True Crime Audiobooks | Non-Fiction

Sonny: The Last of the Old Time Mafia Bosses, John 'Sonny' Franzese

John 'Sonny' Franzese reportedly committed his first murder at the age of fourteen. As a 'made man' for the Colombo crime family, he operated out of his Long Island home specializing in racketeering, fraud, loansharking, and other illicit deeds he would deny to his dying day. His career in organized crime spanned over eight decades-and he was sentenced to fifty years in prison for robbery charges. But even behind bars, Sonny Franzese never stopped doing business . . . This is the true story of an old-school Mafioso as it's never been told before. Newsday reporter S. J. Peddie interviewed Franzese in prison-and uncovered a lifetime of shocking secrets from the legend himself: why FBI director J. Edgar Hoover had a very personal interest in Sonny; how Sonny managed to juggle numerous affairs with women, including a famous model; how Sonny spent a third of his life in prison-and still managed to earn untold millions for the mob; how Sonny accidentally revealed some of his worst crimes-to a 'friend' wearing a wire; and how Sonny hobnobbed with celebrities such as Ava Gardner, Jayne Mansfield, Bobby Darin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Dionne Warwick, among others. This is a must-listen for anyone fascinated with Mafia history-and a rare look inside a criminal mind that has become the stuff of legend.

S.J. Peddie (Author), Tanya Eby (Narrator)

Audiobook

El agua o la vida: Otra guerra ha comenzado

Hace años se temía que las guerras venideras fueran por el agua: el futuro nos alcanzó. El crimen organizado se convirtió en instrumento disuasivo de la movilización social. Hoy, en México, hay 916 batallas por el agua. Gobierno, empresas y delincuentes se han movilizado contra las poblaciones y los activistas en busca de su bien más preciado. Ya hay miles y miles de víctimas, y el cambio climático las multiplicará. En esta investigación periodística vienen los nombres y apellidos de los responsables, las redes de corrupción y los modus operandi. pero el desastre aún puede frenarse.

J. Jesús Lemus (Author), Rafa Serrano (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Anatomy Murders: Being the True and Spectacular History of Edinburgh's Notorious Burke and Hare

On Halloween night 1828, in the West Port district of Edinburgh, Scotland, a woman sometimes known as Madgy Docherty was last seen in the company of William Burke and William Hare. Days later, police discovered her remains in the surgery of the prominent anatomist Dr. Robert Knox. Docherty was the final victim of the most atrocious murder spree of the century, outflanking even Jack the Ripper's. Together with their accomplices, Burke and Hare would be accused of killing sixteen people over the course of twelve months in order to sell the corpses as 'subjects' for dissection. The ensuing criminal investigation into the 'Anatomy Murders' raised troubling questions about the common practices by which medical men obtained cadavers, the lives of the poor in Edinburgh's back alleys, and the ability of the police to protect the public from cold-blooded murder. Famous among true crime aficionados, Burke and Hare were the first serial killers to capture media attention, yet The Anatomy Murders is the first book to situate their story against the social and cultural forces that were bringing early nineteenth-century Britain into modernity. In Lisa Rosner's deft treatment, each of the murder victims, from the beautiful, doomed Mary Paterson to the unfortunate 'Daft Jamie,' opens a window on a different aspect of this world in transition.

Lisa Rosner (Author), Kirsten Potter (Narrator)

Audiobook

ShadowMan: An Elusive Psycho Killer and the Birth of FBI Profiling

'Mindhunter crossed with American Gothic. This chilling story has the ghostly unease of a nightmare.'-Michael Cannell, author of Incendiary: The Psychiatrist, the Mad Bomber and the Invention of Criminal Profiling The pulse-pounding account of the first time in history that the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit created a psychological profile to catch a serial killer On June 25, 1973, a seven-year-old girl went missing from the Montana campground where her family was vacationing. Somebody had slit open the back of their tent and snatched her from under their noses. None of them saw or heard anything. Susie Jaeger had vanished into thin air, plucked by a shadow. The largest manhunt in Montana's history ensued, led by the FBI. As days stretched into weeks, and weeks into months, Special Agent Pete Dunbar attended a workshop at FBI Headquarters in Quantico, Virgina, led by two agents who had hatched a radical new idea: What if criminals left a psychological trail that would lead us to them? Patrick Mullany, a trained psychologist, and Howard Teten, a veteran criminologist, had created the Behavioral Science Unit to explore this new 'voodoo' they called "criminal profiling." At Dunbar's request, Mullany and Teten built the FBI's first profile of an unknown subject: the UnSub who had snatched Susie Jaeger and, a few months later, a nineteen-year-old waitress. When a suspect was finally arrested, the profile fit him to a T...

Ron Franscell (Author), Chris Berger, Patty Nieman (Narrator)

Audiobook

Media Circus: A Look at Private Tragedy in the Public Eye

Imagine losing a loved one in the public eye. A media frenzy ensues and spreads your family name through the news. Reporters ambush you, and across the country, strangers gossip about your personal loss. Welcome to the circus. No one understands better than Kim Goldman the complex emotions of individuals suffering a personal tragedy under the relentless gaze of the media. During the famed O.J. Simpson trial, Kim, whose brother, Ron Goldman, was brutally murdered, became the public poster child for victims suffering in the public eye. In Media Circus, Goldman, now a dedicated victims' advocate who works with families across the country, presents the first collective look at these ordinary, grieving victims—forced to manage their very private trauma and despair in a very public way. Through candid interviews and detailed, original reporting, Media Circus delivers riveting, humanizing, and inspiring stories from the victims and survivors of violent crimes who found themselves the focus of national media attention. Its heartfelt narratives showcase the unique challenges of coping with and healing from grief when the whole world is watching. In these pages, the families of other victims tell their stories, including: Esaw And Emerald Garner, wife and daughter of police brutality victim Eric Garner (2014) Scarlett Lewis, mother of six-year-old Newtown tragedy victim Jesse Lewis (2012) Debra Tate, sister of Charles Manson murder victim Sharon Tate (1969) Judy Shepard, mother of gay hate-crime victim Matthew Shepard (1998) Mildred Muhammad, ex-wife of the DC Sniper (2002) Tere Duperrault Fassbender, survivor of family's brutal murder at sea (1961) Collene Campbell, sister of murdered NASCAR driver Mickey Thompson (1988) Marie Monville, wife of the Amish Shooter (2006) Dave And Mary Neese, parents of teen murder victim Skylar Neese (2012) Scott And Kathleen Larimer, parents of Aurora theater shooting victim John Larimer, and Shirley Wygal, mother of Aurora theater shooting victim Rebecca Wingo (2012) Media Circus goes beyond the names and faces to show the real victims behind the stories.

Kim Goldman, Tasha Robertson, Tatsha Robertson (Author), Callie Beaulieu (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Prison Doctor: The Final Sentence

From the Sunday Times Bestselling author Dr Amanda Brown Revisit the wold of The Prison Doctor, as she describes stories of her time spent with foreign national prisoners. DANGER. DEPORTATION. DEATH. These are just some of the fates facing the inmates at Huntercombe prison. Some have fled their homeland in fear of their lives. Others are being sent to a country they left decades ago. But Dr Amanda Brown is doing all she can for each patient stuck in no-man’s land. They have little or no idea of what awaits them outside, but she treats them with kindness and respect. Whatever their crime, and whatever their future holds, she is still their doctor.

Dr Amanda Brown (Author), Sophie Aldred (Narrator)

Audiobook

When a Killer Calls: A Haunting Story of Murder, Criminal Profiling, and Justice in a Small Town

From John Douglas—the legendary FBI criminal profiler, #1 New York Times bestselling author, and inspiration for the Netflix show Mindhunter—comes a chilling journey inside the mind and crimes of Larry Gene Bell, one of the most dangerous serial killers Douglas confronted, and the desperate effort to identify and catch him. On May 31, 1985, two days before her high school graduation, Shari Smith was abducted from the driveway of her family home in South Carolina. Based on the crime scene and the abductor’s repeated and taunting calls to the family, law enforcement quickly realized they were dealing with a sophisticated and highly dangerous criminal. A letter arrived the next day entitled “Last Will & Testament,” in which Shari, knowing she was to be murdered, wrote bravely and achingly of her love for her parents, siblings, and boyfriend, saying that while they would miss her, she knew they would persevere through their faith. The abduction rocked her quiet town, triggering a massive manhunt and bringing in the FBI, which enlisted profiler John Douglas. A few days later, a phone call told the family where they could find Shari’s body. Then nine-year-old Debra May Helmick was kidnapped from her yard, confirming the harsh realization that Smith’s murder was no random act. A serial killer was evolving, and the only way to stop him would be to use the study of criminal behavior to anticipate his next move before he could kill again. Douglas devised a risky and emotionally fraught strategy to use Shari’s lookalike older sister Dawn as bait to draw out the unknown subject. Dawn and her parents courageously agreed. One of the most haunting investigations of Douglas’s storied career, this case details how the eerily accurate profile he created—alongside his carefully crafted and stage-managed manipulation of the killer’s psychology—combined with dedicated police work and cutting-edge forensic science to end a reign of criminal terror. As Shari’s family took incredible personal risks to lure her killer from the shadows, Douglas and the FBI pushed criminal profiling to its limits, culminating in one of his most dramatic and effective confrontations with a sadistic and remorseless killer.

John E. Douglas, Mark Olshaker (Author), Keith Sellon-Wright (Narrator)

Audiobook

Walking the Bowl: A True Story of Murder and Survival Among the Street Children of Lusaka

For readers of Behind the Beautiful Forevers and Nothing to Envy, this is a breathtaking real-life story of four street children in contemporary Zambia whose lives are drawn together and forever altered by the mysterious murder of a fellow street child. Based on years of investigative reporting and unprecedented fieldwork, Walking the Bowl immerses readers in the daily lives of four unforgettable characters: Lusabilo, a determined waste picker; Kapula, a burned-out brothel worker; Moonga, a former rock crusher turned beggar; and Timo, an ambitious gang leader. These children navigate the violent and poverty-stricken underworld of Lusaka, one of Africa's fastest growing cities. When the dead body of a ten-year-old boy is discovered under a heap of garbage in Lusaka's largest landfill, a murder investigation quickly heats up due to the influence of the victim's mother and her far-reaching political connections. The children's lives become more closely intertwined as each child engages in a desperate bid for survival against forces they could never have imagined. Gripping and fast-paced, the book exposes the perilous aspects of street life through the eyes of the children who survive, endure and dream there, and what emerges is an ultimately hopeful story about human kindness and how one small good deed, passed on to others, can make a difference in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

Chris Lockhart, Daniel Mulilo Chama (Author), Hlonela Ngqwebo (Narrator)

Audiobook

Deliberate Evil: Nathanial Hawthorne, Daniel Webster, and the 1830 Murder of a Salem Slave Trader

'This is true crime at its most enthralling-prepare to be transported.'-Terri Cheney, New York Times bestselling author of Manic The 1830 murder of wealthy slaver Joseph White shook all of Salem, Massachusetts. Soon the crime drew national attention when it was discovered that two of the conspirators came from Salem's influential Crowninshield family: a clan of millionaire shipowners, cabinet secretaries, and congressmen. A prosecution team led by famed Massachusetts senator Daniel Webster made the case even more newsworthy. Meanwhile, young Salem native Nathaniel Hawthorne-who knew several of the accused-observed and wrote. Here, using source materials not available previously, Edward J. Renehan Jr. provides a riveting narrative of the cold-blooded murder, intense investigations, scandal-strewn trials, and grim executions that dominated headlines nearly two-hundred years ago.

Edward J. Renehan Jr., Edward J. Renehan, Jr. (Author), Shawn Compton (Narrator)

Audiobook

634 Ways to Kill Fidel

Fabián Escalante, the founder of the Cuban intelligence services, and head of the Cuban State Security Department, provides a clear-eyed first-person account of his experiences defending Fidel Castro from the extraordinary attempts to take his life. From lethal poisons to plastic explosives to bazookas, Escalante introduces and describes an array of assassination plots and historical figures and depicts the ensuing cat-and-mouse game in the midst of the Cold War. Written in the style of a political thriller yet based on real events, 634 Ways to Kill Fidel Castro is a well-researched and documented series of vignettes put together by multiple investigations in Cuba and the experiences of the author, who participated in several of them. Filled with harrowing stories of deceitful FBI tactics as well as undercover attempts to give Fidel poison laced cigars, Escalante takes the listener from DC to New York, Miami to Havana, and uncovers the intricate conspiracy to kill Fidel Castro. 634 Ways to Kill Fidel Castro is filled to the brim with historical details on the CIA, Cuba, the communist movement, US government officials, and Fidel himself. Escalante's firsthand account provides evidence of the lengths to which the CIA went through to assassinate Fidel Castro and the determined efforts to protect him and what he stood for.

Fabian Escalante (Author), Timothy Andrés Pabon (Narrator)

Audiobook

Chippendales Murder, true crime: True Crime, Stolen Inheritance, Complicity, New York Organized Crim

Recently fans have been absorbed in Curse of the Chippendales. All of these stories rise to fame, to end so tragically. Many questions whether Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide or was he silenced for knowing about too many powerful men’s secret affairs with under-aged girls. Same types of questions are now arising in Banerjee’s suicide. Did he have too much information on married men’s fetishes with his male dancers? Jesse, Steve’s oldest son, was only a teenager during the height of this explosion. He watched his father build Chippendales, piece by piece of a man’s clothing flying toward a desirous woman. The rise would be magnificent, the ride famous, but the fall very tragic. It was reported that Steve committed suicide to avoid a long prison sentence for the murder of his partner, Nick DeNoia. Jesse knows another story that the perpetrators never want to be told about how the Chippendales Empire just happen to fall into the hands of an FBI agent, and all the powerbrokers: lawyers, Casino owners, & the mob, that would gain control. Jesse has watched other people, far too many years, profit from the idea his dad created. His stepmother, Irene, lied to him about the role he would play in the company after Steve’s death. After this promise didn’t come to fruition, Jesse began to ask questions about his father’s fortune as was his right as an heir, and was threatened by Irene’s brother-in-law, an FBI agent. Jesse was told in no uncertain terms that he wouldn’t be receiving anything. Many stories have been told about Chippendales, all of them are mostly the narratives of the perpetrators that stole the empire, & cleverly they have managed to make their story very believable and credible. Silenced by intimidation, threats, and a corrupt Justice system, not anymore. For the first time, Jesse is revealing the true story in Bowtie Legacy.

Jesse Banerjee, Thomas R. Kennedy (Author), Lisa Kirsch (Narrator)

Audiobook

Eyes of a Monster: A Detective's Relentless Pursuit of a Serial Killer

Schoolteacher Olivia Dare Christian was murdered in her Hampton, Virginia, apartment in 1981. Her killer left few clues and the murder went unsolved. Three decades later, in 2011, next-generation detective Randy Mayer re-opened Olivia's dusty cold case file and began unraveling the mystery. Mayer located a reluctant witness who was a teenager back in 1981. She recalled a suspicious man lurking outside Olivia's apartment the morning of the murder and provided a detailed description of the man. Detective Mayer then researched hundreds of old cases, hunting for a person who fit the description and used a similar MO. He identified a prime suspect, a Smithfield Foods employee, by then in his 60s, previously convicted of several brutal sexual assaults. Digging further, Mayer linked him to two other unsolved Hampton homicides. Was this man a serial killer? Mayer enlisted the help of FBI agent Liza Ludovico and special prosecutor Phil Figura. Could the team uncover enough evidence to bring Olivia's murderer to justice? Could the witness from 1981 identify him? And would a jury convict in a cold case based entirely on circumstantial evidence?

Ron Peterson Jr., Ron Peterson, Jr. (Author), Kyle Tait (Narrator)

Audiobook

True Crime Audiobooks in Non-Fiction