In this day of bloated crime books about inconsequential killings, it’s refreshing to see a Big Book about a Big Crime, and even better to get one that’s worth reading cover to cover. The subject is Richard Speck, whose killing of eight student nurses in his rampage through a Chicago dorm in 1966 was one of the most highly publicized cases of the decade. Breo and Martin effectively convey just why this case was so important, and fill in more than enough detail in what is the most definitive book available on a benchmark crime. JM

Publisher: Bantam
Paperback: 462 pages
Illustrated

The thesis of Food of the Gods basically states that the psilocybin mushroom is the missing link in the evolution of human consciousness and the basis for all religions. The use of drugs is generally not discounted in the formation of ancient rites like those in Eleusis, but what is most frustrating in this book is McKenna's stubborn refusal to cite any primary historical sources in his text. Some of his conclusions lack the solid ground they need to survive. Some of his more specious ideas—such as, psilocybin mushrooms are from alien intelligences in outer space—can only be accepted as highly stylized metaphors. While McKenna claims to support only the use of plant drugs like the mushroom, etc., and disdains the use of chemical substances like LSD and MDMA, he still avidly advocates DMT. The same contradictory notions are also found in his contempt for all he terms “New Age” and for gurus. His belief that everyone should be self-reliant for their spirituality is commendable, but McKenna's self-styled “archaic revival,” with its embracing of the mother goddess and aliens from outer space, appears too much like the work of other New Age manqués for this reviewer’s comfort. MM

Publisher: Bantam
Paperback: 311 pages
Illustrated