California’s Most Notorious Crimes: 1900–1950

A gripping exploration of California's infamous true crime stories, from unsolved murders to daring prison escapes, revealing a dark history of deception, violence, and tragedy.

From California’s mountain peaks to the desert and over to the ocean lie many true crime stories, many of which remain unsolved. Explore some of California’s most notorious crimes, including bank robbers who made their getaway on a yacht; a woman who kept her boyfriend hidden in the attic of the house she shared with her husband for eighteen years; the bombing of the Los Angeles Times building that resulted in the deaths of twenty employees; the unsolved San Diego murders; and the mysterious death of one of Hollywood’s leading actresses. Read about many daring escapes from Alcatraz, including one that became known as “the Battle of Alcatraz,” after a group of inmates took control of the prison.

Also within the pages of this book are the true stories of a female gang leader who ordered a hit on one of her own gang members; a man who committed murder in order to fake his own death and reap his life insurance benefits; and the gangs that terrorized the San Francisco Bay Area, leaving behind murders, robberies, car jackings, burglaries, and a shootout with law enforcement that resulted in three officers killed in the line of duty.