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by MC Smitherman

When it’s cold outside and you’re stuck indoors, there’s nothing quite like a good book. But even that can be hard to enjoy when your space is filled with bric-a-brac strewn all higgledy-piggledy in a chaotic clutter. So in these winter months while you’re pre-cleaning in preparation of spring cleaning, you’ll surely need something to listen to, and we all know that one of the best companions to mundane tasks is an exploration of true crime! This week in our Books to Live In series, we’re uncovering four (that’s right, not just three) true crime audiobooks that will make your decluttering pass in a flash.

CamCat’s collection of William Norris books has something for every fan of true crime. Pilot turned investigative journalist, Norris has delved extensively into mysterious and exciting cases, some of which may already be familiar to you. But no matter your familiarity, the expert narration by Tom Beyer will see you aptly enraptured during these journeys.

For those whose curiosity is sparked by the vanishing of multi-millionaires, then The Man Who Fell From the Sky is a great pick. In July of 1928, Alfred Loewenstein fell through an exit door of his airplane while flying over the English Channel with six other passengers on board. Theories surrounding the questionable circumstances of Loewenstein’s death were innumerable, and Norris took it upon himself to investigate the excitement and mystery of the business tycoon’s life, death, and the aftermath of his demise to discover how Alfred Loewenstein vanished into thin air.

Norris also delved into yet another airborne tragedy and the drama around it when he investigated Pan American Flight 806 and the “willful misconduct” Pan American was found guilty of after the plane fell out of the sky and killed all but four of the 101 passengers and crew members. In the aptly named Willful Misconduct, you can follow Norris’s investigation full of courtroom drama, fascinating characters, and human tragedy. 

If you’re looking for something a little more familiar, A Talent to Deceive might be up your alley as Norris reexamines The Case That Will Never Die, the kidnapping of the Lindbergh Baby. Norris offers a fresh, modern perspective on a case that immortalized the Lindbergh name.

And finally, if you’re a fan of the Netflix show Narcos and its spinoffs, then Snowbird is a prime choice. Our final entry in Norris’s explorations details the story of Andrew Richard Barnes, the man who flew the first cocaine shipment for the Medellín Cartel into the United States. Norris personally interviewed Barnes and recounts his experience smuggling with this Columbian cartel with plenty of anecdotes of aircrafts and flying intertwined with Barnes’s captivating drug smuggling adventures.

The Man Who Fell From the Sky

How a multi-millionaire vanished into thin air. 

Captain Alfred Loewenstein was known as many things during his glamorous and gaudy life. Companion of the Bath, friend of kings, an aviator and sportsman, a maker and loser of fortunes, and most favorably, a multi-millionaire. That is, until his mysterious death. 

On a July evening in 1928, Loewenstein boarded his aircraft with six others to travel from England to Brussels. He never arrived. While flying over the English Channel, Loewenstein fell through an exit door of the airplane on his way to the lavatory. 

People were quick to explain his mysterious death. Many said his fall was an accident while others speculated that he jumped from the plane to commit suicide. And of course, there were the more sinister theories claiming that someone pushed him out of the aircraft. But who? And why?

Investigative journalist William Norris develops a theory of how and why this prominent, rich, and famous man died so violently without any explanation or official investigation. Did Loewenstein fall, did he jump, or was he pushed from his own aircraft?

The Man Who Fell From the Sky contains excitement and mystery as Norris researches the business tycoon’s life, death, and aftermath of his demise and comes to a conclusion of how Alfred Loewenstein vanished into thin air.

Willful Misconduct

Discover the truth about the crash that never should have happened. 

In 1974, Pan American Flight 806 was hoping to land safely in Pago Pago, Samoa, but instead plummeted at 140 miles per hour into the jungle floor. The 101 passengers and crew members all survived this devastating crash. Unfortunately, only four of them escaped the wreckage before the ensuing fire that followed. After the disaster, Pan American was found guilty of “willful misconduct” after the longest and most expensive trial in aviation history. 

William Norris sets out to discover the truth about the controversies surrounding the accident. What caused the crash, and what prevented the 97 passengers from escaping the aircraft with their lives? Among these questions, Norris discovers more answers to other mysteries about this devastating event and its trial along the way. 

A gripping tale of courtroom drama, fascinating characters, and human tragedy.

A Talent to Deceive

No one is innocent when a mystery is unsolved. 

Charles Lindbergh was known for many things during his lifetime. He was a famous aviator, the first person to fly nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean, winner of the Orteig Prize, and a young American hero. But despite his honors and achievements, his name will forever be associated with the infamy of one of the Trials of the Century. The Lindbergh Kidnapping. 

On a dreary March night, Charles Lindbergh’s 20-month-old son was abducted from his crib. The baby’s kidnapper left behind muddy footprints, a broken ladder, and a ransom note demanding $50,000. Weeks later, Charles Lindbergh Jr. was found … dead. Everyone was a suspect in this investigation, even the Lindberghs. After a six-week trial, Bruno Richard Hauptmann was named the ultimate culprit, but he claimed he was innocent even up to his execution day. 

For nearly 100 years, the Lindbergh Kidnapping still remains a major topic of controversy and fascination. A Talent to Deceive uses investigative journalism to dive into evidence ignored by previous investigators in search of the truth. Who really committed the crime? What really happened the night of March 1, 1932? What was the motive to kidnap and murder the Lindbergh baby?

Follow Norris in this history-meets-mystery tale as he performs a thorough investigation to solve The Case That Will Never Die.

Snowbird

A decade of crime, treachery, and adventures of the Medellín Cartel. 

Andrew Richard Barnes survived crashes, gunfire, treachery, and betrayal and still lived to tell the tale. Snowbird explores the heinous crimes and dangerous expeditions of the man who flew the first cocaine shipment for the Medellín Cartel into the United States. 

As a young pilot with a family at home and little money to spare, Barnes was easily coerced by promises of wealth to make these daring excursions. After his first trip in 1977, he realized there was no going back and continued the dangerous flights for over a decade. 

William Norris sits down with Barnes as he recounts his experience smuggling drugs for the Columbian cartel. As a pilot himself, Norris includes anecdotes of aircrafts and flying intertwined with Barnes’s captivating drug smuggling adventures.

To hear more about CamCat’s audiobooks, check out our podcast, CamCat Unwrapped where we release every new audiobook for free for a limited time and interview the authors!

If you’re looking to hear more about the latest from CamCat, subscribe to our Fiction Newsletter and be the first to experience all the excellent tales we’re weaving together.