Murder Can Be Fun Presents: Obscure Crime Books by John MarrMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Enthusiastic true crime fan Marr presents here a guide to true crime book collectors with his enthusiastic reviews and synopses. This leads off with the premier example of his interest - obscure, quirky and morbid - The Love-Murders of Harry F. Powers. This is followed by the graphic cop textbook The Sexual Criminal: A Psychoanalytical Study, a "token Canadian entry" he disparages "true mysteries and murders" (Todd/Steele), train sabotage in Tragic Train: The City of San Francisco with an overview of similar crimes, Bad blood: the story of Stanley Graham which in his opinion is a kiwi TC entry that rivals American excess. He has a special selection to pbk.-only titles (at least at the time), including very enthusiastically Murderous Trail of Charles Starkweather (it contains Starkweather's own words and drawings), a document of the homicidal end to safely picking up hitchhikers Born to Kill, the Kitty Genovese story told poorly in Thirty-Eight Witnesses: The Kitty Genovese Case and better, along with other crimes, in Chief!. Marr also likes (one of the few I have) Jack Webb's The Badge: True and Terrifying Crime Stories That Could Not Be Presented on TV, from the Creator and Star of Dragnet. A nod to property crimes comes in with praise for Game of Thieves. Marr also includes material on authors and publishers he recommends and disparages.
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