Best American Crime Writing 2003

On a more international note, Robert Sam Anson's "The Journalist and the Terrorist," is a harrowing story of a man's attempt to find out what happened to fellow reporter Daniel Pearl. The story opens with a shopping list of rules for a reporter traveling in Karachi, Pakistan: "Do not take a taxi from the airport; arrange for the hotel to send a car and confirm the driver's identity before getting in. Do not stay in a room that faces the street. Do not leave notes or tape recordings in your room. Do not discard work papers in the wastebasket; flush them down the toilet. And above all, do not go alone. Ever." This sets the stage for a fascinating look into Anson's search. He explains the dynamics of the regions politics in a way that is easy to understand. He describes a hatred of Americans that many of us can't fathom and a culture that sometimes feels equally alien. The story is complex and Anson ties the key players and organizations to each other in a well-crafted and widely acclaimed piece of journalism.

Another great story in this volume is Maximillian Potter's "The Body Farm," which tells how Dr. William Bass's forensic exploration project at the University of Tennessee's anthropology department came to be so well known.

This is a great anthology of works, all well-written and all remarkable stories.

Check out Jayson Williams' case on CourtTV.com

Read Tom Junod's "The Terrible Boy"

Read Robert Sam Anson's "The Journalist and the Terrorist"

UPDATE: On April 30, 2004, a jury cleared Jayson Williams on the counts of aggravated manslaughter, possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose, and aggravated assault. The panel was unable to reach a decision on the second most serious count, reckless manslaughter. He was convicted of the remaining four counts: hindering apprehension or prosecution, tampering with evidence, tampering with a witness, and fabricating evidence.