True Crime Philadelphia, Kathryn Canavan
True Crime Philadelphia, Kathryn Canavan
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

True Crime Philadelphia
From America's First Bank Robbery to the Real-Life Killers Who Inspired Boardwalk Empire

Author: Kathryn Canavan

Narrator: Melissa Redmond

Unabridged: 6 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 02/14/2023

Synopsis

Serial killer H. H. Holmes built his murder castle in Chicago, but he met the hangman in Philadelphia. Al Capone served his first prison sentence here. America's first bank robbery was pulled off here in 1798. The country's first kidnapping for ransom came off without a hitch in 1874. A South Philadelphia man hatched the largest mass murder plot in US history in the 1930s. His partners in crime were unhappy housewives. Civil rights hero Octavius V. Catto was gunned down on South Street in 1871.

Take a walk with us through city history. Would you pass Eastern State Penitentiary on April 3, 1945, just as famed bank robber Willie Sutton popped out of an escape tunnel in broad daylight? Or you might have been one of the invited guests at H. H. Holmes's hanging at Moyamensing Prison on a gray morning in May 1896. It still ranks as one of the most bizarre executions in city history. Or, if you walked down Washington Lane on July 1, 1874, would you have been alert enough to stop the two men who lured little blond Charley Ross away with candy? You might have stopped America's first kidnapping for ransom, the one that gave rise to the admonition, "Never take candy from a stranger." The case inspired the Leopold and Loeb kidnapping.

Mix in murderous maids, bumbling burglars, and unflinching local heroes and you have True Crime Philadelphia.

About Kathryn Canavan

Kathryn Canavan began her career as a crime reporter. To get a story, she has reported at gunpoint, lived with the Moonies, negotiated with a killer, and joined Tug McGraw in the Phillies dugout.

She eventually worked as reporter or editor in four states. Her freelance writing has been published in USA Today, the Philadelphia Inquirer, History News Network, and Prevention magazine.

She was named a National Health Journalism Fellow at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School of Communications and Journalism in 2011. Her fellowship project, "No Child Allowed Outside," chronicled the health effects of gun violence on young children.

She is a 2017 Individual Artist Fellow of Delaware Division of the Arts, awarded the Established Professional Award for creative nonfiction.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Valerity (Val) on September 19, 2021

This is a neat group of crime stories from Philadelphia. There are several firsts that came out of the town that are pretty impressive. Many are stories I haven’t heard of, which I like. There’s even some things about the H.H. Holmes story that were new to me. Interesting true crime read. Advance el......more

Goodreads review by Fiona Lawson on April 28, 2024

This book was pretty entertaining but honestly not really that great. Each chapter gives basic bullet points on various Philly area crimes, but without much detail or insight and with a fair amount of editorializing. Some chapters genuinely just restate the same 3-4 facts over and over in different......more

Goodreads review by Stephanie on November 14, 2021

I’m a little peeved at myself as a true crime fan living outside of Philadelphia that I didn’t know most of these stories! This book is well researched and provides so much information about lesser known old crimes. I loved how many stories included Philadelphians trying to stop the bad guys on thei......more

Goodreads review by Mike on February 09, 2024

Altogether, a good easy read for anyone interested in some more niche history about Philadelphia. The title is a bit misleading, I was of the impression that this was going to be a history of organized crime in the city; however, it is more of an anthology of interesting crime stories from Philly. O......more

Goodreads review by Ray on November 23, 2021

New Jersey may have their fictional Sparano crime family, but thanks to Ms. Canavan, we have the true-crime families; Philly style. In this book, one will find the real criminal families since 1787 and the Philadelphia citizens who stood for law and community against these criminals. A fantastic Chr......more

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List