The Best New True Crime Stories: Small Towns

By: Mitzi Szereto - editor

Narrated by: Holly Palance, Phil Thron

A collection of non-fiction accounts by international writers and experts on small-town true crime shows listeners that the real monsters aren’t hiding in the woods, they’re inside our towns.

Small towns aren’t always what they seem. We’ve been told nothing bad happens in small towns. You can leave your doors unlocked, and your windows wide open. We picture peaceful hamlets with a strong sense of community, and everyone knows each other. But what if this wholesome idyllic image doesn’t always square with reality? Small towns might look and feel safe, but statistics show this isn’t really true.

Tiny town, big crime. Whether in Truman Capote’s detailed murder of the Clutter family or Ted Bundy’s small-town charm, criminals have always roamed rural America and towns worldwide. Featuring murder stories, criminal case studies, and more, The Best New True Crime Stories: Small Towns contains all-new accounts from writers of true crime, crime journalism, and crime fiction. And these entries are not based on a true story - they are true stories. Edited by acclaimed author and anthologist Mitzi Szereto, the stories in this volume span the globe. Discover how unsolved murders, kidnapping, shooting sprees, violent robbery, and other bad things can and do happen in small towns all over the world.

©2020 Mitzi Szereto (P)2020 Podium Audio

Crime in other countries is not my cup of tea.

This bored me to tears because I am not interested in sociopaths and other countries, only those where the place is somewhat familiar to me.

I accidentally finished it while I was doing something else and couldn't get it turned off so I'm not going to send it back.

Performance was good but when I think of small towns from a reader with an American accent, I think of the United States. The writing was probably good too. But I was not interested.

Good for crime junkies

This is great if you want to sleep. I learned about other countries and their crimes.

Loved it..

I loved it as I am cleaning my house and listening has made me forget the time and chores..

I do not feel I was adequately warned

Part of what made this more awkward is I was listening to this book at work (I work overnight and can spend a large chunk of my shift listening to audio books while working with little interruption). Some of the stories were more interesting than others, right up until that second to last story. I have found a strange trend where every so often men writing about men in...shall we say...compromising positions (yeah, let's say that) tend to opt for the most over-the-top graphic details. That 2nd to last story went there. I don't know why. Nobody asked the writer to do this. I certainly don't need all those gory details in my brain. Just...yuck. Mercifully, my ear bud died and spared me. I don't feel like I was adequately warned about the content of this book, and I'm a little terrified to read the last story.

Stories based in other countries

Stories probably would have been more enticing however the reader sounds very robotic! Very hard to pay attention.

Meh

I found this book difficult to get into. I enjoy true crime so it’s not the subject matter but more the delivery that just didn’t hit the mark. I got about half way in and decided I’ve had enough.