From the back cover: In Under the Banner of Heaven, John Krakauer shift his focus from extremes of physical adventure to extremes of religious belief within our own borders. At the core of his book is an appalling double murder committed by a pair of brothers, Ron and Dan Lafferty, who insist they were commanded to kill by God. Beginning with a meticulously researched account … [Read more...] about Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer: B
Crime
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon: A+
From the inside flap: The scene is Baltimore, the year is 1988. Twice every three days another citizen is shot, stabbed, or bludgeoned to death. And at the center of this hurricane of crime is the city's homicide unit, a small brotherhood of hard men who fight for whatever justice is possible in a deadly world. The homicide detective is an American icon, the hero of a … [Read more...] about Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets by David Simon: A+
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson: B
From the front flap: In The Devil in the White City, Erik Larson tells the spellbinding true story of two men, an architect and a serial killer, whose fates were linked by the greatest fair in American history: the Chicago World's Fair of 1893, nicknamed "The White City." Review: What The Devil in the White City excels at is evocation of time and place. One really gets a … [Read more...] about The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson: B