Reddit mentions: The best crime & criminal biographies

Here you go:

Movies

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SlapShot|A failing ice hockey team finds success using constant fighting and violence during games
Goon|Labeled an outcast by his brainy family, a bouncer overcomes long odds to lead a team of under performing misfits to semi-pro hockey glory, beating the crap out of everything that stands in his way.
Youngblood|A skilled young hockey prospect hoping to attract the attention of professional scouts is pressured to show that he can fight if challenged during his stay in a Canadian minor hockey town.
The Mighty Ducks Trilogy|A self-centered lawyer is sentenced to community service coaching a rag tag youth hockey team. In the second movie, leads them to the World Junior Goodwill Games. And in the third movie, the gang heads to a cake-eater private school and a different, tougher coach.
Mystery, Alaska|This comedy is about the residents of a small town who get over-excited when their hockey team gets chosen to host a televised event
Miracle|Miracle tells the true story of Herb Brooks (Russell), the player-turned-coach who led the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team to victory over the seemingly invincible Russian squad.
Breakaway|An Indian-Canadian hockey player struggles against traditional family values and discrimination from mainstream hockey players.


###TV & Documentaries

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---|:---
24/7| The road to the Winter Classic details the trials and tribulations of 2 teams each season as they head into the Winter Classic. First Season: Caps/Pens. Second Season: Flyers/Rangers
Pond Hockey|Pond Hockey examines the changing culture of sports through insightful interviews with hockey stars, experts, journalists and local rink rats alike. More than just a celebration of a beloved game, Pond Hockey searches the open ice for the true meaning of sport.
The Last Gladiators|In ice hockey, no one is tougher than the "goon". Those players have one mission: to protect the star players at any price.
Hockey: A People's History|The history of the sport of ice hockey and its impact on the founding country of Canada.
30 fo 30: A King's Ransom|Story of the Gretzky trade from Oilers to the Kings.

###Books
| | |

---|:---|:---
The Game|Ken Dryden|Ken Dryden, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, is recognized as one of the greatest goalies ever to play the game. More than that, he is one of hockey's most intelligent and insightful commentators. In The Game, Dryden captures the essence of the sport and what it means to all hockey fans.
The Boys of Winter|Wayne Coffey|They were the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, a blue-collar bunch led by an unconventional coach, and they engineered what Sports Illustrated called the greatest sports moment of the twentieth century. Their “Miracle on Ice” has become a national fairy tale, but the real Cinderella story is even more remarkable.
J.R.|Jeremy Roenick|Jeremy Roenick, one of the premier hockey players of his generation and one of the greatest American stars the NHL has ever known, shares his life story in this frank and unflinching autobiography.
Crossing the Line|Derek Sanderson|The autobiography of one of hockey’s first rebels and a beloved member of the “Big Bad Bruins,” this book shares how Derek Sanderson’s ferocious style helped lead the team to two Stanley Cup victories in the early 1970s.
Playing With Fire|Theo Fleury|Theo Fleury takes us behind the bench during his glorious days as an NHL player, and talks about growing up devastatingly poor and in chaos at home.
Jonesy: Put Your Head Down and Skate|Kieth Jones|Jonsey is the story of Keith s career in the league as well as all of the interesting stories he accumulated over the course of his career, playing with some of the leagues best players in the last 15 years, including Peter Forsberg, Joe Sakic, Mark Recchi and Eric Lindros. Forward by Ray Bourque.
Blood Feud|Adrian Dater|Blood Feud is a rollicking story of a fierce, and often violent, rivalry between the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche.
Tough Guy|Bob Probert|Documenting his notorious career with the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks, Bob Probert details in this autobiography how he racked up points, penalty minutes, and bar bills, establishing himself as one of the most feared enforcers in the history of the NHL.
Journeyman|Sean Pronger|The many triumphs (and even more numerous defeats) of a guy who's seen just about everything in the game of hockey while playing for 11 teams in 16 years.
Ballad of the Whiskey Robber|Julian Rubenstein|The true story of a bank robbing backup goalie in Hungary who becomes a folk hero right after the fall of communism.
Breakaway|Tal Pinchevsky|The stories of the first players to defect and/or get work visas to play in the NHL from Czechoslovakia and the USSR.
Breakaway|Andrew Conte|A detailed, fascinating account of Penguins rise from bankruptcy to Stanley Cup champion that takes you inside the board rooms as well as the players dressing rooms.
Artificial Ice|David Whitson, Richard Gruneau|Artificial Ice explores how hockey has moved from popular pastime to commercial entertainment product, and one struggling to maintain its stature in the North American entertainment market.
Orr: My Story|Bobby Orr|Bobby Orr is often referred to as the greatest ever to play the game of hockey. From 1966 through the mid-seventies, he could change a game just by stepping on the ice. No defenseman had ever played the way he did, or received so many trophies, or set so many records, several of which still stand today. Now he tells of his inspirations, his motivations, and what drove him to become one of the greats. Avalable October 15

Books

| | |

---|:---|:---
The Game|Ken Dryden|Ken Dryden, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, is recognized as one of the greatest goalies ever to play the game. More than that, he is one of hockey's most intelligent and insightful commentators. In The Game, Dryden captures the essence of the sport and what it means to all hockey fans.
The Boys of Winter|Wayne Coffey|They were the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, a blue-collar bunch led by an unconventional coach, and they engineered what Sports Illustrated called the greatest sports moment of the twentieth century. Their “Miracle on Ice” has become a national fairy tale, but the real Cinderella story is even more remarkable.
J.R.|Jeremy Roenick|Jeremy Roenick, one of the premier hockey players of his generation and one of the greatest American stars the NHL has ever known, shares his life story in this frank and unflinching autobiography.
Crossing the Line|Derek Sanderson|The autobiography of one of hockey’s first rebels and a beloved member of the “Big Bad Bruins,” this book shares how Derek Sanderson’s ferocious style helped lead the team to two Stanley Cup victories in the early 1970s.
Playing With Fire|Theo Fleury|Theo Fleury takes us behind the bench during his glorious days as an NHL player, and talks about growing up devastatingly poor and in chaos at home.
Jonesy: Put Your Head Down and Skate|Kieth Jones|Jonsey is the story of Keith s career in the league as well as all of the interesting stories he accumulated over the course of his career, playing with some of the leagues best players in the last 15 years, including Peter Forsberg, Joe Sakic, Mark Recchi and Eric Lindros. Forward by Ray Bourque.
Blood Feud|Adrian Dater|Blood Feud is a rollicking story of a fierce, and often violent, rivalry between the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche.
Tough Guy|Bob Probert|Documenting his notorious career with the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks, Bob Probert details in this autobiography how he racked up points, penalty minutes, and bar bills, establishing himself as one of the most feared enforcers in the history of the NHL.
Journeyman|Sean Pronger|The many triumphs (and even more numerous defeats) of a guy who's seen just about everything in the game of hockey while playing for 11 teams in 16 years.
Ballad of the Whiskey Robber|Julian Rubenstein|The true story of a bank robbing backup goalie in Hungary who becomes a folk hero right after the fall of communism.
Breakaway|Tal Pinchevsky|The stories of the first players to defect and/or get work visas to play in the NHL from Czechoslovakia and the USSR.
Breakaway|Andrew Conte|A detailed, fascinating account of Penguins rise from bankruptcy to Stanley Cup champion that takes you inside the board rooms as well as the players dressing rooms.
Artificial Ice|David Whitson, Richard Gruneau|Artificial Ice explores how hockey has moved from popular pastime to commercial entertainment product, and one struggling to maintain its stature in the North American entertainment market.
Orr: My Story|Bobby Orr|Bobby Orr is often referred to as the greatest ever to play the game of hockey. From 1966 through the mid-seventies, he could change a game just by stepping on the ice. No defenseman had ever played the way he did, or received so many trophies, or set so many records, several of which still stand today. Now he tells of his inspirations, his motivations, and what drove him to become one of the greats. Avalable October 15

People of the Book is almost pornography for bibliophiles. This book had me seriously considering going back to school to learn about document preservation.

I went through a period of wanting to read a lot of books about books about a year ago. I think I even have an old submission in r/books on the same subject. Here are a bunch of books I still have on my amazon wishlist that date to around that time. This will be a shotgun blast of suggestions, and some may be only tangentially related, but I figure more is better. If I can think of even more than this, I'll edit later:

The Man who Loved Books Too Much

Books that Changed the World

The Western Canon: The Books and School of the Ages

How to Read and Why

The New Lifetime Reading Plan

Classics for Pleasure

An Alphabetical Life: Living It Up in the World of Books

The Library at Night

The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop

Time Was Soft There

I have even more around here somewhere...

Edit: Ok, found a couple more....

Among the Gently Mad: Strategies and Perspectives for the Book-Hunter in the 21st Century

At Home with Books: How Booklovers Live with and Care for Their Libraries

Candida Hofer

Libraries in the Ancient World

The Business of Books: How the International Conglomerates Took Over Publishing and Changed the Way We Read

A Short History of the Printed Word

Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption

Medieval Illuminators and Their Methods of Work

The Book on the Bookshelf

A History of Illuminated Manuscripts

Bookmaking: Editing, Design, Production

Library: An Unquiet History

Understanding Illuminated Manuscripts: A Guide to Technical Terms

A Passion for Books: A Book Lover's Treasury of Stories, Essays, Humor, Lore, and Lists on Collecting, Reading, Borrowing, Lending, Caring for, and Appreciating Books

A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books

And yet I still can't find the one I'm thinking of. Will get back to you...

Fuck yeah, I found it!

That last is more about the woman who own the store than about books, but it's awash in anecdotes about writers and stories we all know and love. Check it out.

A few graphic novels:

1. From Hell - Cerebral, philosophical, and fastidiously researched, this is the story of the most notorious of them all, Jack the Ripper. Masterful, somber drawings and brilliant writing, if a little too high brow for my taste.
   
2. My Friend Dahmer - You won't find gore here, nor a particularly engaging plot. What you will find is authentic autobiographical vignettes written by an actual school mate of Jeffry Dahmer's that try to shed some light on the early years of this nefarious, but fascinating serial killer, but mostly seem to be an outlet for the author to process his own emotions with regards to having known and been friends with such a monster. It's not a very compelling read, i'm afraid, but on the bright side, it's quite short and the artwork is cool.
   
3. The Green River Killer - An account of the investigation of the Green River murders, focusing on one of the lead detectives, who happens to be the author's father. Nice artwork, so-so plot.
   
4. Miss Don't Touch Me - An absolutely delightful fictional novel that takes place in early 20th century Paris. It is fast-moving, suspenseful, sexy and hugely entertaining. Great artwork and a fun story. Highly recommended!
   
   A couple more books that are on my wish list, though i haven't read them yet, are:
   
   

• Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us, written by Prof. Robert Hare, the psychologist who invented the standard test for diagnosing psychopaths.
  
  
• The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry - written by the always interesting and entertaining Ron Jonson
  
  
• Ann Rule's The Stranger Beside Me - A classic true crime novel about Ted Bundy written by a woman who worked beside him and knew him personally. She went on to become a prolific true crime novelist.

> Black Flag: Surrender, I'm taking your shit, get in my way and I'll kill you.
>
> Red Flag: I'm taking your shit. You're going to die.

Not quite. Under a black flag, they would not necessarily kill the defeated crew. They may offer to take some on as new crew members (or just take them whether they want to or not). They wouldn't necessarily even kill you if you didn't join the crew, they might just take all your valuables and weapons and release you.

Under the red flag, if you don't surrender immediately, you better hope you win, because they are announcing their intent up front.

/u/bTvuUtTyXZvnj does that help?

If you want to know more, I've read a couple fascinating books on the subject:

• The Pirate Hunter: The True Story of Captain Kidd. "Though Kidd, better known as Captain Kidd, was inextricably bound with piracy and has popularly gone down as a marauding buccaneer himself, Zacks (An Underground Education) argues that he was actually a mercenary backed by the English government and several New World investors to track down pirates and reclaim their stolen wares. The book is cogent and replete with supporting evidence without the heavy-handed feel of some scholarly work. What really sets the book apart is Zacks's gift as researcher and storyteller. He highlights the role of an undeniable pirate, Robert Culliford, in Kidd's tale and pits the two men against each other from the outset, constructing his book as an intriguing duel. Aside from the tightly constructed plot, Zacks also wonderfully evokes the social and political life of the 17th century at land and at sea, and he takes turns at debunking and validating pirate folklore: while it appears the dead giveaway of a skull and crossbones made it a rare flag choice, Zacks contends that pirates did often wear extravagant clothing and were as drunk, cursing, hungry, horny... and violent as myth would have them. Augmented by such details and driven by a conflict between Kidd and Culliford that keeps the pages flying, Zacks's book is a treasure, indeed."
  
  
• The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down "tells a romantic story about Caribbean pirates of the "Golden Age" (1715–1725)—whom he sees not as criminals but as social revolutionaries—and the colonial governors who successfully clamped down on them, in the early 18th-century Bahamas. One group of especially powerful pirates set up a colony in the Bahamas. Known as New Providence, the community attracted not only disaffected sailors but also runaway slaves and yeomen farmers who had trouble getting a toehold in the plantation economy of the American colonies. The British saw piracy as a threat to colonial commerce and government. Woodes Rogers, the governor of the Bahamas and himself a former privateer, determined to bring the pirates to heel. Woodard describes how Rogers, aided by Virginia's acting governor, Alexander Spotswood, finally defeated the notorious Blackbeard. Woodard's portrait of Rogers is a little flat—the man is virtually flawless ("courageous, selfless, and surprisingly patriotic"), and the prose is sometimes breathless ("they would know him by just one word... pirate"). Still, this is a fast-paced narrative that will be especially attractive to lovers of pirate lore and to vacationers who are Bahamas-bound."
  
  I'm not particularly a history buff or an expert on pirates at all, but I listen to a lot of audiobooks and these came up on sale on Audible a few years ago, and I enjoyed them both very much.

It’s cool, it’s cool! I’m half disappointed I didn’t get to introduce you to Out of Print, half thrilled you already knew and love it like I do!

Speaking of why murderers are the way they are, you can’t go wrong with anything by John Douglas, the man who basically invented criminal profiling. Netflix’s show Mindhunter is about him, based on one of his books of the same name. I can’t recommend him enough.

And one more I must recommend, similar to Jon Ronson, is Will Storr’s the Unpersuadables: Adventures With the Enemies of Science. He hangs out with folks like the world’s most (in)famous Holocaust deniers, creationists, and 9/11 & 7/7 truthers. He actually visits Auschwitz with a group lead by fucking David Irving, even participating “undercover”, pretending to be a fellow denier. It’s an compellingly readable book, and much like Ronson’s style.

I recommend all of Ronson’s and Storr’s books, because they’re just really fun and on fascinating subjects. Sort of like Malcom Gladwell, only more controversial subjects, while still being so entertaining I reread them every few years. I reread a lot. And read a lot. I’m disabled, so I get to read a ton.

I’d welcome any fiction recommendations you might wish to share!

Interested in reading the famous Art of War by Sun Tzu? Don't!

The text is mostly useless junk, and what's salient can be summarized as follows:

• War is the greatest responsibility of the state.
  
  
• The general has a right to disobey the emperor.
  
  
• The emperor has an ethical imperative to avoid or quickly win battles.
  
  
• Spies are super important.
  
  There, I just saved you a couple of tedious evenings! Please reward with upvotes!
  
  > But MegasBasilius, what if I do want to read the text?
  
  Then purchase this edition.

I highly, highly recommend a hilarious book, The Ballad of the Whiskey Robber, based on the true story of a Hungarian bank robber just after the fall of communism. It wonderfully captures life in Central Europe at that time. And this scene could have been taken straight from the book. One of the funniest books I've ever read, and even more remarkable because it's all true: http://www.amazon.com/Ballad-Whiskey-Robber-Transylvanian-Moonlighting/dp/0316010731

Well, we hit the 10000 limit. Reserving this comment for the misc. section.

FREE TIME/FUN/MISC.
The Art of Deception: Controlling the Human Element of Security
The Art of War
Steal This Computer Book 4.0: What They Won't Tell You about the Internet
How to Disappear: Erase Your Digital Footprint, Leave False Trails, and Vanish without a Trace
The Best of 2600: A Hacker Odyssey
Super Crunchers: Why Thinking-by-Numbers Is the New Way to Be Smart
Casting the Net: From ARPANET to INTERNET and Beyond thanks sjhill
A Quarter Century of UNIX thanks sjhill
A Reading List For the Self-Taught Computer Scientist thanks zinver
How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk thanks segamix
The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable thanks AgonistAgent
Snow Crash thanks AgonistAgent
Cryptonomicon thanks Mirple

I love the Mindhunter TV series, but you should really read the book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker, for the best telling of Kemper's story. I was an English teacher and I gave away at least half a dozen copies of that book to high school Seniors that were interested in forensics or law enforcement. It's a great read.

Hijacking my comment to let everyone know about a new subreddit we've launched. r/RedditCrimeCommunity is a hub for all the case specific subs and a forum for high quality self posts on crime. I'd love it if you'd join me there and help us build it.

---


Mark has been verified by the mods and we've added a Verified flair.

Here's a link to his Amazon Author page

The new book, The Killer Across the Table on Amazon

Mindhunter on Amazon

Edit: The AMA is now concluded. Thanks again to everyone who came to the thread and either asked a question or lurked and read.

I hope you guys got as much out of this as I did. Thank you again to u/Mark_Olshaker for agreeing to do this. I've extended an open invitation to him to join us in the future if he so chooses.

Edit2:

Archive of the AMA - Archive.is

Archive of the AMA - Archive.org

> I'll also watch Game Change because I haven't watched it yet.
I'll look at both sides and see what my opinion becomes after.

> Thank you for all the info! Gives me something to do today :p

Thank you!

>No I haven't. But what I've heard of people actually meeting her, they say she is really nice and will talk to people, instead of ignoring

I have never met Bill Clinton, but I know several people who have--they say he is amazing in person--warm, kind, with a charisma or charm like none they have ever seen.

What everyone says is something along the lines of "he makes you feel like you're the only person in the world, and he cares about you".

Sarah has that kind of aura or charisma too, for some people.

Ted Bundy was also "really nice".

https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Beside-Me-Ann-Rule/dp/1416559590


With a slow chill that intensifies with each heart-pounding page, Rule describes her dawning awareness that Ted Bundy, her sensitive coworker on a crisis hotline, was one of the most prolific serial killers in America.


Nice guy though!

Dis!


I LOVE finding old books/items! Then it's on to super cringe when you remembered them being awesome, and they're just not as awesome as an adult. :P

A mental mind fuck can be nice !

If you are interested excellent football hooligan dramas then I strongly recommend these two

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I.D._(1995_film)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Firm_(1989_film)

For books then

Bill Buford's - Among the thugs

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Among_the_Thugs

Tony O'Neill - Red Army General


http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1903854458?pc_redir=1405206553&robot_redir=1

Tony O'Neill - Men in Black

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1903854520?pc_redir=1405428117&robot_redir=1

Cass is a good story too

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1844545997?pc_redir=1405174410&robot_redir=1

Check out Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground. It doesn't have the social media aspect, but still a great real life hacker story. Also, Exploding the Phone: The Untold Story of the Teenagers and Outlaws who Hacked Ma Bell is very good as well. I will also second the Mitnick book.

Ahh ok, this is the book: Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground - this guy was Max 'Vision' Butler and he had his flat searched as part of the investigation into the HL2 source code hack. It is a really great book by the way and definitely worth the read.

What most consider the original is actually titled:

• Hackers by Steven Levy
  
  More recently, there have been several excellent titles. My suggestion is stick to non fiction as it will truly scare the yell out of you.
  
  
• Kingpin by Kevin Paulsen
  
  
• Hackers and Hacking by Margaret Haerens
  
  
• Cyber War by Richard C Clarke
  
  
• Schneier on Security by Bruce Schneier ---
  Almost everything by Bruce
  
  
• The Art of Intrusion by Kevin Mitnick. He has a couple of books as you may know. The advantage is he offers the perspective of a "former" hacker.
  
  I can recommend more but these are good starting points. Fiction is fun but for pure terror, grasping what these authors are revealing is the key.

There is a book that the show was based on, but I was largely disappointed because the era the show takes place in was only one or two chapters.

This is the book:

Boardwalk Empire: The Birth, High Times, and Corruption of Atlantic City https://www.amazon.com/dp/0966674863/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_5pqwub1CSBS85


This is a book about Lucky Luciano that I especially liked. It's mostly about his life but talks about his association with Meyer Lansky too, as that was a big part of his life. (In paperback it was called Boardwalk Gangster: The Real Lucky Luciano)

Lucky Luciano: The Real and the Fake Gangster https://www.amazon.com/dp/0312601824/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_Wnqwub0C9QY5P


This is a book about Arnold Rothstein that I really enjoyed too.

Rothstein: The Life, Times, and Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed the 1919 World Series https://www.amazon.com/dp/0465029388/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_quqwub0XWB3GD


I haven't read any books about Capone- yet. I read a book about Frank Nitti that talks a lot about Capone though. I can look it up if you're interested.

Unfortunately I haven't found a book about everybody involved in the show. I wish that somebody would write a couple of novels about the seven years between season four and season five. Even though they'd be largely fictional due to Nucky's life being fictional in the show they could be VERY interesting, I think.

Read Kingpin https://smile.amazon.co.uk/Kingpin-Hacker-Billion-Dollar-Cybercrime-Underground-ebook/dp/B004IK8Q2M/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1518731360&sr=8-4&keywords=kingpin

As well as being a great book for anyone interested in cyber security, the main guy (definitely a greyhat at the time) does this, and the fallout is one of the major factors that screws him up and sends him blackhat.

Bundy also took pleasure in vicariously "investigating his crimes" through an avatar that he made up to two writers who came to interview him in prison. This person was ostensibly the "real killer" and he would give in depth analysis as to what he was feeling as he committed the crimes and explain why he engaged in certain patterns of behavior.

Though he never inserted himself into the discussion, it was obvious that Bundy took great pleasure in recounting the crimes. He just couldn't get over how clever he thought he was.

Here's the resulting book about it:

www.amazon.com/Ted-Bundy-Conversations-Hugh-Aynesworth/dp/1928704174

He also volunteered his "expertise" in investigating the "Green River Killer" Gary Ridgway...

Excellent, thank you.
I highly recommend The Stranger Beside Me, by Ann Rule, if you haven't read it already.

I really like true crime as a genre.

The Stranger Beside Me is pretty fascinating. The author, Ann Rule, worked alongside Ted Bundy while he was volunteering at a suicide hotline. Then she got assigned coincidentally to write a story on his murders, before anyone knew who it was. She is also a great writer.

If you already like true crime and are into something a bit more niche and loaded with culture war, John Safrans Murder in Missisippi I really loved. I think the subtitle: The True Story of How I Met a White Supremacist, Befriended His Black Killer and Wrote this Book, will give you a good idea of if you'll like the subject matter.

Here's some recommendations for everyone:

James Ellroy's L.A. Quartet series and Underworld USA trilogy. Gritty, intense historical fiction based in LA in the 50s-60s and then Underworld USA is 60s-70s based all over the world but deals with JFK assasination, Vietnam, the mob in vegas and a ton of other shit. Really good stuff if you're into any of that stuff.

Another one I've been reading is The Stranger Beside Me by Ann Rule about Ted Bundy and the author's relationship with him before and after the killings. Really good read. Also Green River, Running Red about the Green River Killer is great too if you're interested in true crime/serial killers. And Mindhunter which they based the Netflix show off of is also a good read if you're into all this shit like I am.

Love having this thread here tho.

Journeyman by Sean Pronger Very amusing, even to my non-hockey fan mother. Interesting due not only who his little brother is, but rarely do the guys who bounce in and out of the minor leagues get a platform to tell the story.

Ballad of the Whiskey Robber by Julian Rubenstein The true story of a bank robbing backup goalie in Hungary who becomes a folk hero right after the fall of communism.

Breakaway by Tal Pinchevsky The stories of the first players to defect and/or get work visas to play in the NHL from Czechoslovakia and the USSR.

I enjoyed Kingpin by Kevin Poulson it provided an excellent overview of the carder markets.

This is a good adventure style read.

However if you want something that specifically mentions the code, you can always go with the classics...

http://www.amazon.com/General-History-Pyrates-Dover-Maritime/dp/0486404889/ref=pd_sim_b_10

http://www.amazon.com/The-Buccaneers-America-Dover-Maritime/dp/048640966X/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_c

These are some of the oldest pirate books, so they arent 100% historically accurate and do read like an early 18th century book.

I have this edition: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/081331951X/

I've very happy with it - the book is broken into two chunks. The second is the complete english translation of the text. This bit is "The Art of War" as written by Sun Tzu. The first chunk is a long historical context that leads up to the life of Sun Tzu and gives the political and military climate of the time, as well as timelines/troop movements of several of the battles Sun Tzu participated in. I thought this part was incredibly interesting for it's own sake, though if you're just looking for the bare text, then this becomes merely fluff. Both chunks are well and thoroughly footnoted both for references and tangential information.

Overall, it was a very solid buy, and if you're at all remotely interested in the China in which this text was written as opposed to just the bare text, I would definitely get it.

A little different inside scoop to LA, particularly East LA - The Black Hand Its a fun and entertaining read.

> "Ghost in the Wires" by Kevin Mitnick

Yes, fantastic book. I actually contracted Kevin (and his firm) to pen test my payment device, as much for the knowledge as for the celebrity tickles it sent up my spine.

Also I would recommend Kingpin

I didn't feel like it yesterday. Pretty simple.

Sidenote: This isn't everything I've read. These are the articles that address the issue at hand, and help complete the picture. Every article fills in a hole the previous one missed.

https://www.wired.com/2011/02/ff-octopus-conspiracy/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1991/08/31/what-killed-danny-casolaro/ea110460-d4d0-4052-a84c-3660b6989ebe/?utm_term=.5d17763f3f0a

https://www.amazon.com/Octopus-Secret-Government-Death-Casolaro/dp/0922915393

http://knowledgenuts.com/2013/09/25/danny-casolaros-octopus-conspiracy-theory/

https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/17/us/reporter-is-buried-amid-questions-over-his-pursuit-of-conspiracy-idea.html

https://theunredacted.com/danny-casolaro-hunting-the-octopus/

http://nymag.com/news/features/octopus-sam-israel-2012-7/

http://projectcensored.org/11-the-strange-death-of-daniel-casolaro/

https://unsolved.com/gallery/dan-casolaro/

https://www.amazon.com/Octopus-Israel-Secret-Streets-Wildest/dp/0307716074

http://articles.latimes.com/1993-03-21/news/mn-13734_1_false-arrest

There is a pretty good book about the Mexican Mafia called "The Black Hand" written by an older guy who was there shortly after they were founded until now I think. There's a short video interview with the author here.

If you like true crime / biographical stuff it could be worth a read. He goes into a lot of detail about how the street gangs coordinate with the Mexican Mafia members locked up inside, and also touches on their loose alliance with the whites (basically an alliance of convenience and strategy, for a time Northern Hispanics outnumbered everybody substantially, particularly in the prisons in N. California - so allying with whites state-wide gave them an advantage in Southern California and put them closer to even numbers in the north).

Outside of that, there's a lot of blogs and whatnot about prison gangs, especially the California ones (in a lot of ways other states gangs' basically copy California). If you're gonna google around I'd be a little careful though, there is some people who have a bizarre fascination with this stuff and tend to embellish in my experience.

I guess Bundy would be a bit of an extreme example, but reading about him wouldn't hurt. I read a book about Bundy called Ted Bundy : Conversations with a Killer and you really get a good look inside the head of a sociopath.

http://www.amazon.com/Ted-Bundy-Conversations-Hugh-Aynesworth/dp/1928704174/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1408804663&sr=8-1&keywords=Ted+Bundy%3A+Conversations+with+a+Killer

I had this happen a couple of times to me in one year. I found out later that it likely originated with Target when they got hacked a few years ago and then the other was from a Wendy’s POS terminal when it came out that all of them in the area in which we lived were discovered to have malware installed which skimmed customer numbers.

I actually read a book about credit card hackers called Kingpin.

https://www.amazon.com/Kingpin-Hacker-Billion-Dollar-Cybercrime-Underground/dp/0307588696

It’s a really interesting read and it makes you realize that basically, if you ever use your card, there is a chance it will get stolen at some point.

So your advice is definitely sound. Just check every month at least. I would also turn on transaction notifications. That’s how I caught what was happening both times. I set the limit to $5 so basically any transaction except for buying a candy bar or something alerts me. Good way to keep an eye on things.

"Mr. New Orleans" is a pretty entertaining read that may or may not be actual history.

https://www.amazon.com/Mr-New-Orleans-Underworld-Legend/dp/0692237488

yeah, to pick up where that leaves off, I'd recommend biographies on Sam Giancanna and Tony Spliotro. awesome reads on Chicago organized crime.

If you're interested in prison rules I'd highly recommend the book: Fun House Mirrors http://www.amazon.com/Funhouse-Mirror-Reflections-Prison/dp/0874221986/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1411482068&sr=1-1&keywords=fun+house+mirrors

His life has been recounted in a novel. A very good read. Recommended.

A bit off topic...I just finished reading an advance copy of Kingpin written by Kevin - one of the best written 'hacker' books i've read in a long time (good amount of technical detail). Anyway, give it a read when it comes out. He's really come a long way in establishing himself as a legitimate author IMO.

That's awesome! Thanks for the contest, but Don't Sue People Panda. Naughty Panda.

One

Two

The Republic of Pirates Great book.

Republic of Pirates is a great book about the golden age of pirating in the Caribbean. Many of the pirates were laid-off privateers.

Not exactly on topic, but Double Cross is a really interesting read that mentions some of this.

It is artificial. Sam Israel explained it in this book... https://www.amazon.com/Octopus-Israel-Secret-Streets-Wildest/dp/0307716074/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1487065509&sr=1-2&keywords=sam+israel

They're all flying by the seat of their pants. The algorithms are really nothing but B.S. Smoke and mirrors to impress investors.

You sure it was YA? Sounds like it could be either a bio of Kevin Poulsen or Kevin Mitnick

Yes, it's improving, but it's not all fixed yet, hence the two frauds on my accounts within the past year. One was an actual duplicated card, complete with CCV number and magnetic stripe.

A great book on how bad things have been, up until chip cards finally started getting market acceptance, is Kingpin, about a hacker who stole thousands of credit cards, mostly from stored data. Vendors often are not in legal compliance. Restaurants were especially bad.

Debit cards didn't escape either; one year banks absorbed $2 billion in debit card fraud. They'd introduced a secret PIN in the magnetic stripe, to fend off phishing attacks, and then just didn't bother checking it.

In terms of security, crypto on a hardware wallet is light years beyond anything in mainstream finance. Even our exchanges have better security than they do; my online stock broker and my credit union offer no 2FA at all.

Ballad of the Whiskey Robber is lesser known, but a fun, brisk read. It doesn't reach the level of HS or ICB, and it's about a more amusing case, not murders. The central criminal is just too likeable to not root for, he was a pelt smuggler before he was a robbery. The writing is above average for true crime.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attila_Ambrus

https://www.amazon.com/Ballad-Whiskey-Robber-Transylvanian-Moonlighting/dp/0316010731

Buy the book 'fun house mirror' right away.

https://www.amazon.com/Funhouse-Mirror-Reflections-Prison/dp/0874221986

I read Kingpin: How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground a few months back which is all about that stuff. Really good read.

I just read Frency Brouillette's book and there is a lot of JFK talk in there. It's a kinda fun read.

https://www.amazon.com/Mr-New-Orleans-Underworld-Legend/dp/0692237488

Author Ann Rule was a volunteer alongside him, and she wrote a really interesting book about it (if you're interested): The Stranger Beside Me

He was nicknamed The Big Bankroll because he would gamble hundreds of thousands of dollars a night in the early nineteen hundreds! He was more interesting in real life that even this character on HBO. He fixed the 1919 World Series. Done got killed in a hotel room poker game.

This is one of the best books I have ever read.

Sources:

John Douglas - Mindhunter. Some of his other books talk about Bundy too, but I can't remember which ones - sorry.

Robert Keppel with Stephen G. Michaud - Terrible Secrets

Keppel was the original detective that was assigned to the Bundy case. Bundy asked him to meet him once he knew he was going to be executed and a lot of the book talks about that meeting.

Check our Stephen G. Michaud's other books too. He helped co-write a number of books on Bundy with a few FBI profilers. The one contains transcripts of Michaud's interviews with Bundy.

You can also read the transcripts of Bill Hagmaier's interviews online.

Good question actually... or would you just be doubling up on Kingpin?

John Dies at the End by David Wong

Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk

Ballad of the Whiskey Robber by Julian Rubinstein <- This one I actually got shushed on the subway for laughing too hard while reading it.

Edit: Links

Seconded. Just remember, if your adversary is sophisticated enough, and they get their hands on your computer while it's running, they could potentially retrieve the TrueCrypt key from your memory--that's how the government busted Iceman.

Yes, it's fairly common. Other examples are Altered Carbon, Bird box, and Mind Hunter.

I recommend reading Kingpin

It is a fact that the FBI have breached VPN's and used them as honeypots. Even acting as vpn providers. They can do that without breaking the law.

I can recommend this book for more info: http://www.amazon.com/Kingpin-Hacker-Billion-Dollar-Cybercrime-Underground/dp/0307588688

I've never read it, but I did a Google search and this kinda sounds similar?

The Man Who Loved Books Too Much: The True Story of a Thief, a Detective, and a World of Literary Obsession https://www.amazon.com/dp/1594484813/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_pLWIAbMXFNF99

Agreed. Also, reading suggestion for the OP:

https://www.amazon.com/Kingpin-Hacker-Billion-Dollar-Cybercrime-Underground/dp/0307588696

Cass Pennants book is always worth a read.

straight out of The Ballad of the Whiskey Robber

>Am I missing something?

I suspect there may be a reference or two to the plot in the book the series is based off of that might sneak in here or there.

I haven't read the book, although I do have it. It came out originally in the 1990s, so it's a bit dated, but I got the newest version and I'm going to try to get through it because I'm curious if that might be the case.

I might suggest going a different way. In order to get into the mind of a serial killer, it might be helpful to first understand some of the psychology behind the fascination. This book gives an excellent overview of not only why we as people get very interested in serial murder, but also dives into a lot of other areas that would be essential in authoring a story, in my opinion. I write as well and was glad to have discovered this book. You also might want to check out Ted Bundy: Conversations with a Killer, as this book offers a unique look not only into Bundy's mind, but also into the essence of serial murder in general.

Not sure if you are into security tech but some of my favorites....

• The Cucco's Egg by Cliff Stoll
  
• Kingpin by Kevin Poulsen
  
• Ghost in the Wires by Kevin Mitnick
  
• Countdown to Zero Day by Kim Zetter
  
• Zero Day by Mark Russinovich
  
  
  Also thought I'd include some that I have purchased but not finished yet in case you'd be interested.
  
  
• Where the Wizards Stay up Late by Katie Hafner
  
• Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution by Steven Levy
  
• Fatal System Error: The Hunt for the New Crime Lords Who Are Bringing Down the Internet by Joseph Menn

I don't use Dropbox and do not intend to disparage Dropbox by stating a recent book about hackers and those who hound them seems to indicate Dropbox is not as secure as some my think. Your mileage may vary.

http://www.amazon.com/Kingpin-Hacker-Billion-Dollar-Cybercrime-Underground/dp/0307588696

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Gonzalez

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/14/magazine/14Hacker-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

This one https://www.amazon.com/Kingpin-Hacker-Billion-Dollar-Cybercrime-Underground/dp/0307588696

Kingpin:
https://www.amazon.com/Kingpin-Hacker-Billion-Dollar-Cybercrime-Underground-ebook/dp/B004IK8Q2M#nav-subnav

The Stranger Beside Me is a classic.

This reminded me of this book http://www.amazon.com/Kingpin-Hacker-Billion-Dollar-Cybercrime-Underground/dp/0307588696

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003K15IKI/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

Republic of Pirates. He goes through the history of all the big pirates in the early 1700s and how they were brought down.

Here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Black-Hand-Enriquez-Mexican/dp/0061257303

Here is a book that has hockey in it but is so much more.

You should read The Stranger Beside Me.

Kingpin


Ghost in the Wires


The Art of Deception

Only Living Witness

The Stranger Beside Me

"A Stranger Beside Me" by Ann Rule.

Link: https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Beside-Me-Ann-Rule/dp/1416559590

Fiction or non-fiction?

Fiction: Special Assignments (also published as The Jack of Spades and The Decorator) by Boris Akunin does this well in the second tale (the stories are distinct but interrelated). By the same author, The Coronation does a section from the antagonist's perspective. It could also be a good choice for a book club, as it's a nod to Conan Doyle and paralells a classic Holmes story.

For non-fiction, anything by John Douglas (the original profiler. Many characters on FBI-type TV shows have been based off him). Also Riverman by Robert D. Keppel, which contains conversations with Ted Bundy about the possible motives of the Green River Killer. True crime writer Ann Rule wrote The Stranger Beside Me about her relationship with Ted Bundy.

While none of the non-fiction books are from the serial killer's perspective, they all offer insight into what makes these people tick.

Ever read this? It has very little to do with Ted Bundy actually working at a suicide hotline but it's a damn good read.

Malignant narcissistic sociopaths have no conscience even for those who love them and they are masters of lying and manipulation. Moonves is a predator no matter how you slice it.


If Chen has any conscience herself, she'll be seeing a top notch lawyer soon and make him pay for it. Any woman should.

If you've never read Ann Rule's book about Bundy and how she worked alongside him, you should:

https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Beside-Me-Ann-Rule/dp/1416559590

This is the one that I have, the large page number for such a short book is a result of all the work the author did to put The Art of War itself into its correct historical context.

http://www.amazon.com/Art-War-History-Warfare/dp/081331951X/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1419351680&sr=8-10

Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FC0RRY/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_fby1AbFXZN0PN

Neon green!

Look at the product screenshots. Written for Windows 95 using a JET database with VB4 and Access as a backend is my guess.

What a convoluted nightmare of a UI.

Then again, People still use Aloha terminals. Some of those were key to the largest set of credit breaches in history (looking at you, Pizza Schmizza, who had their terminals on the internet and magstripe captures on-disk, as well as plenty of other vendors who did same). They still don't seem to have fixed their shit, even though a fairly high-profile book covered it years ago.

You might question the information side of things - "aw, screw you, internet guy" - as irrelevant. It is irrelevant only until it's your restaurant in the news or in a book. Then you're fucked. This is a serious concern for owners, or should be. Bad technology will screw the best of businesses if you let it. And if you're found to be out of PCI compliance, imagine running your place without being able to run Visa, Mastercard, AmEx, etc. because your contract was severed by your DPS. When even Diner's Club won't keep you, you're done - a cash-only restaurant and bar? Good luck, unless you're a dive or a kitchy place that relies on that kind of trick. Whoops.

Not sure how much time you have for your project or what kind of info you are planning to include, but these 2 books are classic, great resources for understanding Ted himself as well as his murders and victims.

The Stranger Beside Me - Ann Rule

The Bundy Murders: A Comprehensive History - Kevin M Sullivan

Hmm. True crime isn't often known for being well written. But check out Public Enemies by Bryan Burroughs, Columbine by Dave Cullen, The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, and of course, In Cold Blood by Truman Capote. T.J. English has written some supposedly good stuff, and (being from Boston) I can recommend some good books on Whitey Bulger, including Brutal, Black Mass and Rat Bastards.

If you're looking for stuff on actual murderers, it's going to be a little harder. Most of that stuff is crap. I guess the old standbys are Helter Skelter, The Stranger Beside Me, and BTK.

Ahhh yes!!! Mindhunter: Inside the FBI elite serial crime unit.
This guy is one of the 1st FBI'S profilers.He narrates his experiences and interviews with serial killers.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1501191969/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_yx4zCbQECQJ5K

I just read this for my True Crime book club. Very Dollop-esque:



Ballad of the Whiskey Robber: A True Story of Bank Heists, Ice Hockey, Transylvanian Pelt Smuggling, Moonlighting Detectives, and Broken Hearts

Rubinstein, Julian

Someone likely got a hold of your card data. This can happen in several ways. Thieves put "skimmers" on ATMs for just this purpose, or it could be from a waitress that has a hand-held skimmer, who swipes each card she handles when the customer is out of sight. If your card has the sideways wifi-looking symbol on the back, it broadcasts its information wirelessly as well. This information can be zapped out of the air with relative ease. Certain phones that have NFC chips and/or the appropriate technology (nothing special), can download an app that sniffs CC info of cards that are within 6 inches or so of it (better technology can go further; while the theoretical limit for this technology on cards was supposed to be like 36 inches at Best, I saw a DefCON presentation where they were able to read card info from like a quarter mile with homemade equipment). All of this aside, it is Also extremely likely that your CC info was purchased online, from someone who hacked into a (usually) small mom/pops type place that is incorrectly handling CC info (it is technically illegal for them to store/maintain this info, at least unencrypted I know it is.... but it still happens a lot... usually when people use some "small business starter pro!!" software they don't know how to use).

Lastly, I'd like to point out that if I had to guess, the owner of that store is in on this ring of thieves. That, or the thief made a copy of your card and went there, a place where they don't really pay attention. The thief would want to make a clone of your card and do a test purchase before selling it, or before trying it at a large establishment (or simply taking the time to make his fake look Real, which costs him like 30$ of materials etc if he wants one that can pass inspection) (mind you the Tools/Machines costs 100s and 1000s of dollars... just once he's already got those, I'm averaging between 20-30$ of materials (metallic paint, hologram, other ink, etc, etc)).

Source: Read and recommend this book for you to read. Kingpin

The Ballad of the Whiskey Robber. By Julian Rubinstein

DESCRIPTION: Elmore Leonard meets Franz Kafka in the wild, improbably true story of the legendary outlaw of Budapest. Attila Ambrus was a gentleman thief, a sort of Cary Grant--if only Grant came from Transylvania, was a terrible professional hockey goalkeeper, and preferred women in leopard-skin hot pants. During the 1990s, while playing for the biggest hockey team in Budapest, Ambrus took up bank robbery to make ends meet. Arrayed against him was perhaps the most incompetent team of crime investigators the Eastern Bloc had ever seen: a robbery chief who had learned how to be a detective by watching dubbed Columbo episodes; a forensics man who wore top hat and tails on the job; and a driver so inept he was known only by a Hungarian word that translates to Mound of Ass-Head. BALLAD OF THE WHISKEY ROBBER is the completely bizarre and hysterical story of the crime spree that made a nobody into a somebody, and told a forlorn nation that sometimes the brightest stars come from the blackest holes. Like The Professor and the Madman and The Orchid Thief, Julian Rubinsteins bizarre crime story is so odd and so wicked that it is completely irresistible.

Max “Vision” Butler is an example I use for training classes.

He was a FBI informant, told the FBI about government systems being vulnerable to an exploit that had just been made public. I mean every government system including military, they ignored him, so he created a patch and remediated the issue in thousands of government servers himself... BUT, he also left himself backdoors in his code, which is a running theme with him. He didn’t have the worst intentions, but he did some shady stuff.

Kingpin, How One Hacker Took Over The Billion Dollar Cybercrime Underground by Kevin Paulson

Edit - The book itself is more about his crime ring after he goes to prison for what I mentioned. He does do federal prison time, finds it tough to get work after, and meets a guy who has the idea for a crime ring. I actually think the above story would be more interesting for a school report.