Two-book True Crime box set by a Los Angeles Times bestselling author!
"The best true-crime stories have the atmosphere and sense of place of a classic murder mystery novel and you'll find exactly that - plus the chill of a real-life story- in Murder in Beverly Hills. In this story of the murder of a woman shadowed by her Mafia family past, of a killer who slips through the thin cracks of the justice system, and of the glittering back alleys of Las Vegas and Los Angeles, Scott tells a story both suspenseful and, ultimately, haunting." --Deborah Blum, author of The Poisoner's Handbook
Death in the Desert: Multi-millionaire Ted Binion, son and heir to the estate of cowboy gangster and gambler Benny Binion who helped mold Las Vegas, was found dead in his million-dollar home on September 17, 1998. Binion’s girlfriend, a one-time exotic dancer, and her lover, Rick Tabish, a contractor from Missoula, Montana, each were convicted, then, in a second trial, acquitted of killing Binion by forcing him to swallow a mixture of black tar heroin and the sedative Xanax. Death in the Desert: The Ted Binion Homicide Case takes you inside this incredible case surrounded by drugs, gambling, mobsters, and a $14 million silver stash. LA Times bestselling author Cathy Scott explores whether it was murder, as the prosecution contended, or an accidental overdose, as the defense claimed.
Read the rave reviews:
"Think you know everything about this case because you've seen the television shows? Think again!" --Kim Cantrell, True Crime Zine
"... Lively and informative. --Las Vegas Mercury
"Objective and not favoring either the prosecution or the defense." --AmericanMafia.com
"One of the theses in the book: There might not have even been a crime committed in the Binion case." –Jerry Pippin, Adventures in Internet Broadcasting
"The book includes never-before-seen historical photos of the Binion family." --Gambling Magazine
Murder in Beverly Hills: The Mob-style Execution of Susan Berman, her Crime Boss Father, and the Deadly Secret She Took to her Grave
Growing up, Susan Berman’s childhood was idyllic. She was Las Vegas Mob royalty, the daughter of a Mob boss who ran the Flamingo and furnished his only child with anything money could buy. But halfway through her childhood, dream exploded. Susan’s father died without warning during a routine surgery. Next, Susie Berman’s mother died by her own hand the next year when she overdosing on drugs. Susie was whisked away from the only home she’d ever known, parentless and living with an uncle and his family and sent away to boarding school. Fast forward to college where Susan met her soul mate, Robert Durst. They became best friends and each other’s confidants. Durst went to work for his wealthy father at the Durst Organization in Manhattan while Susan became a journalist, writing about women’s cultural issues for newspapers and magazines. She followed Durst to New York, where he married the beautiful Kathie McCormack. Then, Kathie disappeared and Susan stood by her best friend Robert, despite suspicions that Durst had caused the demise of his wife. Twenty years later, as police closed in on Durst and reopened the case, seeking to interview his best friends, Susan was murdered. Few clues were found. Who did it and why? Was it the Mob? A trusted friend? Murder in Beverly Hills (an updated, revised edition of Murder of a Mafia Daughter) answers those questions. Exclusive information about the investigation is included in this edition, as well as new interviews of police detectives, Susan’s friends, family and colleagues, and new information about Robert Durst is revealed.
Critics love this book! "Murder in Beverly Hills is intense tale of an eccentric murder victim with a colorful history and how one of her friends has likely gotten away with not just her murder but others as well. Who doesn't love a real life whodunit?" --Kim Cantrell, Editor, True Crime Zine