“One of the strengths of this true-crime anthology series comes simply from its astonishing variety . . . it would be tough to better this collection.” —Booklist

The 2005 edition of The Best American Crime Writing offers the year’s most shocking, compelling, and gripping writing about real-life crime, including Peter Landesman’s article about female sex slaves (the most requested and widely read New York Times story of 2004), a piece from The New Yorker by Stephen J. Dubner (the coauthor of Freakanomics) about a high-society silver thief, and an extraordinarily memorable “ode to bar fights” written by Jonathan Miles for Men’s Journal after he punched an editor at a staff party. But this year’s edition includes a bonus—an original essay by James Ellroy detailing his fascination with Joseph Wambaugh and how it fed his obsession with crime—even to the point of selling his own blood to buy Wambaugh’s books. Smart, entertaining, and controversial, The Best American Crime Writing is an essential edition to any crime enthusiast’s bookshelf.

“Great choices [and] great writing . . . proves truth is indeed stranger than fiction.” —Bloomberg News

“Because these well-written articles vary widely, this work should appeal to all true-crime enthusiasts.” —Library Journal

“A solid and diverse collection of true-crime writing . . . Anyone interested in true crime should find something to enjoy in this wide-ranging collection.” —Publishers Weekly