The Encyclopedia of
Unsolved Crimes
by Michael Newton
"...[a] worthy addition to any collection...The writing here is crisp and clean, offering plenty of detail without melodrama."
--Voya
"...most useful for large public libraries..."
--American Reference Books Annual
Facts on File
August 2004
Hardcover, 416 pages
ISBN: 0-8160-4981-5
This extensive survey of recent unsolved crimes that have baffled detectives and law-enforcement agencies is a valuable resource for amateur sleuths, crimes writers and law-enforcement professionals alike. More than 500 fascinating entries examine many of the most disturbing cases from around the world during the 19th and 20th centuries, including murders, robberies, missing persons, kidnappings, serial killers and more. Each entry provides an overview of the crime, the parties involved, evidence gathered and leading theories about solutions.
Cases include the following:
Elizabeth Ann Short, a young would-be actress, known to friends as the "Black Dahlia," murdered and mutilated and left in a vacant lot in Los Angeles in 1947.
Chandra Levy, a congressional intern whose disappearance and murder in 2001 incited a scandal when it was revealed that she had an affair with California congressman Gary Condit.
Death Angels, a fanatical cult whose members allegedly carry out ritualistic murders as part of their racist philosophy.
Geneva Ellroy, mother of best-selling novelist James Ellroy and murder victim, whose killer has never been identified.
Jack the Ripper, the most infamous of all unidentified serial killers, who murdered and disemboweled prostitutes in East London in 1888.
Jimmy Hoffa, the Teamsters president who disappeared mysteriously in 1975.
Lindbergh Kidnapping, the allegedly unsolved abduction and murder of aviator Charles Lindbergh's 18-month-old son.
Marilyn Monroe, whose mysterious death continues to raise questions.
JonBenet Ramsey, six-year-old beauty pageant queen, whose strangulation death sparked a media frenzy but remains shrouded in mystery.
Tylenol Murders, a rash of deaths attributed to bottles of Extra Strength Tylenol contaminated with cyanide, the source of which has never been identified.
Zodiac Killer, unidentified cold-blooded killer who wrote cryptic, encoded letters to the press on his quest to gather servants for the afterlife.
Written in accessible A-to-Z format and enhanced by more than 50 photographs, The Encyclopedia of Unsolved Crimes is an indispensable reference for the study of the underworld's greatest mysteries.
