Crimes of the Centuries: The Cases That Changed Us

by Amber Hunt

Overview

A fascinating pop-history dive into the stories behind the incredibly impactful crimes—both infamous and little-known—that have shaped the legal system as we know it.
When asked why true crime is so in vogue, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Amber Hunt always has the same answer: it’s no hotter than it’s always been. Crimes and trials have captured American consciousness since the Salem Witch Trials in the seventeenth century. And these cases over the centuries have fundamentally changed our society and shifted our legal system, resulting in the laws we have today and setting the stage for new rights and protections. From the first recorded murder trial led by the first legal dream team, to one of the earliest uses of DNA, these cases will fascinate. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781454949107
Publisher:	Union Square & Co.
Publication date:	01/16/2024
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	6.80(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

Amber Hunt is part of the Pulitzer Prize–winning team at the Cincinnati Enquirer, where she works as an investigative reporter. Her podcast Accused—an award-winning true crime serial that paved the way for a retrial in a death penalty conviction—was named one of the best 25 podcasts by RollingStone.com, and has been featured in O magazine, the Daily Beast, and Wired, among others. She has written six books, including the New York Times bestseller The Kennedy Wives (cowritten with David Batcher), and has appeared on NBC’s Dateline, A&E’s Crime Stories, and other programs. Hunt is cofounder of Grab Bag Collab, a podcast cooperative. She is also the host of the podcast this book is based upon, Crimes of the Centuries, produced and distributed by Obsessed Network, LLC.
 

Editorial Reviews

11/20/2023

Hunt (Unsolved Murders) effectively translates her true crime podcast of the same name with this diverting dive into cases that prompted major changes in the American legal system between the late 19th century and 1982. Dividing the cases into five categories—“Civil Rights Catalysts,” “Law Changers,” “Forensic Advancers,” “Societal Shifters,” and “Unsolved with Impact”—Hunt highlights five examples per category, summarizing each case’s known facts before analyzing its cultural consequences. Some, like the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City, are widely known: the blaze killed nearly 150 people due to a lack of adequate safeguards, leading to sweeping labor reforms. Others, like the 1964 murder of Queens, N.Y., bartender Kitty Genovese (which led to the creation of the nation’s first 911 system), get reframed: Hunt notes that the persistent narrative that multiple witnesses knew Genovese was being attacked and did nothing to help her is broadly inaccurate. Throughout, Hunt goes for breadth rather than depth. As a result, some chapters, like her brief rundown of the Osage Nation murders covered by David Grann in Killers of the Flower Moon, feel rushed and slightly superficial. Still, readers seeking a springboard for additional research will be rewarded with a brisk and fascinating overview of American criminal history. Photos. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

[An] exemplary assessment of American crime and punishment and their evolution over five centuries. Through a wealth of examples, both high-profile and relatively unknown, Hunt illustrates the changing nature of U.S. law in this informative work.” —Booklist

“A brisk and fascinating overview of American criminal history.”—Publishers Weekly

"Fans of true crime will enjoy this collection of tales from the annals of American justice; they will surely come away eager to learn more about the crimes that have meaningfully shaped the judicial system.—Library Journal Starred Review
 

From the Publisher

★ 12/01/2023

Award-winning Cincinnati Enquirer investigative reporter Hunt (coauthor, Accused: The Unsolved Murder of Elizabeth Andes) investigates 25 cases that range from the Salem witch trials of the 17th century to the Chicago Tylenol poisoning murders of 1982. Her crisp prose highlights the details of each crime and its accompanying trial, interspersed with illustrations of sites, people, and documents pertaining to each case. At the end of every case is a "Legal Legacy" sidebar that illuminates the ways in which its precedent affected American jurisprudence. Readers will likely learn something new about cases they thought they previously understood and may be startled to learn about crimes they haven't heard of before that have impacted the way the justice system works. VERDICT Fans of true crime will enjoy this collection of tales from the annals of American justice; they will surely come away eager to learn more about the crimes that have meaningfully shaped the judicial system.—Jennifer Moore

Library Journal