True crime: serial killers and murderers Books

Book SynopsisGeorgia Williams’ murder at the hands of college pal Jamie Reynolds was a crime that shocked the nation: chillingly executed and horrific in its sexual depravity. But when Georgia’s devastated mother, Lynnette, and father, Steve, questioned the events leading to their daughter’s death, they discovered it was also entirely preventable. At the time of Georgia’s disappearance, Steve was – ironically – a highly-commended murder squad detective serving with West Mercia Police. The same force, Steve and Lynnette discovered, had had Reynolds in its sights for years before Georgia’s murder, but let him slip their net. Drawing on Steve’s inside police knowledge, the couple exposed the litany of failures that let Reynolds infiltrate their daughter’s life, and allowed him to kill. Now, in her powerful and moving memoir, Lynnette tries to get beyond the platitudes of ‘mistakes made and lessons learned’ to effect real change, and also details the heartbreaking aftermath of a crime that should never have happened.

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Book SynopsisThere is something sinister about a British seaside town. On the surface they’re all funfairs and breezy promenades. Yet dig a little deeper in the sand and you soon uncover an underworld of murder, madness and mayhem… Murder by the Sea Vol 1 is a companion book to the long-running true-crime documentary series on CBS Reality. Since 2018 the programme has examined some of the most extraordinary murder cases in Britain’s seaside towns. From Blackpool to Bournemouth, Southport to Pembrokeshire, people love to be beside the seaside, but away from the piers, the arcades and beautiful beaches lurks some dark secrets. Ten of the series’ most powerful and shocking cases feature in Murder by the Sea Vol 1. From serial killers to a 1950s poisoner, from cruel husbands to an unusual murder by a mother and son, these are the true stories of wives, couples and families who had the misfortune to encounter a killer in their everyday lives. With complete access to the extensive interviews conducted by the TV production teams with detectives, forensic psychologists, witnesses and relatives, Murder by the Sea Vol 1 features exclusive additional material and insights that could not be included in the original episodes.Table of ContentsStephen Akinmurele – Blackpool serial killer who preyed on retired women John Cooper – serial killer and rapist who terrorised Pembrokeshire and eluded police for two decades Paul Longworth – Southport boat club commodore who tried to disguise the murder of his wife as a suicide Pierre Legris – Bournemouth bigamist who bludgeoned to death a woman who thought she was his second wife Malcolm Green – notorious Cardiff murderer who killed a prostitute and his best friend Louisa May Merrifield – the Blackpool Poisoner hanged in 1953 for killing her employer Mitchell Quy – murdered and dismembered his wife in Southport and taunted police for falling to locate the ‘missing person’ Robert Mochrie – former civil servant who murdered his whole family in Barry Mathew Hardman – the teen who disembowelled an elderly woman on the island of Anglesey because he wanted to be a vampire Penny John and Barry Rogers – mother and son who murdered Penny’s mother in Pembrokeshire

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Book SynopsisWho Really Killed Claire? re-investigates the brutal yet apparently motiveless murder of 16-year-old Claire Tiltman in Greenhithe, Kent in 1993. It describes how police investigations faltered for almost 20 years until Colin Ash-Smith, due to be released from a long prison sentence for lesser attacks on young women, was unceremoniously charged with this cold case murder. This was one of the UK's very first cases involving the use of evidence of 'bad character' under a controversial new law. Expertly researched, the book revisits the crime scene, investigation, prosecution, media frenzy and belated urgency that led to Ash-Smith's conviction before he was 'back on the street'. Meanwhile, the predatory serial killer Robert Napper was ignored, despite 'hallmarks' and correlations making him a strong suspect. Well placed to raise doubts, experienced investigator Alan Jackaman analyses the wholly circumstantial evidence and explains why he believes misplaced 'gut feelings' may have beset the entire case. Extract: 'When asked again if he had murdered Claire ... [Colin Ash-Smith] replied, "Out of all the interviews I've been in I haven't told one single lie. I can categorically say I had nothing to do with Claire's murder ...".'

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Book SynopsisA masterful, revelatory work of literary non-fiction about a teenage girl’s shocking crime — and its extraordinary aftermath.'An absorbing work of social history and a story about the mystery and miracle of forgiveness...it deserves to be read with attention.' Hilary Mantel, Booker Prize–winning author of the Wolf Hall trilogyOn a spring afternoon in 1985 in Gary, Indiana, a fifteen-year-old black girl kills a white elderly bible teacher in a violent home invasion. In a city with a history of racial tension the press swoops in.When Paula is sentenced to death, no one decries the impending execution of a tenth grader. But the tide begins to shift when the victim’s grandson Bill forgives the girl, against the wishes of his family, and campaigns to spare her life. This tragedy in a midwestern steel town soon reverberates across the United States and around the world — reaching as far away as the Vatican — as newspapers cover the story on their front pages and millions sign petitions in support of Paula.As Paula waits on death row, her fate sparks a debate that not only animates legal circles but raises vital questions about the value of human life. This story asks us to consider the nature of justice, and what radical acts of empathy we might be capable of.Trade Review'Addresses challenges of juvenile punishment with insight . . . A probing and moving book.' * The Wall Street Journal *'This is a harrowing and thought-provoking portrait of crime and punishment.' * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *'Seventy Times Seven is an absorbing work of social history and a story about the mystery and miracle of forgiveness...it deserves to be read with attention.' -- Hilary Mantel'A story of crime, punishment and forgiveness, in a literary non-fiction work that reads like a thriller.' -- Love Reading

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Book SynopsisIt's time to set the record straight about Steven Avery.The Netflix series Making a Murderer was a runaway hit, with over 19 million US viewers in the first 35 days. The series left many with the opinion that Steven Avery, a man falsely imprisoned for almost 20 years on a previous, unrelated assault charge, had been framed by a corrupt police force and district attorney's office for the murder of a young photographer. Viewers were outraged, and hundreds of thousands demanded a pardon for Avery. The chief villain of the series? Ken Kratz, the special prosecutor who headed the investigation and trial. Kratz's later misdeeds—prescription drug abuse and sexual harassment—only cemented belief in his corruption.This book tells you what Making a Murderer didn't.While indignation at the injustice of his first imprisonment makes it tempting to believe in his innocence, Avery: The Case Against Steven Avery and What Making a Murderer Gets Wrong and the evidence shared inside—examined thoroughly and dispassionately—prove that, in this case, the criminal justice system worked just as it should.With Avery, Ken Kratz puts doubts about Steven Avery's guilt to rest. In this exclu- sive insider's look into the controversial case, Kratz lets the evidence tell the story, sharing details and insights unknown to the public. He reveals the facts Making a Murderer conveniently left out and then candidly addresses the aftermath—openly discussing, for the first time, his own struggle with addiction that led him to lose everything.Avery systematically erases the uncertainties introduced by the Netflix series, confirming, once and for all, that Steven Avery is guilty of the murder of Teresa Halbach.Table of ContentsForewordChapter One True Crime TodayChapter Two The DisappearanceChapter Three The VictimChapter Four The PerpetratorChapter Five The BloodChapter Six The KeyChapter Seven The BonesChapter Eight The BulletChapter Nine The AccompliceChapter Ten The DecisionChapter Eleven The VillainsChapter Twelve The “Prize”Chapter Thirteen The Vast, Fantastical Police ConspiracyChapter Fourteen The AftermathAcknowledgments

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