PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – A new true crime book is diving into cases involving celebrities and public figures from around the world, with stories from international writers, including a Portland true crime podcaster.
“The Best New True Crime Stories: Crimes of Famous & Infamous Criminals” by Mitzi Szereto, is the seventh in the “Best New True Crime” series, with each book tackling a different theme. Szereto says she decided to focus this latest release on celebrities based on our culture’s obsession with the ideas of fame and celebrity.
“Even if you think you know all these people, you’re going to find cases you’ve not heard of,” Szereto said.
Alisha Holland, of the “Murder in the Rain” podcast based in Portland, contributed to the book, taking a deep dive into a case involving 1920s actor Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle.
“I thought that it was a very well covered story and almost kind of old news… and then I realized that that story has kind of faded away with time and it seems like in the times we’re in now, where there are allegations being made and there’s not always proper investigations, that even though it’s 102 years old, it still resonates today,” Holland said.
Holland is also holding a reading and book Q&A at 7 p.m. March 3 at Maggie Mae’s Bookstore in Gresham.
For Szereto’s story, she researched a case involving a rockstar from Wales.
“When I was researching and I came across his case, I was just completely gob smacked. I just couldn’t believe it. I thought, ‘Oh my God I’ve been listening to these guys,’ and I promptly deleted every piece of music I had on my laptop that was them,” Szereto said. “This guy has to be one of the most heinous people I’ve run across in true crime.”