Popular Crime: Reflections on the Celebration of Violence by James, Bill (2011) Hardcover

From the one-of-kind mind of Bill James, famous for revolutionizing the way we think about baseball, comes a "thought-provoking meditation" (Seattle Times) and epic tour through American crime. Celebrated writer and contrarian James has voraciously read true crime throughout his life and has been interested in writing a book on the topic for decades. Now, James takes readers on an epic journey through the subject, from Lizzie Borden to the Lindbergh Baby, from the Black Dahlia to O.J. Simpson, explaining how crimes have been committed, investigated, prosecuted, and chronicled over the last few centuries. James's fascinating tour through murder and misdeeds explores such phenomena as serial murder, the fluctuation of crime rates, the value of evidence, radicalism and crime, prison reform, and the hidden ways in which crimes have shaped our society. He pays particular attention to crimes that were sensations during their time but have faded into obscurity, as well as still famous cases that have never been solved, including the Lindbergh kidnapping, the Boston Strangler, and JonBenet Ramsey. Satisfyingly sprawling and tremendously entertaining, Popular Crime is a powerful examination of the incredible impact crime stories have in our society, culture, and history.