Review: True Crime Short Stories

“True Crime Stories You Won’t Believe” by Romeo Vitelli

A Cavalcade of Chaotic Justice

This is part of a series, the first one and I do not know how many books will be in the series. However, if you want to have chills and listen to the bumps in the night with abject fear, then this is the book for you. What follows is basically what Vitelli took from his blog back in 2007 to the present day, and made into a book or three. He must have had a huge blog to take this on, with a bunch of research to back up his theories.

Each of the 32 chapters has a new story, from anywhere in the world and at any time. These stories are the lesser-known ones about true crime, from all walks of life and different time periods.

The author is a forensic psychologist who worked with many an offender and so true crimes are his passion. He goes with the more obscure ones and dissects them in interesting and sometimes fascinating ways.

Each chapter is no more than five or six pages long, or eight to ten flips on a Kindle They are perfect for reading between doing other things, or right before going to bed at night, thinking about the lives of these people who committed these crimes. Sometimes there were happy endings, but most found either death for their crimes committed or people hounding them after jail time because they could not believe they were out of jail or the crime they committed did not have a longer sentence.

This book is definitely a keeper, and when I cannot remember the stories, I will read them again, at night, under a blanket, in a spooky-sounding voice to my family. Five stars, with the review found on Amazon, BookBub, and Goodreads.

This book is available on Amazon either as a Kindle file, Unlimited Kindle, or paperback. I read it on a Kindle. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Reviewing Free Books: BookSirens or Library?

BookSirens is one of the best ways to read Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) to get reviews ahead of the publishing your books. It is also a fabulous way to read new, up-and-coming authors. I am on a quest to read 52 books this year, one a week, and write a review.

What helps me the most is writing the review for BookSirens, then Goodreads, Amazon, and Bookbub. The last three help me get more followers and more audience reach. This is important when you are going to publish your own book. You want to have as large an audience as possible, people who might read your book too.

While at the library, you can read already published books, and certainly review them, you do not know if they are going to be found on Goodreads and Bookbub. It is not hard to do a search. When you find the books, write 250 to 300 words about the book, but try not to have spoilers. Talk about how the book makes you feel, and why you are giving five, four or fewer stars.

A published author is a well-read reader. They continue to write, even if it is not their own books but the reviews of others. This way you keep your writing going, and read, read, and read some more.

While I wrote this review only a few days ago, I was compelled to write on Medium as I had read a story from one of my followers, Ashley Noel. She stated that it took her a while to write her book and that she was worried it would never get published. After reading some of these books on BookSirens, I can tell Ashley, that Self-Publish is the way to go! You can get published. Go for it!