True Crime Burbank

By James T. Bartlett

Burbank is known as a haven from the craziness of nearby Hollywood, but the city has a dark underbelly.

Nellie May Madison shot her husband to death at their home in 1934 and became the first woman to be condemned to death in California. The brutal 1953 murder of Mable Monohan inspired an Oscar-winning movie, but that didn't save Barbara Graham and her killer collaborators from the gallows. In the decades that followed, infamous and violent offenders such as the "Dating Game Killer," the "Toolbox Killers," and "Night Stalker" Richard Ramirez hunted for victims in the area, while slayings of detectives, private eyes, bookies, and secret gamblers piled up in the cold case files of the police department.

Award-winning author and journalist James T. Bartlett explores the sinister side of Burbank history.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1467170291
• ISBN13: 9781467170291
• Release Date: August 2026
• Publisher: History Press
• Length: 156 Pages