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Incredibly insightful as to how modern criminology was formed and spin chilling at times. (0 more)
  
Criminology for dummies
Criminology for dummies
Steven Briggs | 2009 | Crime, Law, Philosophy, Psychology & Social Sciences
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Informative (2 more)
Easy to read
Easy to understand the subject
Brilliant
I love this book, it is a wealth of information about criminology. It is a factual book but as with all the 'for dummies' books the subject is broken down into bite sized parts with easy to follow explanations, suitable for a beginner to a person studying criminology.
  
The Last Mile (Amos Decker #2)
The Last Mile (Amos Decker #2)
David Baldacci | 2016 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.3 (4 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a sequel to ‘Memory Man’ but I do think readers could pick up the background easily. The story follows an FBI task force investigator, Amos Decker, a man who can forget nothing due to an injury as an American Football player. Melvin Mars is a man on death row who needs to dig deep into his past to find out the truth behind his incarceration. It’s a very American thriller with some very staged dialogue, lots of guns and criminology but I really enjoyed the idea of a man blessed and cursed with perfect recall. A tale of twists and turns that kept me reading.
  
Bowery at Midnight (1942)
Bowery at Midnight (1942)
1942 | Classics, Comedy, Drama
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Bela Lugosi (0 more)
Murders From The Soup Kitchen
Bowery at Midnight- is decent movie. The plot is intresting and Bela Lugosi. And thats pretty much it. Nothing really speical.

The Plot: Criminology Professor Brenner (Bela Lugosi) uses his soup kitchen as a front for a gang committing robberies and murders.

Following The Corpse Vanishes, Monogram Pictures announced it would make two more Bela Lugosi films, Night of Horror and Torment. These projects ended up being replaced by Bowery at Midnight and The Gorilla Strikes (which became The Ape Man).

Like i said nothing speical. The only good things was a intresting plot and Bela Lugosi.
  
Columbine
Columbine
Dave Cullen | 2009 | Crime, History & Politics, Philosophy, Psychology & Social Sciences
10
9.1 (7 Ratings)
Book Rating
I was in grade school when the events of Columbine happened. There was no way to escape the horrendous details that happened at Columbine. I still have snapshot memories associated with the news reports. The events at Columbine have always made me queasy but I have always wanted to learn more.

This book was horrifying but beautifully researched. I have to admit, I've owned this book for many years and I finally sat down and read/listened to it. Honestly, this was one of the hardest books I have ever listened to.

I would recommend this book to many people. It's a fascinating read for any fan of true crime, criminology, social psychology, and general sociology.
  
I really like how this was presented: Each case was described, evidence was provided as to who Brown believed was the likely suspect, and the status of the case where it sits now was noted (basically, dormant). I just received my Master's in Forensic Psychology, so reading how Brown became a profiler and how she uses her knowledge to work on "cold" cases was both intriguing and helpful for me. I especially liked her idea of creating a suspect bank through ViCAP that could be accessed across the nation, in the event that a suspect in one crime crosses jurisdictions and is interviewed in relation to another crime. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in the Forensic Psychology or Criminology fields, or for those who like such TV shows as the "Law and Order," "Criminal Minds," or "CSI" franchises.
  
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Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Bone Collector (1999) in Movies

Jun 8, 2020 (Updated Jun 8, 2020)  
The Bone Collector (1999)
The Bone Collector (1999)
1999 | Mystery
The Broken Bones
The Bone Collector- is a unique mystery thriller that ups the suspense and mystery to 10 fold. You keep on guessing until the very end of the movie, you will be surprised on who it is, that how good the suspense and mystery is.

The plot: Policewoman Amelia Donaghy (Angelina Jolie) is in hot pursuit of a serial murderer whose calling card is a small shard of bone extracted from each of his victims. Unable to decipher the cryptic clues the killer leaves behind at the scene of the crime, Amelia calls upon quadriplegic forensic criminology expert Lincoln Rhyme (Denzel Washington) to help. With Amelia acting as Rhyme's able-bodied go-between, the pair piece together disparate clues, hoping they will learn who the next victim is.

Its a very intresting mystery thriller that will keep you on edge until the very end.
  
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Deborah (162 KP) rated Seeking Mr Hare in Books

Dec 21, 2018  
SM
Seeking Mr Hare
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I've not read anything by Maurice Leitch before, but like most people I've heard of Burke & Hare, so thought this would be worth a read.

Overall it was very well written. As well as the historical Mr Hare, Thomas de Quincey (Confessions of An English Opium Eater) makes an appearance. The novel starts with Hare still held in gaol and we see him turn King's Evidence and be allowed to go free while his partner in crime (pun intended!) goes to the gallows. A plaster cast is taken of Hare's head and a phrenologist has a good feel of his skull!

Being somewhat notorious and with many people being outraged with his perceived escape from justice, Hare has some difficulty in getting away and he has little money and few possessions to his name.

So much for Hare's half of the narrative. His account is interspersed with chapters in the form of letters or journal entries from Mr Speed, a former police detective. He had been charged by a Lord with an interest in science and criminology to track Hare down. This is the weak point for me - I don't quite understand why. Hare was imprisoned while the trial was going on, so why is it only after he is released he has to be tracked down. What is Speed supposed to do for him employer if and when he catches up with Hare? What exact;y does he want to know? This isn't clear to me and so the book as a whole rather loses its point. I can't say much more as it will end up spoiling things, but the ending did seem very anti-climactic to me.
  
Yarn Bombing—the art of crochet and knit graffiti by Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain
Genre: craft/art
Rating: 4/5

Yarn Bombing is an extremely inspirational and creative book. It got my knitting juices flowing and made my hands itch for the needles when I saw pictures of colorful yarn knit into… beautiful graffiti?

Yes, yarn graffiti. Yarn Bombing is a rather large thing in big cities and even other countries where knitting is prominent, especially Sweden (see links below).

Yarn Bombing has many fantastic pictures, ideas for bombing, some basics for getting started, points and tips, advice on what to say if you get caught in the act (either by passer-bys or police), interviews with yarn bombers, and some patterns.

Here is my favorite pattern:
this pattern is for chain-link fence weave:
1. Cast On 12.
2. Open a bottle of wine.
3. Knit every row until sober.
4. Bind off
5. Repeat 1-4 seven more times…

I find this hilarious, though some people who aren’t knitters may not. By the way, the real pattern for the chain link fence weave is written in the book right under that ;)

There are patterns in the book for knitting items for yourself, such as arm warmers, hoods that cover your whole face except your eyes (so you can be a ninja-yarn-bomber!) sweaters, and some other stuff. Some of the bombing patterns include treesweaters, knit tulips and mushrooms, Knit sneakers to hang over wires, Bolo balls, Elf Stockings, and more.

I give it a 4/5 because, considering that graffiti is illegal and I’m perusing Criminology… let’s just say that I’m being gracious.(and I’m actually considering giving this a try… I’ll keep you posted on that one ;). Also, it was laid out a little odd and it was a bit hard to find some things. Lastly it didn’t have quite as many patterns as I expected. But, all in all, it was an awesome craft book!

Recommendation: knitters and Crocheters of any age, anyone interested in graffiti or contemporary art.

Here are some links to some yarn-bombers that you should check out, there are tons more! Follow the links you find on their blogs and explore the yarn-bombing community.
  
In The Silence
In The Silence
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
In The Silence has a blurb so enticing, I just had to read it, and author M. R. Mackenzie did not disappoint.

Anna Scovalini has finally come home; a place she avoided for several years only to find herself involved in a murder case, up close and personal. At first she doesn’t mean to get involved, but when she feels the police aren’t taking things seriously enough curiosity gets the better of her and once she has a poke around for answers she uncovers much more than she bargained for, and inadvertently puts herself into trouble, too.

Throughout this story I found myself intrigued by some of the serious issues discussed, from femicide, rape to gang mentality, and this was all played out by some great characterisation and an exciting plot, where the more I read the quicker the pace sped up until it reached the final reveal of who the killer actually was!

I found the unravelling of the secret surrounding the reason why people were getting killed really enjoyable. Mix this with those paragraphs where there’s a hooded figure tracking people down that literally sent shivers down my spine and made my blood run cold. Is that corny? Maybe. But true!

A word on the dialect. For an East Anglian, born and bred, I thought the Scottish dialect was actually quite fun to read. When I tried the words out loud I actually could do a very good impression of a Glaswegian! On one hand I always find this a little distracting as it does take you out of the story as you’re experimenting with how the words sound on your tongue, but on the other hand it was not full-on throughout the book, and I quickly got used to it.

Returning to characterisation, I loved how Anna (now a criminology lecturer living in Rome) and her best friend Zoe, (who like me has never left her home county) seem to have lives which are worlds apart, and when they get back together they’re instantly best pals again. But under the stress of the investigation even Anna has to think twice about Zoe.

What happened back in the past, that caused so many people in one town to have so many secrets? For me, uncovering the truth made this story for me. For a debut book, I’m exited to see what this author writes next!

An intriguing, fast read that had me guessing who the killer was throughout, with a satisfying, final conclusion.