder story I have read and Anne K. Howard has painted a picture of a complex and strangely normal person who somehow managed to turn into a monster killer who would become Connecticut’s most prolific serial killer. Particularly fascinating for me was that Howell didn’t really seem to fit the profile of a serial killer. He certainly wasn’t a loner and was both gregarious and well-liked outside of his predilection for picking up prostitutes for sex and then sometime raping and murdering them. In many ways Howell portrayed himself as a loveable rogue, which the author seemed to reinforce. Yes, he was a drifter and a drinker, but everyone who knew him appeared to have a few good words to say about him. This story was no doubt the author’s attempt to reconcile William Howell the happy-go-lucky drifter with William Howell the raping, murdering monster, he clearly was. At times the story is hard to read, especially the effects of Howell’s crimes on the families of the victims, something Howell still fails to realize, but it is riveting stuff and helps us to answer, in some small way, the question of what makes a monster? This is an excellent read and one I highly recommend.

Reviewed by Viga Boland for Readers' Favorite

Are you a true crime fan? As someone who has always clung to the adage that truth is stranger than fiction, I certainly am. And when it comes to the content and characters in Out Here in the Darkness by Abra Stevens, I know that for some readers the truth in this book will not only be stranger than fiction but a lot harder to stomach. You can’t just close this book and tell yourself “Good thing that never happened!” With that warning in mind, prepare to be shocked and even somewhat nauseous when you read how on one summer night, five teens brutally murdered one of their peers in a field near a cemetery. Stevens does not spare the gory details. Not only is what these teens did abhorrent, but the events leading up to it and the group’s justification of the act are repulsive.

Out Here in the Darkness is a well-researched book that combines actual details of police efforts to find those responsible with specific court transcripts once they face the justice system for sentencing. But what elevates this true crime story above becoming a dry recording of facts is Stevens’ ability to make these young criminals real people who have gone astray. Through the exchange of dialogue between the teens, and their likely personal reflections before and after the act, readers recognize that several of these teens were once just kids raised in anything but ideal circumstances. Though their crime was monstrous, Stevens doesn’t leave readers thinking of them as monsters. Abra Stevens’ interest in the psychology of these murderers is shown most toward the end where the author devotes several chapters to exploring one of them, Mike Cravey, as he serves his 33-year prison sentence. This section is most enlightening, and readers who care more about the whys than the whats behind violent acts like the one depicted will think about those whys long after they close the book.

Reviewed by Lorraine Cobcroft for Readers' Favorite

Warning: Reading Steffen Hou's The Deprived: Innocents on Death Row might destroy any trust you have in the justice system. It might destroy your confidence in the integrity of those who purport to work toward making our society a safer and better place for all. It might destroy any faith you have in the fundamental goodness and decency of mankind. You will find The Deprived shocking and confronting. It will likely make you weep. In parts, you might struggle to find the strength to read on. If you support the death penalty, no matter what your reasons and no matter how strong your convictions, I guarantee reading The Deprived will make you question and doubt. It may even convert you to support campaigns against it.

Steffen Hou tells us that, in Texas, it costs three times more to put a convicted criminal to death than to house one in prison for forty years. And then he reminds us, through heart-wrenching true stories, that we can release a prisoner wrongly convicted and imprisoned, but we can never release the wrongly condemned from their grave. Nor can we ever repair the harm done to the families of the condemned, much less to the witnesses, jurors, judges, guards and executioners. We cannot repair or compensate for the damage caused to those who are finally exonerated and released from death row. They leave bars and orange jumpsuits behind, but they can never again be truly free. Steffen Hou relates the horrific yet inspiring stories of nine who were wrongly convicted and sentenced to death, but later set free.

But what of the victims of horrific crime? What of our need to keep citizens safe? Steffen Hou exposes disturbing statistics not only of erroneous convictions, but of the causes of error: causes that include false eyewitness testimony, shoddy defences of the poor and minority races, and even corruption and deliberate manipulation or suppression of evidence by those charged with protecting us all. And then he relates the inspiring story of Marietta Jaeger, who, following the brutal kidnapping and murder of her seven-year-old daughter by a serial killer, fights for forgiveness and mercy. Marietta co-founded 'Journey of Hope', helping people move from violence to healing. Her compassion for, and forgiveness of, the man who ended her daughter's life assisted his capture and conviction. We can never know how many lives her bravery and strength saved.

Steffen Hou does not offer a literary masterpiece. There are no vivid descriptions. There is no poetic prose. There is no word magic. The Deprived is a frank, direct, and quite brutal journalistic report of the terrible consequences of judgments we would like to see as tragic mistakes, but are more accurately portrayed as acts of horrific injustice that destroyed the lives of innocents and raise questions about the fundamental decency of what we pretend is an advanced and humane society. Hou does not appear to consciously strive for evocative copy, but the facts he exposes will tear at your heart. Reading The Deprived should be compulsory for everyone involved in any manner in law enforcement or the justice system.

Reviewed by Ruffina Oserio for Readers' Favorite

As the subtitle suggests, Embracing the Abyss by John Smith is a true story of unknowingly becoming part of a fraud scandal, receiving a presidential pardon, and being surprised by a spiritual awakening. The memoir begins three days before the protagonist’s appearance in federal court before the US District Judge Robert Maloney for sentencing. He is charged with fraud for his involvement as a high-ranking Vernon Savings and Loan Officer. This is a story of how a brilliant man with unusual skills in accounting unwittingly contributed to fraud and got jailed for a crime in which he should have been pleading as a victim. It will take the FBI fifteen years to come out and tell him that he shouldn’t have been sentenced in the first place. But can the damage be reversed?

Meanwhile, a spiritual journey has already started happening in the protagonist’s soul, a journey that has brought him to grips with the abyss, the part of him he’s never wanted to see and touch. Read this story to discover how to see the light in the starkest night of the soul. While Embracing the Abyss is a powerful warning to people who can easily find themselves in tight situations with the law without actually meaning to break any, it is also a gritty journey of a man to his very center, a tale of true freedom and how it’s won. The author writes with clarity, allowing readers great insights into one of the loan scandals in the US, while sharing what it means to live in a federal prison. John Smith’s story is both informative and inspiring, a warning to readers and an endearing tale of spiritual awakening, featuring an appendix of his appeal for a presidential pardon.

Reviewed by Christian Sia for Readers' Favorite

Here is a story that every publisher and media house should be scrambling for, and it beats me that it is self-published, because it is well-written, a powerful documentary that readers would enjoy on screen. I wish to shout out to the big movie giants out there: “Make this book into a movie.” Yes, because it reads like one and fans of Narcos will love it. In fact, I never knew Pablo Escobar was real. I have always thought of him as a character in the series, because while his trial was going on, I was busy chasing life. Now, let’s get to the book!

In DeLorean's Shadow: The Drug Trial of The Century by The Sole Surviving Defendant by Stephen Arrington is so well-written that one would doubt it is the work of a former criminal and ex-convict. Pardoned by President Obama in January, 2017, the last remaining defendant of the drug trial that rocked the media shares his story and fills in many loopholes and answers questions that have been left hanging, thanks to the machinations of the system. The reader gets an insider story of the key players in the Medellin Drug Cartel led by Pablo Escobar, including his #1 hit man, Rafael Salazar, the author, and others. Armed with insider information and the investigative reports, transcripts of FBI secret tapes, and court exhibits presented by the FBI, as well as findings by the law firm hired by DeLorean, the author brings to light what the FBI has kept hidden from the public — the whole story.

But this book is more than a narrative of the case and the activities of the drug cartel. It is a spiritual journey, a story of one man’s passage from utter darkness into the light. It was surprising to find out that the author runs an organization that improves the standards of living for people in poor areas around the world. In DeLorean's Shadow is a story of hope and it is stunning in its message, in the craft — filled with images and facts — and in the incredible journey and the transformation of one man once consumed by darkness and greed. If there is one book, one nonfiction book, one inspirational book you must read this year, let it be Stephen Arrington’s story. It doesn’t fail in any aspect! Great dialogues, awesome scene narratives, and an evocative , spellbinding style of writing.

Reviewed by Viga Boland for Readers' Favorite

So often, too often, we read stories about corruption in the police force, or question whether a cop did the right thing when he shot someone he believed was a threat to himself or others. We shake our heads wondering what to think about these men in uniform. That’s why it’s refreshing…not to mention important…to read an honest story like Shotgunned, the heart-touching memoir of the author, Dana Owen, a cop who nearly died fulfilling his mandate to serve and protect. When Dana and his partner, Bob, responded to the report of a hi-jacked truck, little did Dana know that shortly after he’d nearly die from two shotgun wounds to his head that would leave him suffering severe headaches for the rest of his life. Nor did he know that it would be 11 years before the robbers would receive their just deserts, which might not have happened if it wasn’t for his own dogged determination to find out who had shot him and left him for dead.

In the meantime, while Dana had the support and admiration from his fellow officers, he and Bob copped criticism from a police captain who didn’t feel they deserved accolades and medals for their valor since they hadn’t caught the perpetrators. While this hurt, it also fuelled Dana’s desire to nail these felons.Over the years, while Dana pursues whatever channels he can find, he also fills us in on what it’s really like to be a cop, the many gruesome scenes to which they are subjected, and the effects such events have on their psyches, and also on the lives of their families. It’s much too easy while we read, listen to and watch media reports to form unfair and uninformed judgements about the police, what they have done and why. It takes courageous men like Dana Owen to speak up and tell it like it really is.

Shotgunned will, of course, be of interest to other members of the force, but for those who aren’t policemen, this book will enlighten and sometimes frighten readers. If ever there was a time that the adage about walking a mile in someone’s shoes applies, it certainly does here. Shotgunned is not written by a polished author: it’s written in simple language, using dialogue and descriptions that anyone can understand and relate to…and that makes it a most enjoyable, informative read. This is one human being talking to others and we come away enriched by the conversation. Bravo to Dana Owen for telling us, and showing us what no media reports can: the heart and soul of a good cop.

Reviewed by K M Steele for Readers' Favorite

I, a Squealer: The Insider's Account of the Pied Piper of Tucson Murders by Richard Bruns is a fascinating and disturbing account of his friendship with, and ultimate betrayal of, serial killer Charles Schmid. Bruns wrote the account after the events leading up to Schmid’s arrest, which gives it a feeling of immediacy and urgency that may not have been present if it were told after many years had elapsed. Bruns takes the reader with him as he discusses his fear and anxiety in the face of Schmid’s deteriorating mental health. After Schmid confessed to killing three girls and implied that Bruns' ex-girlfriend, Kathy, should also die, Bruns became obsessed with protecting her, and eventually had a restraining order filed against him for stalking and was ordered to move to Columbus, Ohio to live with his Grandmother.

While it doesn’t make sense at first that Bruns continued a friendship with someone he believed had murdered defenceless girls, it becomes clear that Schmid had an ability to hold people and bend them to his will. Bruns describes the Schmid he befriended as a charming, popular, good-looking guy whom everyone wanted to know. It seems when Bruns was sent away from Tucson, the break from Schmid’s company was enough to make him realise he must tell the police about his friend. When Schmid was arrested, he claimed Bruns was the murderer, and it seemed that many in the community shared his belief: rather than being commended for getting a killer off the street, Bruns was ostracised. I, a Squealer by Richard Bruns also includes police photos and newspaper clippings during and after the trial, and has received plenty of praise. This is not without reason. It is a gripping tale told in a straightforward manner and personable voice.