September, 2021

Cops and Robbers

Posted on September 1, 2021 by | Posted in about LibriVox, Blog, Books, For Volunteers, Monthly Picks, mystery, News | Comments: Comments Off on Cops and Robbers

These days, summer is on the way out and we’re on the way back to work. Every day, criminals and detectives work against each other on different sides of the law. Let’s look at both sides with 10 gems from our catalogue.

A great and very bloody start is the German saga Das Nibelungenlied. It tells the story of Siegfried the dragon slayer who is murdered because of jealousy. His wife Kriemhild swears revenge, no matter the cost… This translation into modern German is by Karl Simrock. We also have this book in English and in Spanish.

If Cesare Lambroso had lived then, what would he have thought about the case? The Italian criminologist looks into Crime, its Causes and Remedies and in the end questions the real value of prisons.

As far as Karl Lomnitz is concerned, his jail time was not very effective. Despite his best intentions, his criminal past soon catches up with him. In Falsches Geld by Arthur Zapp we follow the police as they try to find evidence to arrest him again.

Criminal Investigation as a science is a relatively new field. The Austrian criminal jurist Hans Gross was a pioneer in defining rules for police officers and best practices to gather evidence.

What if there is plenty of evidence, but you can’t see it? Ernest Bramah created the world’s first blind detective, who nevertheless blows the criminals – and the competition – out of the water. Read 4 Max Carrados Detective Stories and judge for yourself.

Judgement was swift in the case of Dick Brewster, who is accused of murder. But his aunt Sarah – Alias Miss Sherlock – is ready to take matters into her own hands in the energetic play by Arthur L. Tubbs.

And so did Lizzy Borden – or did she? In 1892, her father and stepmother were killed and Lizzy was suspect #1. But she was aquitted in a spectacular trial. Read all about The Fall River Tragedy in the book by police reporter Edwin H. Porter.

Writing about crime surely is exciting, but it doesn’t pay much. Such is the realisation of a young novelist, who decides to put his knowledge to use and become Anthony Trent, Master Criminal. Wyndham Martyn’s novel tells what happens next.

What happened before is the topic of Les Confidences d’Arsène Lupin. Maurice Leblanc shares nine episodes from the life of the famous gentleman thief from Paris. We also have this book in an English translation.

What happened is clear: A teenage girl was shot with an arrow. But why? And by whom? And what is the victim’s family hiding? Detective Mr. Gryce tries to solve The Mystery of the Hasty Arrow in another masterful novel by Anna Katharine Green.

Enjoy – and stay good!

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