Cold Case Files
Book Recommendations

Cold Case Files

Based on the iconic, Emmy-nominated series on A&E, this show explores some of the most difficult-to-solve murders, which stymied investigators and went cold, sometimes for decades. In fact, one-third of all murders in America remain open. But thanks to dogged investigators and breakthroughs in foren...

Episodes 594
Books 48
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The Other Side of the Mountain: Mujahideen Tactics in the Soviet-Afghan War cover

The Other Side of the Mountain

Ali Ahmed Jalali

Mentioned 2 years ago

I SURVIVED: I'm In A Taliban Prison and Nobody Can Find Me

Jerry lived with and wrote a book about the Mujahideen, explaining them to the West, to the outside world.

In the 1980s, I had lived with and wrote a book about the Mujahideen, explaining them to the West, to the outside world.

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Soft White Underbelly cover

Soft White Underbelly

Ray Holland

Mentioned 2 years ago

I Survived: I Felt Like A Hockey Puck Sliding On Ice

The speaker mentioned this book as one of the places where he had shared his perspective on love, life, and the law.

You may know me from my books or my many interviews, such as Soft White Underbelly, Lex Friedman, or one of the many other places I've shared my perspective on love, life, and the law.

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Merriam-Webster's Pocket Spanish-English Dictionary (Pocket Reference Library) cover

Merriam-Webster's Pocket Spanish-English Dictionary (Pocket Reference Library)

Merriam-Webster

Mentioned 2 years ago

I SURVIVED: If I Go to Sleep, I Might Not Wake Up

Jose's brother brought him a bilingual book to help him communicate with nurses and doctors while recovering from his injuries in the hospital.

And he bring me a book from the store. The book, the name of the book was English and Spanish. So all the sounds, they were in Spanish.

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The Girl in the Treehouse: A Memoir cover

The Girl in the Treehouse

Jennifer Asbenson

Mentioned 2 years ago

I SURVIVED: I Don't Want to Die Like That

The survivor, Jennifer, self-published her memoir detailing her horrific attack in 2019 after years of questioning her own experience due to a lack of initial support.

In 2019 self-published her memoir called Girl in the Treehouse.

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Soul Survivor: The Reincarnation of a World War II Fighter Pilot cover

Soul Survivor

Andrea Leininger

Mentioned 2 years ago

I SURVIVED: He Knew How To Control Us

This was Holly's book detailing her experience facing the infamous railroad killer. She pondered the possibility of encountering her attacker in heaven based on her Christian faith tenets after his execution.

As Holly says in her book, Soul Survivor, if I ponder the possibility that his repentance and remorse were sincere, then based on the tenets of my Christian faith, I have to also ponder the possibility that I may encounter him in heaven one day.

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The Other Side cover

The Other Side

Jacqueline Woodson

Mentioned 2 years ago

I SURVIVED: A Two-Foot-Long Machete

Norena listened to this song repeatedly while recovering, finding that its message about having control over managing one's life helped her get into a better emotional and cognitive place.

And in that song, it basically said that there's another side to everything in life. Even though you can't control everything, you certainly have things that you can control.

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Lord I Hope This Day Is Good: Religious Prayer & Sermon Journal cover

Lord I Hope This Day Is Good

Praise God Publications

Mentioned 2 years ago

I SURVIVED: A Two-Foot-Long Machete

The speaker used to listen to this song on the way to work before the incident in 2001, feeling it was very important because February 2, 2001, ended up being a good day as they survived to talk about it.

Another song that Anne Murray had sung was Lord, I Hope This Day Is Good. And I used to listen to that on my way to work prior to 2001.

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Gone from My Sight: The Dying Experience cover

Gone from My Sight

Barbara Karnes RN

Mentioned 2 years ago

I SURVIVED: A Two-Foot-Long Machete

Norena was in the process of writing a book about her experience, hoping it could help others who have gone through any kind of trauma, not just school-related trauma.

And I'm hoping that my book can help others. So someday, maybe in the next two years, if somebody can publish my book and people can read it and it can help them get through their trauma, whatever that looks like, and it doesn't have to be school trauma. It can be any kind of trauma. That will mean a lot to me.

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Change of Heart: A Novel cover

Change of Heart

Jodi Picoult

Mentioned 2 years ago

I SURVIVED: The Same Smell, The Same Burn

The book detailed the author's journey of being hurt and subsequently writing to and forgiving the young man who executed her pregnant sister and her sister's husband. Hearing about this book confirmed for the survivor that her own path of forgiveness toward her attackers was the right choice for her.

And that led her to a tragic realization her pregnant sister and her sister's husband were executed by a young man from their community and she wrote this story about the journey that she went on about how hurt she was to then writing him and forgiving him underlining highlighting like oh my goodness I have to meet her and she really confirmed for me that what I was doing was right for me.

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The Story of Us: How the Taylor Swift Fandom Changed Our Lives cover

The Story of Us

Olivia Levin

Mentioned 2 years ago

Preview: Bad Bad Thing Season 2 The Blackstone Sisters

This essay was written by Wendy Blackstone several months before she died, paying tribute to her guide dog of sorts, Oliver, who was a constant companion for 12 years.

Jill and I have had dozens upon dozens of dogs in our lives over the past 10 years but there was only one special guy who stole my heart. Oliver.

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Shattered: Reclaiming a Life Torn Apart by Violence cover

Shattered

Debra Puglisi Sharp

Mentioned 2 years ago

I SURVIVED: The One That Killed My Husband

The book was published in 2003, and the survivor felt she had to become stronger physically and emotionally before she could reclaim her story through writing it. The initial title suggested by others was 'Shattered,' but she fought for the subtitle 'Reclaiming a Life Torn Apart by Violence' because she did not want to be perceived as a shattered woman.

Shattered, Reclaiming a Life Torn Apart by Violence was published in 2003.

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Held Hostage: The True Story of a Mother and Daughter's Kidnapping cover

Held Hostage

Michelle Renee

Mentioned 2 years ago

I SURVIVED: It Looks Like Dynamite

Michelle wrote this book detailing the violence she and her daughter endured and her subsequent healing process, which eventually became her new career. She found agents by looking through the acknowledgment sections of similar books in bookstores and eventually published through Penguin.

I ended up writing this book. So I would go into Barnes and Noble and go through books and find the acknowledgment section and write down agents' names in books that were similar to what I was going to do and writing and emailing them. Ended up getting a yes, published the book through Penguin.

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Most Recommended

Liar Liar (Eva Rae Thomas FBI Mystery) Cover

Willow Rose

Liar Liar (Eva Rae Thomas FBI Mystery)

The speaker finished reading this book and found it to be an ultimate page-turner that true crime and thriller fans would enjoy. The latest thriller featured Detective Harriet Blue hunting her brother's murderer, even if it meant committing murder herself.

"

Have you ever read a book that you couldn't put down? I just finished one. It's called Liar Liar by James Patterson.

— Episode: License To Kill

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Episode: License To Kill

The speaker finished reading this book and found it to be an ultimate page-turner that true crime and thriller fans would enjoy. The latest thriller featured Detective Harriet Blue hunting her brother's murderer, even if it meant committing murder herself.

"

Have you ever read a book that you couldn't put down? I just finished one. It's called Liar Liar by James Patterson.

His latest thriller, Liar Liar, features Detective Harriet Blue, a good cop seemingly gone bad. Detective Blue is broken off from the force to hunt down her brother's murderer.

True crime and thriller fans alike will devour this thrilling tale of a noble police officer on a dark and deadly path towards revenge.

If you're looking for a book to jumpstart your 2019 reading list, the ultimate page turner has arrived and it's Liar Liar.

Liar Liar (Eva Rae Thomas FBI Mystery) Cover

Willow Rose

Liar Liar (Eva Rae Thomas FBI Mystery)

The book was strongly recommended as an ultimate page-turner for the 2019 reading list. It featured Detective Harriet Blue, a police officer who went off the force to pursue her brother's murderer, even if it meant committing murder herself.

"

Have you ever read a book that you couldn't put down? I just finished one. It's called Liar Liar by James Patterson.

— Episode: The Family

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Episode: The Family

The book was strongly recommended as an ultimate page-turner for the 2019 reading list. It featured Detective Harriet Blue, a police officer who went off the force to pursue her brother's murderer, even if it meant committing murder herself.

"

Have you ever read a book that you couldn't put down? I just finished one. It's called Liar Liar by James Patterson.

His latest thriller, Liar Liar, features Detective Harriet Blue, a good cop seemingly gone bad.

True crime and thriller fans alike will devour this thrilling tale of a noble police officer on a dark and deadly path towards revenge.

If you're looking for a book to jumpstart your 2019 reading list, the ultimate page Turner has arrived. And it's Liar Liar by James Patterson.

Liar Liar is available now in hardcover, ebook and audiobook.

I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer Cover

Michelle McNamara

I'll Be Gone in the Dark

One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer

The name 'Golden State Killer' was coined by Michelle McNamara while she was researching for this book, which she was still working on at the time of her death. The speaker expressed sadness that she did not live to see the suspect arrested less than six months after she passed away.

"

The name, Golden State Killer, was coined by Michelle McNamara while researching for her book, All Be Gone in the Dark.

— Episode: The Golden State Killer: Part 2

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Episode: The Golden State Killer: Part 2

The name 'Golden State Killer' was coined by Michelle McNamara while she was researching for this book, which she was still working on at the time of her death. The speaker expressed sadness that she did not live to see the suspect arrested less than six months after she passed away.

"

The name, Golden State Killer, was coined by Michelle McNamara while researching for her book, All Be Gone in the Dark.

Michelle died suddenly under sleep at the age of 46 and up until her death, she was still searching for the killer.

I feel particularly sad that she wasn't able to see that the suspect was arrested less than six months after her death.

Stuart Woods' Finders Keepers (A Stone Barrington Novel) Cover

Brett Battles

Stuart Woods' Finders Keepers (A Stone Barrington Novel)

The episode noted the title as a way for listeners to stay current with the Stone Barrington series, suggesting they listen to the audiobooks while awaiting the next installment. The host presented it as a convenient catch‑up option rather than a deep discussion. Overall the mention was brief and informal.

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Episode: The Sting Operation

The speaker suggested catching up on this series by listening to the audiobooks before the next one was released.

"

Or maybe you want to catch up on Stuart Wood's Stone Barrington series before the next one comes out. Listen to the audiobooks.

Design Your Best Year Ever, A Proven Formula for Achieving Big Goals Cover

Darren Hardy

Design Your Best Year Ever, A Proven Formula for Achieving Big Goals

Quip electric toothbrush was named one of this publication's best inventions of the year.

"

Plus, Quip was named one of Time Magazine's best inventions of the year.

— Episode: Kidnapped

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Episode: Kidnapped

Quip electric toothbrush was named one of this publication's best inventions of the year.

"

Plus, Quip was named one of Time Magazine's best inventions of the year.

Round Up the Usual Suspects: The Making of "Casablanca" - Bogart, Bergman, and World War II Cover

Aljean Harmetz

Round Up the Usual Suspects

The Making of "Casablanca" - Bogart, Bergman, and World War II

In the episode, the host referenced the title of the book to draw a parallel between a defendant's elaborate, film‑style fabrication and a classic movie plot, emphasizing how the defense seemed as contrived as a scripted interrogation. No recommendation was offered, and the mention served mainly as a colorful analogy.

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Episode: The Shopping Cart Killer

The book was used as an analogy to describe the bizarre, film-worthy defense used by Aaron Key during his trial, where he constructed a detailed fabrication to claim innocence.

"

The best analogy that I can think of is the movie The Usual Suspects in which Kevin Spacey is being interrogated by a police detective and using objects in the room puts together this tremendously detailed fabrication that explains why he's innocent.

My Absolute Darling: A Novel Cover

Gabriel Tallent

My Absolute Darling

A Novel

This was mentioned as a new release that was getting rave reviews and suggested as a potential book club pick.

"

Listen to new releases such as My Absolute Darling, a debut novel that's been getting rave reviews, or A Column of Fire, The New Ken Follett.

— Episode: Secret in the Well

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Episode: Secret in the Well

This was mentioned as a new release that was getting rave reviews and suggested as a potential book club pick.

"

Listen to new releases such as My Absolute Darling, a debut novel that's been getting rave reviews, or A Column of Fire, The New Ken Follett.

Metamorphosis of a criminal Cover

Ed Edwards

Metamorphosis of a criminal

This book was Ed Edwards' true life story, which he promoted on various game shows in the early 1970s.

"

He gained a bit of fame in the early 1970s when he appeared on numerous talking game shows to remote his book The Metamorphosis of a criminal the true life story of Ed Edwards

— Episode: Sweethearts, Silenced

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Listen on Audible 7-day free trial

Episode: Sweethearts, Silenced

This book was Ed Edwards' true life story, which he promoted on various game shows in the early 1970s.

"

He gained a bit of fame in the early 1970s when he appeared on numerous talking game shows to remote his book The Metamorphosis of a criminal the true life story of Ed Edwards

The book is all about how a corrections officer he met in prison Allegedly helped him turn his life around and he goes on the circuit talking to people about what a horrible person He had been but what a great person he had become after his daughter April calls detective Garcia That image comes into question

Note: The book recommendations on this page are discovered automatically from podcast transcripts, and may be incorrect or incomplete.