-
Murdered by the King of Western Swing
- The Beating Death of Ella Mae Cooley in 1961 (A Historical True Crime Short)
- Narrated by: Ken Solin
- Length: 1 hr and 57 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Prime members: New to Audible?Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Murdered by the King of Western Swing
Buy for $6.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Masters of True Crime
- Chilling Stories of Murder and the Macabre
- By: R. Barri Flowers - editor
- Narrated by: Tara Ochs, James Edward Thomas
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 546
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 484
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 483
Spanning murder cases from the beginning of the 20th century to today, this is a must-hear for fans of true crime and will also be compelling to mystery and thriller listeners. The contributors include Harold Schechter, Katherine Ramsland, Carol Anne Davis, Burl Barer, and other leading writers in this genre. Each of the 17 contributors draws on his or her own strengths, backgrounds, interests, and research skills to describe, in a vivid narrative, not only the facts of each notorious case but also the terrible emotions and macabre circumstances surrounding the crimes.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Garbage, poorly written and narrated
- By Rachael A. Upton on 04-21-16
-
Killers of the Flower Moon
- The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
- By: David Grann
- Narrated by: Will Patton, Ann Marie Lee, Danny Campbell
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 21,754
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 19,135
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 19,090
In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
An outstanding story, highly recommended
- By S. Blakely on 06-22-17
By: David Grann
-
Whoever Fights Monsters
- My Twenty Years Tracking Serial Killers for the FBI
- By: Robert K. Ressler, Tom Shachtman
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,900
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,508
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,495
Face-to-face with some of America's most terrifying killers, FBI veteran and ex-Army CID colonel Robert Ressler learned from them how to identify the unknown monsters who walk among us - and put them behind bars. Now the man who coined the phrase "serial killer" and advised Thomas Harris on The Silence of the Lambs shows how he has tracked down some of the nation's most brutal murderers. Join Ressler as he takes you on the hunt for America's most dangerous psychopaths. It is a terrifying journey you will not forget.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Murderino checking in
- By Sarah R Bongiovanni on 06-16-17
By: Robert K. Ressler, and others
-
The Cases That Haunt Us
- From Jack the Ripper to JonBenet Ramsey, the FBI's Legendary Mindhunter Sheds Light on the Mysteries That Won't Go Away
- By: John Douglas, Mark Olshaker
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 6,143
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5,496
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5,467
Did Lizzie Borden murder her own father and stepmother? Was Jack the Ripper actually the Duke of Clarence? Who killed JonBenet Ramsey? America's foremost expert on criminal profiling and 25-year FBI veteran John Douglas, along with author and filmmaker Mark Olshaker, explores those tantalizing questions and more in this mesmerizing work of detection. With uniquely gripping analysis, the authors reexamine and reinterpret the accepted facts, evidence, and victimology of the most notorious murder cases in the history of crime.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
John Douglas is AMAZING
- By Amazon Customer on 12-17-16
By: John Douglas, and others
-
The Man from the Train
- The Solving of a Century-Old Serial Killer Mystery
- By: Bill James, Rachel McCarthy James
- Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd
- Length: 17 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,603
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,451
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 1,447
Using unprecedented, dramatically compelling sleuthing techniques, legendary statistician and baseball writer Bill James applies his analytical acumen to crack an unsolved century-old mystery surrounding one of the deadliest serial killers in American history.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Repetitive and Frustrating
- By Heather L. on 02-22-18
By: Bill James, and others
-
The Big Book of Serial Killers
- An Encyclopedia of Serial Killers - 150 Serial Killer Files of the World's Worst Murderers
- By: Jack Rosewood, Rebecca Lo
- Narrated by: Kevin Kollins
- Length: 17 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 533
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 464
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 461
There is little more terrifying than those who hunt, stalk, and snatch their prey under the cloak of darkness. These hunters search not for animals, but for the touch, taste, and empowerment of human flesh. They are cannibals, vampires, and monsters, and they walk among us. These serial killers are not mythical beasts with horns and shaggy hair. They are people living among society, going about their day-to-day activities until nightfall. They are the Dennis Rader's, the fathers, husbands, church-going members of the community.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
GREAT FOR TRUE CRIME DEVOTÉES, BUT....
- By The Louligan on 10-31-17
By: Jack Rosewood, and others
-
Masters of True Crime
- Chilling Stories of Murder and the Macabre
- By: R. Barri Flowers - editor
- Narrated by: Tara Ochs, James Edward Thomas
- Length: 11 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 546
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 484
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 483
Spanning murder cases from the beginning of the 20th century to today, this is a must-hear for fans of true crime and will also be compelling to mystery and thriller listeners. The contributors include Harold Schechter, Katherine Ramsland, Carol Anne Davis, Burl Barer, and other leading writers in this genre. Each of the 17 contributors draws on his or her own strengths, backgrounds, interests, and research skills to describe, in a vivid narrative, not only the facts of each notorious case but also the terrible emotions and macabre circumstances surrounding the crimes.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Garbage, poorly written and narrated
- By Rachael A. Upton on 04-21-16
-
Killers of the Flower Moon
- The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
- By: David Grann
- Narrated by: Will Patton, Ann Marie Lee, Danny Campbell
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 21,754
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 19,135
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 19,090
In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
An outstanding story, highly recommended
- By S. Blakely on 06-22-17
By: David Grann
-
Whoever Fights Monsters
- My Twenty Years Tracking Serial Killers for the FBI
- By: Robert K. Ressler, Tom Shachtman
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,900
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,508
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,495
Face-to-face with some of America's most terrifying killers, FBI veteran and ex-Army CID colonel Robert Ressler learned from them how to identify the unknown monsters who walk among us - and put them behind bars. Now the man who coined the phrase "serial killer" and advised Thomas Harris on The Silence of the Lambs shows how he has tracked down some of the nation's most brutal murderers. Join Ressler as he takes you on the hunt for America's most dangerous psychopaths. It is a terrifying journey you will not forget.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Murderino checking in
- By Sarah R Bongiovanni on 06-16-17
By: Robert K. Ressler, and others
-
The Cases That Haunt Us
- From Jack the Ripper to JonBenet Ramsey, the FBI's Legendary Mindhunter Sheds Light on the Mysteries That Won't Go Away
- By: John Douglas, Mark Olshaker
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 6,143
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 5,496
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5,467
Did Lizzie Borden murder her own father and stepmother? Was Jack the Ripper actually the Duke of Clarence? Who killed JonBenet Ramsey? America's foremost expert on criminal profiling and 25-year FBI veteran John Douglas, along with author and filmmaker Mark Olshaker, explores those tantalizing questions and more in this mesmerizing work of detection. With uniquely gripping analysis, the authors reexamine and reinterpret the accepted facts, evidence, and victimology of the most notorious murder cases in the history of crime.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
John Douglas is AMAZING
- By Amazon Customer on 12-17-16
By: John Douglas, and others
-
The Man from the Train
- The Solving of a Century-Old Serial Killer Mystery
- By: Bill James, Rachel McCarthy James
- Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd
- Length: 17 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,603
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,451
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 1,447
Using unprecedented, dramatically compelling sleuthing techniques, legendary statistician and baseball writer Bill James applies his analytical acumen to crack an unsolved century-old mystery surrounding one of the deadliest serial killers in American history.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Repetitive and Frustrating
- By Heather L. on 02-22-18
By: Bill James, and others
-
The Big Book of Serial Killers
- An Encyclopedia of Serial Killers - 150 Serial Killer Files of the World's Worst Murderers
- By: Jack Rosewood, Rebecca Lo
- Narrated by: Kevin Kollins
- Length: 17 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 533
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 464
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 461
There is little more terrifying than those who hunt, stalk, and snatch their prey under the cloak of darkness. These hunters search not for animals, but for the touch, taste, and empowerment of human flesh. They are cannibals, vampires, and monsters, and they walk among us. These serial killers are not mythical beasts with horns and shaggy hair. They are people living among society, going about their day-to-day activities until nightfall. They are the Dennis Rader's, the fathers, husbands, church-going members of the community.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
GREAT FOR TRUE CRIME DEVOTÉES, BUT....
- By The Louligan on 10-31-17
By: Jack Rosewood, and others
-
Hell's Princess
- The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men
- By: Harold Schechter
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 8 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 1,463
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,274
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 1,275
In the pantheon of serial killers, Belle Gunness stands alone. She was the rarest of female psychopaths, a woman who engaged in wholesale slaughter, partly out of greed but mostly for the sheer joy of it. Between 1902 and 1908, she lured a succession of unsuspecting victims to her Indiana “murder farm". Some were hired hands. Others were well-to-do bachelors. All of them vanished without a trace.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Can a book about a serial killer be entertaining?
- By Lori Hanson on 05-08-18
By: Harold Schechter
-
The World's Most Evil Psychopaths
- Horrifying True Life Cases
- By: John Marlowe
- Narrated by: Eric Meyers
- Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 68
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 61
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 59
Jeffrey Dahmer committing his first murder with a fear of being left alone, then went on luring young boys and keeping souvenirs of their skulls. Ted Bundy who appeared to be a generous and charming young man with a brilliant future started with a petty crime and worked his way up to the murder of young women. John Wayne Gacy was a pillar of the community, organizing themed block parties and entertaining as Pogo the Clown, but his early transgressions began to take on more and more sinister forms.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Misleading title.Word "Psychopath" used for sales.
- By Ralph on 03-09-16
By: John Marlowe
-
The Anatomy of Motive
- The FBI's Legendary Mindhunter Explores the Key to Understanding and Catching Violent Criminals
- By: John Douglas, Mark Olshaker
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,087
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 962
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 953
The Anatomy of Motive offers a dramatic, insightful look at the development and evolution of the criminal mind. The famed former chief of the FBI's Investigative Support Unit, John Douglas was the pioneer of modern behavioral profiling of serial criminals. Working again with acclaimed novelist, journalist, and filmmaker Mark Olshaker, and using cases from his own fabled career as examples, Douglas takes us further than ever before into the dark corners of the minds of arsonists, hijackers, bombers, poisoners, serial killers, and mass murderers.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Smuckers jelly narration. Still good.
- By Thad Ames on 11-07-17
By: John Douglas, and others
-
The Serial Killer Files
- The Who, What, Where, How, and Why of the World’s Most Terrifying Murderers
- By: Harold Schechter
- Narrated by: Charles Constant
- Length: 18 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 784
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 690
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 688
Hollywood's make-believe maniacs like Jason, Freddy, and Hannibal Lecter can't hold a candle to real-life monsters like John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and scores of others who have terrorized, tortured, and terminated their way across civilization throughout the ages. Now, from the much-acclaimed author of Deviant, Deranged, and Depraved, comes the ultimate resource on the serial killer phenomenon.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Made me feel sick, yet I didn't want it to end
- By Neuron on 02-07-17
By: Harold Schechter
-
Serial Killers: The True Crime Story of Ted Bundy
- By: Jack Stich
- Narrated by: Eric Linden
- Length: 1 hr and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 88
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 86
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 86
Ted Bundy, the Angel of Death, is one of the most infamous serial killers in the United States. All serial killers seem to have a storied past, one of heartbreak or pain, which caused them to become who they were or are. This book is here to provide you with Ted Bundy's story. He didn't start out as a murderer. His life began just like yours and mine. He was born in Burlington, Vermont. His childhood is what shaped him to be the killer he was.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Gateway book into true crime
- By Beau Tie on 03-22-20
By: Jack Stich
-
Shadows of Death
- True Crime Box Set
- By: Katherine Ramsland
- Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
- Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 38
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 35
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 35
In Shadows of Death, acclaimed author Katherine Ramsland takes listeners on a tour of New Jersey, New York and Delaware. Home of the Jersey Devil, New Jersey has its share of other devils, from predatory nurses to thrill killers and sadists. The Empire State has witnessed many unique and perverse crimes. Quite a few triggered international headlines. The first documented female serial killer in the US came out of the tiny state of Delaware, as did a "signature killer" who attracted FBI profilers.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Old stories and just quite boring.
- By Eric Dias on 01-06-22
-
Darkest Waters (True Crime Box Set): Notorious USA
- By: Katherine Ramsland
- Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
- Length: 9 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 109
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 94
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 95
Welcome to the latest box set in the New York Times best-selling series of stories about America's most notorious criminals. For DARKEST WATERS, Wall Street Journal best-selling author Katherine Ramsland is the perfect guide to the famous and not so famous cases that still haunt the states huddled around the Great Lakes. Say hello to Notorious USA!
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Dinner At The Serial Killer Buffet!
- By POLLY POIZENDEM on 12-14-16
-
United States of True Crime: Vol. 1
- 60 Chilling True Crime Cases from Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, and California
- By: Ashley Hudson
- Narrated by: Ashley Hudson
- Length: 15 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 40
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 40
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 40
Five book collection: first five states in the United States of True Crime series. Sixty chilling true crime cases of murders, kidnappings, and serial killers from across the United States!
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Loved it!
- By Christy on 04-16-23
By: Ashley Hudson
-
Undisclosed Files of the Police
- Cases from the Archives of the NYPD from 1831 to the Present
- By: Bernard Whalen, Philip Messing, Robert Mladinich
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 121
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 109
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 110
More than 175 years of true crimes culled from the city's police blotter, told through an insightful text by two NYPD officers and a NYC crime reporter. From atrocities that occurred before the establishment of New York's police force in 1845 through the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2001 to the present day, this audio is an insider's look at more than 80 real-life crimes that shocked the nation, from arson to gangland murders, robberies, serial killers, bombings, and kidnappings.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Good History of Crime in NYC
- By Bob Shinders on 03-10-17
By: Bernard Whalen, and others
-
Ten Vintage True Crime Stories Rescued from Obscurity
- Famous Crimes the World Forgot, Book 1
- By: Jason Lucky Morrow
- Narrated by: Charles Huddleston
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 151
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 129
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 128
This audiobook uncovers 10 amazing true crimes that exploded into the national news, shocking Americans from coast to coast - crimes that were eventually forgotten - until now. Many of these incredible cases went unexplored for decades.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
The Narrator Makes It Great
- By Laurie on 03-09-19
-
American Murder Houses
- A Coast-to-Coast Tour of the Most Notorious Houses of Homicide
- By: Steve Lehto
- Narrated by: Barry Press
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 374
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 338
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 336
From a colonial manse in New England to a small-town home in Iowa to a Beverly Hills mansion, these residences have taken on a life of their own, gaining everything from local lore and gossip to national - and even global - infamy. Here, writer Steve Lehto recounts the stories behind the houses where Lizzie Borden supposedly gave her stepmother "40 whacks", where the real Amityville Horror was first unleashed by gunfire, and where the demented acts of the Manson Family horrified a nation.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Engaging and engrossing stories.
- By Lila Fowler on 09-14-16
By: Steve Lehto
-
The Deadly Daughter-in-Law
- Notorious USA, Arizona
- By: Gregg Olsen, Rebecca Morris
- Narrated by: Kevin Pierce
- Length: 1 hr and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 20
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 18
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 18
New York Times best-selling authors Gregg Olsen and Rebecca Morris take a new look at Arizona's most notorious crimes, including a man suspected of marrying vulnerable women, then killing them; two infamous Arizona killers freed after decades in prison; television's "it girl" Jodi Arias; a woman who was her mother-in-law's worst nightmare; and a football mom who got a little too cozy with members of her son's high school team.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Interesting
- By Hepcat89 on 08-23-20
By: Gregg Olsen, and others
Publisher's summary
From R. Barri Flowers, award-winning criminologist and the best-selling author of Murderess on the Loose, Murder of the Doctor's Wife, Murder at the Pencil Factory, and The Sex Slave Murders, comes the gripping historical true-crime short Murdered by the King of Western Swing: The Beating Death of Ella Mae Cooley in 1961.
On Monday, April 3, 1961, 38-year-old former vocalist Ella Mae Cooley was beaten to death in her home in Willow Springs, an unincorporated area located in Kern County, California. The cruelty of the crime was shocking to local residents in the normally idyllic community. A greater shock was that the murder was committed by the victim's 50-year-old husband, Donnell Clyde Cooley, a well-known big-band leader, musician, actor, host of a television variety show, and businessman.
Ella Mae and Donnell Clyde, who generally went by the name Spade Cooley, were both struggling with accusations of unfaithfulness in their marriage, which had produced two children. They were in the midst of a divorce when tragedy struck. Cooley snapped in deciding to end the marriage prematurely by murdering his wife.
The horrific assault was witnessed by the couple's 14-year-old daughter, Melody, who would testify against her father at his trial. In spite of her untimely presence at the crime scene, Cooley sought to attribute Ella Mae's death to an accident. This fell flat, as did a short-lived attempt to plead insanity in the death of his wife.
Spade Cooley would be convicted of murder and sent to prison for his heinous act of criminality, forever casting a shadow over a successful career in Western swing music and television.
See how this tragic story of celebrity, suspicion, and homicidal rage unfolds in the historical crime of passion.
Included is a complete bonus historical true-crime short, The Gold Special Train Robbery: Deadly Crimes of the D'Autremont Brothers, as well as excerpts from other riveting, best-selling books by the prolific author.
More from the same
Related to this topic
-
Undisclosed Files of the Police
- Cases from the Archives of the NYPD from 1831 to the Present
- By: Bernard Whalen, Philip Messing, Robert Mladinich
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 121
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 109
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 110
More than 175 years of true crimes culled from the city's police blotter, told through an insightful text by two NYPD officers and a NYC crime reporter. From atrocities that occurred before the establishment of New York's police force in 1845 through the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2001 to the present day, this audio is an insider's look at more than 80 real-life crimes that shocked the nation, from arson to gangland murders, robberies, serial killers, bombings, and kidnappings.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Good History of Crime in NYC
- By Bob Shinders on 03-10-17
By: Bernard Whalen, and others
-
American Murder Houses
- A Coast-to-Coast Tour of the Most Notorious Houses of Homicide
- By: Steve Lehto
- Narrated by: Barry Press
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 374
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 338
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 336
From a colonial manse in New England to a small-town home in Iowa to a Beverly Hills mansion, these residences have taken on a life of their own, gaining everything from local lore and gossip to national - and even global - infamy. Here, writer Steve Lehto recounts the stories behind the houses where Lizzie Borden supposedly gave her stepmother "40 whacks", where the real Amityville Horror was first unleashed by gunfire, and where the demented acts of the Manson Family horrified a nation.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Engaging and engrossing stories.
- By Lila Fowler on 09-14-16
By: Steve Lehto
-
Killers of the Flower Moon
- The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
- By: David Grann
- Narrated by: Will Patton, Ann Marie Lee, Danny Campbell
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 21,754
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 19,135
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 19,090
In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
An outstanding story, highly recommended
- By S. Blakely on 06-22-17
By: David Grann
-
The Big Book of Serial Killers
- An Encyclopedia of Serial Killers - 150 Serial Killer Files of the World's Worst Murderers
- By: Jack Rosewood, Rebecca Lo
- Narrated by: Kevin Kollins
- Length: 17 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 533
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 464
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 461
There is little more terrifying than those who hunt, stalk, and snatch their prey under the cloak of darkness. These hunters search not for animals, but for the touch, taste, and empowerment of human flesh. They are cannibals, vampires, and monsters, and they walk among us. These serial killers are not mythical beasts with horns and shaggy hair. They are people living among society, going about their day-to-day activities until nightfall. They are the Dennis Rader's, the fathers, husbands, church-going members of the community.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
GREAT FOR TRUE CRIME DEVOTÉES, BUT....
- By The Louligan on 10-31-17
By: Jack Rosewood, and others
-
Psycho USA
- Famous American Killers You Never Heard Of
- By: Harold Schechter
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 193
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 177
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 175
In the horrifying annals of American crime, the infamous names of brutal killers such as Bundy, Dahmer, Gacy, and Berkowitz are writ large in the imaginations of a public both horrified and hypnotized by their monstrous, murderous acts. But for every celebrity psychopath who's gotten ink for spilling blood, there's a bevy of all-but-forgotten homicidal fiends studding the bloody margins of US history.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
True crime enthusiast's dream
- By Athelsten on 08-24-17
By: Harold Schechter
-
Manhunters
- Criminal Profilers and Their Search for the World’s Most Wanted Serial Killers
- By: Colin Wilson
- Narrated by: Brandon Massey
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 145
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 133
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 131
In this fascinating, in-depth account of the hunt for serial killers, Colin Wilson, one of the world's leading authorities on the subject, examines the ways they can be tracked down and caught, from the tried-and-true methods of the early 20th century to the high-tech processes in use today. Wilson examines such areas as psychological profiling, genetic fingerprinting, and the launch of the Behavioral Science Unit. He delves into the importance of fantasy to serial killers, the urge to keep on killing, the desire to become notorious, and murder as an addictive drug.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Reprinted Material, Questionable Commentary
- By B on 10-18-15
By: Colin Wilson
-
Undisclosed Files of the Police
- Cases from the Archives of the NYPD from 1831 to the Present
- By: Bernard Whalen, Philip Messing, Robert Mladinich
- Narrated by: Peter Ganim
- Length: 10 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 121
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 109
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 110
More than 175 years of true crimes culled from the city's police blotter, told through an insightful text by two NYPD officers and a NYC crime reporter. From atrocities that occurred before the establishment of New York's police force in 1845 through the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in 2001 to the present day, this audio is an insider's look at more than 80 real-life crimes that shocked the nation, from arson to gangland murders, robberies, serial killers, bombings, and kidnappings.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Good History of Crime in NYC
- By Bob Shinders on 03-10-17
By: Bernard Whalen, and others
-
American Murder Houses
- A Coast-to-Coast Tour of the Most Notorious Houses of Homicide
- By: Steve Lehto
- Narrated by: Barry Press
- Length: 7 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 374
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 338
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 336
From a colonial manse in New England to a small-town home in Iowa to a Beverly Hills mansion, these residences have taken on a life of their own, gaining everything from local lore and gossip to national - and even global - infamy. Here, writer Steve Lehto recounts the stories behind the houses where Lizzie Borden supposedly gave her stepmother "40 whacks", where the real Amityville Horror was first unleashed by gunfire, and where the demented acts of the Manson Family horrified a nation.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Engaging and engrossing stories.
- By Lila Fowler on 09-14-16
By: Steve Lehto
-
Killers of the Flower Moon
- The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
- By: David Grann
- Narrated by: Will Patton, Ann Marie Lee, Danny Campbell
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 21,754
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 19,135
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 19,090
In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
An outstanding story, highly recommended
- By S. Blakely on 06-22-17
By: David Grann
-
The Big Book of Serial Killers
- An Encyclopedia of Serial Killers - 150 Serial Killer Files of the World's Worst Murderers
- By: Jack Rosewood, Rebecca Lo
- Narrated by: Kevin Kollins
- Length: 17 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 533
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 464
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 461
There is little more terrifying than those who hunt, stalk, and snatch their prey under the cloak of darkness. These hunters search not for animals, but for the touch, taste, and empowerment of human flesh. They are cannibals, vampires, and monsters, and they walk among us. These serial killers are not mythical beasts with horns and shaggy hair. They are people living among society, going about their day-to-day activities until nightfall. They are the Dennis Rader's, the fathers, husbands, church-going members of the community.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
GREAT FOR TRUE CRIME DEVOTÉES, BUT....
- By The Louligan on 10-31-17
By: Jack Rosewood, and others
-
Psycho USA
- Famous American Killers You Never Heard Of
- By: Harold Schechter
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 14 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 193
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 177
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 175
In the horrifying annals of American crime, the infamous names of brutal killers such as Bundy, Dahmer, Gacy, and Berkowitz are writ large in the imaginations of a public both horrified and hypnotized by their monstrous, murderous acts. But for every celebrity psychopath who's gotten ink for spilling blood, there's a bevy of all-but-forgotten homicidal fiends studding the bloody margins of US history.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
True crime enthusiast's dream
- By Athelsten on 08-24-17
By: Harold Schechter
-
Manhunters
- Criminal Profilers and Their Search for the World’s Most Wanted Serial Killers
- By: Colin Wilson
- Narrated by: Brandon Massey
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 145
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 133
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 131
In this fascinating, in-depth account of the hunt for serial killers, Colin Wilson, one of the world's leading authorities on the subject, examines the ways they can be tracked down and caught, from the tried-and-true methods of the early 20th century to the high-tech processes in use today. Wilson examines such areas as psychological profiling, genetic fingerprinting, and the launch of the Behavioral Science Unit. He delves into the importance of fantasy to serial killers, the urge to keep on killing, the desire to become notorious, and murder as an addictive drug.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Reprinted Material, Questionable Commentary
- By B on 10-18-15
By: Colin Wilson
-
Old Sparky
- The Electric Chair and the History of the Death Penalty
- By: Anthony Galvin
- Narrated by: Jack Reynolds
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 42
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 40
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 40
Old Sparky covers the history of capital punishment in America and the "current wars" between Edison and Westinghouse, which led to the development of the electric chair. It examines how the electric chair became the most popular method of execution in America before being superseded by lethal injection. Famous executions are explored alongside quirky last meals and poignant last words.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Information not a sermon.
- By Jakk on 10-24-16
By: Anthony Galvin
-
Panic
- Bloodlands collection
- By: Harold Schechter
- Narrated by: Steven Weber
- Length: 1 hr and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 984
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 857
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 856
During the Depression, economic anxieties found an outlet in a series of child murders that triggered an irrational nationwide hysteria: pedophiliac psychopaths were overrunning the country. As America was brought to rage and fury by the press and the FBI, lynch mobs took to the streets, reason gave way to doomsday scenarios, and one father was even driven to murder his three daughters to “save them” from a degenerate crime wave. A terrifying cautionary essay, Panic explores the combustible mix of unfounded fears, moral crusades, and the dangers of collective thinking.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Too sensational
- By Texaspaz on 10-14-20
By: Harold Schechter
-
Crime Beat
- A Decade of Covering Cops and Killers
- By: Michael Connelly
- Narrated by: Len Cariou, Nancy McKeon, Carl Franklin
- Length: 6 hrs and 12 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 173
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 129
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 130
Before he became a novelist, Michael Connelly was a crime reporter, covering the detectives who worked the homicide beat in Florida and Los Angeles. In vivid, hard-hitting articles, Connelly leads the reader past the yellow police tape as he follows the investigators, the victims, their families and friends, and, of course, the killers, to tell the real stories of murder and its aftermath.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Disappointment
- By Traci on 11-07-11
By: Michael Connelly
-
Death in the City of Light
- The Serial Killer of Nazi-Occupied Paris
- By: David King
- Narrated by: Paul Michael
- Length: 13 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 424
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 369
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 364
Death in the City of Light is the gripping, true story of a brutal serial killer who unleashed his own reign of terror in Nazi-Occupied Paris. As decapitated heads and dismembered body parts surfaced in the Seine, Commissaire Georges-Victor Massu, head of the Brigade Criminelle, was tasked with tracking down the elusive murderer in a twilight world of Gestapo, gangsters, resistance fighters, pimps, prostitutes, spies, and other shadowy figures of the Parisian underworld. The main suspect was Dr. Marcel Petiot, a handsome, charming physician with remarkable charisma.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Too many facts too little story
- By Caitanya on 09-27-11
By: David King
-
The Real Lolita
- The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World
- By: Sarah Weinman
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 235
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 212
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 213
Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita is one of the most beloved novels ever. And yet, very few of its readers know that the subject of the novel was inspired by a real-life case: the 1948 abduction of 11-year-old Sally Horner. Weaving together suspenseful crime narrative, cultural and social history, and literary investigation, The Real Lolita tells Sally Horner’s full story for the first time. Sarah Weinman uncovers how much Nabokov knew of the Sally Horner case and the efforts he took to disguise that knowledge during the process of writing and publishing Lolita.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Meandering and tedious while never delivering the promised story.
- By Timothy McCarthy on 09-15-18
By: Sarah Weinman
-
Whoever Fights Monsters
- My Twenty Years Tracking Serial Killers for the FBI
- By: Robert K. Ressler, Tom Shachtman
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 11 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3,900
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 3,508
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3,495
Face-to-face with some of America's most terrifying killers, FBI veteran and ex-Army CID colonel Robert Ressler learned from them how to identify the unknown monsters who walk among us - and put them behind bars. Now the man who coined the phrase "serial killer" and advised Thomas Harris on The Silence of the Lambs shows how he has tracked down some of the nation's most brutal murderers. Join Ressler as he takes you on the hunt for America's most dangerous psychopaths. It is a terrifying journey you will not forget.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Murderino checking in
- By Sarah R Bongiovanni on 06-16-17
By: Robert K. Ressler, and others
-
The Anatomy of Motive
- The FBI's Legendary Mindhunter Explores the Key to Understanding and Catching Violent Criminals
- By: John Douglas, Mark Olshaker
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 11 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,087
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 962
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 953
The Anatomy of Motive offers a dramatic, insightful look at the development and evolution of the criminal mind. The famed former chief of the FBI's Investigative Support Unit, John Douglas was the pioneer of modern behavioral profiling of serial criminals. Working again with acclaimed novelist, journalist, and filmmaker Mark Olshaker, and using cases from his own fabled career as examples, Douglas takes us further than ever before into the dark corners of the minds of arsonists, hijackers, bombers, poisoners, serial killers, and mass murderers.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Smuckers jelly narration. Still good.
- By Thad Ames on 11-07-17
By: John Douglas, and others
-
No Regrets: And Other True Cases
- And Other True Cases (Ann Rule's Crime Files, Book 11)
- By: Ann Rule
- Narrated by: Laural Merlington
- Length: 12 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 151
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 132
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 132
A ship's pilot legendary for guiding mammoth freighters through the narrows of Puget Sound, Rolf Neslund was a proud Norwegian, a ladies' man, and a beloved resident of Washington State's idyllic Lopez Island. Virtually indestructible even into his golden years, he made electrifying headlines more than once: after a ship he was helming crashed into the soaring West Seattle Bridge, causing millions in damages; and following his inexplicable disappearance at age 80. Was he a suicide, a man broken by one costly misstep? Had he run off with a lifelong love? Or did a trail of gruesome evidence lead to the home Rolf shared with his wife, Ruth?
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Finally...worth it!
- By Luv lots on 09-04-13
By: Ann Rule
-
A Death in Belmont
- By: Sebastian Junger
- Narrated by: Kevin Conway
- Length: 8 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 456
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 218
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 214
In 1963, with the city of Boston already terrified by a series of savage crimes known as the Boston Stranglings, a murder occurred in Belmont, just a few blocks from the house of Sebastian Junger's family, a murder that seemed to fit exactly the pattern of the Strangler. Roy Smith, a black man who had cleaned the victim's house that day, was convicted, but the terror of the Strangler continued.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Excellent
- By Susanna on 01-13-15
By: Sebastian Junger
-
The Evil That Men Do
- FBI Profiler Roy Hazelwood's Journey into the Minds of Sexual Predators
- By: Stephen G. Michaud, Roy Hazelwood
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 369
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 321
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 321
Twenty-two years in the FBI, 16 of them as a member of the Bureau's Behavioral Science Unit. Roy Hazelwood, like many investigators, has seen it all. But unlike most, he's gone further into the dark and twisted psyches of serial killers and sadistic sexual offenders and has emerged as one of the world's foremost experts on the sexual criminal. Acclaimed true-crime writer Stephen G. Michaud takes you into the heart of Hazelwood's work through dozens of startling cases, including those of the Lonely Heart Killer, the "Ken and Barbie" killings, and the Atlanta Child Murders.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Always learning!
- By T. Barrett on 09-10-19
By: Stephen G. Michaud, and others
-
Most Evil
- Avenger, Zodiac, and the Further Serial Murders of Dr. George Hill Hodel
- By: Steve Hodel, Ralph Pezullo
- Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner
- Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 153
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 123
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 124
When veteran LAPD homicide detective Steve Hodel discovered that his own late father, Dr. George Hill Hodel, was the killer in the infamous Black Dahlia murder case, he wrote the best seller Black Dahlia Avenger, a book that convinced even the L.A. County Deputy District Attorney that George Hodel was responsible for Elizabeth Short's gruesome death.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
Pretty Good.
- By Lee Kirkland on 09-06-16
By: Steve Hodel, and others
-
Deliver Us
- Three Decades of Murder and Redemption in the Infamous I-45/Texas Killing Fields
- By: Kathryn Casey
- Narrated by: Tanya Eby
- Length: 10 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 180
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 161
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 160
Over a three-decade span, more than 20 women - many teenagers - died mysteriously in the small towns bordering Interstate 45, a 50-mile stretch of highway running from Houston to Galveston. The victims were strangled, shot, or savagely beaten.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Creepy creepy creepy
- By 6catz on 04-10-15
By: Kathryn Casey