True crime Books

Book SynopsisAmsterdam, 2001. A shoot-out in the city's docklands leaves one man grievously injured and a rival drug dealer killed outright. The injured man is Tony Spencer from Coventry. Aka The Old Man. Once a prolific businessman, he is now considered Public Enemy No. 1 by the National Crime Squad and the head of several smuggling rings operating between the UK, Holland, Morocco, and Spain. At the age of 50, with bank robberies, counterfeiting, and several fortunes gained and lost behind him, he is on the run and living abroad. As Spencer's life hangs in the balance, his son Jason arrives in Amsterdam. While he prays for a miraculous recovery, he ponders who his father really is. He has raced anxiously to be by his bedside and yet he is somebody he doesn't know well at all. Jason begins digging in earnest. He begins to piece together the story of The Old Man's life. It's a story that is riddled with contradictions: a man who makes millions but saves nothing, prizes freedom but spends years inside, works in a violent world but who - seemingly - avoids violence. Spencer was absent, often in prison, for much of his upbringing but now, as his father recovers from the shooting, Jason begins to wonder. Maybe, if he can come to understand his father's life, he can begin to understand his own...

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Book SynopsisPain, torment, and torture. Cruelty, brutality, and violence. The twisted psyches, murder. and yes, even the ability to charm people. Take a deep dive into the terrifyingly real serial murderers, spree killers, and true faces of evil! Serial Killers: The Minds, Methods, and Mayhem of History's Most Notorious Murderers delves into the global phenomenon of serial and spree murderers.Trade Review“Thirty-three chapters cover individual serial killers … "rampages and sprees." … will endear the book to readers who have a similar horrified fascination with the murderously depraved. … This will see high circulation wherever true crime is popular.” – Booklist“While several of the book’s histories are widely known …, Estep also includes lesser-known cases … Though Estep speculates on how these people became murderers and notes characteristics shared by some serial killers—narcissism, head injuries, animal torture, bed-wetting, being bullied—he concludes that we may never truly know why someone kills. … concise, well-written case studies will leave readers wanting to learn more.” – Library Journal“Serial killing is a popular subject for those indulging in criminous extremism, reading about the horrors of HH Holmes and his “murder castle”, the transatlantic monsters John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy and Dennis Rader, and Britain’s Dennis Nilsen and John Christie. Denver paramedic Richard Estep has now further enriched the literature.” – Fortean Times“… relates the stories of 40 serial killers … detailing their lives from childhood to adulthood, and the factors that contributed to their behavior. He profiles Jack the Ripper, Tsutomu Miyazaki, Andrei Chikatilo, Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Richard Ramirez, Harold Shipman, Aileen Wuornos, Edmund Kemper, the Zodiac Killer, H.H. Holmes, Albert Desalvo, Dennis Rader, Charles Whitman, and others.” – Protoview Book News"… wrap up "Serial Killers: The Minds, Methods, and Mayhem of History's Most Notorious Murders" by Richard Estep, for the best gift for a true crime fan ever." – Bookworm SezTable of ContentsAbout the Author Acknowledgments Preface Introduction 1. The Cromwell Street House of Horrors—Fred and Rosemary West 2. Clowns Can Get Away with Murder—John Wayne Gacy 3. The I-70 Strangler—Herbert Baumeister 4. The Moors Murderers—Ian Brady & Myra Hindley 5. The Charming Psychopath—Theodore “Ted” Bundy 6. The Lonely Murderer—Dennis Nilsen 7. The Night Stalker—Richard Ramirez 8. Doctor Death—Harold Shipman 9. The Unrepentant Maniac—Carl Panzram 10. Hollywood Monster—Aileen Wuornos 11. Mindhunted—Edmund Kemper 12. The Yorkshire Ripper—Peter Sutcliffe 13. The Anime Killer—Tsutomu Miyazaki 14. The Milwaukee Cannibal—Jeffrey Dahmer 15. Killer at Large—The Zodiac 16. The Dating Game Killer—Rodney Alcala 17. The Giggling Granny—Nannie Doss 18. The Rostov Ripper—Andrei Chikatilo 19. Keeping It in the Family—The Sawney Bean Cannibal Clan 20. The Resurrection Men—Burke and Hare 21. The Grim Sleeper—Lonnie Franklin 22. King of the Murder Castle—H. H. Holmes 23. Busted by the Internet—Maury Travis 24. Say Your Prayers—Anthony Sowell 25. Bind, Torture, Kill—Dennis Rader 26. The Tip of the Iceberg—Samuel Little 27. The Boston Strangler...?—Albert Desalvo 28. The Acid Bath Murderer—John George Haigh 29. The Killer at 10 Rillington Place—John Christie 30. Saucy Jack the Ripper 31. The Houston Mass Murders—Dean Corll 32. Rampage and Spree Killers 33. The Texas Tower Sniper—Charles Whitman 34. The Century 16 Mass Shooting—James Holmes Further Reading Index

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Book SynopsisAs seen on This MorningThere was a time when I loved my mother. It's shocking to imply that I stopped loving her because mothers always love their children and always do their best for them. Mothers are supposed to be good. But my mother wasn't good.Ten years ago, Helen Naylor discovered her mother, Elinor, had been faking debilitating illnesses for thirty years. After Elinor's self-induced death, Helen found her diaries, which Elinor wrote daily for over fifty years. The diaries reveal not only the inner workings of Elinor's twisted mind and self-delusion, but also shocking revelations about Helen's childhood.Everything Helen knew about herself and her upbringing was founded on a lie. The unexplained accidents and days spent entirely on her own as a little girl, imagining herself climbing into the loft and disappearing into a different world, tell a story of neglect. As a teenager, her mother's advice to Helen on her body and mental health speaks of dangerous manipulation.With Elinor's behaviour becoming increasingly destructive, and Helen now herself a mother, she was left with a stark choice: to collude with Elinor's lies or be accused of abandoning her. My Mother, Munchausen's and Me is a heart-breaking, honest and brave account of a daughter unravelling the truth about her mother and herself. It's a story of a stolen childhood, mental illness, and the redemptive power of breaking a complex and toxic bond.What readers are saying about My Mother, Munchausen's and Me:'An absolute roller coaster ride of emotions!!!!... heartbreaking... clear your schedules as you won't be able to put it down. It will leave you absolutely shocked ... If you read one biography this year make sure this is the one!!!... I LOVED it.' Bookworm86'I cannot even. Absolutely blew my mind... cried buckets of tears.' NetGalley reviewer'Wow just wow... fascinating... heart wrenching... absolutely unreal... My heart absolutely broke for Helen... incredibly moving.' Booksandcoffeewithlexi'Absolutely amazing. I was hooked from the first page!... gave so many insights and relatable experiences... such a good book!' Goodreads reviewer'A fascinating account.' The Times'I devoured this book in a couple sittings as I was captivated right from the beginning... gripping.' Goodreads reviewer'I seriously don't know where to start... I'm absolutely staggered... astounding and heartbreaking.' Book.lover67'My heart broke... I was hooked throughout this entire read...emotional and eye opening.' Goodreads reviewer'Genuinely left me flabbergasted.... It was a complete page turner... really opens your eyes.' Goodreads reviewer'Wow. I did not want to put this down...consumed much of my thoughts in the past few days...what a powerful story.' Bitesbooksbrews'Eye opening...difficult to put down...wonderful.' Little Miss Book Lover 87

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Book Synopsis**THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER**'Astonishing... precisely crafted, emotionally-sucker-punching prose.' Daily Telegraph'Dangerous, immediate and lyrical from the jump.' Wall Street JournalHOLLYWOOD PARK is a remarkable memoir of a tumultuous life. Mikel Jollett was born into one of the country's most infamous cults, and subjected to a childhood filled with poverty, addiction, and emotional abuse. Yet, ultimately, his is a story of fierce love and family loyalty told in a raw, poetic voice that signals the emergence of a uniquely gifted writer.Mikel Jollett was born in an experimental commune in California, which later morphed into the Church of Synanon, one of the country's most infamous and dangerous cults. Per the leader's mandate, all children, including Jollett and his older brother, were separated from their parents when they were six months old, and handed over to the cult's 'School'. After spending years in what was essentially an orphanage, Mikel escaped the cult one morning with his mother and older brother. But in many ways, life outside Synanon was even harder and more erratic. In his raw, poetic and powerful voice, Jollett portrays a childhood filled with abject poverty, trauma, emotional abuse, delinquency and the lure of drugs and alcohol. Raised by a clinically depressed mother, tormented by his angry older brother, subjected to the unpredictability of troubled step-fathers and longing for contact with his father, a former heroin addict and ex-con, Jollett slowly, often painfully, builds a life that leads him to Stanford University and, eventually, to finding his voice as a writer and musician, forming the band The Airborne Toxic Event.Trade ReviewAstonishing detail . . . precisely crafted, emotionally-sucker-punching prose. * Daily Telegraph *A moving and often lyrical account of a fraught, precarious life. * The Sunday Times *Dangerous, immediate and lyrical from the jump. * Wall Street Journal *A Gen-X This Boy's Life . . . Music and his fierce brilliance boost Jollett; a visceral urge to leave his background behind propels him to excel . . . In the end, Jollett shakes off the past to become the captain of his own soul. Hollywood Park is a triumph. * O, The Oprah Magazine *Jollett has an innate sensitivity and eye for detail. You sense that any novel he'd write would be a good one, a Denis Johnson-esque tale rife with drifters and drugs . . . He recognizes literature as what the critic Kenneth Burke called equipment for living. * Washington Post *Far from your standard rock autobiography, and no wonder: Jollett was born into a violent cult and overcame a chaotic youth. * New York Times, New & Noteworthy *An absorbing, emotional read * Salon *Remarkable * Huffington Post, 10 of the Most Anticipated Book Releases of May *Deals with addiction, religious fanaticism, and abuse. But there's also loyalty, raw love, and a poetic voice that prevails throughout the horror. * Good Housekeeping *Fascinating * New York Post *...an exquisitely deep and moving tale of transformation and the search for love. * People Magazine, Book of the Week *Steeped in tenderness and cruelty, Hollywood Park is a testament to the power of imagination and storytelling in deconstructing trauma. Jollett paints an achingly honest portrait of his family in glittering, urgent prose. I felt their darkness and their poetry in my bones. * Jessica Andrews, author of Saltwater *Jollett was raised from childhood in a cult, brought up under the leaders of Synanon. With stunning clarity, he tells of his mother's escapes and the subsequent trials his family endured. * Newsweek 40 Must-Read Fiction And Nonfiction Books To Savor This Spring *Hollywood Park is amazing. Mikel Jollett takes the shards of a broken childhood - imagine a life where escaping from a violent cult is somehow not a path to safety - and makes it a universal story of the struggle to find connection in a brutally beautiful world. His story zigs where you think it's going to zag, and even the most irredeemable characters somehow surprise us with their tenacity. It's a complicated story with a simple payoff: this is how the light gets in, this is how an artist gets made. * Glen David Gold, author of Carter Beats the Devil *Engaging and heartbreaking. A good choice for fans of memoirs about overcoming dysfunctional childhoods like Educated and The Glass Castle. * Booklist *A story of fierce love and family loyalty. * Good Morning America, 20 Books We're Excited for in 2020 *The frontman of rock band Airborne Toxic Event chronicles, in gorgeous and exacting lyricism, his harrowing coming-of-age within (and eventual escape from) the Church of Synanon, a violent religious cult. * O, The Oprah Magazine, The 30 Most Anticipated Books of 2020 (so Far) *Jollett's story serves as a potent reminder that while we cannot change the hand we're dealt, our freedom lies in what we choose to do with those cards. * Adrienne Brodeur, author of Wild Game, The Millions *A painstaking emotional accounting of a tortured youth ultimately redeemed through music, therapy, and love. * Kirkus, Starred Review *Jollett engagingly narrates his story . . . result[ing] in a shocking but contemplative memoir about the aftermath of an unhealthy upbringing. * Publishers Weekly, Starred Review *

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Book Synopsis'What a fantastic read, but not for the faint-hearted!' MARTINA COLE'True crime has never been more female - or more deadly.' KIMBERLEY CHAMBERS'Admired and respected by the men who worked with her, she is the real deal.' FREDDIE FOREMANIf you think you know everything about the East End's toughest gangsters, think again.Meet Linda Calvey, aka the Black Widow.Growing up after the war in the East End of London, Linda falls in with local gangsters including the Krays, Freddie Foreman and Ronnie Cook. When the love of her life, Mickey Calvey, is gunned down on a job gone wrong, Linda resolves to carry on his work.But in 1990, after years of living in fear of her lover Ronnie Cook, Linda finds herself accused of his murder alongside Danny Reece, in a trial that shocks the nation. Still, Linda sticks to her code of honour, refusing to confess. Until now...After 18 years behind bars alongside notorious names including Rose West and Myra Hindley, she is released.This is the final truth about her life and what happened the day Ronnie Cook was murdered.Trade Review'What a fantastic read, but not for the faint-hearted!' MARTINA COLE; 'True crime has never been more female - or more deadly.' KIMBERLEY CHAMBERS; 'Admired and respected by the men who worked with her, she is the real deal.' FREDDIE FOREMAN

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Book SynopsisThe Sunday Times Top 10 Bestseller'There is time and then there is Broadmoor time.' Broadmoor. Few place names in the world have such chilling resonance. For over 150 years, it has contained the UK's most violent, dangerous and psychopathic. Since opening as an asylum for the criminally insane in 1863 it has housed the perpetrators of many of the most shocking crimes in history; including Jack the Ripper suspect James Kelly, serial killers Peter Sutcliffe (the Yorkshire Ripper), John Straffen and Kenneth Erskine, armed robber Charles Bronson, gangster Ronnie Kray, and cannibal Peter Bryan. The truth about what goes on behind the Victorian walls of the high security hospital has largely remained a mystery, but now with unprecedented access TV journalist Jonathan Levi and cultural historian Emma French paint a vivid picture of life at Broadmoor, after nearly a decade observing and speaking to those on the inside. Including interviews with the staff, its experts and the patients themselves, Inside Broadmoor is the most comprehensive study of the institution to-date. Published at the dawn of a new era for the hospital, this is the full story of Broadmoor's past, present and future and a dark but enlightening journey into the minds of Britain's most dangerous and how they are treated.

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Book SynopsisTHE GRIPPING TRUE STORY OF A MURDER WHICH HAUNTED CANADA AND BECAME A RALLYING CRY FOR JUSTICE''If you were hooked on the Serial podcast, then you need to order this now'' RedLonglisted for the Crime Writers'' Association ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-FictionTina FontaineA fifteen-year-old runaway living on the streets of Winnipeg. When her body was found weighted down in the Red River, she became yet another example of the endemic violence against Indigenous women. But her death sparked a nationwide protest. Sergeant John O''DonovanThe police detective who forced the media to look at Tina differently. Vowing to deliver justice, he plotted an extraordinary undercover sting that stretched the moral boundaries of the law and obsessed him for years.Joanna JollyAn award-winning journalist whose investigation into Tina''s death took her to the prison cell of the murder suspect, theFTrade ReviewWith exacting detail, BBC reporter Joanna Jolly recounts Tina's sometimes tragic life story, her shocking death, the complex police investigation and the detective determined to find her killer. If you were hooked on the Serial podcast, then you need to pre-order this now. -- Sarra Manning * Red Magazine *Written with the urgency of a thriller, this book uses the tragic death of one girl to expose scandalous levels of violence against Canada's indigenous female population. A shocking story of invisibility, neglect and moral failure on the part of one of the world's most advanced democracies. * Joan Smith, bestselling author of Misogynies *Jolly's gripping, moving and timely book is a true crime classic. In illuminating the story of a single tragic murder, Jolly shines a much needed light on the shocking disappearance and murder of indigenous women across North America. A vital, urgent and humane work. * Melanie McGrath, author of The Long Exile *Joanna Jolly recreates Tina's life and the investigation into her death. It starkly assesses the lack of protection and child services for indigenous children and reveals the sexual exploitation of a community in a country that prides itself on its liberal and supportive values -- Francesca Brown * Stylist *This is a really important book to read . . . Jolly's skill is to show that this is a deeply embedded problem . . . But she presents all this detailed information in a way to keep you reading, because she is fully aware behind all the problems there are people - people who are important and deserve considerably more. All intelligent adults should read this book to become aware of the depth of the problem and the need to do more. This might be concentrating on Canada, but similar levels of violence and abuse can develop in communities all over the world if regular and respectful communities are allowed to collapse. -- Hilary White * NB Magazine *

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Book SynopsisThe gritty prison memoir of Michaella McCollum, one half of the infamous 'Peru Two', imprisoned in a Peruvian jail for attempting to smuggle 11kg of cocaine from Peru to Madrid in August 2013. She was just a regular girl, spending the summer working at a bar in Ibiza, until she was approached by a man who asked her if she'd like to make some quick, easy money...and it would change her life forever. This is the truth of her time in prison, told through her own diaries and letters to her mother, family and friends, recounting tales of vicious guards, psychotic inmates and horrendous prison conditions.A brilliantly affecting tale of a naïve young girl who starts out in the Ibiza party scene and comes of age in the dark heart of Peru, before finally emerging into the sun a stronger, more confident, mature young woman.Trade ReviewRiveting * The Times *

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Book SynopsisIn the autumn of 1888, a series of grisly murders took place in Whitechapel in London's East End, the Abyss, the Ghetto, the City of Eternal Night. The Whitechapel murderer, arguably the first of his kind, was never caught but the killings gave rise to the best known pen-name in criminal history Jack the Ripper. The Whitechapel killer was terrifyingly real but Jack was the creation of Fleet Street, the gallows humour of a newspaper hack whose sole aim in life was to sell newspapers. And where the Dear Boss' letter, with its trade name' signature led, thousands followed. This book is not about the world's first serial killer but about the sick, the perverted, the twisted souls who put pen to paper purporting to be the killer or suggested ever more lurid ways in which he could be caught. Innocent men were put in the frame by Victorian trouble-makers who would be perfectly at home with today's Internet trolls, pointing cruel fingers in almost perfect anonymity. The book takes the l

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Book SynopsisThe classic, bestselling account of the infamous Kray twins, now a major film, starring Tom Hardy.Reggie and Ronnie Kray ruled London's gangland during the 60s with a ruthlessness and viciousness that shocks even now. Building an empire of organised crime that has never been matched, the brothers swindled, extorted and terrorised while enjoying a glittering celebrity status at the heart of the swinging 60s scene, until their downfall and imprisonment for life.Trade Review'The most famous biography of criminal life to have been published in Britain…a cult’ Time Out 'All credit to Mr. Pearson for a brave and disturbing book' Daily Express 'A scrupulous dossier of the Krays’ weird career' Daily Telegraph 'An exciting read' The Times 'Extremely well written and fittingly dead-pan' New Statesman

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Book SynopsisGrimly fascinating engrossing' Daily Mail NINE HISTORIC CRIMES. ONE FAMILIAR OBSESSION.In early modern England, murder truly was most foul. Trials were gossipy events packed to the rafters with noisome spectators. Executions were public proceedings which promised not only gore, but desperate confessions and the grandest, most righteous human drama. Bookshops saw grisly stories of crime and death sell like hot cakes.This history unfolds the true stories of murder, criminal investigation, early forensic techniques, high court trials and so much more.In thrilling narrative, we follow a fugitive killer through the streets of London, citizen detectives clamouring to help officials close the net. We untangle the mystery of a suspected staged suicide through the newly emerging science of forensic pathology. We see a mother trying to clear her dead daughter's name while other women faced the accusations sometimes true and sometimes not of murdering their own children.These stories are pieceTrade Review Praise for Great and Horrible News: ‘Grimly fascinating…vivid detail… The early moderns were obsessed by stories of death, crime and justice,’ Adams states in her introduction. Her book, which covers the two centuries between 1500 and 1700, proves her point with a succession of grisly but engrossing cases’ Daily Mail ‘A true crime treat from former police officer Blessin Adams. Great and Horrible News looks at what we can learn from early modern Britain when it comes to justice and criminality’ Janice Hallett ‘Bleakly fascinating . . . police investigator turned academic Blessin Adams explores nine historic crimes . . . stimulating non-fiction’ Independent, BEST BOOKS OF MARCH ‘This gory history of crime shows that our obsession with lurid podcasts is nothing new . . . Adams, a police officer turned historian, has poured over coroners’ inquest records, court documents, pamphlets, newspaper articles, parish archives, ballads, wills, letters and diaries to restage nine grim stories of crime in England between 1500 and 1700. As an ex-copper, Adams is greatly interested in developments in forensic pathology in this period, which are superbly reconstructed from the sources’ The Times ‘Perfect for fans of true-crime, this is a bone-chilling and brilliantly researched account of murder, cruelty, and scandal in Tudor and Stuart Britain. I couldn’t put it down, but I sincerely regret reading it alone in the countryside. A fantastic debut’ Gareth Russell, author of Young and Damned and Fair ‘At once an intriguing true crime examination of historical crime and a sociological dive into Britain’s history, Adams does a stellar job of introducing a nonet of little-known crimes, running the gamut from suicide to child abuse to murder, that while not for the faint of heart, quickly become engrossing to read’ Set the Tape

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Book SynopsisThe shocking true story of one of Britain's most secretive, groundbreaking and successful police covert operationsBristol, 1979.An attacker roams the streetsYoung women are warned not to go out aloneEnter the Decoys.?For several years, a prolific predator haunted Bristol. Avon and Somerset Police had tried all their usual tactics to catch the Clifton Rapist', and public pressure was mounting.In 1979, a daring new plan was introduced, unlike anything previously attempted by a UK police force. A small group of young female officers some aged just 18 put their lives on the line, walking the quiet residential roads late at night, acting as bait.Drawing on in-depth research and first-hand interviews with the women at the heart of the operation, Decoy is a dramatic retelling of one of the most groundbreaking agent provocateur stings in British history.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A beguiling tale of espionage and double-dealing in the years leading up to World War II. . . . Drabkin’s expertly narrated yarn, based on a trove of recently declassified documents, is constantly surprising, and it’s just the thing for thriller fans who enjoy kindred fictions of the Alan Furst variety. Strap in for a narrative that demands a suspension of disbelief—and richly rewards it." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "[H]istorian Drabkin debuts with a riveting account of Frederick Rutland (1886–1949), a British WWI hero who spied for the Japanese on the eve of WWII. As a celebrated naval aviator . . . Rutland developed a taste for publicity and a lifestyle beyond his reach. Overlooked in the peacetime British military, he offered his services to the Japanese Navy . . . The Japanese later helped Rutland relocate to Los Angeles to spy on the U.S. Navy and develop an agent network. With the Japanese government funding his lavish lifestyle, he rubbed elbows with the most famous English actors in Hollywood at the time, including Alan Mowbray and Boris Karloff, . . . and Charlie Chaplin, whose former butler Toraichi Kono became a key player in Japan’s espionage network. . . . Drabkin writes with a novelist’s flair, roving between far-flung ritzy settings (Hollywood, London, Tokyo) and notable personages (from J. Edgar Hoover to Amelia Earhart). Readers will be swept up." — Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Thanks to recently declassified FBI files, Drabkin discovered why the UK, US, and Japan would prefer to keep their dealings with Frederick Rutland, aka 'Agent Shinkawa,' secret forever. . . . The life of a spy has never seemed so addictive or harrowing. Drabkin takes an evenhanded approach, portraying Rutland as complicated—equal parts hero and villain. This winning and dramatic biography pierces the veil of secrecy surrounding historical events." — Booklist “A rip-roaring ride through the world of espionage and the tortured existence of a deeply flawed man who spent years of his life trying to redeem himself. Drabkin makes the biggest moments of the 20th century come vividly alive through his storytelling.” — Kate Andersen Brower, New York Times bestselling author of The Residence and First Women “An incredible story of British WWI hero ‘Rutland of Jutland’ and his fascinating life spying for Japan before WWII. Frederick Rutland traveled the world and mingled with Hollywood celebrities, all while the FBI, MI5, and the Office of Naval Intelligence watched him closely. A reminder of a lesson learned long before 9/11 that when law enforcement agencies, intelligence agencies, and allies do not work together, the consequences can be deadly.” — Jeffrey Trussler, vice admiral (retired) US Navy and former director of Naval Intelligence “What a fascinating tale this is—of espionage, of aviation, of heroism and betrayal, of class boundaries in the US and the UK. It is a dramatic story from the pre–World War II era with resonance today.” — James Fallows, National Book Award–winning author of National Defense and former White House staffer “Beverly Hills Spy is an unforgettable story—class politics, the interim between World Wars, heroes, traitors, espionage—set among the backdrop of Golden Age Hollywood. Readers will be shocked to learn the untold tale of Frederick Rutland, and the instrumental role he played in the attack on Pearl Harbor.” — Kirk Wallace Johnson, author of The Feather Thief and The Fishermen and the Dragon “Expertly researched and written with flair, Beverly Hills Spy sheds fresh light on how one of the 20th century’s greatest cataclysms came to pass. Centered on the morally murky exploits of a war hero who loved the high life too much, Ronald Drabkin’s book crackles with rich details about the paranoia and misunderstandings that poisoned relations between the United States and Japan. All narrative history should be this revelatory, and this compelling.” — Brendan I. Koerner, author of The Skies Belong to Us and Now the Hell Will Start "A masterpiece of espionage nonfiction, Beverly Hills Spy takes readers through the exploits of famed aviation pioneer Frederick Rutland. But was Rutland a hero or traitor? Ronald Drabkin’s take on the story is filled with intrigue that will leave readers guessing why one of the greatest naval aviators of all time decided to help the Japanese Navy's attack on Pearl Harbor and how Rutland was connected to WWII secrets of Hollywood’s elite." — Brett Velicovich, author of Drone Warrior and Fox News contributor “By using previously overlooked sources from three countries, Ronald Drabkin reveals the compelling story of one of the early twentieth century’s most important yet least-known spies. Frederick Rutland’s story carries important lessons about the nature of intelligence gathering in peacetime—and how it can be combatted. It also raises questions about how governments can best protect their secrets while preserving and protecting civil rights, even in wartime.” — Bradley W. Hart, author of Hitler’s American Friends: The Third Reich’s Supporters in the United States

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Book SynopsisFor nearly five years, he was known as the ''Darling Of Las Vegas''; the biggest high roller to hit Sin City in decades, a hotshot, twenty one year-old kid with a seemingly unlimited bankroll and an even more unlimited lust for big money action. His name was Semyon Dukatch, and stories swirled in his wake. Some said he was a Russian arms dealer, others a pop star from Eastern Europe. But the truth was even more unlikely: he was a twenty-one year old graduate student who had a plan that would one day make him richer than anyone could possibly imagine. The Darling of Las Vegas quickly became a legend in the casino world. He is the only person banned from the island of Aruba. He was held, at gunpoint, in a cave in Monte Carlo and told that if he ever returned, he''d be murdered. And he made millions of dollars playing blackjack, using three simple techniques that gave him the edge, techniques that are revealed in this book for the first time.This is his story, the ultimTrade ReviewRiveting . . . [Mezrich has] become a master at delivering fast-paced, tightly structured narratives that keep readers engaged every step of the way. . . Most impressive . . . What [Mezrich has] done, beautifully, is craft a riveting story about kids with excess brainpower taking on casinos with excess money. He has penned a gripping true-life adventure that will keep you reading well past your bedtime * Boston Globe *A very enjoyable read that makes you feel like you're right there in Vegas playing along. Semyon's story is a fascinating, true life adventure -- Kevin SpaceyVery stylish and captivating. . . Mezrich brilliantly captures the tension and excitement. . . A must read at all costs * Daily Mirror *Glamorous, exciting and true, it's a tale to send the Oceans Eleven back to bussing tables for tips * Arena *It's fast paced and believable, but does it really tell you how to win at blackjack? To find out, you'll have to buy the book, a small price to pay for the thousands you could make * Daily Express *

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Book SynopsisMichael Griesbach is a veteran prosecutor in the state of Wisconsin where the events recounted in his book occurred. He wrote The Innocent Killer as a challenge to the system. He hopes to leave readers better informed about the inner workings of the criminal justice system and more concerned about those whose lives it deeply affects. He worked on the case to overturn Steven Avery's original rape conviction and has reviewed all of the evidence in the Teresa Halbach case, to produce a work of non-fiction that will make you think again. He lives in North Eastern Wisconsin with his wife Jody and their four children.Trade ReviewAn instant true-crime classic ... This shocking true story will be talked about, and argued about, for decades to come. * Burl Barer, Edgar Award-winning true crime author *A shocking example of what can happen when our justice system fails ... Griesbach's unflinching page-turner brings us closer to the truth. * Barry Scheck, Co-founder of the National Innocence Project *Destined to be one of this year's top true crime books. -- Kimberley Cantrell * True Crime Book Reviews *The Innocent Killer is about tragedy, but it's also about hope. I survived my own personal nightmare when I was assaulted on the beach that day only to learn years later that I unwittingly played a starring role in someone else's ... We can't unring the bell of an injustice; we can't right the wrong. But we must joust with humility and learn from our mistakes — because to do anything less would be unforgivable. * Penny Beerntsen, crime survivor and restorative justice spokeswoman *

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Book Synopsis''Breaking Bad meets City of God'' Roberto Saviano, author of GomorrahHUSBAND. This is the story of an ordinary man who became the king of the largest slum in Rio, the head of a drug cartel and Brazil's most notorious criminal. FATHER. A man who tried to bring welfare and justice to a playground of gang culture and destitution, while everyone around him drew guns and partied. DRUG LORD. It's a story of gold-hunters and evangelical pastors, bent police and rich-kid addicts, politicians and drug lords and the battle for the beautiful but damned city of Rio. MOST WANTED CRIMINAL.Trade ReviewBreaking Bad meets City of God -- Roberto Savianofascinating dive into Brazil’s terrifying underworld, where the stakes are all or nothing...Nemesis reads like a fast-paced thriller -- James Hider * The Times *A fast-paced crime story that paints a vivid picture of life in the sprawling favelas -- Joe Leahy * Financial Times *A thrillingly vivid picture of another Rio… [Nemesis] confirms Glenny’s status as one of the most daring and original true-crime writers of today... A rich and riveting book -- Francis Wheen * Mail on Sunday *Glenny doesn’t just write books; he lives them -- John Kampfner * Guardian *gripping narrative of cocaine and slaughter -- Andreas Campomar * Spectator *A magnificent work of reportage by turns raw and courageous -- Ian Thomson * Evening Standard *A dynastic 50-year Shakespearean sweep of organised crime that manages to be both intimate and alarming -- John Kampfner * Observer *

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Book SynopsisAs a gun-wielding bank robber, Noel ''Razor'' Smith was top of the criminal tree, enjoying the excitement and benefits of a dangerous and adrenalin-filled career. But he''d also spent the greater part of his adult life in prison, an environment where respect and basic survival were guaranteed only to those prepared to use the most brutal violence. In his new book, Smith takes the story on from his highly acclaimed memoir A Few Kind Words and a Loaded Gun, and describes how he came to realize that the game wasn''t worth the candle. In his mid-forties he applied to enter Grendon, then the only prison in Britain offering intense therapeutic treatment to hardened criminals. He went from a brutal high-security prison, HMP Whitemoor, to an institution where he was encouraged to investigate just why his life had been given over to violence and crime. Smith paints an unforgettable portrait of the hardened and severely damaged inmates of Grendon, many of them guilty of famous crimes, and their attempts to turn round their lives. And in particular his own arduous five-year journey to re-enter society as a straight citizen.Trade ReviewA unique insight into how someone goes about changing the vile and destructive habits of a lifetime. A gripping read -- Will Self * The Times *Provocative, funny and thoughtful * Observer *It's saddening, angering and informative stuff * Metro *I can't put it down. Smith's accounts of life beyond the windowless walls [of prison] ... are chilling beyond belief -- Mark Ellen * Word *

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Book SynopsisHard man Ross Kemp journeys into dark heart of some of the most notorious gangs on earth in Gangs II.Ross Kemp once again squares up to the world''s deadliest gangsters in this breathtaking follow up to the bestselling Gangs. This time his travels take him as close to home as Liverpool and as far away as Colombia and East Timor. And the gangs he meets just get meaner: * Ross is tear-gassed investigating Polish Neo-Nazi football thugs * In Columbia he meets the Sicarios, who''ll kill for a few pesos * A gun is shoved in his face in Los Angeles * He''s shown how to make a crossbow in East TimorRisking his life, Ross Kemp goes deep into the realms of gangland culture, and in the nail-biting and jaw-dropping Gangs II, he meets some of the most frightening men in the world.''Frightening, disturbing'' Irish ExaminerRoss Kemp was born in Essex in 1964, to a father who was a senior detective w

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Book SynopsisIn 1144, the mutilated body of William of Norwich, a young apprentice leatherworker, was found abandoned outside the city''s walls. The boy bore disturbing signs of torture, and a story spread that it was a ritual murder, performed by Jews in imitation of the Crucifixion as a mockery of Christianity. The outline of William''s tale eventually gained currency far beyond Norwich, and the idea that Jews engaged in ritual murder became firmly rooted in the European imagination.E.M. Rose''s engaging book delves into the story of William''s murder and the notorious trial that followed to uncover the origin of the ritual murder accusation - known as the blood libel - in western Europe in the Middle Ages. Focusing on the specific historical context - 12th-century ecclesiastical politics, the position of Jews in England, the Second Crusade, and the cult of saints - and suspensefully unraveling the facts of the case, Rose makes a powerful argument for why the Norwich Jews (and particularly one JeTrade ReviewA landmark of historical research into the grotesque 800-year history of blood-libel accusations. * Wall Street Journal *Lucid and exhaustively researched * The Times Literary Supplement *A tremendous book. This is forensic historical reasoning allied to hugely readable storytelling: part murder mystery, part masterly thesis exploring a deeply unpleasant and sinister aspect of medieval culture, which is still of immense significance today. The Murder of William of Norwich is one the most stimulating pieces of serious historical storytelling I have read all year. * The Sunday Times *Our explanation for Jewish creativity is that Jews have learned from experience that the entire world can believe something that is demonstrably false, such as the blood libel. This fine book takes us back in time to what may have been the first false accusation that a Jew (or 'the Jews') killed a Christian to obtain his blood for ritual purposes. It explains, without justifying, how so many could be so wrong for so long. * Alan Dershowitz, author of Abraham: The World's First (But Certainly Not Last) Jewish Lawyer *E.M. Rose's book on the murder of William of Norwich is a breathtaking work of revision that addresses one of the central questions in the history of Christian/Jewish relations in the Middle Ages, a topic of enormous relevance in the contemporary world and one around which there is considerable scholarly contestation. The book is a brilliant piece of historical investigation and a marvelous read as well. * Gabrielle Spiegel, Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of History, Johns Hopkins University *The storytelling by this first-time author is quite voluble, with the pen of a master narrator. The text is never boring, picking up new lines just when the old ones had run their course. A brilliant entry by this author, leaving us wanting a next book soon. * Huffington Post *The Murder of William of Norwich is a sweeping revision of an influential scholarly story. Anyone who works on twelfth-century England, Anglo-Jewish history, or medieval and later antisemitisms will have to contend with this book. It is a significant accomplishment. * Adrienne Williams Boyarin, American Historical Review *The book is lively, well-written, and consistently interesting.Table of ContentsPart 1: The Monk, the Knight, the Bishop and the Banker Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: The Discovery of a Dead Body Chapter 3: Background: Civil War and Crusade Chapter 4: The Trial Chapter 5: The Narrative Part 2: The Earl, the Count, the Abbot, and the King Introduction Chapter 6: Gloucester Chapter 7: Blois Chapter 8: Bury St. Edmunds Chapter 9: Paris Chapter 10: Conclusion

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Book SynopsisDiscover the incredible true adventures of Molly the pet detective dog!''Barking brilliant. Really heartwarming . . . the reunions with runaway pets will bring a lump to any throat'' Daily Mail________Missing cat? Molly the pet detective is on the case. Molly the cocker spaniel spent the first years of her life unloved and unwanted. But her life changed forever when Colin, Head of the UK Pet Detectives, spotted her on a rescue page. With her big heart, intelligence and incredible sense of smell, Molly was a natural pet detective, assisting Colin as he travelled across the country reuniting beloved missing cats with their grateful owners. Molly has also tracked down stolen dogs, survived a deadly snake bite in the line of duty, and even unearthed hidden treasure - there''s never a dull day in the life of a dog detective! This is the heart-warming true story of how with love and devotiTrade ReviewThe real life pet detective * Sunday Mirror *A quintessentially British story full of eccentric characters and everyday heroes * Surrey Life *A thoroughly enjoyably read. Colin's writing style makes you feel like you are alongside them . . . It was fascinating to read about the amazing reunions that may not have happened if not for Colin and Molly, and also their relationship with each other * Dogs Monthly *In the past two-and-a-half years Molly - the UK's only pet detective - has helped reunite 86 missing cats with their desperate owners * Daily Express *A wonderful insight into some of their most dramatic rescues . . . Colin writes with an easy style that will have you hooked from day one * Cat World *The pet detective hunting designer dognappers * Daily Telegraph *She's a real Sherlock Bones * Real People *Don't be fooled by her big brown eyes - Molly the cocker spaniel is actually a crime fighter - and the partner of former policeman turned detective Colin Butcher. He recounts the story of how the rescue dog became a super sleuth * Best *The real-life pet detective * Sunday Mirror *In the past two-and-a-half years Molly - the UK's only canine pet detective - has helped reunite 86 missing cats with their desperate owners * Daily Express *The story of a cocker spaniel who thanks to the love and devotion of her owner, finds a new life, a new purpose and a forever friend * Sunday Express *A wonderful insight into some of their most dramatic rescues . . . Colin writes with an easy style that will have you hooked from page one * Cat World *Pet detective Molly the cocker spaniel is a feline's best friend and always ready to help . . . now [owner] Colin has written a book about their adventures * Waitrose Weekend *Will take readers along some of the most dramatic pet rescues Colin and Molly have performed * Watford Observer *

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Book SynopsisThe mysterious is all around us...UFOs, extraterrestrial encounters, baffling disappearances-Mysteries Uncovered investigates, without prejudice, some of the most notorious, disturbing and enduring mysteries ever recorded.- UFO activity: the Roswell Incident, the Phoenix Lights, the Rendlesham Incident...- Alien abduction: the Barney and Betty Hill case...- Uncanny events: the missing crew of the Marie Celeste, the lost colony of Roanoke, the fate of Amelia Earhart...- Notorious disappearances: the cases of Lord Lucan and D.B. Cooper... For every instance rationalized away, there is another that defies explanation...

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Book SynopsisBadfellas is the definitive account by Ireland''s most respected crime writer and journalist, Paul Williams, of how organized crime evolved in Ireland over the past four decades.Drawing on his vast inside knowledge of the criminal underworld, an unparalleled range of contacts and eye witness interviews, Williams provides a chilling insight into the godfathers and events - that have dominated gangland since the late 1960s.Until the explosion of paramilitary violence in the 1970s, Ireland was a criminal backwater. However, petty criminals with dreams of the big time were quick to emulate the ruthless actions of the subversives. Organized crime took hold in Ireland and soon armed robberies, kidnappings and murder became commonplace.After the introduction of heroin to Ireland by Dublin''s Dunne family in the late 1970s, there was no going back. Badfellas traces how the hugely lucrative drug trade that then emerged led to the gang wars that have corTrade ReviewPaul Williams is the outstanding journalist of his generation * Joe Duffy, RTÉ *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA fascinating read -- Seán O'Rourke * Today with Seán O'Rourke, RTÉ *Explosive * Irish Sunday Mirror *

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Book SynopsisFrom a New York Times bestselling author comes the gripping, untold history of science's darkest secrets, 'a fascinating book [that] deserves a wide audience' (Publishers Weekly, starred review).Science is a force for good in the world—at least usually. But sometimes, when obsession gets the better of scientists, they twist a noble pursuit into something sinister. Under this spell, knowledge isn’t everything, it’s the only thing—no matter the cost. Bestselling author Sam Kean tells the true story of what happens when unfettered ambition pushes otherwise rational men and women to cross the line in the name of science, trampling ethical boundaries and often committing crimes in the process.The Icepick Surgeon masterfully guides the reader across two thousand years of history, beginning with Cleopatra’s dark deeds in ancient Egypt. The book reveals the origins of much of modern science in the transatlantic slave trade of the 1700s, as well as Thomas Edison’s mercenary support of the electric chair and the warped logic of the spies who infiltrated the Manhattan Project. But the sins of science aren’t all safely buried in the past. Many of them, Kean reminds us, still affect us today. We can draw direct lines from the medical abuses of Tuskegee and Nazi Germany to current vaccine hesitancy, and connect icepick lobotomies from the 1950s to the contemporary failings of mental-health care. Kean even takes us into the future, when advanced computers and genetic engineering could unleash whole new ways to do one another wrong.Unflinching, and exhilarating to the last page, The Icepick Surgeon fuses the drama of scientific discovery with the illicit thrill of a true-crime tale. With his trademark wit and precision, Kean shows that, while science has done more good than harm in the world, rogue scientists do exist, and when we sacrifice morals for progress, we often end up with neither.

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Book SynopsisA real-life thriller in the vein of The Devil in the White City, Kate Winkler Dawson''s debut Death in the Air is a gripping, historical narrative of a serial killer, an environmental disaster, and an iconic city struggling to regain its footing. London was still recovering from the devastation of World War II when another disaster hit: for five long days in December 1952, a killer smog held the city firmly in its grip and refused to let go. Day became night, mass transit ground to a halt, criminals roamed the streets, and some 12,000 people died from the poisonous air. But in the chaotic aftermath, another killer was stalking the streets, using the fog as a cloak for his crimes. All across London, women were going missing--poor women, forgotten women. Their disappearances caused little alarm, but each of them had one thing in common: they had the misfortune of meeting a quiet, unassuming man, John Reginald Christie, who invited them back to his de

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Book SynopsisFor decades osteopathic physician Larry Nassar built a sterling reputation as the go-to doctor for America''s Olympians while treating hundreds of others at his office on Michigan State University''s campus. Parents and coaches entrusted their children to Nassar''s care-only for him to use that trust to manipulate and sexually abuse hundreds of girls and young women under the guise of medical treatment.In Start by Believing, John Barr and Dan Murphy confront Nassar''s acts, as well as the epic institutional failures and individuals who enabled him--failures whose consequences continue to play out in the legal system. It is an account of a corrupted culture with rules and rituals all its own: the dysfunctional and high-pressured world of club level and elite gymnastics, where young girls are trained in atmospheres of fear and intimidation; a world where Larry Nassar was protected by enablers more interested in an institution''s image than the well-being of young people

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Book SynopsisThis is the story of an international group of drug smugglers, their criminal success and the hunt to bring them to justice. There were sixteen of them, from America, Britain, Australia and Thailand, and together they were called ''The Ring''. They first began exporting marijuana in the aftermath of the Vietnam war, and over the years they smuggled vast shipments into the USA and Europe, becoming multi-millionaires in the process. In 1988, they decided to carry out one final heist that would ensure they could retire forever. However, they were intercepted by the police, and the key Ring members all had to flee to avoid being arrested. With unlimited money at their disposal and contacts in all parts of the globe, they were the ultimate fugitives. Tracking them down would call for a fifteen-year international manhunt. Tony Thompson describes their rise, fall and eventual capture in a thrilling, fast-paced true crime adventure.Trade ReviewPraise for Tony Thompson:'Fascinating' Observer'Detailed and thoroughly riveting' Herald'Thompson goes down the mean streets so we don't have to' Word * Reviews *

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Book SynopsisMurderer, philanthropist, drug dealer, politician, devil, saint: many words have been used to describe Pablo Escobar, but one is irrefutable - legend. For the poor of Colombia, he was their Robin Hood, a man whose greatness lay not in his crimes, but in his charity; for the Colombian rich he was just a bloodthirsty gangster, a Bogie Man used to scare children in their beds; for the rest of the world flush with his imported cocaine, he was public enemy number one. During his reign as the world''s most notorious outlaw, he ordered the murder of thousands - at one point even bombing a passenger jet - smuggled drugs into the US in mini-submarines inspired by Bond films, was elected to parliament, staged midnight escapes through the jungle from whole army battalions, built his own prison, consorted with presidents, controlled an estimated fortune of over $20 billion, and for over 3 years outwitted the secret American forces sent to kill him. His ambition was as boundless as his violence, aTrade ReviewTold with a cool reserve... Escobar's life makes for a grim, ensnaring tale. * Kirkus Reviews *Jaw-dropping... Roberto's portrait of his brother is an important corrective * Misha Glenny, The Sunday Times *More eye-opening than a line of coke * Melanie McGrath, Evening Standard *Escobar led such an extraordinary life that the narrative is always absorbing. * Independent *Authoritative . . . remarkable. * Daily Express *

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Book SynopsisJohn Follain, who covers Italy for the Sunday Times, tells the definitive inside story of this extraordinary case.Trade ReviewA gripping read: a balanced, detailed account that allows the reader to respond to the central question: did they or didn't they?... It's hard to imagine there will be a better book on the subject. * Tobias Jones, The Observer *an excellent account of the tragedy and the very Italian drama that followed. * Stephen Robinson, The Sunday Times - a Sunday Times 'MUST READ' *In a case as familiar as this has become, it is surprising to go over it from the start ... (DEATH IN PERUGIA) does a good job of reminding us that amid the reams of print and reel are human lives; some innocent and some guilty, but all irreparably disfigured by this horribly sad story. * Ed Cumming, The Daily Telegraph *I've been absorbed all week by ... the enthralling, soon to be best seller, I'm sure, DEATH IN PERUGIA. * Paul Holmes, The New Zealand Herald *A fascinating book. * Ray D'Arcy, Today FM, Dublin *A hot-off-the press account of the riveting murder trial of American student Amanda Knox, accused with her boyfriend and a drifter of killing her flatmate Meredith Kercher. * The Newcastle Herald *I was very much in the grip of this book. For two days I didn't switch on the TV ... Follain's account will trouble you for days. * William Leith, The Evening Standard *Follain's impartiality works beautifully ... Follain always manages to bring humanity to the book in between the gory detail. * Tim Ellis, www.suite101.com, Vancouver *A riveting account of the whole affair, from the murder and trial to the electrifying appeals-court decision ... a vivid portrait of the woman at the center of it all ... Follain's book, based on hundreds of interviews and enriched by his unique access to the complete case files, is remarkably objective and fair-minded to all parties involved. * The Wall Street Journal, on A DEATH IN ITALY *The British journalist John Follain has drawn upon the transcripts of Knox's lengthy trial and hundreds of interviews to give what may be the definitive account of the case. It's an ugly, confusing story but one he relates with clarity, compassion and a wealth of fascinating detail...Follain's account of this saga is gripping. * The Washington Post on A DEATH IN ITALY *

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Book SynopsisThe fascinating story of the first ever railway murderTrade Review(A) thrilling book, which reads at times like a good Victorian novel... an utterly compelling did-he-do-it * Sunday Times *Deploying her skill as a historian, Colquhoun turns a single curious murder case into a fascinatingly quirky portrait of the underside of mid-Victorian London. I found it unputdownable * Daily Telegraph *Kate Colquhoun is a fine, robust writer who makes the most of its every twist and turn * Mail on Sunday *With a storyteller's instinct for colour and suspense Kate Colquhoun has brilliantly recreated the five-month period from Thomas Briggs' death to Muller's execution * Daily Express *Kate Colquhoun's irreproachable unpicking of the case is meticulous, patient, thorough and measured * Independent *

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Book SynopsisIn 2009 John Safran, a controversial Australian journalist, spent an uneasy few days interviewing one of Mississippi''s most notorious white supremacists. A year later, he hears that the man has been murdered by a young black man. But this is far from a straightforward race killing. Safran flies back to Mississippi in a bid to discover what really happened, immersing himself in a world of clashing white separatists, black lawyers, police investigators, oddball neighbours and the killer himself. In the end, he discovers just how profoundly complex the truth about someone''s life - and death - can be.A brilliantly innovative true-crime story. Safran paints an engrossing and revealing portrait of race, money, sex and power in the modern American South. ''John Safran''s captivating inquiry into a murder in darkest Mississippi is by turns informative, frightening and hilarious'' - John Berendt, author of MiTrade ReviewFunny and gripping and wonderfully weird . . . It's a tremendous book. I can't praise it too highly * Louis Theroux *A hilarious and bizarre story that leads where you least expect it. John Safran has for years been one of my favourite journalists - forever pushing the boundaries, funny, startling, a hurricane * Jon Ronson, author of The Men Who Stare at Goats and The Psychopath Test *Stunning * Men's Style *A winning combination of memoir, true crime and gonzo journalism . . . a compulsive summer read * Sunday Mail *One of the best pieces of sustained, rigorous journalism I've read in twenty years. It is absolutely magnificent - smart, and wry, and emotional too * Caroline Overington *Witty, insightful, compelling - In Cold Blood for our generation * Eddie Perfect *The elegance of this book is that its axis is a resounding 'perhaps' . . . It is this moral ambivalence that draws readers to the true crime genre, and Safran nails it * Weekend Australian *[Safran] has written a marvellous book which I cannot put down * Melbourne Observer *Mississippi is like a trampoline for [Safran's] eccentricities. But the form and content of the story bring out an unfamiliar side of him * Sydney Morning Herald *John Safran's captivating inquiry into a murder in darkest Mississippi is by turns informative, frightening and hilarious. It is enlivened by a swarm of creepy locals and a torrent of astonishing details--such as hedge clippers put to surgical use in the performance of an official autopsy * John Berendt, author of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil *'Murder in Mississippi is a page turner' -- Felicity Garry, QC * The Times *Weaving a tale that is simultaneously about race, failed systems, money, sex, family and simple rage, Safran truly did lose a year in Mississippi, and getting lost with him is a joy * Kirkus reviews *

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Book SynopsisColleen Stan was a sweet-natured, lively twenty-year-old when she set out to hitchhike from her home in Washington to Southern California. Seven years later she emerged from hell, the victim of a bizarre and chilling crime. Cameron and Janice Hooker had literally made her their slave - and forced her to endure all of Cameron''s twisted sexual perversions.During these seven years the Hookers had two children, entertained their friends at home and held down jobs - while Colleen was held captive in a coffin-like box under their bed.This is also the story of Christine McGuire, a young, inexperienced deputy district attorney who prosecuted Cameron Hooker for kidnapping and successfully explained why Colleen - who had numerous chances to escape - stayed captive for so many years.Trade ReviewA gripping and disturbing story of the secret life of apparently normal people. At once horrific and engrossing -- Vincent Bugliosi, author of Helter SkelterUncomfortably compelling * Time Out *

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Book SynopsisEvan Ratliff is an award-winning journalist and the co-founder and former editor-in-chief of The Atavist Magazine. As a longtime contributor to Wired, The New Yorker, National Geographic, Outside, and other magazines, he has reported from around the globe on transnational crime, science and technology, the environment, terrorism, and corruption. He is a two-time finalist for the National Magazine Awards, and his writing has been selected for numerous Best American collections. His 2009 Wired story Vanish, about his attempt to disappear and the public's effort to find him, was selected by the magazine as one of the twenty best stories in its history. He also cohosts the acclaimed Longform podcast and was a founding editor of Pop-Up Magazine, a live journalism event that tours the United States. He is the co-author of Safe: The Race to Protect Ourselves in a Newly Dangerous World, about innovation and counterterrorism, and the editoTrade ReviewWith his relentless and fearless reporting, Evan Ratliff has pried open a hidden world filled with high-tech gangsters and drug kingpins and double-crossers and stone-cold hitmen. The story is as fascinating as it is terrifying, and one that will hold you in its grip. * David Grann, author of Killers of the Flower Moon and The Lost City of Z *One of the most prodigious criminal masterminds or modern times. Compelling... meticulously researched and written with a feverish intensity. A masterwork of investigative journalism. * Daily Mail *A true crime classic. * Publishers Weekly *This is a riveting, mesmerizing, absolutely bonkers story about a man as brilliant as he is villainous. You'll find yourself sucked in, freaked out, and, ultimately, blown away by Ratliff's storytelling and tireless reporting. The Mastermind is a masterpiece. * Nicholas Thompson, editor in chief, Wired *The best book I read this year. It is the insane story of an internet drug lord and the years it took to bring him down. I read this with my heart in my throat—not just because of the violence and mystery, but because it made me jealous as a journalist (how’d he find that out?) and, though it is a true story, as a novelist. -- Taffy Brodesser-Akner, author of Fleishman Is in Trouble * GQ - Best Books of 2019 *

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Book SynopsisOne Sunday morning in 1993 a 16-year-old girl named Eliza Claps goes missing from a church in the centre of Potenza, Italy. Shortly before her disappearance, Elisa had met Danilo Restivo, a strange local boy with a fetish for cutting women''s hair on the back of buses. Elisa''s family are convinced that Resitvo is responsible for their daughter''s disappearance, but he is protected by local big-wigs: by his Sicilian father, by a doctor with links to organised crime, by a priest who had vices of his own. Years went by and Elisa''s family could find only false leads.2002, and Restivo is now living in Bournemouth. In November that year, his neighbour is found murdered, with strands of her own hair in her hands. Once again the police are at a loss to pin anything on him. It''s not until 2010, when Elisa''s decomposed body is found in the church where she went missing, that the two cases are linked and Restivo is finally dealt with. Blood on the Altar combines a gr

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Book SynopsisTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ''Riveting and often shocking'' Sunday Times ''Dripping with jaw-dropping revelations'' Telegraph''Absorbing'' New York Times In a dramatic account of violence and espionage, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Ronan Farrow exposes serial abusers and a cabal of powerful interests hell-bent on covering up the truth, at any cost.In 2017, a routine network television investigation led Ronan Farrow to a story only whispered about: one of Hollywood''s most powerful producers was a predator, protected by fear, wealth and a conspiracy of silence. As Farrow drew closer to the truth, shadowy operatives, from high-priced lawyers to elite war-hardened spies, mounted a secret campaign of intimidation, threatening his career, following his every move and weaponizing an account of abuse in his own family. All the while, Farrow and his producer faceTrade Review[A] scoop-filled book, part reporting memoir, part spy thriller . . . Riveting and often shocking . . . Catch and Kill has gone off like a hand grenade in the world of New York media . . . compelling * Sunday Times *A thriller. My word, you thirst for more . . . Catch and Kill is a rip-roaring account of the years spent chasing the Weinstein story and its spin-offs. It's a deep dive into the world of US media, Hollywood pay-outs, Donald Trump's eccentric ways, spies and spineless editors. And is it gripping . . . The page-turner, as illustrated by Farrow's Weinstein confrontation, is dripping with jaw-dropping revelations and moments of astonishing pathos . . . Farrow's reporting is incredibly rigorous. He has spoken, he said, to over 200 sources. It's evident in the book; the breadth of the story is staggering. He has the private eyes and the NYPD, the accusers and the whistleblowers. It's a rollicking read; I found myself laughing out loud, aghast, at the details, or else reading out segments to colleagues. Not since Michael Wolff's Fire and Fury - an eye-watering account of life inside the White House, in the first months of the Trump presidency - has a book so comprehensively lifted the lid on something so troubling * Telegraph *Farrow knows he has a humdinger of a story, but he also has a nuanced appreciation of how women are smeared and discredited, of how the lines dividing news and show business have blurred . . . lively and wide-ranging * The Times *Extraordinary . . . As some American critics have already observed, Farrow's narrative has the pace of a thriller . . . Farrow's book captures the terror and paranoia that eat away at Weinstein's victims for the simple reason that he comes to experience them himself, a human mirror. The producer's sphere of influence extends ever outwards, like the powerful arms of some giant squid -- Rachel Cooke * Observer *Meticulous and devastating . . . Catch and Kill is part All the President's Men, part spy thriller * Associated Press *Moves at a brisk pace, feeding readers each revelation in real time, interspersed with personal notes that make the stories stick -- Claire Landsbaum * Vanity Fair *Read this book . . . Farrow's greatest success was to listen, believe and act, even at his own peril -- Maria L. La Ganga * Los Angeles Times *Absorbing . . . The behavior documented in Catch and Kill is obviously and profoundly distressing . . . But there are some hopeful threads, too -- Jennifer Szalai * New York Times *Darkly funny and poignant . . . a winning account of how it feels to be at the centre of the biggest story in the world. It is also, of course, a breathtakingly dogged piece of reporting, in the face of extraordinary opposition -- Emma Brockes * Guardian *At the heart of every great noir is a conspiracy of evil that imbues the initial crime uncovered by the hero with a weightier resonance than was immediately obvious. So it goes with Catch and Kill -- Emma Bruenig * Washington Post *Reads like a thriller ...The reveal in Catch and Kill is not that there are corrupt people; it's that corrupt people are in control of our media, politics, and entertainment and that, in fact, many of them remain in control -- Rebecca Traister * The Cut *The year's best spy thriller is stranger - and more horrifying - than fiction . . . He weaves a breathless narrative as compelling as it is disturbing . . . bracingly exposes the rot that's persisted across elite American institutions for decades -- David Canfield * Entertainment Weekly *Engrossing * Hollywood Reporter *Catch and Kill is exhaustively reported . . . and compulsively readable, with nearly every page revealing a provocative detail about a household name in media or entertainment -- E. J. Dickson * Rolling Stone *Humour is the impressive and, indeed, surprising quality found in this meticulous account of how Farrow helped bring down Harvey Weinstein in 2017 . . . An essential account of the story that will scar Hollywood for years * Sunday Times *Gripping * The i *Gripping and humorous * Mail on Sunday *Packed with skulduggery and subterfuge, this is the account of how Harvey Weinstein tried to stop Farrow breaking his Pulitzer-winning story on him in October 2017. It's a deep dive into the world of US media, Hollywood payouts, spies and spineless editors. And is it utterly gripping * Daily Telegraph *I have rarely read a more compelling account of the systematic reality of sexual harassment in the workplace. Things might be slowly changing but this book shows that the culture that normalises abusive behaviour remains pervasive and owes its persistence to the insidious ways in which it downplays the emotional toll this has on women -- Luigi Gioia * The Tablet *

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Book SynopsisFully updated and revised, including two new chapters, Missing

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Book SynopsisIn June 2017, a woman out picnicking in the Wicklow Mountains stumbled upon something in a ditch that would set in motion a chain of events that horrified the nation. It was the first of fifteen dismembered body parts belonging to retired hospital worker Patricia O'Connor.Kieran Greene, the father of three of Patricia's grandchildren, later handed himself in, confessing to beating her to death in the home they shared in what he said was an act of self-defence. He also confessed to dismembering her and disposing of her remains but later changed his story, implicating several members of Patricia's household, including her husband and daughter.In this nuanced and meticulous account of a deeply disturbing crime, journalist Frank Greaney, who covered every day of the shocking trial and conducted exclusive follow-up interviews with other members of Patricia's family, uncovers the story behind the gruesome murder of Patricia O'Connor, and looks at who Patricia really was.

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Book SynopsisThe disappearance of Lyn Dawson captured the world''s attention. But she was far more than just the teacher''s wife. Now, in this brave, emotionally powerful memoir, Lyn''s daughter reclaims their story.Imagine living with the knowledge that your father had murdered your mother and lied to you your whole life, telling you she left because she didn''t love you anymore.How could a father do this to his children? How could a husband do this to a woman he at one time loved?When she was four years old, Shanelle Dawson''s mother, Lynette, disappeared. On 8 January 1982, the woman who had been a loving, constant presence vanished without a trace. Four year old''s might not be able to articulate questions or understand a lot, but the ache of absence is very real. Year after year that ache persisted.Shanelle''s father, Chris Dawson, claimed that his wife just needed to get away. This is what he told Lyn''s parents and siblings. This is what he told his daughters. But Lyn never returned home. Her side of the bed was immediately filled by Shanelle''s teenage babysitter, a former student of her father''s.After thirty-six years of her father''s lies, a podcast called The Teacher''s Pet investigated her mother''s case. Sordid details about the father she loved became public. Whispers that he had murdered Lynette grew louder. The police refocused on the cold case. Then, Chris Dawson faced court. Forty years after she went missing, he was sentenced to twenty-four years in prison for the murder of Lynette.Now, in this brave, emotionally powerful memoir, Shanelle reclaims her mother''s story and finds a channel for her own voice. It is an unforgettable insight into the ripples of trauma and loss that family violence brings and shows how Shanelle found the strength to confront her father and can now create a new life after unimaginable deception.This is Shanelle''s story.

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Book SynopsisUpdated with a fresh design and a new foreword by Chomsky, On Western Terrorism stands as an influential and powerful critique of the West's role in the world, inspiring all who read it to think independently and critically.Trade Review'Noam Chomsky is arguably the most important intellectual alive today' -- New York Times'Chomsky's maturity has endowed him wisdom that acts as a complement to his astonishing command over the specifics of the whole spectrum of political concerns' -- Richard Falk, Foreign Policy Journal'It is absolutely essential reading for anyone wishing to understand the current context of contemporary geo-politics by revealing the often-hidden histories that have given rise to it, as well as highlighting the pressing issues facing the world which are usually ignored going forward' -- Joe Turnbull, inkyneedles.com'It makes for enlightening, provocative and revealing reading and it's a welcome antidote to the plethora of books and films on the 'horrors' of communism' -- John Green, Morning Star'Chomsky is undoubtedly one of the greatest radical thinkers and one should give him credit for the humility and curiosity he demonstrates throughout the book.' -- Marx and Philosophy Review of BooksTable of ContentsPreface to the Second Edition Introduction 1. The Murderous Legacy of Colonialism 2. Concealing the Crimes of the West 3. Propaganda and the Media 4. The Soviet Bloc 5. India and China 6. Latin America 7. The Middle East and the Arab Spring 8. Hope in the Most Devastated Places on Earth 9. The Decline of U.S. Power Timeline Index

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Book SynopsisThis book tells for the first time the story from a police perspective. For ten years, the officer in charge of the investigation, Detective Superintendent John Bennett QPM, has refused to tell his story. Now, together with BBC journalist Graham Gardner, he reveals the full story of how the Wests were caught, how the case was prepared and how it nearly failed to come to court. This book chronicles the roles of those who brought down two of Britain''s most infamous killers, shedding light on the real heroes of one of the saddest chapters of criminal history. It explores the court processes, the complications of Rose West''s trial, her unsuccessful appeal and the difficulty of dealing with witnesses in such a traumatic case. On one level, this is a story of the triumph of good over evil; on another it is a detailed documentation of how a murder investigation really works - the pressures, the commitment and the physical and emotional drain on those who carry out this work.

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Book Synopsis''Criminal Wirral'' is an intriguing and entertaining collection of some of the strangest, most despicable and comical crimes that took place on the Wirral peninsula from the Victorian era up until the early twentieth century. Daniel K. Longman''s painstaking research has uncovered many fascinating cases that have been long forgotten, and he sheds new light on local causes celebres. The tales are supported by a number of maps with many contemporary and modern photographs, which help to bring these events and the people featured in them to life. Criminal Wirral will appeal to anyone who has an interest in the darker side of Wirral''s history.

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Book SynopsisLocated in central England, the Black Country is a distinctive industrial region encompassing numerous ancient towns and villages in a unique and diverse landscape, formed by centuries of mining and iron forging. Here evolved a breed of people much accustomed to the darker tragedies of life, often witness to horrific scenes of tragedy in many an industrial catastrophe, and home to some of the most gruesome murder cases in Britain''s history. Contained within the pages of this book are the stories behind some of the most heinous crimes ever committed in the Black Country. Ian M. Bott re-examines the cases, some almost forgotten by the ravages of time; and most untold or unpublished since they were first sensationalised in newspapers contemporary to their time. All manner of murder and mystery is featured here, and this book is sure to be a must-read for true crime enthusiasts everywhere.

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