True crime Books

Book SynopsisFrom his offices at Basinghall Street in the City of London, Henry Slater presided over Britain's best-known private detective agency, king of all he surveyed. In the late Victorian era, and into the twentieth century, his name was synonymous with the Golden Age of private detection; he was a truly modern operator, utilising the press and technology, and creating innovative publicity campaigns to keep his agency in the public eye. One of the key skills of the private detective was the ability to make friends - to infiltrate the lives of individuals, and to get them to trust them with their secrets. Slater, however, would make one mistake: to befriend the wrong person and to entrust them with his secrets. When that friendship ended, competition in the private detective world would lead to a trial so infamous that Winston Churchill himself came to watch proceedings play out at the Old Bailey. The trial would destroy Henry Slater's career, and expose his real identity. This is the first in-depth study of private detective work in nineteenth and early twentieth century Britain, looking at the 'Golden Age' of private detectives and the work they did. It provides a fascinating look at the type of person who became a private detective, the people who wanted to be their clients - and the crimes that could be committed along the way. This book sheds new light on this profession, building on the author's previous work on female private detectives in order to enable the reader to gain a better understanding of a job that people of all classes desired to do. But it is also about the career of one man. Sherlock Holmes may have been the most famous fictional private detective, but Henry Slater was, for twenty years, the real star of the private detective world.

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Book SynopsisPresents a re-examination of the facts behind the murder and whether or not they can be justifiably linked to the Ripper murders of 1888.

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Book Synopsis''I was hooked... a must read for all fans of true crime'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Amazon reader review for Sitdowns with Gangsters''Every chapter should be made into a film'' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Amazon reader review for Sitdowns with GangstersSerial killers. Assassins. Executioners. Shaun Attwood, former ecstasy kingpin turned author and podcast host, has met them all. Having gained a reputation for earning the trust of some of the world''s most dangerous people, Shaun delves into his most hard-hitting interviews with the most menacing and violent murderers he''s ever met. From serial killers to brutal prison gangs, Shaun has collected his most fascinating and incredible conversations with shocking criminal figures. He explores the life of an armed robber, a man who spent forty-five years behind bars and a serial killer with fifty-two confirmed victims.A pulsating and high-wire read, Shaun exposes the most haunting killers the world has ever seen.

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Book Synopsis''A first-class work of reporting . . . above all a work of compassion for Indigenous peoples everywhere'' BENJAMIN MOSER, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of SONTAG''A non-fiction novel of modern conquest, capitalism and murder . . . a stunning work'' GREG GRANDIN, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of FORDLANDIAGrowing up in a remote corner of the world''s largest rainforest, Pio, Maria, and Oita learned to hunt wild pigs and tapirs, gathering Brazil nuts and açaí berries from centuries-old trees. Then the first highway pierced through. Ranchers, loggers, and prospectors invaded, and they lost their families to terrible new weapons and diseases. Pushed by the government to assimilate, they struggled to understand their new, capitalist reality, discovering its wonders as well as its horrors. They ended up forging an uneasy symbiosis with their white antagonists - until an extraordinary seam of diamonds erupted in their territory and decades of suppress

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Book SynopsisElissa. Alyssa. Alissa. Three girls meet at a boarding school for troubled teens. A few years later, they were dead. Elissa''s best friend sets out to discover what happened to them, following the only clues they left behind: their uncannily similar names and their shared tattoo - Save Our Souls.There wasn''t anything I wouldn''t do for Elissa, and she knew it. Samantha and her best friend Elissa don''t follow the rules, stealing drinks, pulling pranks, and having boys over in Samantha''s basement. Until Elissa is sent away, to a school designed to reform wealthy, wayward teenagers. A year later, she is dead.In Samantha''s grief, she scours Elissa''s social media pages and notices memorial messages from two girls called Alyssa and Alissa. Both sign off their messages with ''Save Our Souls'' - a phrase Elissa had tattooed on her ribs. Samantha learns that they were Elissa''s closest friends at the school, sharing both her name and penc

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Book SynopsisA powerful true story of childhood abuse and three sisters' fight for justiceTrade ReviewA gripping and important book that shines a light into a dark corner of our society and, in doing so, gives victims a voice - Irish IndependentDeeply moving - Hot Press

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Book SynopsisBRIAN PATRICK O'DONOGHUE is Professor Emeritus at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and is a Fulbright-Nehru scholar. He broke the story of the Fairbanks Four.

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Book SynopsisThere are many myths about serial killers: that they are all dysfunctional loners; all white males; only motivated by sex; that they all travel and operate across a wide area; cannot stop killing; are all insane, or evil geniuses; and that they all want to get caught. Of course, there are some serial killers who fit into these categories, but the married Green River Killer was not a dysfunctional loner; there are plenty of female and non-Caucasian serial killers; Dr Harold Shipman was certainly not motivated by sex; many serial killings (such as the Ipswich prostitute murders carried out by Steve Wright) happen within a confined area; the ''BTK Killer'', Dennis Rader, stopped killing in 1991, but wasn''t caught until fourteen years later. Many serial killers may have a low animal cunning, or be ''street smart'', but few of them are Mensa-level geniuses. Each of the thirty cases covered here is unusual in some respect, perhaps in the way in which the killer carriedTrade ReviewPraise for The Bond FilesFor anyone wanting a basic grounding in the entire genre this is the book to get, and with short chapters and a humorous yet clearly affectionate approach by the authors this never gets dry or dull. -- Saunders * MI6 Community fansite *

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Book SynopsisA TELEGRAPH BOOK OF THE YEARA TIMES BOOK OF THE YEARA WATERSTONES PAPERBACK OF THE YEAR''Superbly told'' Simon Heffer, DailyTelegraph''A hamper of treats'' Sunday Telegraph''[Grant employs] scholarship and depth of evidence'' London Review of Books''These tales of eleven trials are shocking, squalid, titillating and illuminating: each of them says something fascinating about how our society once was'' The Times''Deceptively thrilling'' Sunday Times''Excellent . . . Thomas Grant offers detailed accounts of eleven cases at the Old Bailey''s Court Number One, with protagonists ranging from the diabolical to the pathetic. There is humour . . . but this is ultimately an affecting study of how the law gets it right - and wrong'' GuardianCourt Number One of the Old Bailey is the most famous court rooTrade ReviewA hamper of treats, a series of beautifully judged vignettes ... Grant excels himself ... He is a master at conveying the cut-and-thrust of cross-examination, managing to maintain a sense of speed while making sure the reader does not miss the cultural or legal context. His style is drily witty, but just when you start to think he is a bit too detached from what are, after all, matters of life and death, he soars into a rhetorical flight ... Very moving * Sunday Telegraph *The Old Bailey might be a Jacobean theatre, at times. But like this deceptively thrilling book, it also stands for something very serious * Sunday Times *Excellent . . . Thomas Grant offers detailed accounts of 11 cases at the Old Bailey's Court Number One, with protagonists ranging from the diabolical to the pathetic. There is humour . . . but this is ultimately an affecting study of how the law gets it right - and wrong * Guardian *Elegantly written, carefully researched -- John Jolliffe * Counsel *Thrilling ...In meticulous detail Grant rehearses the context and events of each case, the trial proceedings and the ripples they caused beyond the courtroom ... [he] creates a compelling narrative around each * The Times *In the old cases outlined, we see recurring human weaknesses that really do tell us as much about our own society as about those of the past. * Daily Telegraph *Grant writes with the style and fluency of a far more experienced author. He makes judicious use of his rich material -- Michael Beloff * TLS *Fascinating * Literary Review *

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Book SynopsisVladimir Nabokov''s Lolita is one of the most beloved and notorious novels of all time. And yet, very few of its readers know that the subject of the novel was inspired by a real-life case: the 1948 abduction of eleven-year-old Sally Horner. Weaving together suspenseful crime narrative, cultural and social history, and literary investigation, The Real Lolita restores Sally Horner to her rightful place in the lore of the novel''s creation. Drawing upon extensive investigations, legal documents, public records, and interviews with remaining relatives, Sarah Weinman casts a new light on the dark inspiration for a modern classic.Trade ReviewSarah Weinman's captivating, heart-rending The Real Lolita offers both nuanced and compassionate true-crime reportage and revelatory cultural and literary history. It will, quite simply, change the way you think about Lolita and 'Lolitas' forever -- Megan AbbottThe Real Lolita is a tour de force of literary detective work. Not only does it shed new light on the terrifying true saga that influenced Nabokov's masterpiece, it restores the forgotten victim to our consciousness -- David GrannCompassionate and necessary, Sarah Weinman's The Real Lolita is more than a true-crime achievement. It's a literary rescue mission, bringing to life the tragic real-life case that forms the dark heart of Nabokov's classic. You'll never read Lolita the same way again -- Robert KolkerSarah Weinman delivers a thoroughly riveting and heartbreaking narrative that weaves the very best of true crime writing with the darker elements of literary inspiration -- Gilbert KingThe Real Lolita is the corrective we never knew we needed, a lively, engrossing work of scholarship that does not diminish Nabokov, but gently insists that we not indulge his trickster ways. Sally Horner matters and, thanks to Sarah Weinman, she and Dolores Haze will be forever linked. Groundbreaking work, a new genre unto itself -- Laura LippmanA riveting blend of true crime, historical investigation, and literary analysis, Sarah Weinman adds another dimension to this already complicated context * Buzzfeed *With The Real Lolita, Sarah Weinman might be said to have invented a completely new genre . . . Weinman is at her absolute best when playing detective and piecing together this tragic tale in all its sordid detail . . . the book contains twists and near misses and bit-part players, everything you might expect from a true-crime story, startlingly and simply told -- Ian Sansom * Literary Review *Riveting . . . Scrupulously researched . . . Nearly 70 years after Sally Horner's death, Weinman's dark and compulsively readable book will make readers aware of the absence of a nearly forgotten girl's voice in discussions of one of the great works of American literature * Los Angeles Times *Superb . . . By combing through court documents and newspaper accounts and interviewing surviving friends and family members, Weinman has evocatively reconstructed Sally [Horner]'s nightmare, as well as the sexual mores of mid-twentieth-century America * Irish Independent *Utterly engrossing . . . Weinman dazzles the reader with the recreation of this time period . . . As we read through this mesmerizing book, Weinman's obsession becomes the reader's obsession. . . We develop boundless compassion for this once little girl, along with a deep empathy and sorrow for the story of her life * Los Angeles Review of Books *Weinman's gripping work of true crime challenges a culture that privileges artistic genius over a child's life * Huffington Post *A sensitive look at the troubling crime that influenced Vladimir Nabokov's most notorious book; Weinman writes with insight and empathy about both the famous author and the now-forgotten girl whose story intrigued him * Boston Globe *In this stunning work of investigative journalism, Sarah Weinman resurrects the Horner case and uncovers its deep connection to Lolita * Refinery29 *Superb . . . [Weinman] has now become something of a literary detective herself, conducting an investigation into the case she says inspired Lolita . . . Weinman assembles a substantial array of evidence . . . Weinman has compassionately given Sally Horner pride of place once more in her own life, a life that was first brutally warped by Frank La Salle, and then appropriated by one of the most brilliant writers of the 20th century * Washington Post *

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Book SynopsisThe First Counterspy is the pulse-quickening and traumatic story of spy, counterspy, and an American family unwittingly caught in its web. Until this case, the FBI had never recruited civilian counterspies to catch a Soviet agent. The first two were Larry Haas, a leading aviation engineer at Bell Aviation, and Leona Franey, head librarian at Bell's technical library. The FBI pitted them against a Soviet agent, Andrei Ivanovich Schevchenko, operating legally as one of the highest Soviet officials in the United States during WWII, and illegally as the secret head of a wide-ranging spy network hidden within the American aviation industry. The First Counterspy lays out this exciting story and, later, the consequences of Schevchenko's deadly threat of vengeance against Haas, the counterspy who betrayed him. The threat was uttered in a mere fourteen seconds but generated lethal consequences that long outlived Schevchenko, tormented Larry Haas, killed his wife, and subjected his dau

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Book SynopsisFans of Peter James and his bestselling Roy Grace series of crime novels know that his books draw on in-depth research into the lives of Brighton and Hove police and are set in a world every bit as gritty as the real thing. His friend Graham Bartlett was a long-serving detective in the city once described as Britain's 'crime capital'. Together, in Death Comes Knocking, they have written a gripping account of the city's most challenging cases, taking the reader from crime scenes and incident rooms to the morgue, and introducing some of the real-life detectives who inspired Peter James's characters. Whether it's the murder of a dodgy nightclub owner and his family in Sussex's worst non-terrorist mass murder or the race to find the abductor of a young girl, tracking down the antique trade's most notorious 'knocker boys' or nailing an audacious ring of forgers, hunting for a cold-blooded killer who executed a surfer or catching a pair who kidnapped a businessman, leaving him severely beaten, to die on a hillside, the authors skilfully evoke the dangerous inside story of policing, the personal toll it takes and the dedication of those who risk their lives to keep the public safe.

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Book SynopsisThe Dallas Action: Lee Harvey Oswald Did Not Kill JFK is best described as a prosecution by Robert K. Tanenbaum of those corrupt, unscrupulous government and unelected agency officials, who from inception with predetermined outcomes, deceitfully engaged in insecure, phony pretense probes regarding the assassination in Dealey Plaza. Those responsible are prosecuted while those who speak truth to power are exonerated. Robert Tanenbaum, who in 1976 was appointed deputy chief counsel in charge of the congressional investigation into the assassination of President Kennedy, provides stunning and shocking immutable facts that reveal unequivocally that the government's reliance on the Warren Commission (WC) investigation and the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) alleged probe were reprehensibly and ultimately gut-wrenchingly misleading and downright dishonest. The HSCA was not interested in searching for truth. In fact, as an example, it ultimately fabricated a significant portion of its forensic medical panel summary report and then sealed for fifty years all the underlying documents. For the past sixty years, the government's contrived case that a sole gunman fired three shots from the sixth-floor sniper's nest window inside the Dallas Book Depository building, rested substantially on the alleged invalid science offered to prove the so-called Single Bullet Theory. Evidence shows that five shots were fired in Dealey Plaza, not three. Corroboration of the fourth shot, the fatal blast fired from the knoll hill stockade fence area, includes witnesses and exhibits, as well as scientific audio and photo verification, while significant convincing evidence shows that the fifth shot came from a northeast building complex behind JFK. The uncomfortable truth is that Lee Harvey Oswald has been unjustly accused as the assassin notwithstanding his contract employee status of both the CIA and FBI.

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Book SynopsisSince 1919 Scotland Yard s Flying Squad has been in the forefront of the war against crime. From patrolling London s streets in horse-drawn wagons, it has progressed to the use of the most sophisticated surveillance and crime-fighting equipment. Between the Wars, the Squad targeted protection gangs who infested British racecourses and greyhound tracks. The highly effective Ghost Squad was formed to tackle black-marketeering in the aftermath of the Second World War. As crime figures soared in the 1950s and 60s the Flying Squad, as C8 Department was now known became involved in the most serious cases nationwide The Great Train Robbery, Brink s Mat, The Millennium Dome and Hatton Garden heists. As always, the Squad concentrated on ambushing and arresting armed robbers in the act as, in police parlance, they went across the pavement . Despite many high-profile successes, allegations of corruption have haunted the Flying Squad and after the conviction of officers in 2001 there was a very real possibility of disbandment. Yet this most famous of police units survived and today continues to fight and be feared by the hardest of criminals. Drawing on first-hand accounts, Dick Kirby has put together a thrilling book that proves that fact is way better than fiction.

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Book SynopsisThe gripping, behind-the scenes story of one of the most sophisticated surveillance weapons ever created, which is threatening democracy and human rights.‘Absorbing . . . a celebration of journalism and hacking being used to unmask the bad guys’ – GuardianPegasus is widely regarded as the most powerful cyber-surveillance system on the market – available to any government that can afford its multimillion-dollar price tag. The system’s creator, the NSO group, a private corporation headquartered in Israel, boasts about its ability to thwart terrorists and criminals: ‘Thousands of people in Europe owe their lives to hundreds of our company employees’, they declared in 2019. That may be true – but the Pegasus system doesn’t just catch bad guys.Pegasus has been used by repressive regimes to spy on thousands of innocent people around the world: heads of state, diplomats, human rights defenders, lawyers, political opponents, and journalists. Virtually undetectable, the system can track a person’s daily movement in real time, gain control of the device’s microphones and cameras at will, and capture all videos, photos, emails, texts, and passwords – encrypted or not. Its full reach is not even known.This is the gripping story of how Pegasus was uncovered, written by Laurent Richard and Sandrine Rigaud, the two intrepid reporters who revealed the scandal in collaboration with an international consortium of journalists. They received a leaked list of 50,000 mobile phone numbers, but they needed to prove NSO’s involvement. After a dangerous and secretive investigation spanning the globe, their findings shook the world. Tense and compelling, Pegasus reveals how thousands of lives have been turned upside down by this unprecedented threat, and exposes the chilling new ways governments and corporations are laying waste to human rights – and silencing innocent citizens.'A must-read' – New ScientistTrade ReviewThrilling . . . a timely reminder of investigative reporting’s power * New Statesman *Paced like a thriller, this is an exposé of invasive malware, and a cautionary tale * The Economist *Absorbing . . . a celebration of journalism and hacking being used to unmask the bad guys * The Guardian *A must-read for all . . . fascinating * New Scientist *Fascinating, shocking and remarkable . . . Incredible research underpins this outstanding book * Literary Review *Riveting . . . [a] captivating detective story * TLS *

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Book SynopsisINTRODUCTION BY MISHA GLENNY, author of McMafiaA gripping narrative of power, corruption and greed, The Mechanism is the true story of how a simple investigation into money laundering uncovered the biggest corruption scandal in human history.When a small team of investigators discovered that a black market currency dealer was operating out of a Brazilian petrol station, they could never have imagined that their work would destroy the government and lead to the impeachment of two presidents. As the trail leads further and further into the centre of power, the search for the truth and pursuit of justice become ever more crucial.Taut and riveting, with more plot twists than the most compelling political thriller, The Mechanism is an essential work of non-fiction that exposes the rottenness caused when politicians and big businesses believe they are above the law.Trade ReviewThe Mechanism not only recounts in thrilling detail an incredible police operation, but is also a historical document of indispensable value to the nation. -- José Padilha, producer of NARCOS

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Book SynopsisThe accusations. The suspicions. The devastating impact. This is the true story of the Devils of the Bassa Modenese—the most notorious Satanic Panic investigation in the history of Italy.In 1997 a six-year-old boy questioned by authorities relayed disturbing stories of abuse. The more he talked, the more people were implicated in his shocking revelations. And he was only the first child to come forward.Within a year, fifteen more children with similar tales were transferred out of the Bassa region of Italy to protected locations. Their parents were accused of belonging to a satanic sect that performed sex rituals under the aegis of beloved local priest Don Giorgio Govoni. With each child’s confession, the network of monsters grew. Families were torn apart. Lives were forever destroyed—and some ended—as allegations of kidnapping, torture, sacrifice, and murder escalated beyond comprehension.But what was really happening in the Bassa

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Book SynopsisA murder at the hands of a mother is a heartbreaking deviation and a crime against nature! How can a mother commit such an appalling crime? How can she end the lives of the innocents she so recently bore and nurtured?A mother is supposed to be loving, protective, caring, and kind. She?s supposed to nurture and guide her children from infancy into childhood and adolescence. The very thought of murdering a child?much less their own child?is not only bizarre but perhaps the most disturbing thought a parent could have! Exploring the ultimate betrayal of a mother?s duty, Killer Moms: True Stories recounts 31 harrowing tales of motherhood gone wrong, including ? Rachel David, who believed she was married to God Andrea Yates, who systemically executed each of her five children by drowning them Magda Goebbels, one of the most powerful women in Nazi Germany, the propaganda minister?s wife and a Hitler favoriteThe ambiguous Casey Anthony case, whose acquittal shocked the public Melissa Drexler, aka ?The Prom Mom,? who hid her pregnancy from everyone Rosemary West, one of England?s most notorious serial killers Lindsey Nicole Blansett, whose solution to ensuring her children wouldn?t suffer in the future was to make sure they did not have a future Nannie Doss, the ?Giggling Granny,? who managed to murder four generations of her family in a killing spree that lasted 30 years Angela Camacho, who helped her husband murder her three young children because he believed they were possessed by witches.An unflinching look into humanity?s dark side, Killer Moms is an unnerving read that delves into the twisted paths, the chilling motives, and the devastating consequences of maternal malice!

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Book SynopsisFor every true crime story that makes headlines, there's a separate drama happening behind the scenes. Follow a journalist and TV producer from 48 Hours and 60 Minutes as she carves out a career in the ruthless, knives-out world of true crime television . . . one killer story at a time.Serial killers. Homicidal spouses. Sociopathic criminals. Claire St. Amant has met them all. She spent nearly a decade in network television chasing the biggest true crime stories in the country, including the murder of Chris Kyle, plastic surgeon turned murder-for-hire suspect Thomas Michael Dixon, the Parkland High School mass shooting, the disappearance of Christina Morris, and serial killer Samuel Little. Bringing a true crime story to network television requires quick thinking and tenacious stamina, and in her debut memoir, Claire offers true crime fans a rare in-depth look on the other side of the yellow tape. In Killer Story, readers will learn what it really takes to get these gripping cases on the air with insights such as: How it feels to share space with a dead-eyed murderer Which TV show has a reputation for ';eating their young' How reporters win over skeptical cops and reluctant lawyers Why TV journalists are always racing against the clockand competitor sabotage What happens when a district attorney decides journalists have committed a felony The unresolved crimes that still haunt the author to this day Claire's journey intoand out oftrue crime television offers an eye-opening look behind the scenes of investigative journalism and an unforgettable read for all true crime fans.

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Book SynopsisIn the tradition of The Glass Castle, Educated, and Heartland, Neal Wooten traces five decades of his dirt-poor, Alabama mountain family as the years and secrets coalesce. Neal Wooten grew up in a tiny community atop Sand Mountain, Alabama, where everyone was white and everyone was poor. Prohibition was still embraced. If you wanted alcohol, you had to drive to Georgia or ask the bootlegger sitting next to you in church. Tent revivals, snake handlers, and sacred harp music were the norm, and everyone was welcome as long as you weren’t Black, brown, gay, atheist, Muslim, a damn Yankee, or a Tennessee Vol fan.The Wooten's lived a secret existence in a shack in the woods with no running water, no insulation, and almost no electricity. Even the school bus and mail carrier wouldn’t go there. Neal’s family could hide where they were, but not what they were. They were poor white trash. Cops could see it. Teachers could see it. Everyone could see it.Growing up, Neal was weaned on folklore legends of his grandfather—his quick wit, quick feet, and quick temper. He discovers how this volatile disposition led to a murder, a conviction, and ultimately to a daring prison escape and a closely guarded family secret.Being followed by a black car with men in black suits was as normal to Neal as using an outhouse, carrying drinking water from a stream, and doing homework by the light of a kerosene lamp. And Neal’s father, having inherited the very same traits of his father, made sure the frigid mountain winters weren’t the most brutal thing his family faced.Told from two perspectives, this story alternates between Neal’s life and his grandfather’s, culminating in a shocking revelation. Take a journey to the Deep South and learn what it’s like to be born on the wrong side of the tracks, the wrong side of the law, and the wrong side of a violent mental illness.Trade Review“I loved this book and couldn’t put it down. The Blake community is special to me and reading it brought back memories from my own early childhood growing up on Sand Mountain and attending Blake school for a short time. I also loved the authors attitude about his struggles and how he’s dealt with his past and gone on to live the best life he could.” —James Dean, New York Times best-selling author of the Pete the Cat series. "From the very first page, this book takes you by the throat and doesn’t let go. It’s brutal, fast-paced and, above all, honest. Like every good book before and after it, With the Devil’s Help takes you to a place you’ve never been and never known you’ve wanted to go, for a little while, at least.” —Daniel Wallace, New York Times best-selling author of Big Fish and This Isn’t Going to End Well"A true story of the Deep South that grabs your imagination with both hands and never lets you go. Prepare to stay up all night after you read the first page." —Homer Hickam, New York Times best-selling author of Rocket Boys/October Sky“I encourage you to read it. It could be a movie.” — Louie Saenz, The Book Club, NPR “This story takes you into the heart of Sand Mountain…has readers and true-crime lovers practically giving themselves paper cuts from turning the pages so fast.” —Charles Montgomery and Anna Mahan, WAFF News Huntsville, AL "With the Devil's Help is a survival story in the mode of Harry Crews’ brilliant memoir A Childhood. Crews concluded that for a 'grit,' a redneck like him, survival was triumph enough. Wooten concurs." —Don Noble, The Tuscaloosa News "Stand-up comic and writer Wooten turns in an earnest, sometimes sorrowful account of his upbringing in the poorest part of northeast Alabama...A Drive-By Truckers album of a book, sometimes appalling, always heartfelt and vividly observed." —Kirkus Reviews"Readers who are interested in complex family histories like Tara Westover’s Educated will enjoy this book." —Library Journal "I devoured this book. It is engrossing, relatable, intriguing, heartbreaking and so well written. I could visualize it and that is not something that every writer can convey. The author took a brutal childhood and somehow turned it into a story filled with heart. The way he intertwined the two storylines was masterful." —William Dameron, author of The Lie: A Memoir of Two Marriages, Catfishing and Coming Out“A powerful story told by an excellent writer that paints a true picture of the Deep South. Neal Wooten weaves a tale that will make you cry and then laugh, often in the same paragraph. This book will draw you in and hold on to you.” —Jerry Ellis: author of Walking the Trail: One Man’s Journey Along the Cherokee Trail of Tears

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Book SynopsisThe extraordinary life and crimes of heiress-turned-revolutionary Rose Dugdale, who in 1974 became the only woman to pull off a major art heist.In the world of crime, there exists an unusual commonality between those who steal art and those who repeatedly kill: they are almost exclusively male. But, as with all things, there is always an outlier—someone who bucks the trend, defying the reliable profiles and leaving investigators and researchers scratching their heads. In the history of major art heists, that outlier is Rose Dugdale. Dugdale’s life is singularly notorious. Born into extreme wealth, she abandoned her life as an Oxford-trained PhD and heiress to join the cause of Irish Republicanism. While on the surface she appears to be the British version of Patricia Hearst, she is anything but. Dugdale ran head-first towards the action, spearheading the first aerial terrorist attack in British history and pulling off the biggest art theft of her time. In 1974, she led a gang into the opulent Russborough House in Ireland and made off with millions in prized paintings, including works by Goya, Gainsborough, and Rubens, as well as Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid by the mysterious master Johannes Vermeer. Dugdale thus became—to this day—the only woman to pull off a major art heist. And as Anthony Amore explores in The Woman Who Stole Vermeer, it’s likely that this was not her only such heist. The Woman Who Stole Vermeer is Rose Dugdale’s story, from her idyllic upbringing in Devonshire and her presentation to Elizabeth II as a debutante to her university years and her eventual radical lifestyle. Her life of crime and activism is at turns unbelievable and awe-inspiring, and sure to engross readers.Trade Review“Amore illustrates with an irresistible blend of wryness and affection [the] engaging pleasures [of] The Woman Who Stole Vermeer. Rose is terrific company: clever, forthright and flamboyant. She is still alive today and is now praised by the former Irish republicans. Her Facebook profile photo is the Russborough Vermeer.” * The New York Times Book Review *"Dugdale's fair-minded biographer pronounces her a 'major figure in the annals of criminal history.'" -- The Wall Street Journal"Anthony M. Amore’s engrossing new book is the first deep dive into the peculiar life of Rose Dugdale, the 33-year-old British heiress with a PhD who, at the time of her arrest, was also wanted for gunrunning, a bombing attempt and armed hijacking." -- The Washington Post“Amore charts in this engrossing account the transformation of Rose Dugdale from a privileged English debutante into a committed radical and fighter for the liberation of Northern Ireland from British rule. Thorough research is matched by prose that keeps the reader turning the pages. True crime and history buffs will revel in the saga of this truly fascinating woman.” * Publishers Weekly *"A rollicking biography of a female art thief. In his lively third book about art and crime, Amore, the director of security at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, tells the story of a “fiery, bold, and brash” Englishwoman who stole for nationalistic reasons...A captivating, detail-rich biography of a 'criminal legend.'" * Kirkus Review *"Anthony Amore has written an engrossing character study of Rose Dugdale, a remarkable criminal. I'm very familiar with Anthony and his work, and there are similarities in how he analyzes thefts of art to come up with a specific offender profile and my process for analyzing crimes of violence. Why + How = Who." -- John Douglas, legendary FBI criminal profiler, #1 New York Times best-selling author, and inspiration for Netflix's "Mindhunter"“Absorbing. Amore provides effective context for Dugdale’s radical actions and offers an examination of the significance of Vermeer’s art that bolsters the sophistication of her crimes. Readers will be enthralled by the many worlds Dugdale seemed to inhabit. A captivating book that will entertain fans across genres with its seamless blend of true crime, biography, and art history.” * Library Journal (starred) *"Masses of detail, with insights into the history and culture of the time when Bridget Rose Dugdale's ideas and activities were front-page news. The views of senior IRA people concerning her remarkable adventures as reputational matters are lucid and compelling." -- Charley Hill, retired London Metropolitan Police Detective Chief Inspector and an art crime researcher“Amore does a fine job of presenting the facts of Dugdale’s life and dispelling the myths about her exploits. A fascinating account of political fervor and purpose and a woman who had the courage of her convictions.” * Booklist *"A meticulous account of the impassioned British heiress who robbed the greatest private art collection in the world—riveting." -- Matthew Hart, author of the award-winning "The Irish Game: a True Story of Crime and Art," and the thriller "The Russian Pink""Amore creates a compelling, illuminating portrait of a woman of deep conviction and daring. He has an uncommon nuance in his analysis, and nobody can surpass him for expertise when it comes to the theft of priceless art. The story he tells is a complex one of morality, transgression, and invention.” * CrimeReads *A fine portrait of one of the 20th century’s oddest criminals: Rose Dugdale, reluctant debutante turned art thief and would-be-terrorist. -- Luke Jennings, author of the "Killing Eve" novelsAs beguiling, complex, and deftly wrought a portrait of Rose Dugdale as the Vermeer she so famously stole. A feat of scholarship and storytelling that will surely go down as the definitive account of the many lives of one of modern history’s most compelling—and confounding—women. -- Kelly Horan, author of "Devotion & Defiance"“An astonishing personal story and a fascinating art heist tale, The Woman Who Stole Vermeer promises to be a page-turner.” * Amazon Book Review *

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Book SynopsisThe #1 New York Times and Amazon Charts bestselling author Gregg Olsen solves a murder among the Amish and reveals the conspiracy to keep it a secret in a heartbreaking and horrifying true-crime story. In 1977, in an Ohio Amish community, pregnant wife and mother Ida Stutzman perished during a barn fire. The coroner’s report: natural causes. Ida’s husband, Eli, was never considered a suspect. But when he eventually rejected the faith and took his son, Danny, with him, murder followed. What really happened to Ida? The dubious circumstances of the tragic blaze were willfully ignored and Eli’s shifting narratives disregarded. Could Eli’s subsequent cross-country journey of death—including that of his own son—have been prevented if just one person came forward with what they knew about the real Eli Stutzman? The questions haunted Gregg Olsen and Ida’s brother Daniel Gingerich for decades. At Daniel’s urging, Olsen now returns to Amish Country and to Eli’s crimes first exposed in Olsen’s Abandoned Prayers, one of which has remained a mystery until now. With the help of aging witnesses and shocking long-buried letters, Olsen finally uncovers the disturbing truth—about Ida’s murder and the conspiracy of silence and secrets that kept it hidden for forty-five years.Trade Review“Olsen has a gift for taking mountains of paperwork and interview material and weaving them into a cohesive narrative that is often difficult to put down, especially for die-hard true-crime fans. Because he frames the book as a step-by-step process of discovery, readers will feel like they’re right there with him as he’s knocking on doors and spinning out on the Midwestern ice. An engaging, well-researched historical excavation…” —Kirkus Reviews “The details of the case are gripping enough, but Olsen elevates them with sturdy prose, meticulous research, and admirable journalistic tenacity. This addendum to a once-settled story lands as much more than a footnote.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

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Book SynopsisObserver's Best Art Book of the Year, 2018In 2007, Bolton Crown Court sentenced Shaun Greenhalgh to four years and eight months in prison for the crime of producing artistic forgeries. Working out of a shed in his parents' garden, Greenhalgh had successfully fooled some of the world's greatest museums. During the court case, the breadth of his forgeries shocked the art world and tantalised the media. What no one realised was how much more of the story there was to tell.Written in prison, A Forger's Tale details Shaun's notorious career and the extraordinary circumstances that led to it. From Leonardo drawings to L.S. Lowry paintings, from busts of American presidents to Anglo-Saxon brooches, from cutting-edge Modernism to the ancient art of the Stone Age, Greenhalgh could - and did - copy it all. Told with great wit and charm, this is the definitive account of Britain's most successful and infamous forger, a man whose love for art saturates every page of this extraordinary memoir.Trade ReviewA masterpiece of masquerade...a brilliantly wily reflection on the seductions of art and corruptions of the art world. * The Telegraph *A remarkably lively account...fascinating. * The Times *Greenhalgh has a likable voice, pitched midway between Arthur Daley and Philip Marlowe. And, unsurprisingly, he has an eye for detail...The lingering impression is of a man beguiled by image-making. * The Observer *Here is riveting and affecting Northern realism: Greenhalgh's knowledge is as daunting as it is inspiring. * The Spectator *A lively account of a man who put his genuine talent and love of art to deplorable use. * Daily Mail *An indispensable addition to any rogues' library. * Sunday Independent (Ireland) *A great holiday read. * Artists and Illustrators *A roundabout love letter to art. -- Ben OkriA fascinating gilt box of secret art knowledge and expertise, told in the unpretentious voice of a legendary forger who fooled museums and collectors from his garden shed. -- Dominic Smith, author of THE LAST PAINTING OF SARA DE VOSNothing if not lively * Sunday Times Books of the Year *

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Book SynopsisGhislaine Maxwell's life of privilege was unimaginable. Her jetset world was not only made up of Presidents, top billionaires, Hollywood stars, Kennedys and Rockefellers, but also of princes, princesses, dukes and duchesses, all as regular friends - including university friend Prince Andrew, the favorite son of the Queen of England. Yet she still wanted more. Ghislaine met shadowy billionaire Jeffrey Epstein and amassed a fortune of almost $30 million over the course of their friendship. Her arrest by the FBI in July 2020 - almost a year to the day of Epstein's second arrest on sex charges - proved a stinging fall from grace as $30 million bail was refused. GHISLAINE MAXWELL leaves no stone unturned and is the first investigation based on all new sources available. An explosive true story, GHISLAINE MAXWELL is a riveting tale of wealth, power and the almost impervious Teflon power surrounding America's richest citizens.Trade Review'A dramatic game of cat and mouse.' DAILY MAILTable of Contents1 Tuckedaway 2 Jailbird 3 Poor Little Rich Girl 4 Man Overboard 5 'The Coolest Person Alive 6 In the Frame 7 Decline and Fall 8 Charged

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Book SynopsisIt began with an unsigned email: "I am a senior member of the intelligence community". What followed was the most spectacular intelligence breach ever, brought about by one extraordinary man, Edward Snowden. The consequences have shaken the leaders of nations worldwide, from Obama to Cameron, to the presidents of Brazil, France, and Indonesia, and the chancellor of Germany. Edward Snowden, a young computer genius working for America's National Security Agency, blew the whistle on the way this frighteningly powerful organisation uses new technology to spy on the entire planet. The spies call it "mastering the internet". Others call it the death of individual privacy. This is the inside story of Snowden's deeds and the journalists who faced down pressure from the US and UK governments to break a remarkable scoop. Snowden's story reads like a globe-trotting thriller, from the day he left his glamorous girlfriend in Hawaii, carrying a hard drive full of secrets, to the weeks of secret-spilling in Hong Kong and his battle for asylum. Now stuck in Moscow, a uniquely hunted man, he faces US espionage charges and an uncertain future in exile. What drove Snowden to sacrifice himself? Award-winning Guardian journalist Luke Harding asks the question which should trouble every citizen of the internet age. Luke Harding's other books include Wikileaks: Inside Julian Assange's War on Secrecy and Mafia State: How One Reporter Became an Enemy of the Brutal New Russia.

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Book SynopsisBY THE WINNER OF THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR JOURNALISM 2023SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE, THE JHALAK PRIZE, THE CWA GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION AND THE BREAD AND ROSES AWARDSaturday, 23rd November 2013. It was just another day in America. And as befits an unremarkable day, ten children and teens were killed by gunfire. Far from being considered newsworthy, these everyday fatalities are simply a banal fact.The youngest was nine; the oldest nineteen. None made the news. There was no outrage at their passing. It was simply a day like any other day. Gary Younge picked it at random, searched for the families of these children and here, tells their stories. Another Day in the Death of America explores the way these children lived and lost their short lives, offering a searing portrait of the vulnerability of youth in contemporary America.

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Book Synopsis40 YEARS WITH THE KRAYS is the untold, intimate history of the twins and the woman who raised them. Told with humour and insight, it looks back across the decades at the life of this close knit, notorious East End family. Maureen Flanagan, a then 20 year old hairdresser started visiting the Kray family home in Vallance Road each week to give the twins’ mother, Violet, her weekly shampoo and set. Over the cups of tea and the rollers and hairpins, Violet began to confide in ‘Flan’ about her life, her incredible pride in her twins, the celebrities who visited her at their humble East End home - and her troubled relationship with her husband.Trade ReviewNot that many people saw that side of the Krays, but this chatty, vivacious memoir sheds a strangely intimate light on their baleful legend * Daily Mail *...an engaging, atmospheric read * Mail on Sunday *

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Book SynopsisEl Salvador and Honduras have had the highest homicide rates in the world over the past ten years, with Guatemala close behind. Every day more than 1,000 people-men, women, and children-flee these three countries for North America. Óscar Martínez, author of The Beast, named one of the best books of the year by the Economist, Mother Jones, and the Financial Times, fleshes out these stark figures with true stories, producing a jarringly beautiful and immersive account of life in deadly locations.Martínez travels to Nicaraguan fishing towns, southern Mexican brothels where Central American women are trafficked, isolated Guatemalan jungle villages, and crime-ridden Salvadoran slums. With his precise and empathetic reporting, he explores the underbelly of these troubled places. He goes undercover to drink with narcos, accompanies police patrols, rides in trafficking boats and hides out with a gang informer. The result is an unforgettable portrait of a region of fear and a subtle analysis of the North American roots and reach of the crisis, helping to explain why this history of violence should matter to all of us.Trade ReviewMartínez dives into the underworld of his subjects, navigating barrios that police won't enter, spending days and nights with gang members. His methods resemble war reporting and his prose is cinematic . The collection's strength lies in his ability to write the hell out of his material. Like Katherine Boo's Behind the Beautiful Forevers and Adrian Nicole LeBlanc's Random Family, it skimps on statistics and analysis, instead relying on description alone to create a world that captures the reader and doesn't let her go. One of the stories, 'El Niño Hollywood's Death Foretold,' evokes Gabriel García Márquez's Chronicle of a Death Foretold. Like the beloved Colombian writer, Martínez pens scenes that are suspenseful, moving, and vivid. * New Republic *Martínez's credentials for writing about this ignored human tide are impeccable: his first book, The Beast, drew on eight trips clinging to the roof of the infamous migrants' train through Mexico, chronicling their desperation in grippingly graphic detail. His new book, A History of Violence, takes a step back to explore what the migrants heading to the US are running away from . the unflinching cameos it paints offer a chilling portrait of corruption, unimaginable brutality and impunity. * Financial Times *Ripped from the headlines, these are powerful stories of Central America's chaotic and bloody present, sure to raise awareness among a broad audience of North Americans, whom Martínez refuses to let off the hook. 'The solution?' he asks. 'It's up to you.' * Library Journal *In Spanish, the tradition of the crónica is in-depth testimonial reportage blended with personal essay, and Martínez is a worthy inheritor. Martínez's work conveys an intimate knowledge of the social and criminal ecosystem-both macro-level context and telling minutiae. But because he isn't afraid to follow dangerous paths, the result are jewels with moments of intense emotion presented against a historical background that contemplates military, social, economic, religious, psychological and all sorts of other factors . I am in awe of Martínez's commanding style. -- Ilan Stavans * In These Times *Agonizing stories . [Martínez] urges readers to understand what Central Americans are going through and what compels them to seek refuge in the United States. -- Ramón Rentería * El Paso Times *Dives deep to the problems driving the region's violence and impunity . If The Beast was a look at the dangers of the journey, A History of Violence focuses on why people take it to begin with. -- Jared Goyette * PRI’s The World *No place is dangerous enough to quell Martínez's hunger for the truth, as the intrepid newshound sniffs around in occupied prisons, grim police stations, hellish whorehouses, desolate crack dens, isolated ranches and battered barrios, all the locales omitted from the tourism brochures. To understand how corruption operates in Central America, Martínez goes to where it operates . gritty journalism. -- Hector Luis Alamo * Latino Rebels *Reading Salvadoran journalist Óscar Martínez's nonfiction portrait of violence in Central America, it seems fantastically lucky for all of us that he's still alive . The reporting is an act of courage; the book is a plea for comprehension of the terror that drives people from Central America to the United States . Martínez's portrait of Central America as killing field is a plea not only for comprehension of immigrants' race for the border but also for empathy. -- Nancy Nusser * Texas Observer *If you take just one book to Central America on holiday, don't pick this one. Oscar Martinez has written a punishing account of the lives of the poor in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Melding acuity and anger, he unveils the scary realities of organised crime . Mr Martinez deserves credit for bringing it so effectively to life. * Economist *Martínez is a gifted storyteller with an astute, observant eye and a voice that beckons to be followed . A History of Violence is a necessary read, especially for US government officials crafting immigration policy against migrants and refugees from the region. It sheds light on why so many are braving the treacherous trek through Mexico to reach the United States. * Los Angeles Review of Books *As the current wave of US Immigration and Customs raids authorised by President Obama deports Latino migrants, and Donald Trump boosts his election campaign with promises to build a wall along the US-Mexican border, Martínez endeavours to explain why, for many Central Americans of the northern triangle, returning home is a death sentence. * Independent *El Salvador's best chronicler of this profound crisis is Óscar Martínez, a journalist based in San Salvador. Martínez has dedicated his career to documenting how the matrix of poverty, instability, and narcotrafficking has transformed the lives and prospects of Central Americans. As a writer, he's a committed, old-school social realist, and traveled with migrants on their deadly northward route for his previous book about Central American migration, The Beast. His methods in A History of Violence: Living and Dying in Central America are equally painstaking. -- Caille Millner * The New Inquiry *Martínez draws readers into this complex narrative by alternating between a panoramic social sweep and the beleaguered lives of civilians, victims, gang members, and cops, capturing the multilayered nature of a place whose indigenous traditions are being brutalized by modern criminals who commit murder casually . Smart, angry immersive journalism from an author who warrants wider readership on this side of the border. * Kirkus *Martínez tenaciously reports piece by piece on the accretion of gang-related violence besetting El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala . Martínez's reporting reveals shocking failures of the state-particularly of police and courts-but he avoids tidy lessons, preferring to let the intractable issues stand in all their cold brutality. * Publishers Weekly *A History of Violence . stays close to the lives of gang members, victims of violence, and the quixotic public officials who try to offer some answers in El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala . Martínez avoids the literature's usual magnification of criminals' power and pays attention to the fluid alliances and personal relations that determine, as one Honduran intelligence office puts it, 'who's in charge now.' -- Pablo Piccato * Public Books *A haunting portrait of a tragic, complicated part of the world. * Shelf Awareness *In this collection, Martinez, a journalist whose acerbic prose enlivens its dire subjects, covers stories that illuminate why so many Central Americans are willing to risk their lives to cross the border to the United States (and why, instead of calling them illegal or undocumented, we should be calling them refugees). -- Mauro Javier Cardenas * The Millions *A History of Violence is not simply about storytelling, and despite the gruesome subject matter, is certainly not sensationalist journalism . Óscar Martínez is a passionately engaged reporter who goes under the surface to get to the truth. -- Ramor Ryan * TeleSur *Succeeds in fostering a better understanding of Central America's crisis of violence and the resulting surge in migration. By itself, such understanding cannot bring about the peaceful future that Martínez clearly hopes for. But if his work raises greater awareness of the situation in the region, and spurs at least some readers into action, it will have accomplished its purpose. A History of Violence is a timely publication, and not only because of the ongoing exodus from the isthmus. The new US president's policy agenda portends to have an unprecedented impact on migration and security policies in the Western Hemisphere. The ability to step back, reflect, and stand with vulnerable populations suddenly seems more critical than Martínez may have imagined when he penned these chronicles. -- Sonja Wolf * Current History *

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Book Synopsis‘The next stage meant that there was no going back. An Irish prisoner stepped forward and slipped a blade into my hand. I felt the ice cold metal and pressed it against the governor’s cheek. I thought to myself: would they ever release me after this?’Bobby Cummines was only 28 when he passed through the grim gates of Parkhurst, Britain’s Alcatraz, as a category-A prisoner with a host of crimes to his name. Joining the most notorious gangsters and criminals of the day – from the Krays, the Yorkshire Ripper and Charles Bronson, to high ranking members of the IRA – nothing could have prepared him for the brutal regime, violent convicts, vindictive screws and riots on the inside. It’s the story of Britain’s most hellish prison, from one of its hardest inmates.

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Book Synopsis**Now watch the BBC drama Doing Money**‘They took me because I would not be missed’This is the shocking true story of how an ordinary young girl was kidnapped off the street as she walked home and turned into a slave – before fighting for her freedom and finding the courage to help the police in one of the UK’s most shocking modern-day slavery trials. Anna was an innocent student when she was kidnapped, beaten and forced into the sex slave industry. Threatened and tormented by her pimps, she was made to sleep with thousands of men. But she would not allow them to break her. On learning that she would be trafficked from Ireland to Dubai, she found the courage to trick her captors and flee. Later, she would also find that same resilience to help the police bring down her abductors in what has now become one of our biggest windows into the worldwide sex trafficking trade. For the first time, the girl at the centre of the storm reveals the heart-breaking truth.

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Book SynopsisThe astonishing true story of Glasgow gangland confidant James McIntyre, aka Jimmy Two GunsJames 'Jimmy Two Guns' McIntyre was Glasgow's go-to gangland lawyer and consigliere to one of Scotland's foremost crime families. His maverick approach to the law and a client list that included some of the most feared gangland figures of the time - including the McGoverns and Paul Ferris - ensured that he was always in demand but under the constant scrutiny of the authorities.Now Jimmy Two Guns recounts the cases he handled, the strokes he pulled, plus his arrests, a high-speed car chase with the drug squad, his time in 'the cooler' for allegedly attempting to murder a cop and much more. He tells how he bounced back after being the target of a near-fatal underworld hit, before being arrested by an armed response unit for possession of two pistols, and reveals with wit and a sharp pen what it's really like being a lawyer for the underdog.Whatever you thought you knew about crime and justice, think again - because for Jimmy Two Guns, the truth has always been stranger than fiction.'Crooked judges, bent cops and hypocrites in high places - the most truthful legal memoir you'll ever read. Superb.'Matthew Hall, bestselling novelist and BAFTA-winning screenwriter of Keeping Faith'James McIntyre was a legal barracuda swimming both sides of the line; this memoir is his modus operandi.'G.F. Newman, creator of Law & Order and Judge John Deed

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Book SynopsisThe brutal 2010 murders of promising footballer Eddie Moussa and his brother were a harbinger of the gang violence now laying siege to Sweden. Written by crime reporter Ann Tornkvist, Follow Fucking Orders captures the freefall of a quaint town, known for its sports-crazed community and top-league football team, into a bloody turf war. After the biggest police investigation into organised crime in Swedish history, the local mob boss was sentenced to life for ordering the hit on Eddie. Author Ann Tornkvist followed the gripping story for five years, securing unique access to families who had fled into the witness protection programme. In 2016, the mob boss tried to derail this book's publication by threatening to have her killed. Undeterred, Tornkvist published Follow Fucking Orders in Sweden in 2018. The first edition sold out within a week and soon became the most popular book in the country's maximum-security prisons. Ultimately, the book offers a chilling reminder that true crime has no last chapter.

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Book Synopsis'Kate Winkler Dawson is an unbelievable crime historian and such a talented storyteller.' Karen Kilgariff, cohost of the My Favorite Murder podcast'Heinrich changed criminal investigations forever, and anyone fascinated by the myriad detective series and TV shows about forensics will want to read [this].' The Washington Post'An entertaining, absorbing combination of biography and true crime.' Kirkus'Kate Winkler Dawson has researched both her subject and his cases so meticulously that her reconstructions and descriptions made me feel part of the action rather than just a reader and bystander. She has brought to life Edward Oscar Heinrich's character, determination, and skill so vividly that one is left bemused that this man is so little known to most of us.' Patricia Wiltshire, author of Traces and The Nature of Life and DeathBerkeley, California, 1933. In a lab filled with curiosities - beakers, microscopes, Bunsen burners and hundreds of books - sat an investigator who would go on to crack at least 2,000 cases in his 40-year career.Known as the 'American Sherlock Holmes', Edward Oscar Heinrich was one of the greatest - and first - forensic scientists, with an uncanny knack for finding clues, establishing evidence and deducing answers with a skill that seemed almost supernatural.Based on years of research and thousands of never-before-published primary source materials, American Sherlock is a true-crime account capturing the life of the man who spearheaded the invention of a myriad of new forensic tools, including blood-spatter analysis, ballistics, lie-detector tests and the use of fingerprints as courtroom evidence.Trade ReviewKate Winkler Dawson is an unbelievable crime historian and such a talented storyteller.' * Karen Kilgariff, cohost of the My Favorite Murder podcast *'Heinrich changed criminal investigations forever, and anyone fascinated by the myriad detective series and TV shows about forensics will want to read [this].' * The Washington Post *Kate Winkler Dawson has researched both her subject and his cases so meticulously that her reconstructions and descriptions made me feel part of the action rather than just a reader and bystander. She has brought to life Edward Oscar Heinrich's character, determination, and skill so vividly that one is left bemused that this man is so little known to most of us.' * Patricia Wiltshire, author of Traces and The Nature of Life and Death *'An entertaining, absorbing combination of biography and true crime.' * Kirkus *American Sherlock will take you on a journey to the origins of crime scene investigation by exploring the obsessive, troubled, brilliant mind of Oscar Heinrich, the nation's first true medical detective, an accomplished polymath who understood, far ahead of his time, that applied forensic science was the key to unlocking criminal mysteries. Kate Dawson offers a riveting, real, and sometimes-unsettling account of Heinrich's life and legacy in this thoroughly-researched and unblinking biography that will at times make you shake your head at the ways that true crime is stranger than fiction.' * Judy Melinek and T.J. Mitchell, authors of Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner *Part institutional history, part true crime account, and part dramatic tale of brilliant minds and clashing personalities, American Sherlock promises to be just as gripping as her first.' * CrimeReads *Those interested in the development of modern forensics will be enthralled' * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisThroughout the 1960s, Tony Lambrianou was a trusted member of the Kray Gang and had a unique insight into the workings of a criminal organisation whose reputation in the underworld remains to this day. Tony not just an observer and his role in the Kray story ultimately led to him serving 15 years in prison. Inside The Firm tells, with searing honesty, his violent history with the Krays - and the horrors of his subsequent imprisonment in top security institutions.In exorcising his ghosts, he reveals an account that is more impartial and more terrifying than Ronnie and Reggie ever could have written. From the murder of Jack 'The Hat' McVitie - and the mystery of his undiscovered body - to the role of the Kray legacy in Britain's prisons today, Inside The Firm is the last confession of a gangster determined to turn his back on his brutal past.

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Book SynopsisThe inside story of the life and death of Britain's criminal kingpin and the empire he builtKILLING GOLDFINGER charts the extraordinary rise and spectacular bullet-riddled fall of John Palmer, the richest, most powerful criminal ever to have emerged from the modern British underworld. During the late 1990s, Palmer was rated as rich as The Queen by the Sunday Times Rich List.Palmer earned his nickname Goldfinger after smelting (in his back garden) tens of millions of pounds worth of stolen gold bullion from the 20th century's most lucrative heist; the Brink's-Mat robbery. Palmer then used his share of the millions to become the vicious overlord of a vast illegal timeshare property empire in Tenerife. At the same time,Goldfinger financed huge international drugs shipments as well as some of the most notorious UK robberies of the past 30 years, including the £50m Securitas heist in Kent in 2006 and, many believe, the Hatton Garden heist in 2015.Palmer vowed to hunt down all his underworld enemies. But in the end it was those same criminals who decided to bring his life to an end. Murdered in June 2015, with charges of fraud, money laundering and worse pending, this book tells his murky story for the first time.As outrageous and bullet-riddled as the hit Netflix series Narcos, Killing Goldfinger tells the true story of Britain's underworld kingpin, who turned the sunshine holiday island of Tenerife into his very own Crime Incorporated and then paid the ultimate price.

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Book SynopsisTHE TRUTH IS OUT THERE . . . Who was Jack the Ripper? Where did the Nazis stash their gold? Who are the real Men in Black? Did aliens send the 'WOW' signal? And how will the world end? 100 Things They Don't Want You to Know sets out to uncover the truth behind the world's most mysterious cover-ups and unexplained events that have been shrouded in secrecy for generations. From suspicious deaths and disappearances to enigmatic identities, from Cold War cover-ups to puzzling paranormal phenomena and from ancient artefacts to coded documents, 100 Things They Don't Want You to Know takes you on a quest to solve the greatest mysteries, strange disappearances, suspicious cover-ups and conspiracy theories.Including: Black Dahlia, the Marfa Lights, the Turin Shroud, Spontaneous Combustion, Lost Literature of the Mayan Civilisation, Disappearance of Jean Spangler, Shakespeare's True Identity, the Turin Shroud, the Easter Island Glyphs, the Death of Lee Harvey Oswald, the Mothman, The Flying Dutchman, the Secret Mission of Ruldolph Hess, the 'WOW" signal, Lewis Carroll's Lost Diaries, the Man in the Iron Mask and the Beast of Bodmin Moor.

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Book SynopsisIt is 2007, a time of recession and impending climate crisis, and one young man decides to change the world. This is the story of Stephen Jackley, a British geography student with Asperger's Syndrome. Aged just twenty-one, obsessed with the idea of Robin Hood, and with no prior experience, he resolved to become a bank robber. He would steal from the rich and give to the poor.And he did. Bank notes mysteriously found their way into the hands of the homeless. The police had no idea who was responsible. Until Jackley's ambition got the better of him.Trade ReviewCompletely fascinating . . . reads like a deep psychological thriller, but it's real. Is truth stranger than fiction? You bet -- LEE CHILDOne of the strengths of Ben Machell's compelling book is its patient unearthing of the various motivations for his subject's behaviour . . . This splendid book . . . does full justice to his complexity * * Guardian * *Stephen Jackley, the "Robin Hood" bank robber, is an Asperger's student with an incredible, increasingly dark story, which Machell tells with Hollywood box-office wit, compassion and brio. With every page, you find yourself screaming "OH MY GOD - WHAT ARE YOU DOING, STEPHEN?", all the way up to him ending in US jail. How one young man's misguided plan to save the world went increasingly, dangerously wrong -- CAITLIN MORANTruly affecting true crime. I've heard it said that a villain is just a victim whose story hasn't been told - this big-hearted, fascinating, meticulous book made me feel that way about Stephen Jackley -- MARINA HYDEFascinating . . . In Machell, [Jackley] has found the most sympathetic and intelligent of biographers . . . The Unusual Suspect raises important questions about our ideas of guilt, idealism and the nature of responsibility . . . a tremendously invigorating book, scrupulously researched, sympathetically told, a picaresque tale of modern life, by turns funny and sad * * Mail on Sunday * *Ben Machell's deeply reported book is not only a gripping true-crime story, but also a sensitive and melancholy portrait of someone who has long struggled to fit in to society * * New Statesman * *An astonishing story which resonates at a time of staggering inequality, and one which asks salient questions about wealth redistribution * * Esquire * *[A] cross between heist tale and biography . . . Machell treats his subject . . . with tender fascination, disapproving of Jackley's strategy but not his world view * * New Yorker * *Meet Stephen: university student, bank robber, modern Robin Hood, human being. He was only good at one of them; thankfully it was the only one that mattered. A truly remarkable story -- TERRY HAYES, author of I AM PILGRIMWas Stephen Jackley a cynical attention-seeker, or an idealist fighting a broken system, or something else entirely? Whatever the truth, his story - superbly written, and expertly reported - reveals the troubling place of finance in the centre of all of our lives -- OLIVER BULLOUGH * * author of Moneyland * *

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Book SynopsisWITH A FOREWORD BY NIGEL McCRERY, CREATOR OF SILENT WITNESSGoing beyond the popular TV show, this is the true story of forensic science from those who solve crimes without witnesses. How do you identify a serial killer?What are the tell-tale signs of guilt?Can we now solve the unsolvable?Since even before the first season of Silent Witness in 1996, forensic science has played an increasingly important role in the investigation of violent crimes.With a boom in cold-blooded cases throughout the 1980s, police began to rely on DNA evidence to help them find perpetrators and since then forensic science has taken off as a powerful tool in solving murders. Bestselling true crime author Wensley Clarkson takes us beyond the headlines to examine the real-life stories where forensics have played a crucial role. He speaks to experts who have worked on the most gruesome, most chilling and most shocking crime scenes and explains how notorious criminal cases from across the world were solved.And he shows how the silent witness is often the one who screams the loudest.

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Book SynopsisLonglisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction 'I embarrassed myself by uncontrollable guffaws ... This is a truly wonderful story' A. N. Wilson, Spectator 'A white-knuckle roller-coaster ride of fibs and frauds' Sunday Telegraph 'An utterly mad, and wholly delightful story of chicanery and fantasy' Simon Winchester One day in November 1958, the celebrated historian Hugh Trevor-Roper received a curious letter. It was an appeal for help, written on behalf of a student at Magdalen College, with the unlikely claim that he was being persecuted by the Bishop of Oxford. Curiosity piqued, Trevor-Roper agreed to a meeting. It was to be his first encounter with Robert Parkin Peters: plagiarist, bigamist, fraudulent priest and imposter extraordinaire. The Professor and the Parson traces the strange career of one of Britain's most eccentric criminals. Motivated not by money but by a desire for prestige, Peters' lied, stole and cheated his way to academic positions and religious posts from Cambridge to New York, Singapore and South Africa. Frequently deported, and even more frequently discovered, his trail of destruction included seven marriages (three of which were bigamous), an investigation by the FBI and a disastrous appearance on Mastermind. Based on Trevor-Roper's own detailed 'file on Peters', The Professor and the Parson is a witty and charming account of eccentricity, extraordinary narcissism and a life as wild and unlikely as any in fiction.Trade ReviewA twisty, tricksy biography ... a thorough and thoroughly entertaining reconstruction of the life and lies of Robert Peters. Suspend your disbelief ... The Professor and the Parson would make a fine TV series along the lines of A Very English Scandal. Russell T Davies, if you're reading, this stuff is gold. -- Laura Freeman * The Times *A lively, well-written story of skulduggery -- Rosamund Urwin * Sunday Times *[A] roller-coaster ride of fibs and frauds ... To say of a book that, once you start reading it, you cannot stop, is always a cliché and often an exaggeration. Yet it really was my experience with this one. Various chores were put off and a meal skipped as I kept turning the pages. -- Noel Malcolm * Sunday Telegraph *Sisman's deadpan tone heightens [Peters'] comic effects. Often while reading his book in a public place I embarrassed myself by uncontrollable guffaws ... This is a truly wonderful story. -- A. N. Wilson * Spectator *The Professor and the Parson is a fantastic read and fully deserves to be among everyone's books of the year. It is full of wonderful stories and splendidly comic moments. It is also beautifully written. -- William Whyte * Literary Review *Astonishing ... fascinating, eye-opening * Emerald Street *A tortuous, intriguing and barely believable story, which sheds a fierce but comic spotlight on the ineptitude, gullibility and naivety of countless senior prelates and academics who were taken in by a consummate and unrepentant charlatan ... a dizzy and diverting read -- Rosemary Goring * Herald Scotland *Witty, impressive and captivatingly readable ... incredibly well researched ... a real achievement. It's also great fun. I laughed out loud ... one day this tale will make a fantastic BBC adaptation or even film. Think A Very English Scandal, but with clerical collars. * History Today *I was captivated from start to finish by this utterly mad, and wholly delightful story of chicanery and fantasy, and which involves a man who relentlessly duped our most cherished institutions of godly pursuit and higher learning. Plus I learned how to defrock a priest, always good to have on hand in these troubling times. * Simon Winchester *A delightful, delicious tale from the Hugh Trevor-Roper archive of Oxford skulduggery. Robert Parkin Peters is one of the oddest, most compulsive conmen ever, longing - and spectacularly failing - to achieve prominence in academia and the Church. * Harry Mount *

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Book SynopsisIn 1893, young army officer Cecil Hambrough was murdered at the sprawling Ardlamont estate in Scotland, unleashing one of the most gripping court cases Victorian Britain had ever known. Even more remarkably, the case brought together two pioneering forensic experts - Joseph Bell and Henry Littlejohn - two men upon whom Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes happened to be based. It is their involvement in the Ardlamont affair that reveals how the world’s most famous detective came to be: the worlds of crime fiction and crime fact were about to collide spectacularly.In this extraordinary book, Daniel Smith outlines the key roles of the two men whose powers of deduction had so inspired Doyle and explores the real-world origins of Sherlock Holmes through the prism of a mystery as engrossing as any case the Great Detective ever tackled.

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Book Synopsis'If one woman understands tough guys, it's Kate Kray' - The IndependentMarried to Ron before his death, and a regular correspondent with Reg, Kate Kray was granted unique access to the shadowy underworld they inhabited, and was entrusted with some of the darkest secrets they possessed - secrets that could never be revealed until they were both dead. Featuring exclusive letters, thoughts from the twins themselves, as well as anecdotes and tributes from gangsters, actors and East End faces, Kate has produced the definitive view of the Krays. Fifty years on from their incarceration, this thrilling and, at times, terrifying memoir remains a truly unique portrait of the real men behind the immortal image.

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Book Synopsis'I WANTED TO SEND A MESSAGE TO THE CARTELS. WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE. WE KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING. WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT HARD FOR YOU.BUT AS I WOULD SOON FIND OUT, THEY WERE GOING TO MAKE IT HARD FOR ME, TOO.'Infiltrating cartels and bringing down international drug lords since his days in 1980s Chicago, Jack Riley was one of the best agents the Drug Enforcement Administration had ever had. But when he moved to the border town of El Paso, he was on the front line of the battle against Mexican cartels waging war just miles away. His brief was to capture the DEA's deadliest target: El Chapo.For over twenty years, Riley had seen the fear and bloodshed that Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán Loera and his Sinaloa Cartel had caused, whilst the availability of drugs on American streets had exploded. Soon after arriving in El Paso, Riley found himself entangled in America's most deadly feud, and a bounty on his head. . .Drug Warrior is a thrilling journey into a life spent at the heart of America's drug wars, including the opioids crisis now ravaging its heartland, and a unique insight into the DEA's operation to finally bring its long-time nemesis to justice.Trade Review[Chicago's] most famous federal agent since the days of The Untouchables * Rolling Stone *For 15 years, Chapo has been Riley's white whale, the object of an obsession that teetered on derangement and sidelined everything else, including his family... A ruddy, white-haired bruiser who holds court from a bar stool, Riley seemed dispatched from the days of fedoras and cops lighting Luckies at crime scenes. -- Paul Solotaroff * Rolling Stone *

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