Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime Work

Earlier this month, the Edgar Awards were named by the American Mystery Writers of America. In the best fact crime category - Columbine by Dave Cullen was the winner. This relates the events of the 1999 shooting at Columbine High outside of Denver. This book answers many questions remaining about ‘why’ and ‘how,’ even after all the publicity this tragedy received. The documentation style alternating among the months of pre-planning the attack, to the day of, to the days following is tedious at times, but journalist Cullen brings the many players and points of view cohesively together to provide a well researched and well cited document by the conclusion of the account. Riveting, revealing, and disturbing. Highly recommended for an in depth look at the teenagers involved, areas where higher authority may have been remiss, and the lasting effects for our national education system.
Other nominees:
Vanished Smile: The Mysterious Theft of Mona Lisa by R.A. Scotti (Random House - Alfred A. Knopf)
For those who may not know, the Mona Lisa was indeed stolen from the Louvre in 1911, was not noticed missing for 24 hours, and was gone for 2 years before being found in Florence. Motives for the disappearance of La Joconde, the most recognized painted woman are unknown. Still a mystery, the case of the missing DaVinci involved noted painters, French authorities, Louvre security, and a cast of colorful characters. R.A. Scotti makes both Mona Lisa and the facts of her disappearance come alive in this tale of historic art theft. An enjoyable education in art history.
Also recommended by R.A. Scotti – Sudden Sea, the great hurricane of 1938. This perfect storm brewed in the Atlantic bore down on the Northeast coast with short notice and affected thousands of residents. Personal stories and historical detail show a well researched documentary.
Another nominated title in the PCL collection is:
Provenance: How a Con Man and a Forger Rewrote the History of Modern Art by Laney Salisbury and Aly Sujo (The Penguin Press) – I have yet to read this work recommended by Publisher’s Weekly and the Washington Post, but would welcome reader comments.
Reviews by Gina, Head Reference Librarian and avid true crime reader