Pupfish: 1, Drunk hooligan: 0

In “An American Summer,” journalist Alex Kotlowitz tries to report on gun deaths on Chicago’s South Side with the same attention to survivors, anniversaries, and aftershocks that is paid to mass shootings.

“Not a single person was killed on the day of the rioting. But the following month, May, would conclude with 41 homicides — the most the city had experienced in a month since the 1970s.”

“For now, though, he has no plans to become a baker again.”

True crime’s massive gender gap (95% of murderers are male) isn’t really one that needs fixing. And yet, since the beginning, a steadfast minority of Ripperologists have argued that Jack was really Jill.

A list of longreads to make sense of ‘Leaving Neverland.’

In these troubling economic times, you can’t amass a giant art collection without robbing a few hundred museums any more.

Journalist Evan Ratliff has uncovered the shocking reach of Paul Le Roux’s criminal enterprise — a global network of pawns, most of whom were unaware of the full extent of the empire.

Personal assistant? Start-up founder? Professional long-lost sister? No, Southern Baptist pastor.

It started in Eureka, then it spread. Up and down the Pacific Coast, white mobs turned on Chinese-Americans.

He robbed banks. A lot of banks. Non-violently, with a bike as his getaway vehicle. Why? Even he’s not sure.

There’s food there, and shelter and healthcare. Which is (sadly) more than you can say for a lot of places.

“I’ll put myself through the jokes and everything as long as I can shine a light on domestic violence and sexual assault and marital rape.”

By using avatars, Facebook, fake websites, and fake news, new private intelligence firms staffed by Israeli intelligence personnel are waging wars on perception to alter targeted groups’ beliefs and behavior. In their story for The New Yorker, Adam Entous and Ronan Farrow profile one firm called Psy-Group to delve deep into this disturbing frontier, which one Israeli intelligence […]

When caviar-crazed Eastern Europeans flocked to Warsaw, Missouri to poach eggs from a vulnerable species of fish, federal agents went undercover and spent two years to build case against them.

How did an ambitious, kind 23-year-old go from working at a California cannabis dispensary to living in Manila with an internet criminal?

A little-known city law has educators figuring out how to talk to eighth and tenth grade students about the history of Chicago police abuse.

“Thieves and forgers are taking houses from the deceased in ‘hot’ (Philadelphia) neighborhoods — as the city stands by.”

“Snitches get stitches” is a horrifying understatement.

True crime has a reputation for being trashy, but a recent renaissance has it tipping into advocacy.

“I always say, If there is a $50,000 bill flying around, someone is going to try to catch it.”

Women who spoke too angrily or too publicly were punished in cruel and unusual ways.

The 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 has had a lasting effect on Robert Mueller and the FBI.

Danny Gold investigates the movement converting El Salvador’s gang members into born-again Christians.

Thinking of Qandeel Baloch’s murder as an honor killing doesn’t capture the whole truth. She was silenced for revealing men’s hypocrisy.

Max Harris didn’t cause the warehouse fire in which 36 people died, yet he’s being held responsible for it.

Finally telling the story of the women who were raped and murdered along Oregon’s Highway 20.

We asked writers and editors to choose some of their favorite stories of the year in various categories. Here is the best in crime reporting.

Trust busting is a great idea. But would it be enough?

In 2018, we’re inured to stories of a powerful men taking advantage of girls and getting away with it, but Jeffrey Epstein’s story still manages to horrify.