In this collection of essays, true-crime historian Schechter reveals the real-life stories behind classic movies

Alpha dog -- Anatomy of a murder -- Arsenic and old lace -- Badlands -- Blood & orchids -- Body snatcher -- Butterfield 8 -- Chicago and Roxie Hart -- Child 44 -- Dirty Harry -- Eaten alive! -- Elephant -- Five star final -- Frenzy -- Fugitive -- Fury -- High Sierra -- Hills have eyes -- Hitch-hiker -- Honeymoon killers -- Looking for Mr. Goodbar -- M -- Monsieur Verdoux -- Murder on the Orient Express -- Night of the hunter -- Phenix City story -- Place in the sun -- Psycho -- Rope -- Scream -- Shadow of a doubt -- Strangers -- Targets -- 10 to midnight -- To die for -- While the city sleeps -- Woman's vengeance -- You only live once -- Young savages