starring

MURDERMYSTERY

to live and die in la

No country for old men

psycho

torso

misery

in thatin that

MURDERMYSTERY

books so

good they had to make the movie

MURDERMYSTERYMYSTERYMURDERMYSTERYMURDER

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No country for old men10-11

misery4-5

psycho6-9

to live and die in la2-3

tors

o12

-13

22

To Live and Die in L.A is a the

novel written by former Secret

Service agent Gerald Petievich.The story concerns an

arrogant Secret Service offi cial

who wants to get his man at any

price. Eric Masters, is an

ultra-smooth counterfeiter who

has managed to sidestep the

police for years. He is so

up-front about his dealings, in

fact, that when some undercover agents try to make

a deal with him at his health

club, Eric tells them, “I’ve been

coming to this gym three times a

week for fi ve years. I’m an easy

guy to fi nd. People know they

can trust me.” But when young

and eager Secret Service agent

Richard Chance fi nds out that

his partner has been cold

bloodedly murdered by Eric, he

trains his relentlessness upon

capturing Eric.

Whether it means robbery,

murder, or exploiting his friends

and associates. As Chance

erases the dividing line between

good and evil, he drags his new

partner John Vukovich and Ruth

Lanier, an ex-con, down into the

maelstrom with him.

Gerald Petievich will have you

hooked from the word go!

3

To Live and Die in L.A is a the

novel written by former Secret

Service agent Gerald Petievich.The story concerns an

arrogant Secret Service offi cial

who wants to get his man at any

price. Eric Masters, is an

ultra-smooth counterfeiter who

has managed to sidestep the

police for years. He is so

up-front about his dealings, in

fact, that when some undercover agents try to make

a deal with him at his health

club, Eric tells them, “I’ve been

coming to this gym three times a

week for fi ve years. I’m an easy

guy to fi nd. People know they

can trust me.” But when young

and eager Secret Service agent

Richard Chance fi nds out that

his partner has been cold

bloodedly murdered by Eric, he

trains his relentlessness upon

capturing Eric.

Whether it means robbery,

murder, or exploiting his friends

and associates. As Chance

erases the dividing line between

good and evil, he drags his new

partner John Vukovich and Ruth

Lanier, an ex-con, down into the

maelstrom with him.

Gerald Petievich will have you

hooked from the word go!

3

4

Paul

4

PaulPaulPaulPaul

Misery is Probably one of the

greatest thrillers ever written,

it captures the reader from the

very beginning. I’m sure

everyone has seen the movie,

but the book brings you so

much more. You get to read

the book that Annie is forcing

Paul to write, “Misery’s Return”

throughout. The book within a

book concept is brilliant! Up until

the explosive ending, you fi nd

yourself cheering for Paul and

fearing Annie. If you haven’t read

this one yet, you need to.

“An author by the name of Paul

Sheldon ends up having a terrible

car accident on the highway. He

awakes to fi nd himself in a bed

that is not his own, nor a

hospital bed. Instead, an

ex-nurse named Annie Wilkes

is standing over him, telling

him she is his number one

fan. But he later fi nds out it

isn’t fortunate to have been

found by her. Enraged that

Paul killed his main character

in his series “Misery”, she

insists that he write a book,

just for her, of the character

coming back alive. But while

struggling to write the book,

he fi nds out more about

Annie and why she is no

longer a nurse as she

physically keeps him from

leaving the house in a

torturing way.

5

Misery is Probably one of the

greatest thrillers ever written,

it captures the reader from the

very beginning. I’m sure

everyone has seen the movie,

but the book brings you so

much more. You get to read

the book that Annie is forcing

Paul to write, “Misery’s Return”

throughout. The book within a

book concept is brilliant! Up until

the explosive ending, you fi nd

yourself cheering for Paul and

fearing Annie. If you haven’t read

this one yet, you need to.

“An author by the name of Paul

Sheldon ends up having a terrible

car accident on the highway. He

awakes to fi nd himself in a bed

that is not his own, nor a

hospital bed. Instead, an

hospital bed. Instead, an

hospital bed. Instead, an

ex-nurse named Annie Wilkes

ex-nurse named Annie Wilkes

ex-nurse named Annie Wilkes

is standing over him, telling

is standing over him, telling

is standing over him, telling

him she is his number one

him she is his number one

him she is his number one

fan. But he later fi nds out it

fan. But he later fi nds out it

fan. But he later fi nds out it

isn’t fortunate to have been

isn’t fortunate to have been

isn’t fortunate to have been

found by her. Enraged that

found by her. Enraged that

found by her. Enraged that

Paul killed his main character

Paul killed his main character

Paul killed his main character

in his series “Misery”, she

in his series “Misery”, she

in his series “Misery”, she

insists that he write a book,

insists that he write a book,

insists that he write a book,

just for her, of the character

just for her, of the character

just for her, of the character

coming back alive. But while

coming back alive. But while

coming back alive. But while

struggling to write the book,

he fi nds out more about

Annie and why she is no

longer a nurse as she

physically keeps him from

leaving the house in a

torturing way.

5

6

Norman Bates loves his Mother. Most people think she’s been dead for the past twenty years, but Norman knows better. Ever since he was released from the hospital, he has lived with Mother in the old house, up on the hill above the Bates Motel. One rainy night, when a beautiful woman exits the highway and checks into the motel, Norman can’t help spying on her as she undresses — but Mother is there, to protect Norman from his fi lthy thoughts. Mother is there, with her butcher knife. Psycho, originally published in 1959, is a fascinating portrait of madness. Robert Bloch sets the reader on edge from the very fi rst page, as he

describes Norman sitting in the parlour “with a good book for company” — a book describing Incan warriors using the corpse of an enemy for their drumbeat: “The skin had been fl ayed and the belly stretched to form a drum.” One could argue that Bloch performed a similar kind of

primitive surgery on a crime novel, hacking away at one type of genre fi ction so that it could be twisted into something else, something far more sinister. On the surface, Psycho is about a woman who steals $40,000 in a misguided attempt to help her fi ancee get out of debt. After she disappears, her sister and her fi ancee become suspicious, and they cooperate with a private investigator to uncover the truth.

Norman Bates loves his Mother. Most people think she’s been dead for the past twenty years, but Norman knows better. Ever since he was released from the hospital, he has lived with Mother in the old house, up on the hill above the Bates Motel. One rainy night, when a beautiful woman exits the highway and checks into the motel, Norman can’t help spying on her as she undresses — but Mother is there, to protect Norman from his fi lthy thoughts. Mother is there, with her butcher knife. Psycho, originally published in 1959, is a fascinating portrait of madness. Robert Bloch sets the reader on edge from the very fi rst page, as he

describes Norman sitting in the parlour “with a good book for company” — a book describing Incan warriors using the corpse of an enemy for their drumbeat: “The skin had been fl ayed and the belly stretched to form a drum.” One could argue that Bloch performed a similar kind of

primitive surgery on a crime novel, hacking away at one type of genre fi ction so that it could be twisted into something else, something far more sinister. On the surface, Psycho is about a woman who steals $40,000 in a misguided attempt to help her fi ancee get out of debt. After she disappears, her sister and her fi ancee become suspicious, and they cooperate with a private investigator to uncover the truth.

7

88

This is all just Bloch’s excuse to populate the stage with some characters and open the curtain on his masterpiece, Norman Bates. Alternately meek and overconfi dent, racked by debilitating guilt but capable of heinous acts, Norman is both Mother’s prisoner and her captor. “I think perhaps all of us go a little crazy at times,” he says.

Bloch’s novel was the basis for Alfred Hitchcock’s famous movie, of course;

that is the book’s blessing and its curse. The enduring popularity

of Hitchcock’s fi lm assured the novel’s longevity, and

yet the iconic status of Psycho, the movie, has forever diluted the shock and impact of Psycho, the book. In some ways, Bloch was

more honest with hisaudience than Hitchcock was.

Hitchcock began his fi lm like a

straightforward thriller, then

pulled the rug out from under

the viewer and revealed that

this was a new kind of

psychological horror movie.

Bloch let his readers know

immediately that there was

something rotten in the Bates

Motel, and that any characters

wandering off the highway

to that isolated spot would be

snaring themselves in a spider

web, with Norman and Mother

poised at the center.

9

This is all just Bloch’s excuse to populate the stage with some characters and open the curtain on his masterpiece, Norman Bates. Alternately meek and overconfi dent, racked by debilitating guilt but capable of heinous acts, Norman is both Mother’s prisoner and her captor. “I think perhaps all of us go a little crazy at times,” he says.

Bloch’s novel was the basis for Alfred Hitchcock’s famous movie, of course;

that is the book’s blessing and its that is the book’s blessing and its curse. The enduring popularity curse. The enduring popularity

of Hitchcock’s fi lm assured the novel’s longevity, and the novel’s longevity, and

yet the iconic status of Psycho, the movie, has forever diluted the shock and impact of Psycho, the book. In some ways, Bloch was

more honest with hisaudience than Hitchcock was.

Hitchcock began his fi lm like a

straightforward thriller, then

pulled the rug out from under

the viewer and revealed that

this was a new kind of

psychological horror movie.

Bloch let his readers know

immediately that there was

something rotten in the Bates

Motel, and that any characters

wandering off the highway

to that isolated spot would be

snaring themselves in a spider

web, with Norman and Mother

poised at the center.

9

1010

The plot follo

ws the in

terweaving

paths of th

e three centra

l characters

set in m

otion by events r

elated to a

drug deal gone bad near th

e Mexican

American border in

southwest T

exas.

Llewelyn Moss

is huntin

g antelope,

he stumbles a

cross the afte

rmath of a

drug-related gun battle

which has left

everyone dead. Also

fi nding a tru

ck

full of h

eroin and a satchel w

ith $2.4

million in

cash. Spotted at th

e scene

Liewelyn is caught in

a dramatic

chase throughout m

ost of th

e novel,

not only fo

r the m

oney but the

enjoyment and chase of o

ne of

America’s d

eadliest h

it men.

With only a sm

all town sh

eriff on th

e

case everything is sta

cked against

moss, but m

ore unravels as th

e story

progresses. T

his is a

nother you wont

be able to put d

own!

11

The plot follo

ws the in

terweaving

paths of th

e three centra

l characters

set in m

otion by events r

elated to a

drug deal gone bad near th

e Mexican

American border in

southwest T

exas.

Llewelyn Moss

is huntin

g antelope,

he stumbles a

cross the afte

rmath of a

drug-related gun battle

which has left

everyone dead. Also

fi nding a tru

ck

full of h

eroin and a satchel w

ith $2.4

million in

cash. Spotted at th

e scene

Liewelyn is caught in

a dramatic

chase throughout m

ost of th

e novel,

not only fo

r the m

oney but the

enjoyment and chase of o

ne of

America’s d

eadliest h

it men.

With only a sm

all town sh

eriff on th

e

case everything is sta

cked against

moss, but m

ore unravels as th

e story

progresses. T

his is a

nother you wont

be able to put d

own!

11

Cleveland,

12

Cleveland,Cleveland,

12

Cleveland, Ohio1930s

13

The graphic novel Torso, written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Marc

Andreyko is remarkable and one aspect we cant believe about this graphic

novel is that it has taken so long to showcase this idea. After all, the Cleveland Torso Murders have

everything needed to make blockbuster entertainment:

gruesome murders, a determined hero, highlevel corruption, insan-ity, and cover-ups. Like the Jack

the Ripper case, the Cleveland Torso Murders have developed their own mythology, and that

primarily is what this novel explores. The actual facts of

the case are simple.

After his success against Al Capone in Chicago, Eliot Ness

became the Safety Director for the city of Cleveland and promised to clean up the town. Despite his reluctance, he was forced to become involved in the investigation of several particularly nasty murders. Unable to bring the case to a visible conclusion, Ness lost his political power and eventually a bid for Mayor. As a result, Ness retired from public life and died a few years later before television would make him a household name with The Untouchables. The case, however, would live on. Because it was unsolved, the case has spawned

several interesting theories over the years — involving everything from an

insane murderer protected by high-level political power to another infamously unsolved

case, The Black Dahlia murder in Los Angeles.

Ohio1930s

13

The graphic novel Torso, written by Brian The graphic novel Torso, written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Marc

Andreyko is remarkable and one aspect we cant believe about this graphic

novel is that it has taken so long to showcase this idea. After all, the Cleveland Torso Murders have

everything needed to make blockbuster entertainment:

gruesome murders, a determined hero, highlevel corruption, insan-ity, and cover-ups. Like the Jack

the Ripper case, the Cleveland Torso Murders have developed their own mythology, and that

primarily is what this novel explores. The actual facts of

the case are simple.

After his success against Al Capone in Chicago, Eliot Ness

became the Safety Director for the city of Cleveland and promised to clean up the town. Despite his reluctance, he was forced to become involved in the investigation of several particularly nasty murders. Unable to bring the case to a visible conclusion, Ness lost his political power and eventually a bid for Mayor. As a result, Ness retired from public life and died a few years later before television would make him a household name with The Untouchables. The case, however, would live on. Because it was unsolved, the case has spawned

several interesting theories over the years — involving everything from an

insane murderer protected by high-level political power to another infamously unsolved

case, The Black Dahlia murder in Los Angeles.

MURDERMYSTERY