Tag: true crime
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The Peking Express by James Zimmerman
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Peking Express: This trip took way longer than expected. Quick synopsis: The 1923 attack and subsequent kidnapping of the people on China’s Peking Express. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: The Peking Express was actually bulletproof because bandits were expected to exist on the route. It didn’t do much help…
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Gangbuster by Alan Prendergast
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Gangbuster: Denver needs to rename a few landmarks. Quick synopsis: A true crime story about Denver District Attorney Philip Van Cise. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: In 1876, there were two working telephone lines in the world. By 1922, there were over 15 million phones in the U.S. alone. Fun…
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Crooked by Nathan Masters
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Crooked: Thank God politicians aren’t criminals like this anymore. Quick synopsis: The story of a corrupt Attorney General and the senator who tried to bring him. Fact for Non-History People: How about this for graft? During World War I, Wright-Martin Aircraft Corporation overcharged the government by $2 million dollars. They never…
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Ghosts of the Orphanage by Christine Kenneally
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Ghosts of the Orphanage: “Orphanage” is a super misleading term. Quick synopsis: The history of abuse at St. Joseph’s Orphanage in Vermont. Fact for Non-History People: Most children in orphanages WERE NOT ORPHANS. Usually, one, if NOT BOTH, parents were still alive. Fact for History Nerds: Efforts by the Catholic Church…
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Vanished in Vermillion by Lou Raguse
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Vanished in Vermillion: Holy bad policing, Batman! Quick synopsis: The story of the 1971 disappearance of Pam Jackson and Sherri Miller in South Dakota. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: South Dakota has more shoreline than Florida. Fun Fact for History Nerds: South Dakota is home to less than 1 million…
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The Real-Life Murder Clubs by Nicola Stow
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for The Real-Life Murder Clubs: Murder solving in your spare time! Quick synopsis: A collection of stories about crime solvers who don’t get paid for it. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: I don’t want to give anything away so here’s a random fact: there are over 28,000 private investigators in the…
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Heaven on the Hudson by Stephanie Azzarone
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Heaven on the Hudson: At one point, New York City wasn’t all potholes. Quick synopsis: The story of how Riverside Park and Riverside Drive came to be in New York City. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Edgar Allan Poe wrote “The Raven” while staying in a farmhouse on 84th Street.…
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Don’t Pick Up the Phone (Netflix)
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Don’t Pick Up the Phone: If someone tells you to strip a coworker, just don’t. Quick synopsis: The story of a string of hoax phone calls by a police impersonator who makes supervisors strip search their employees. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: Some of these phone calls lasted over 3…
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Woman, Captain, Rebel by Margaret Willson
Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Woman, Captain, Rebel: I would not recommend living in Iceland in the 1800s. Quick synopsis: The life of Captain Thurídur, Iceland’s most famous female sea captain, in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like: In 1783, a massive volcanic eruption decimated Iceland which would ultimately kill…