Langley-Adams Library Recommendations

"Axton Betz-Hamilton grew up in small-town Indiana in the early '90s. When she was 11 years old, her parents both had their identities stolen. Their credit ratings were ruined, and they were constantly fighting over money. This was before the age of the Internet, when identity theft became more commonplace, so authorities and banks were clueless and reluctant to help Axton's parents. Axton's family changed all of their personal information and moved to different addresses, but the identity thief followed them wherever they went. Convinced that the thief had to be someone they knew, Axton and her parents completely cut off the outside world, isolating themselves from friends and family.  As a result, Axton spent her formative years crippled by anxiety, quarantined behind the closed curtains in her childhood home. Years later, her parents' marriage still shaken from the theft, Axton discovered that she, too, had fallen prey to the identity thief, but by the time she ...

"Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work, embodied an element of the great dynamic that characterized America's rush toward the twentieth century. The architect was Daniel Hudson Burnham, the fair's brilliant director of works and the builder of many of the country's most important structures, including the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington, D.C. The murderer was Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who, in a malign parody of the White City, built his "World's Fair Hotel" just west of the fairgrounds—a torture palace complete with dissection table, gas chamber, and 3,000-degree crematorium.  What makes the story all the more chilling is that Holmes really lived, walking the grounds of that dream city by the lake."* In this one book there were two interesting stories although the story of H.H Holmes captured my attention more. However, I learned a lot of fascinating facts that I never would have known ot...

In this book Stephen Kurkjian, an investigative reporter, recounts what happened the night of the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum heist in 1981. He then explores the different theories on what may have happened to the paintings when they were stolen and who might have them today. This art heist has become one of the most infamous in history since priceless paintings by Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Degas were taken and never found. Kurkjian offers a very insightful breakdown of the art heist along with his theories because he has been following this story as a reporter from the very beginning. This book has a lot of interesting history not only about the museum but about Boston as well. Since Kurkjian offers so many theories about the heist it allows you to decide for yourself what could have happened. I also found it very easy to read despite having never been to the museum and ended up making a trip there when I finished the book. This is a great book for people who love true cri...

10% of FBI special agents are trained and certified to work undercover. A Fourth of these agents work more than one undercover assignment. By the end of his 30 year long career, Mike McGowan worked more than 50! Luckily for us, after Mike retired, he wrote this fascinating autobiography about his career. A second generation cop, Mike shares how he went from police work to FBI SWAT and later to undercover work.  Mike then lays out some of his biggest cases-from international drug busts, contract killers, corrupt unions, to infiltrating the Russian and Italian mobs (just to name a few).* Already a fan of The Godfather movies, Donnie Briscoe- you name it, I was curious of the cases Mike worked on. More importantly, how had he survived?! Hooked after reading the first chapter, I found this page turner an eye opening experience.   I totally get why Balboa Productions (owned by Sly Stallone) bought the movie rights. But don’t wait for the movie! Read Mike’s book now. Bett...