True crime Books

Book SynopsisThe Wild West', or American Frontier as it is also known, developed in the years following the American Civil War. However, this period of myth-making cowboys, infamous gunslingers, not always law-abiding lawmen, and saloon madams, is as much the product of fiction writers and film makers as reality. The outlaw came into his, or indeed her, own in the mid to late 19th century. Some of these individuals, men such as Billy the Kid, William Clarke Quantrill, Butch Cassidy or Harry Longabaugh, better known as the Sundance Kid, became household names. Many of those who roamed America's West in the period between 1850 and 1900 often appear as colourful, romanticised, legendary characters. This includes the likes of Frank and Jesse James, who had stepped outside the law due to the harshness of life after the Civil War or under circumstances beyond their control. The majority of outlaws, though, were anonymous common criminals. In 1877, for example, the State Adjutant General of Texas, published wanted posters' for some 5,000 outlaws and bandits in the Rio Grande district alone, almost all of whom have since vanished into the mists of time. When it comes to the Wild West, it is important to separate fact from fiction. Of the known recorded killings by the various outlaws and gunfighters, Billy the Kid killed four men, not the twenty that some writers attributed to him. A notorious gunslinger, John Wesley Hardin was said to have killed twenty-seven men, but was only charged with one murder. Wild Bill Hickok killed three men, two of them in Abilene whilst he was City Marshal, and one in Springfield, Missouri, for which he was tried and found not guilty. Clay Allison, however, was thought to have killed at least fifteen men in his time as a gunfighter, whilst some of the outlaw gangs, such as the Rufus Buck Gang and the Evans Gang, were particularly violent and ruthless. The days of the outlaws of the Wild West gradually came to an end at the turn of the nineteenth into the twentieth century. The legends, however, live on.

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Book SynopsisFrom journalist Chris Blackhurst, Too Big to Jail unveils how HSBC facilitated mass money laundering schemes for brutal drug kingpins and rogue nations – and thereby helped to grow one of the deadliest drugs empires the world has ever seen.'Packed with insights and details that will both amaze and appal you' - Oliver Bullough, author of Butler to the WorldWhile HSBC likes to sell itself as ‘the world’s local bank’ – the friendly face of corporate and personal finance – it was hit with a record US fine of $1.9 billion. In pursuit of their goal of becoming the biggest bank in the world, between 2003 and 2010, HSBC allowed El Chapo and the Sinaloa cartel, one of the most notorious and murderous criminal organizations in the world, to turn its ill-gotten money into clean dollars.How did a bank which boasts transparency, come to facilitate Mexico’s richest drug baron? And how did a bank that had been named ‘one of the best-run organizations in the world’ become so entwined with one of the most barbaric groups of gangsters on the planet?Too Big to Jail is an extraordinary story, brilliantly told by writer, commentator and former editor of The Independent, Chris Blackhurst, that starts in Hong Kong and ranges across London, Washington, the Cayman Islands and Mexico.It brings together an extraordinary cast of politicians, bankers, drug dealers, FBI officers and whistle-blowers, and asks what price does greed have? Whose job is it to police global finance? And why did not a single person go to prison for facilitating the murderous expansion of a global drug empire?Trade ReviewPacked with insights and details that will both amaze and appal you . . . if it doesn't make you angry, you need to check your pulse -- Oliver Bullough, author of Moneyland and Butler to the WorldThe sheer hubris, greed and arrogance of bankers is laid bare in shocking, and at times hilarious, detail. Blackhurst takes them on and pricks their bubble of self-congratulatory entitlement -- Andrew NeilFull of extraordinary revelations. Epic story-telling about a shocking scandal. Read this! -- Iain Martin, author of Making It HappenBlackhurst’s tale would make an exciting novel. But alarmingly, this is a true story, carefully researched and told with gusto -- Baroness Patience Wheatcroft, former editor of The Sunday TelegraphA pacey, page turning thriller tale of banking collusion with extreme criminality -- Brian Basham, veteran financial PR man and chairman of Equity Development[Blackhurst] writes with gusto ... a diverting book * The Times Literary Supplement *Blackhurst’s attention to detail is excellent, as is his lucid analysis * The Australian *Highly entertaining . . . told with pace, gusto, and a strong sense of moral outrage * The Critic Magazine *

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Book Synopsis'A compelling yet harrowing read' Daily Mail'One of the best true crime books of the year' CrimeReadsThe 2014 Slenderman stabbings in Wisconsin, USA, shocked the local community and the world. The violence of Morgan Geyser and Anissa Weiser, the two twelve-year-old girls who attempted to stab their classmate to death, was extreme, but what seemed even more frightening was that they had done so under the influence of an internet meme, the so-called 'Slenderman'.Slenderman tells the full story for the very first time. Morgan and Anissa's friendship could so easily not have taken the turn it did - but Morgan was suffering with early onset schizophrenia. She believed she had been seeing Slenderman for years, and that the only way to stop him killing her family was to bring him a sacrifice. Her victim miraculously survived the attack but was left deeply traumatised, while the severity of their crime meant Morgan and Anissa would be tried as adults.Slenderman is both a page-turning true crime classic and a compelling search for justice.Trade ReviewA compelling yet harrowing read that reveals how a seemingly innocent childhood friendship could lead to such a devastating outcome. * Daily Mail *One of the best true crime books of the year * Crimereads *Book of the week * People magazine *[Of the author's earlier work Kathleen Hale is a Crazy Stalker] Reminiscent of David Foster Wallace and Jon Ronson * Jesse Eisenberg *Kathleen Hale's Slenderman is a haunting, powerful, accomplished and necessary book that is impossible to put down * Sonia Faleiro, author of The Good Girls *

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Book SynopsisLive on the wrong side of the law with Britain’s gangsters, Peaky Blinders, godfathers, robbers, informers, kingpins, vice lords and career criminals***The Sunday Times Bestseller ***With stories of murder, theft, fraud and treachery, The Underworld is a deep-dive into the history of professional and organised crime in Britain. From the racetrack gangs and the smash-and-grab merchants, through the Soho vice bosses and the Kray twins, to the Great Train Robbers, the Hatton Garden burglars and the new wave of international hit-men and drug and sex traffickers, Duncan Campbell exposes the dark underbelly of Britain.A unique perspective – told by the criminals themselves and the detective who pursued them – this is a definitive history from the very beginning to the present day.Trade ReviewWhen it comes to stellar crime reporting, Duncan Campbell is the absolute maestro * Baroness Helena Kennedy QC *Duncan Campbell remains one of the very few journalists who has retained the criminal fraternity’s trust and respect * Howard Marks, author of Mr Nice *

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Book SynopsisThe killing took place outside a busy coffee bar in Naples in broad daylight. Pupetta was eighteen years old and six months pregnant when she pulled the gun from her bag.The victim?A man known as Big Tony who had ordered the hit on her husband just months earlier...In this unputdownable exposé of women in the Mafia, investigative journalist Barbie Latza Nadeau tells the stories of the women who have risen to prominence in the Italian mob, beginning with the first documented female boss, the infamous Pupetta Maresca. Through personal interviews and groundbreaking research, Nadeau gives us a jaw-dropping 360-degree view of the dark underbelly of Italian society, taking us deeper into the Mafia and its complex realities than ever before.'Takes the reader into the little-known role of the women that underpin Italy's most ruthless mob families' Sara Gay Forden, author of House of Gucci'An unflinching portrait of one the original divas of organised crime' Clare Longrigg, author of Mafia Women'A must for true-crime fans' Publishers WeeklyTrade ReviewMeet 'Lady Camorra', one of the first female mafia bosses, as she sips coffee and drums her black-lacquered fingernails on her kitchen table. The Godmother takes the reader into the little-known role of the women that underpin Italy's most ruthless mob families and are forced to reckon with the social and sexual codes governing the violent reality of mafioso rule * Sara Gay Forden, author HOUSE OF GUCCI *An unflinching portrait of one the original divas of organised crime * Clare Longrigg, author of Mafia Women *Nuanced and skillfully reported, Barbie Latza Nadeau's work brilliantly reveals the unique prism of gender that both disenfranchises and facilitates women in the mafia * Koa Beck, author of White Feminism *

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Book SynopsisFor these men and women, it isn't just a job. It's a calling.PROTECTThey are our eyes. Our ears. Our protectors. Those who wear a badge, doing their best to help people.SERVEThese cops serve their communities. They serve their country. They're in the business of saving lives-even at the risk of their own.DEFENDThese patrol officers and K9 handlers, sheriffs and detectives reveal what it's really like to wear the uniform, to carry the weight of the responsibility they've been given.American Cops is the extraordinary first-person account of America's police force._____________________________Praise for James Patterson'The master storyteller of our times' Hillary Rodham Clinton'James Patterson is the gold standard by which all others are judged' Steve Berry'No one gets this big without natural storytelling talent' Lee Child'Nobody does it better' Jeffrey Deaver'James Patterson is The Boss. End of.' Ian Rankin

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Book Synopsis'Stories that will curl your toes, make you laugh out loud and break your heart all at the same time.'PROFESSOR DAME SUE BLACK, author of All That Remains Told from the inside out, this is a harrowing, humorous and hard-hitting tale of life behind bars by a prison doctor who has seen it all. Literally.Dr Shahed Yousaf spends his time running between emergencies - from overdoses to assaults, from cell fires to suicides - with one hand perpetually hovering over the panic button. Being a prison doctor is not for the faint-hearted.An outsider on the inside, in Stitched Up he introduces us to a cast of unforgettable characters, including killers, con men and auto-cannibals. To Dr Yousaf, they are patients first and prisoners second - because any one of us could end up on the wrong side of the law.Dedicated to caring for people on the margins of society, he tells us honestly and compassionately what it's like to be their doctor in a system that's chronically overcrowded, drastically under-resourced and all too easy to ignore. But while the system is failing, he and his colleagues are doing their very best to prop it up. In stories that are frequently harrowing, sometimes humorous and always hard-hitting, we discover how difficult it is to be locked up - but that there is still hope for all those who dare to care.For fans of This is Going to Hurt, The Secret Barrister and A Bit of a Stretch Trade ReviewA raw and honest glimpse into the frightening but rewarding life of a prison GP. Stories that will curl your toes, make you laugh out loud and break your heart all at the same time. Dr Y is everything we would ever want in our own GP - caring, pragmatic, self-effacing and hugely competent. What a tour-de-force! -- Professor Dame Sue BlackWritten with wit and humility this extraordinary account of life as a prison doctor is the sort of book that has you reaching for the internet halfway through a paragraph. The detail, the stories, the statistics. 'That can't be true, can it?' Yes it is. Whatever you think you know about prison, a Yousaf's memoir will open your eyes and your heart and make you wish things were different. There's laughter (bright and grim), redemption and much heart on the pages and whatever your view of locking people up, you will come away wiser and more compassionate after reading Stitched Up. -- Kit de Waal

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Book Synopsis'Endlessly fascinating...meticulously written and thoroughly absorbing book' Financial Times'Eye-opening' Daily MailOut now: The gripping new book by the UK's most eminent forensic scientists, Angela Gallop__________CRIME [Noun]: An action or omission which constitutes an offence and is punishable by lawForensic science is one of the most important aspects of any criminal investigation.The impartial and objective evidence it provides can help convict the guilty. It enables courts to have the confidence in their decisions and to ensure that justice is done. Professor Angela Gallop has been at the forefront of forensics for more than 45 years. During her remarkable career, she has established and run forensic science laboratories and has worked on thousands of cases in the UK and across the world. In How to Solve a Crime, she describes some of her own and her colleagues most intriguing cases and the wide range of skills and techniques used to solve them. Whether it's looking at blood patterns and footwear marks at crime scenes to work out what happened, extracting data from suspects mobile phones to discover where they were at critical times, or analysing fragments of textiles fibers, glass or paint to determine where they might have come from, Gallop shows that every contact really does leave a trace and every trace can help to solve a crime. With unparalleled access and insight across a wide range of specialisms, How to Solve a Crime is a fascinating definitive and authoritative account of real-life forensic science. _________Praise for WHEN THE DOGS DON'T BARK'Fascinating' Guardian 'Offers a chilling glimpse into her life's work. . . fascinating stuff' Sunday Times 'Compelling' Daily Mirror 'A casebook that reads like The Encyclopaedia of Murder' Daily Express 'One of the professions leading lights' Woman & Home

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Book Synopsis'If Henriques were a fictional character, he would be a celebrity, the kind of dashing, hawkish QC who turns up in Agatha Christie novels and is recognised by everybody... There is an undeniable, lawyerly authenticity about Henriques's book. He takes us meticulously through his cases... It is fascinating to read.' - Dominic Sandbrook, Sunday TimesSir Richard Henriques has been centre stage in some of the most high-profile and notorious cases of the late 20th and early 21st centuries. After taking silk in 1986, over the course of the next 14 years he appeared in no fewer than 106 murder trials, including prosecuting Harold Shipman, Britain's most prolific serial killer, and the killers of James Bulger. In 2000 he was appointed to the High Court Bench and tried the transatlantic airline plot, the Morecambe Bay cockle pickers, the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes, and many other cases. He sat in the Court of Appeal on the appeals of Barry George, then convicted of murdering Jill Dando, and Jeremy Bamber, the White House Farm killer. In From Crime to Crime he not only recreates some of his most famous cases but also includes his trenchant views on the state of the British judicial system; how it works - or doesn't - and the current threats to the rule of law that affect us all.

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Book Synopsis__________'Many of the world's great leaders request to come to Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach. They like it. I like it. We're comfortable.' - Donald TrumpA bit too comfortable, perhaps.__________Since losing the 2020 Presidential Election, Donald Trump returned home to Mar-a-Lago. His schedule is restricted to playing multiple rounds of golf and watching his impeachment trial on TV. Donald Trump's opulent Palm Beach club Mar-a-Lago has thrummed with scandal since the earliest days of his presidency. Long known for its famous and wealthy clientele, the resort's guest list soon started filling with political operatives and power-seekers. Meanwhile, as Trump re-branded Mar-a-Lago "the Winter White House" and began spending weekends there, state business spilled out into full view of the club's members, and vast sums of taxpayer money and political donations began flowing into its coffers, and into the pockets of the president.The Grifters' Club is a breakthrough account of the corruption, intrigue, and absurdity that has been on display in the place where the president is at his most relaxed. In these pages, a team of prizewinning Miami Herald journalists reveal the activities and motivations of the strange array of charlatans and tycoons who populate its halls. Some peddle influence, some look to steal government secrets, and some just want to soak up the feeling of unfettered access to the world's most powerful leaders.Filled with the drama of an expose, The Grifters' Club takes you behind the velvet ropes of this exclusive club and into its bizarre world of extravagance and scandal._____An astonishing look inside the gilded gates of Mar-a-Lago, the palatial resort where President Trump conducts government business with little regard for ethics, security, or even the law.This ground-breaking and shocking expose reads like a thriller. Perfect for fans of Fire and Fury, Team of Vipers and Fear.

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Book SynopsisWelcome to Dopeworld. Ecstasy in London, crack in Los Angeles, LSD in Tokyo, heroin in Sofia, cocaine in Medellin, bounty hunting in Manilla, opium in Tehran. Get ready for your next fix. __________Dopeworld is a bold and intoxicating journey into the world of drugs. From the cocaine farms in South America to the streets of Manila, we trace the emergence of psychoactive substances and our intimate relationship with them. With unparalleled access to drug lords, cartel leaders, street dealers and government officials, Niko Vorobyov attempts to shine a light on the dark underbelly drug world.At once a bold piece of reportage and a hugely entertaining and perverse travelogue, Dopeworld reveals how drug use is at the heart of our history, our lives, and our world.__________ With echoes of Gomorrah and Fear and Loathing in Last Vegas, Dopeworld is a brilliant and enlightening journey across the world, examining every angle of the drug war.

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Book Synopsis"Utterly gripping, timely and shocking" PHILIPPE SANDS"Magnificent and heartbreaking" Washington Post"Compelling and disturbing . . . quietly devastating" DAMON GALGUT"This is a book of profound importance . . . A masterpiece" ALEXANDER McCALL SMITHSHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA ALCS GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION"A vintage crime story . . . an extraordinary tale . . . It is written as a drama, part thriller, part tragedy" ALEC RUSSELL, Financial Times"A smartly paced true-crime thriller with a vivid cast of characters . . . as tense as it is disturbing" JOHN CARLIN, author of Playing the Enemy: Nelson Mandela and the Game That Made a NationTwo dead men. Forty suspects. The trial that broke a small South African town "Look what the fucking dogs did to them, someone muttered. No-one mentioned the rope, or the monkey-wrench, or the gun, or the knife, or the stick, or the whip, or the blood-stained boots. In fact, no-one said much at all. It seemed simpler that way. There was no sense in pointing fingers.'"At dusk, on a warm evening in 2016, a group of forty men gathered in the corner of a dusty field on a farm outside Parys in the Free State. Some were in fury. Others treated the whole thing as a joke - a game. The events of the next two hours would come to haunt them all. They would rip families apart, prompt suicide attempts, breakdowns, divorce, bankruptcy, threats of violent revenge and acts of unforgivable treachery. These Are Not Gentle People is the story of that night, and of what happened next. It's a courtroom drama, a profound exploration of collective guilt and individual justice, and a fast-paced literary thriller. Award-winning foreign correspondent and author Andrew Harding traces the impact of one moment of collective barbarism on a fragile community - exploding lies, cover-ups, political meddling and betrayals, and revealing the inner lives of those involved with extraordinary clarity. The book is also a mesmerising examination of a small town trying to cope with a trauma that threatens to tear it in two - as such, it is as much a journey into the heart of modern South Africa as it is a gripping tale of crime, punishment and redemption. When a whole community is on trial, who pays the price?Trade ReviewA smartly paced true-crime thriller with a vivid cast of characters . . . as tense as it is disturbing, richly evoking the mood of a dark, dry place in the heart of South Africa where racial fear lingers, brutal rage flares and everyone remains trapped in the cruel coils of history. -- John Carlin, author of PLAYING THE ENEMY: NELSON MANDELA AND THE GAME THAT MADE A NATIONEvery so often a book comes very close to defining a nation. In this extraordinary, fast-paced and exquisitely written true story, South Africa's brutal and divided past, its complex present and contested future collide in an explosive narrative of race, class and human cruelty. This is In Cold Blood meets Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Believe me, Andrew Harding has given us an instant classic.Andrew Harding is one of the great foreign correspondents -- Fergal KeaneThese Are Not Gentle People is a South African tragedy. Page after page reveals the painful truth, that the sun has set on Mandela's Rainbow Nation . . . The lives of the characters, from the landless and poor blacks, to the white landowners caught in a vortex of fear and oblivion, are a true reflection of South Africa's unfinished business - building a country that belongs to all . . . A gripping and painful read, told with empathy and nuance. These Are Not Gentle People, is an uncomfortable reminder that the past is not over. -- Redi Tlhabi[A] searing examination of a small town trying to cope with a trauma that threatens to tear it apart" * Sunday Times (South Africa) *This is a book of profound importance. Through its pages there runs a deep and sympathetic understanding of a troubled country. A masterpiece. -- Alexander McCall SmithUtterly gripping, timely and shocking -- Philippe SandsUncomfortable and disturbing, but impossible to put down . . . From the first paragraph it is a fast-paced suspenseful thriller. A disturbing and moving story of fear and suspicion... Harding writes so well and with so much empathy and insight * Vrye Weekblad *An extremely beautiful, profound, disturbing, magnificent book. I can't recommend it more highly -- Marrianne Thamm * Daily Maverick *Wow! What a book! I cannot believe I'm going to read too many better non-fiction books. It points out how messy, complex and nuanced is almost everything is in our society. It is exceptional -- John Maytham * Books of the Week - CapeTalk Radio *A stunning, if jarring narrative non-fiction work. Buy and read this book. It's as good as his excellent first book, The Mayor of Mogadishu. This story doesn't reduce to black and white racial tropes even as it doesn't shy away from the racism and racist history that inform the lives of the characters and their social relations in Parys -- Eusebius McKaiserCompelling and disturbing . . . The portrait that emerges of South African society is a profoundly sad one. Harding keeps himself invisible, and admirably objective, letting, among other things, the hardscrabble lives he describes speak for themselves. The result is quietly devastating. -- Damon Galgut * Times Literary Supplement *Magnificent and heartbreaking . . . Harding explores questions of fear, race and equality in post-apartheid South Africa . . . These Are Not Gentle People is more nuanced than a typical true crime narrative -- Laura Seay * Washington Post *One of the finest, starkest and most minutely observed accounts of race relations in post-apartheid South Africa to date. -- Alec Russell * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisThe horrific world of modern slavery is exposed in this book based on the first-hand experiences of victims of human trafficking. Through the stories of three remarkable individuals who share how they fell victim to traffickers and how their bodies and souls resisted an enterprise of total destruction, Monique Villa takes us around the world—from Ohio to Tokyo, London to India, Qatar to Colombia—to uncover a parallel world where men, women, and children are dehumanized and reduced to obedient machines. Written by a global leader in the fight against human trafficking, this powerful book uncovers the hidden world of slaves—no longer physically in chains—who walk among us, trapped in a cycle of exploitation. Despite significant progress in the fight for human rights, slavery continues to flourish. In fact, there are more slaves today, in countries rich and poor, than at any point in the past.By giving voice to survivors of this horrific trade, Villa vividly illustrates dire situations we can do something about. Her call to action outlines concrete steps to safeguard the vulnerable among us and to eliminate slavery in our time.Trade ReviewAs a survivor myself, I know firsthand how Monique’s fierce and relentless drive in fighting modern slavery and empowering those who have endured it has been transformative. Her knowledge and expertise, strengthened over many years of being at the frontline of this fight, is stamped on every page of this book, a real page turner. -- Evelyne Chumbow, survivor of forced laborI discovered sex trafficking through filming SOLD, and Monique Villa’s book is an eye opener on the human experience of slavery. She keeps the survivors’ voices and weaves them with a global insight into modern slavery. I don’t usually feel hopeful when I read about the issue, but this book had that effect on me. A tour de force. -- Gillian Anderson, award-winning actressMonique Villa’s years of experience as an esteemed journalist, along with her tenacity and passion to protect those who suffer in modern slavery, is so clearly demonstrated in this book. She has led the way in the fight against slavery, bringing so many along with her. -- Kevin Hyland, former UK Independent Anti-Slavery CommissionerTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Preface: Why? 1 Who Are the Modern Slaves? 2 The Most Despicable Crime: Techniques of the Human-Trafficking Business Model 3 From Nepal to Qatar: Debt Bondage 4 A Tattoo on Your Soul: Corruption and Impunity 5 The Psychological Impact of Enslavement 6 The Children of Bal Ashram 7 In the Mind of a Trafficker 8 Limited Options 9 Business Is Key—To the Problem and the Solution 10 Solutions: From Individuals to Cross-Sector Engagement, Worldwide 11 My Heroes Index

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Book Synopsis"WHEN THE MOON TURNS TO BLOOD is a harrowing and fascinating tale of apocalyptic obsession and murder. Leah Sottile leads us down every head-shaking twist and turn of the case, an expert guide to the dark tributaries of religious extremism that run closer to the American mainstream than we'd ever like to believe."?Jess Walter, American author of Ruby RidgeWhen police in Rexburg, Idaho perform a wellness check on seven J.J. Vallow and his sister, sixteen-year-old Tylee Ryan, both children are nowhere to be found. Their mother, Lori Vallow, gives a phony explanation, and when officers return the following day with a search warrant, she, too, is gone. As the police begin to close in, a larger web of mystery, murder, fanaticism and deceit begins to unravel.Vallow's case is sinuously complex. As investigators prod further, they find the accused Black Widow has an unusual number of bodies piling up around her.WHEN THE MOON TURNS TO BLOOD tells a gripping story of extreme beliefs, snake oil prophets, and explores the question: if it feels like the world is ending, how are people supposed to act?

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Book SynopsisIn May 1923, when Shanghai publisher and reporter John Benjamin Powell bought a first-class ticket for the Peking Express, he pictured an idyllic overnight journey on a brand-new train of unprecedented luxury-exactly what the advertisements promised. Seeing his fellow passengers, including mysterious Italian lawyer Giuseppe Musso, a confidante of Mussolini and lawyer for the opium trade, and American heiress Lucy Aldrich, sister-in-law of John D. Rockefeller Jr., he knew it would be an unforgettable trip.Charismatic bandit leader and populist rabble rouser Sun Mei-yao had also taken notice of the new train from Shanghai to Peking. On the night of Powell's trip of a lifetime, Sun launched his plan to make a brazen political statement: he and a thousand fellow bandits descended on the train, capturing dozens of hostages.Aided by local proxy authorities, the humiliated Peking government soon furiously gave chase. At the bandits' mountain stronghold, a five-week siege began.Brilliantly written, with new and original research, The Peking Express tells the incredible true story of a clash that shocked the world-becoming so celebrated it inspired several Hollywood movies-and set the course for China's two-decade civil war.

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Book SynopsisHarold Schechter, Amazon Charts bestselling author of Hell’s Princess, unearths a nearly forgotten true crime of obsession and revenge, and one of the first—and worst—mass murders in American history. In 1927, while the majority of the township of Bath, Michigan, was celebrating a new primary school—one of the most modern in the Midwest—Andrew P. Kehoe had other plans. The local farmer and school board treasurer was educated, respected, and an accommodating neighbor and friend. But behind his ordinary demeanor was a narcissistic sadist seething with rage, resentment, and paranoia. On May 18 he detonated a set of rigged explosives with the sole purpose of destroying the school and everyone in it. Thirty-eight children and six adults were murdered that morning, culminating in the deadliest school massacre in US history. Maniac is Harold Schechter’s gripping, definitive, exhaustively researched chronicle of a town forced to comprehend unprecedented carnage and the triggering of a “human time bomb” whose act of apocalyptic violence would foreshadow the terrors of the current age.Trade Review“In this gripping account, Schechter (Hell’s Princess) charts the descent of farmer Andrew Kehoe into madness…thorough research matches the assured prose. True crime buffs will want to take a look.” —Publishers Weekly “The minute-by-minute account of the event and the firsthand reports create a strong sense of place and time and bring this chilling story to life…a vivid narrative that’s sure to please those interested in historical true crime tales.” —Library Journal “Exhaustively researched but written in an accessible style, Schechter balances true crime, an immigration story, and a look at our fascination with true crimes, to spellbinding effect.” —Amazon Book Review “A shocking but little-remembered tragedy unfolded at a primary school in Michigan one day in 1927—leaving 38 children and six adults dead. With careful research and captivating scenes, Schechter probes how echoes of the massacre reverberate even today.” —Newsweek “Schechter delves into Kehoe’s life, along with the circumstances leading up to the bloodbath he wrought, and discusses other major news events of the time period that eclipsed coverage of the bombing. In his usual way, Schechter engrosses the reader without being sensationalist, and fans of his previous work would do well to pick this up.” —Booklist “Maniac is a fascinating book by an author who shows real mastery of the true-crime genre. The story Schechter recounts is a difficult one to read, but the author’s intelligence and sensitivity make it one that’s well worth your time.” —NPR “Rather than simply telling the story of what happened in Bath, Schechter looks much more deeply into the situation, what similarities we would see in our world today (tabloid stories, ‘murderabilia’ collectors, and people from nearby towns coming just to look at the devastation) as well as what was going on in the world in May of 1927 that may have had a large effect on the news coverage the Bath disaster did (and did not) receive…Schechter also looks closely at modern-day school shootings and what these events do and do not have in common with this almost century old precedent. Additionally, he examines some of the crimes referred to as ‘the crime of the century’ in pop culture, and how these crimes ‘measure up’ to Kehoe’s disastrous work in Bath…Far from focusing exclusively on the crime itself and the sadist who committed it, Schechter also brings the reader heart-warming stories of heroes and survivors in a beautiful and honorable way.” —The Nerd Daily “Reading the story chronologically is as nerve-wracking as a page-turning thriller…Schechter doesn’t spend too much time attempting to psychoanalyze Kehoe; he’s more focused on our cultural response to such a monster in our midst.” —The American Conservative “Schechter forensically recreates the family history and gradual unravelling of mass murderer Andrew Kehoe…For true crime lovers, this author has done his research.” —A Lee Woodruff Book Marks selection “A concise, harrowing work of social history…Mr. Schechter does a worthy job with this dire saga, telling it in short, punchy chapters and placing it in a larger historical context.” —The Wall Street Journal “Schechter pulls details from every conceivable news account, using them to present the victims as dimensional human beings. Readers experience that terrible day as many townspeople did…Maniac is both a comprehensive historical account of an American tragedy and a fitting reminder about the conditions that can create human time bombs.” —Psychology Today

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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 Modenese? In this gripping account of the Satanic Panic of the 1990s, investigative journalist Pablo Trincia returns to the scene of the crimes to find the answer. And the truth he uncovers is as terrifying as the lies.Trade Review“A difficult read but an eye-opening story best suited for die-hard true-crime fans.” —Kirkus Reviews “In this harrowing account…Trincia lets the facts speak for themselves. True crime fans won’t want to miss this engrossing tale of mass hysteria and a massive failure of the Italian court system.” —Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisBestselling true-crime master Harold Schechter explores the real-life headline-making psychos, serial murderers, thrill-hungry couples, and lady-killers who inspired a century of classic films. The necktie murders in Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy; Chicago’s Jazz Age crime of passion; the fatal hookup in Looking for Mr. Goodbar; the high school horrors committed by the costumed slasher in Scream. These and other cinematic crimes have become part of pop-culture history. And each found inspiration in true events that provided the raw material for our greatest blockbusters, indie art films, black comedies, Hollywood classics, and grindhouse horrors. So what’s the reality behind Psycho, Badlands, The Hills Have Eyes, A Place in the Sun, Arsenic and Old Lace, and Dirty Harry? How did such tabloid-ready killers as Bonnie and Clyde, body snatchers Burke and Hare, Texas sniper Charles Whitman Jr., nurse-slayer Richard Speck, and Leopold and Loeb exert their power on the public imagination and become the stuff of movie lore? In this collection of revelatory essays, true-crime historian Harold Schechter takes a fascinating trip down the crossroads of fact and fiction to reveal the sensational real-life stories that are more shocking, taboo, and fantastic than even the most imaginative screenwriter can dream up.Trade Review“The exploits of Depression-era homicidal sweethearts Bonnie and Clyde and the 1960s strangler who inspired the necktie murders in Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy are among the true stories behind many of cinema’s most famous crimes and criminals. Schechter, author of numerous books on serial killers, tracks the path from felony to film.” —Publishers Weekly “With this riveting compendium, true crime guru Schechter provides the ghoulish details behind 40 films…Schechter’s expertise is such that three of his previous titles appear as works cited in this well-researched and gripping read. This fascinating look at the intersection of true crime and pop culture is a must.” —Library Journal (starred review) “Educational and engrossing, true-crime author Schechter’s latest (after Hell’s Princess, 2018) is a collection of essays that pull back the curtain on Hollywood to explain the real stories that inspired movies…fascinating, intriguing, and difficult to put down, Ripped from the Headlines! is a must for movie buffs and true crime fans alike.” —Booklist “In this fascinating survey, Schechter (Hell’s Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men) details the links between more than 40 movies and the real-life crimes that inspired them…True crime fans and movie trivia buffs will devour this one like popcorn.” —Publishers Weekly “Schechter offers new insight on the classic crime movies of the 1930s and 1940s, many of which were sanitized because of stricter enforcement of 1930’s Production Code after 1934, as well as customs of the times…This treasure trove can also be enjoyed like an anthology. Each entry is a pithy gem of chilling details, adorned with folksy drawings of instruments of death…Ripped from the Headlines! is inspiration for mystery writers everywhere, a primer in how to modify a true story for any writing market. It should go on a mystery writer’s reference book shelf, between Kenneth Anger’s Hollywood Babylon books (and [their] follow-ups by other writers) and How To Write Mysteries.” —New City Lit “Harold Schechter has created a highly entertaining look at the real life stories behind many of Hollywood’s crime films, beginning long before the current true crime boom. Schechter includes a huge number of films, including plenty of Golden Age film noirs, salacious pre-Hays Code thrillers, and modern day dramas. The description of the crimes themselves are necessarily sobering, and the contrast between film criticism and real life events is the tension from [which] the book draws its strength. This will make you want to re-watch all your old favorites with a completely new perspective.” —CrimeReads “Explains how truth isn’t just stranger than fiction—it’s often far scarier.” —New York Daily News “Movie buffs and true-crime fans will find this an intriguing look at the truth behind the fiction.” —Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

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Book SynopsisStrange Trade tells the compelling stories of Mary, a Liberian drug courier with a college education, and Pauline, a Ugandan wife, mother, and drug cartel boss. A leading expert on women and organized crime, Asale Angel-Ajani spent years interviewing these women in Italy's notorious Rebibbia Prison,and gained unprecedented access into the narcotics trade. Herself the daughter of a drug trafficker, Angel-Ajani brings a wrenching, deeply personal perspective to the account of these women's lives, and offers a nuanced understanding of the global context within which African women are entering the drug trade in ever-increasing numbers. Strange Trade follows Pauline and Mary as they traverse three continents, survive wars, poverty, and shattered families, secure drug shipments, and commit murder. Angel-Ajani paints rich, intimate, and profoundly surprising portraits without glamorizing, sanitizing, or offering judgment. The result is an unvarnished journey into a world that, until now, has remained hidden and a glimpse into the motives that led these women to risk,and ultimately lose,everything.

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Book SynopsisA deep-dive into the questions remaining about the Boston Marathon Bombing.

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Book SynopsisMichelle Knight-now known as Lily Rose Lee-captured the world's attention May 2013, when she and fellow kidnapping victims Amanda Berry and Gina DeJesus were found and freed after years of imprisonment and torture. Michelle was a young single mother when she was kidnapped by a Cleveland school bus driver named Ariel Castro. Her story of the horrors she endured for more than a decade afterward, and the hope she sustained, became the #1 New York Times bestseller Finding Me in 2014. In her second book-to be published on the fifth anniversary of her escape-she answers the question: How do you heal after great tragedy? Organized thematically (finding hope, finding friendship, finding love), Michelle shares her experience of rebuilding her life, and offers her thoughts on how anyone who has suffered greatly can learn to find new meaning and purpose.

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Book SynopsisThe definitive account of audacious con woman Cassie Chadwick, the Carnegie Imposter.Queen of the Con tells the true story of Cassie Chadwick, a successful swindler and “one of the top 10 imposters of all time,” according to Time magazine. Born Betsy Bigley in 1857 in Canada, she first operated as Madame Devere, a European clairvoyant, and in 1890 was arrested for defrauding a Toledo bank of $20,000. In the mid-1890s, while working as a madam in Cleveland, Cassie met and married a widowed physician with a coveted Euclid Avenue address.At the dawn of the 20th century, Cassie borrowed $2 million (worth roughly $50 million today) throughout northern Ohio, Pittsburgh, New York, and Boston by convincingly posing as the illegitimate daughter of wealthy industrialist-turned-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.When the fraud collapsed in 1904, it was a nationwide sensation. “Yes, I borrowed money in very large amounts,” she told reporters, “but what of it? You can’t accuse a poor businesswoman of being a criminal, can you?” Carnegie, who never responded to the claim, merely joked that Mrs. Chadwick had demonstrated that his credit was still good.This meticulously researched book is the first full-length account of this fascinating woman’s notorious career, the forerunner to more recent female scammers like Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes or fake heiress Anna Sorokin, the “Soho Grifter.” Crowl’s engaging storytelling also leads readers to consider aspects of gender stereotypes, social and economic class structures, and the ways in which we humans can so often be fooled.Trade Review"In this long-awaited biography, Cassie Chadwick finally gets the treatment she deserves as a world-class adventuress and one of the most successful con artists of all time." —Laura James, author of The Beauty Defense: Femmes Fatales on Trial"Lizzie Bigley had reinvented herself several times before settling on what would be her 'legacy' as Cassie Chadwick, Queen of the Con. Thomas Crowl's delightful report of 'Cassie's Excellent Adventure' is spirited, engaging, and even hilarious in parts."—Virginia A. McConnell, author of The Adventuress: Murder, Blackmail, and Confidence Games in the Gilded Age"An engrossing chronicle of the criminal career of Cassie Chadwick. By the time her epic financial shell game was exposed, she had fleeced shrewd businessmen, caused bank failures, destroyed the life savings of countless small investors, and earned the title of Queen of the Con."—George R. Dekle Sr., Professor Emeritus, Levin College of Law, author of The East River Ripper: The Mysterious 1891 Murder of Old Shakespeare"Weaving meticulous research with first-rate storytelling, Crowl has written about an extraordinary con woman."—Jane Ann Turzillo, author of Agatha-nominated Wicked Women of Ohio and Wicked Women of Northeast Ohio"A true crime biography that reads with all the inherent and fascinated interest of a deftly crafted novel." —Midwest Book Review"Well-researched [and] engaging…. Crowl offers an eye-opening and often amusing romp through a more innocent time, when trust was easily earned and just as easily abused." —Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

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Book Synopsis1981. Ronald Reagan and François Mitterrand are sworn in as presidents of the Unites States and France, respectively. The tension due to Mitterrand’s French Communist support, however, is immediately defused when he gives Reagan the Farewell Dossier, a file he would later call “one of the greatest spy cases of the twentieth century.” Vladimir Ippolitovitch Vetrov, a promising technical student, joins the KGB to work as a spy. Following a couple of murky incidents, however, Vetrov is removed from the field and placed at a desk as an analyst. Soon, burdened by a troubled marriage and frustrated at a flailing career, Vetrov turns to alcohol. Desperate and needing redemption, he offers his services to the DST. Thus Agent Farewell is born. He uses his post within the KGB to steal and photocopy files of the USSR’s plans for the West—all under Brezhnev’s nose. Probing further into Vetrov’s psychological profile than ever before, Kostin and Raynaud provide groundbreaking insight into the man whose life helped hasten the fall of the Communist Soviet Regime.Trade Review“The reader of this wonderful book from Sergei Kostin and Eric Raynaud is in for a treat: an introduction into what President Reagan described as the most significant spy story of the last century...[an] exciting voyage into the murky world of espionage and counterespionage.” —Richard V. Allen, United States National Security Advisor to President Ronald Reagan “Vetrov is 007’s opposite: a shambolic bear of a man, albeit with the requisite indestructible liver (and penchant for a basement quickie with the secretary).” —The Sunday Times

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Book SynopsisForget what you think you know about the Mafia. After reading this book, even life-long mob aficionados will have a new perspective on organized crime. Informative, authoritative, and eye-opening, this is the first full-length book devoted exclusively to uncovering the hidden history of how the Mafia came to dominate organized crime in New York City during the 1930s through 1950s. Based on exhaustive research of archives and secret files obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, author and attorney C. Alexander Hortis draws on the deepest collection of primary sources, many newly discovered, of any history of the modern mob. Shattering myths, Hortis reveals how Cosa Nostra actually obtained power at the inception. The author goes beyond conventional who-shot-who mob stories, providing answers to fresh questions such as: * Why did the Sicilian gangs come out on top of the criminal underworld? * Can economics explain how the Mafia families operated? * What was the Mafia's real role in the drug trade? * Why was Cosa Nostra involved in gay bars in New York since the 1930s? Drawing on an unprecedented array of primary sources, The Mob and the City is the most thorough and authentic history of the Mafia's rise to power in the early-to-mid twentieth century.

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Book SynopsisWinner of the NBCC Award for General NonfictionNamed on Slate''s 50 Best Nonfiction Books of the Past 25 Years, Amazon''s Best Books of the Year 2015--Michael Botticelli, U.S. Drug Czar (Politico) Favorite Book of the Year--Angus Deaton, Nobel Prize Economics (Bloomberg/WSJ) Best Books of 2015--Matt Bevin, Governor of Kentucky (WSJ) Books of the Year--Slate.com's 10 Best Books of 2015--Entertainment Weekly's 10 Best Books of 2015 --Buzzfeed's 19 Best Nonfiction Books of 2015--The Daily Beast's Best Big Idea Books of 2015--Seattle Times' Best Books of 2015--Boston Globe's Best Books of 2015--St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Best Books of 2015--The Guardian's The Best Book We Read All Year--Audible's Best Books of 2015--Texas Observer's Five Books We Loved in 2015--Chicago Public Library's Best Nonfiction Books of 2015From a small town in Mexico to the boardrooms of Big Pharma to main streets nationwide, an explosive and shocking account of addiction in the heartland of America.In 1929, in the blue-collar city of Portsmouth, Ohio, a company built a swimming pool the size of a football field; named Dreamland, it became the vital center of the community. Now, addiction has devastated Portsmouth, as it has hundreds of small rural towns and suburbs across America--addiction like no other the country has ever faced. How that happened is the riveting story of Dreamland. With a great reporter's narrative skill and the storytelling ability of a novelist, acclaimed journalist Sam Quinones weaves together two classic tales of capitalism run amok whose unintentional collision has been catastrophic. The unfettered prescribing of pain medications during the 1990s reached its peak in Purdue Pharma's campaign to market OxyContin, its new, expensive--extremely addictive--miracle painkiller. Meanwhile, a massive influx of black tar heroin--cheap, potent, and originating from one small county on Mexico's west coast, independent of any drug cartel--assaulted small town and mid-sized cities across the country, driven by a brilliant, almost unbeatable marketing and distribution system. Together these phenomena continue to lay waste to communities from Tennessee to Oregon, Indiana to New Mexico.Introducing a memorable cast of characters--pharma pioneers, young Mexican entrepreneurs, narcotics investigators, survivors, and parents--Quinones shows how these tales fit together. Dreamland is a revelatory account of the corrosive threat facing America and its heartland.

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Book SynopsisA harmless, unassuming caravan of women and children was ambushed by masked gunmen in northern Mexico on 4 November 2019. In a massacre that produced international headlines, nine people were killed and five others gravely injured. The victims were members of the La Mora and LeBarón communities—fundamentalist Mormons whose forebears broke from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and settled in Mexico when polygamy was outlawed. In The Colony, the best-selling investigative journalist Sally Denton picks up where initial reporting on the killings left off, and in the process tells the violent history of the LeBarón clan and their homestead, from the first polygamist emigration to Mexico in the 1880s to the LeBaróns’ internal blood feud in the 1970s to the family’s recent alliance with the NXIVM sex cult. Drawing on sources within Colonia LeBarón itself, Denton creates a mesmerising work of investigative journalism in the tradition of Under the Banner of Heaven and Going Clear.Trade Review"Meticulously researched….The author couldn’t have found a more bizarro clan to profile than the LeBarons, whose history of murdering family members, mental illness and incest rivals that of the Hapsburgs….Denton provides an excellent history of a polygamist subculture… [her] book is a testament to what happens when male power, under the guise of religious conviction, goes unchecked." -- Julia Scheeres - The New York Times Book Review

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Book SynopsisOn the heals of multiple new murder charges brought in 2018, here's an updated edition of the classic account of arguably the most shocking and insidious case in the history of medicine: the crimes of one nurse that were hidden by a hospital for years. It’s 1980, and Genene Jones is working the 3 to 11 PM shift in the pediatric ICU in San Antonio's county hospital. As the weeks go by, infants under her care begin experiencing unexpected complications—and dying—in alarming numbers, prompting rumors that there is a murderer among the staff. Her eight-hour shift would come to be called “the death shift.” This strange epidemic would continue unabated for more than a year, before Jones is quietly sent off—with a good recommendation—to a rural pediatric clinic. There, eight children under her care mysteriously stopped breathing—and a 15-month-old baby girl died. In May 1984, Jones was finally arrested, leading to a trial that revealed not only her deeply disturbed mind and a willingness to kill, but a desire to play "God" with the lives of the children under her care. More shocking still, it was discovered that the hospital had shredded records and remained silent about Jones’s horrific deeds, obscuring the full extent of her spree and prompting grieving parents to ask: Why? Elkind chronicles Jones's rampage, her trials, and the chilling aftermath of one of the most horrific crimes in America, and turns his piercing gaze onto those responsible for its cover-up. It is a tale with special relevance today, as prosecutors, distraught parents, and victims' advocates struggle to keep Jones behind bars, despite her scheduled mandatory release from a Texas prison in early 2018.Trade ReviewPraise for The Death Shift “Intriguing. . . . A horrifying true-life medical thriller...” —Publishers Weekly “Gripping. . . . A remarkable journalistic achievement!” —Newsweek “Murder, madness, and medicine. . . . superb!” —Library Journal “Shocking. . . . true crime reporting at its most compelling.” —Booklist Praise for The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron "Powerful and shocking. . . . filled with fascinating characters and anecdotes." —New York Times Book Review “The best book about the Enron debacle to date.” —BusinessWeek “The authors write with power and finesse. Their prose is effortless, like a sprinter floating down the track.” —USA Today “Well-reported and well-written.” —Warren Buffett Praise for Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer "An absorbing account of Spitzer's improbable journey from New York rich kid to celebrated Wall Street scourge—to infamous Client No. 9 of the Emperor's Club." —Los Angeles Times "The Eliot Spitzer story plays like a novel that might have been plotted by Theodore Dreiser and peopled with characters by Tom Wolfe. The governor of New York, aka 'Mr. Clean', aka 'the Sheriff of Wall Street', is transformed by a prostitution scandal into 'the Luv Gov' and 'Client 9.' The tireless reformer compared to Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne; the moralistic square, who carried a briefcase in junior high, finds his much ballyhooed future as a possible presidential contender smashed to pieces, and the word 'disgraced"'seemingly permanently stapled to his name like a Homeric epithet." —The New York Times "Even if there weren't a prostitution thread, this would be a page-turner. Elkind's style is journalism at its best: well-reported but pared down, and full of colorful scenes." —Newsweek.com "[Elkind] is a fantastic researcher who has used both his powers of persuasion and the freedom of information laws to full advantage. Readers are treated to the frantic e-mails of aides as they coped with Spitzer's foul-mouthed tirades and wild mood swings. The book also has the first interviews with the governor's favorite date from the Emperors Club prostitution ring.” —Washington Post

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Book SynopsisBeverly Hills Noir explores the city’s true crime history, delving deep inside cases that made headlines, scandals that engulfed Hollywood legends, and more strange-but-true tales that could only happen in the 90210.Beverly Hills Noir chronicles an assortment of jaw-dropping true crime stories spanning the legendary city’s history, each with oh-so-90210 twists—including a high-profile murder mystery in the city’s most extravagant mansion, the daring exploits of a handsome cat burglar with movie star looks, a toxic Tinseltown love triangle that ended in gunplay, a brazen Rodeo Drive jewelry store holdup with tragically stunning finale, an Oscar nominated actress on shoplifting spree and more—complete with major roles and countless cameos by Hollywood idols and cultural icons. A gripping, century-long tour of the glamorous city’s shadowy underbelly through crimes and misdemeanors as over-the-top as the city itself,

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Book SynopsisIn this groundbreaking work of investigative journalism and true crime, Stacy Horn sheds light on how the subprime mortgage scandal of the 1970s and a long history of white-collar crime slowly devastated East New York, a Brooklyn neighborhood that would come to be known as the Killing Fields. On a warm summer evening in 1991, seventeen-year-old Julia Parker was murdered in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York. An area known for an exorbitant level of violence and crime, East New York had come to be known as the Killing Fields. In the six months after Julia Parker's death, 62 more people were murdered in the same area. In the early 1990s, murder rates in the neighborhood climbed to the highest in NYPD history. East New York was dying. But how did this once thriving, diverse, family neighborhood fall into such ruin? The answer can be found two decades earlier. In response to redlining and discriminatory housing practices, the Johnson administration passed the Housing and Urban Development Act in 1968. The Federal Housing Authority aimed to use this piece of legislation to help low-income families of color finally achieve homeownership. But they could never have predicted how banks, lenders, realtors, and corrupt FHA officials themselves would use the newly passed law to make victims of the very people they were supposed to help, and the devastation they would leave in their wake. A compulsively readable hybrid of true crime and investigative journalism, The Killing Fields of East New York reveals how white-collar crime reduced a prospering neighborhood to abandoned buildings and empty lots. Following the dual threads of the hunt for the network of criminals behind the first subprime mortgage scandal and the ensuing downfall of East New York, Stacy Horn weaves a compelling narrative of government failure, a desperate community, and ultimately the largest series of mortgage fraud prosecutions in American history. The Killing Fields of East New York deftly demonstrates how different types of crime are profoundly entangled, and how the crimes committed in nice suits and corner offices are just as destructive as those committed on the street.

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Book SynopsisOprah Daily ranked #1 of the ?best true crime books of all time.? A riveting narrative that pieces together the life and murder of Black socialite Lita McClinton Sullivan?and the journey to bring her true killer to justice. The 1987 murder of Lita McClinton Sullivan sent shockwaves through the affluent Atlanta suburb of Buckhead, Georgia like few other crimes before it. The neighborhood, with its stately mansions and top-tier schools, was simply not the kind of place where women were gunned down in cold blood in broad daylight. How many socialites had enemies so dangerous they would be murdered by a hitman pretending to deliver roses on an early winter morning? Lita was an intelligent, accomplished, and stunning Black woman from a respected Atlanta family. Her interracial marriage to white millionaire Jim Sullivan, who hailed from working-class Boston, was a newsworthy occurrence in 1970s Georgia. For a while, the couple made the marriage work, but it wasn?t long before Jim?s roving eye and controlling nature put Lita on edge. When he bought a mansion in Palm Beach, Florida (without telling her), the façade of their life together began to crumble. Finally, after a decade of marriage, she loaded her belongings in a U-Haul and never looked back. But as the legal battle over the divorce raged and Jim?s financial outlook grew precarious, he had a chance encounter with a long-haul trucker, a smooth-talking ex-con who said he could he?d "take care" of Jim?s wife problem. . . . In A Devil Went Down to Georgia, award-winning writer Deb Miller Landau details the shocking events that followed Lita?s murder in 1987, including the surprising lack of evidence, racial bias in the justice system, and the international manhunt for Lita?s killer. Full of twists and turns, legal battles, and the McClinton family?s unrelenting dedication to justice, Landau''s rigorous investigation is the first complete account of this tragic American crime.

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Book SynopsisA brilliant examination of the enigmatic Russian revolutionary about whom Winston Churchill said "few men tried more, gave more, dared more and suffered more for the Russian people," and who remains a legendary and controversial figure in his homeland today.Although now largely forgotten outside Russia, Boris Savinkov was famous, and notorious, both at home and abroad during his lifetime, which spans the end of the Russian Empire and the establishment of the Soviet Union. A complex and conflicted individual, he was a paradoxically moral revolutionary terrorist, a scandalous novelist, a friend of epoch-defining artists like Modigliani and Diego Rivera, a government minister, a tireless fighter against Lenin and the Bolsheviks, and an advisor to Churchill. At the end of his life, Savinkov conspired to be captured by the Soviet secret police, and as the country’s most prized political prisoner made headlines around the world when he claimed that he accepted the Bolshevik state. But as this book argues, this was Savinkov’s final play as a gambler and he had staked his life on a secret plan to strike one last blow against the tyrannical regime. Neither a "Red" nor a "White," Savinkov lived an epic life that challenges many popular myths about the Russian Revolution, which was arguably the most important catalyst of twentieth-century world history. All of Savinkov’s efforts were directed at transforming his homeland into a uniquely democratic, humane and enlightened state. There are aspects of his violent legacy that will, and should, remain frozen in the past as part of the historical record. But the support he received from many of his countrymen suggests that the paths Russia took during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries--the tyranny of communism, the authoritarianism of Putin’s regime--were not the only ones written in her historical destiny. Savinkov's goals remain a poignant reminder of how things in Russia could have been, and how, perhaps, they may still become someday. Written with novelistic verve and filled with the triumphs, disasters, dramatic twists and contradictions that defined Savinkov's life, this book shines a light on an extraordinary man who tried to change Russian and world history.Trade Review“In Vladimir Alexandrov’s To Break Russia's Chains we are offered a poignant idea of what ‘might have been’ in the last century of history if Savinkov’s struggle for a democratic Russia had succeeded….Alexandrov presents Savinkov in all his complexity, particularly the blind spots which sank so many of his efforts.” * Washington Independent Review of Books *“To Break Russia’s Chains is well-written, often gripping. Spies, double deals, subterfuge, plots, arrests, escapes, and revolutionary acts abound across its 500 pages. Alexandrov offers the best conclusion for understanding Savinkov’s remarkable life and ultimate fate: ‘as is often the case, what happened was the exact opposite of what he expected.’” * Origins *"This excellent study expertly chronicles the complexities of the Russian Revolution and the Civil War through the extraordinary life of Boris Savinkov...The breadth of Alexandrov’s research is highly impressive as is his large cast of characters, whom he handles very deftly. This very welcome biography now brings Savinkov’s adventures to a whole new audience." * History of War *"This compelling study distils a great deal of research into a fast-paced narrative [that] reads like a political thriller...it is a story Alexandrov tells with aplomb.” * Times Literary Supplement *“A thorough and detailed study. One of the more remarkable lives in an era of remarkable lives. Alexandrov wonders just what might have been had Savinkov’s last plot not been thwarted…a question worth asking.” * The Los Angeles Review of Books *"Alexandrov’s biography is well worth reading for its depiction of the real feel of the historical situation and for the complexity of a historical character like Savinkov, whose life spanned a whole chapter of Russian history." * The American Conservative *"A controversial figure in Russian history earns an impassioned, long-overdue treatment. This thoroughgoing biography builds [Savinkov’s] story with meticulous, novelistic detail...Throughout this fascinating historical biography, Alexandrov demonstrates his facility with the Soviet archives, delivering a scholarly yet accessible work perfect for library collections. A painstaking work of archival research that unearths little-known details of early Soviet history." * Kirkus, Starred Review *"Marshalling a large cast of characters and a mountain of research into a fluid narrative, Alexandrov clarifies the complex dynamics of the Russian Revolution. This trenchant biography gives its fascinating subject his due." * Publishers Weekly *"The importance of Boris Savinkov and his controversial role in the Russian Revolution and Civil War have been overlooked recently, but this excellent and well-written biography by Professor Alexandrov should do much to reawaken interest in his extraordinary life." -- Antony Beevor * author of STALINGRAD *“Boris Savinkov was one of the most colourful, notorious and enigmatic figures in revolutionary Russia – a flamboyant hero to some, an untrustworthy villain to others. Extraordinarily influential in his lifetime – and still a legendary figure in Russia – this complex individual has been all-but forgotten in the West. Vladimir Alexandrov’s superb biography provides a page-turning account of Savinkov’s roller-coaster life, as well as throwing valuable new light on the history of the Russian state.” -- Giles Milton, best-selling author of Churchill's Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare and D-Day"The extraordinary life of Boris Savinkov—revolutionary assassin, self-described terrorist, and novelist—is one of those historical enigmas peculiar to the tragedy of modern Russia. But in the hands of this masterful biographer, Savinkov is resurrected. Vladimir Alexandrov expertly mines the archives to write a spy story filled with intrigue, passion and improbable adventures—and along the way we learn a great deal of history. A formidable achievement." -- Kai Bird is a Pulitzer Prize winning historian, the Director of the Leon Levy Center for Biography and the author most recently of The Outlier: The Unfinished Presidency of Jimmy Carter.Praise for The Black Russian—One of San Francisco Chronicle's Top Ten Nonfiction Books of 2013 "Magnetizing and unforgettable . . . In his assiduously researched, prodigiously descriptive, fluently analytical, and altogether astonishing work of resurrection, Alexandrov provides uniquely focused accounts of racial struggles in America and decadence and bloodshed in Europe and Russia while insightfully and dynamically portraying a singular man." * Booklist (starred review) *

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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 Synopsis“A tour de force of storytelling.” —Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Gamache series“Jobb’s excellent storytelling makes the book a pleasure to read.” —The New York Times Book Review “When a doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals,” Sherlock Holmes observed during one of his most baffling investigations. “He has nerve and he has knowledge.” In the span of fifteen years, Dr. Thomas Neill Cream murdered as many as ten people in the United States, Britain, and Canada, a death toll with almost no precedent. Poison was his weapon of choice. Largely forgotten today, this villain was as brazen as the notorious Jack the Ripper. Structured around the doctor’s London murder trial in 1892, when he was finally brought to justice, The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream exposes the blind trust given to medical practitioners, as well as the flawed detection methods, bungled investigations, corrupt officials, and stifling morality of Victorian society that allowed Dr. Cream to prey on vulnerable and desperate women, many of whom had turned to him for medical help. Dean Jobb transports readers to the late nineteenth century as Scotland Yard traces Dr. Cream’s life through Canada and Chicago and finally to London, where new investigative tools called forensics were just coming into use, even as most police departments still scoffed at using science to solve crimes. But then, most investigators could hardly imagine that serial killers existed—the term was unknown. As the Chicago Tribune wrote, Dr. Cream’s crimes marked the emergence of a new breed of killer: one who operated without motive or remorse, who “murdered simply for the sake of murder.” For fans of Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City, all things Sherlock Holmes, or the podcast My Favorite Murder, The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream is an unforgettable true crime story from a master of the genre.Trade ReviewOne of the Most Anticipated Books of 2021: The New York Times Book Review * BuzzFeed * CNN * CrimeReads * Book Riot One of IndieWire's 10 Best Gifts for True Crime Fans One of The Washington Post's "50 Notable Works of Nonfiction" One of CrimeReads' "Best True Crime Books of 2021" "Jobb recounts Cream's life and evokes the societal attitudes that allowed him to kill: the blind faith placed in doctors, the power imbalance between Cream and the people who sought his care." --The New York Times "A deeply absorbing account of the life and deeds of one of the Ripper's earliest 'successors' . . . An admirable piece of work, a model for its kind." --The Wall Street Journal "[Dr. Thomas Neill Cream] will hauntingly occupy a space in your nightmares after you read of his life and crimes in The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream. An extraordinarily well-researched and arrestingly written work . . . this is a book that grabs you from its first sentence, weaving a suspenseful tale and taking readers on a grand, if gruesome, historical journey." --Chicago Tribune "Jobb . . . re-creates Cream's heartless life in short, highly dramatic chapters." --The Washington Post "If you've been hunting for your next true crime addiction this summer, Dean Jobb's The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream has it all: a serial-killer doctor, corrupt leaders, and a ground-breaking investigation by Scotland Yard, all within the spellbinding setting of London circa 1892." --Elle "True crime fans will want to pick up Dean Jobb's engrossing account of Thomas Neill Cream . . . Jobb builds Cream's world in vivid, transportive detail; I had a lot of fun being swept away." --BuzzFeed, "28 Summer Books to Get Excited About" "A must for true crime fans." --CNN "A tour de force of storytelling. One of the best books I've read this year. Dean Jobb breathes new life into Cream's victims--who they were, where and how they lived--all the while blending in thorny issues of policing, of the fictional detectives being created, of the other serial killers on the loose. This book is both chilling and thrilling." --Louise Penny, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Chief Inspector Gamache series "The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream is a macabre, utterly suspenseful true crime thriller about a forgotten madman every bit as cunning and evil as Jack the Ripper. Dean Jobb combines scholarship with a breakneck narrative so relentless it kept me up all night. Warning: Read with the lights on." --Abbott Kahler, New York Times bestselling author (as Karen Abbott) of The Ghosts of Eden Park "The story of the infamous poisoner Thomas Neill Cream is so many things--horrifying, fascinating, and insightful, a portrait of late 19th-century police work at a time when the idea of the professional detective was just starting to take shape. And in this vivid and compelling book, Dean Jobb does full justice to that story." --Deborah Blum, New York Times bestselling author of The Poisoner's Handbook "[Jobb] creates a nuanced portrait of Cream that's much more chilling than Mr. Hyde." --BookPage "Masterful . . . True crime doesn't get any better than this." --Booklist "[A] fascinating read." --Oxygen.com, July Book Club Selection "Chilling and fascinating . . . Jobb's true crime stories are not to be missed." --CrimeReads "Jobb's extensive research pays off in a true crime masterpiece that will easily sit alongside The Devil in the White City." --Publishers Weekly, starred review "Jobb richly embellishes his grim central tale with carefully researched setting, detail, and social mores of the late Victorian era, elegantly contrasted with his eponymous fiend, Thomas Neill Cream . . . A vivid, engaging revival of a forgotten Victorian villain." --Kirkus Reviews "An illuminating, if frightening, book . . . Jobb handles this hideous yet compelling story so well . . . An absorbing and grim account, The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream is a gripping addition to the true crime genre." --Bookreporter.com "Jobb uses Cream's spree to illuminate the era's surgical and policing practices, and despite Cream's monstrousness, Jobb's storytelling 'makes the book a pleasure to read.'" --The Week "[A] fascinating read." --Oxygen.com "The graphically told tale of a notorious 19th-century slayer... Impressive." --Washington Independent Review of Books "Jobb does a masterful job of following the investigation, which ranged from England to the United States to Canada, and of presenting Dr. Cream not merely as a murderer, but as a complex, unstable, and deeply fascinating individual. True crime doesn't get any better than this." --Booklist "Jobb's research is excellent . . . [His] compelling account of Cream's reign of terror will appeal to readers interested in Jack the Ripper or Peter Sutcliffe, the Yorkshire Ripper." --Library Journal "Engrossing . . . An informative and entertaining true crime text." --Foreword Review "Jobb captures the hypocrisy, class differences, and gender inequality of the times in an extensively researched non-fiction telling of the forgotten nineteenth century serial killer Dr. Thomas Neill Cream . . . Both grim and hard to put down." --Southern Bookseller Review "Dean Jobb's meticulous research is evident on every page of his gripping study of the extraordinary serial killer Doctor Cream, a nineteenth century 'monster of iniquity' whose homicidal career was truly stranger than fiction." --Martin Edwards, author of Mortmain Hall and the Lake District Mysteries "Dean Jobb has produced another mesmerizing feat of historical storytelling. The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream vividly recreates the career of one of the most audacious--and deadly--criminals in history." --Gary Krist, New York Times bestselling author of Empire of Sin and The Mirage Factory "Tense, atmospheric, and effortlessly readable, The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream has all the sinister elegance of a hansom cab emerging from a late Victorian London smog." --Paul Willetts, author of King Con "Deeply researched and rich in grisly detail, The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream fuses the blow-by-blow efforts to catch a serial killer with the larger picture of crime and detection in the late nineteenth century. A fine piece of social history as well as an extraordinary story, it engrossed me right up to its deeply satisfying conclusion." --Charlotte Gray, author of eleven nonfiction bestsellers, including The Massey Murder and Murdered Midas "A brilliant evocation of an age and a fascinating dissection of a serial killer's crimes. Dean Jobb is a first-rate storyteller and historical detective. A real page-turner." --Lindsey Fitzharris, author of The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine "Corruption, madness, murder: Dr. Cream has it all. This is a spectacular and absorbing tale, meticulously reported and vividly told. An enthralling page-turner." --Jonathan Eig, author of Get Capone: The Secret Plot that Captured America's Most Wanted Gangster "The definitive retelling of a story about a devious doctor, the dogged investigators who hunted him, and the murders that shocked the world. Dr. Cream's story comes to life in Jobb's spellbinding tale." --Kate Winkler Dawson, author American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSI "A tour de force of research, The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream conjures an era when poisoners roamed the earth--and police seemed powerless to stop them." --Margalit Fox, author of Conan Doyle for the Defense "An exciting whodunit . . . Jobb also does the unusual in true crime: he describes in detail the lives of Cream's victims. The scholarship he employed to tell this story is staggering . . . the numbing regard and treatment of women in Victorian times -- especially of unmarried pregnant, widowed and abandoned women -- tugs at the heart." --Winnipeg Free Press "A must-read... historically rich and shockingly poignant, Jobb's text is not one to miss." --True Crime Index "First-rate creative non-fiction [and] very hard to put down . . . Crime buffs are going to motor through this book." --Saltwire.com

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Book SynopsisA captivating Jazz Age true-crime caper about 'the greatest jewel thief who ever lived' (Life Magazine), Arthur Barry, who charmed everyone from Rockefellers to members of the royal family while simultaneously planning and executing the most audacious and lucrative heists of the 1920s.  “A master of narrative nonfiction. In this mesmerizing tale about a Jazz Age gentlemanly thief, Jobb has found his own perfect jewel.” ―DAVID GRANN, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wager and Killers of the Flower Moon “An enthrallingly propulsive, unpredictably twisty biography of one of the most fascinating criminals of the 20th Century.  I was hooked from the very first heist.” ―MICHAEL FINKEL, New York Times bestselling author of The Art Thief and The Stranger in the WoodsCatch Me If You Can meets The Great Gatsby

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Book SynopsisBring your love of true crime into the kitchen with meals ranging from the bizarre to the gluttonous, inspired by notorious death row inmates.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisThe unbelievable true story of Canada’s first known spree killer, told by a veteran of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. In June 1966, Matthew Charles Lamb took his uncle’s shotgun and wandered down Ford Blvd in Windsor, Ontario. At the end of the bloody night, two teenagers lay dead, with multiple others injured after an unprovoked shooting spree. In his investigation into Lamb’s story, Will Toffan pieces together the troubled childhood and history of violence that culminated in the young man’s dubious distinction as Canada’s first known spree killer—at which point the story becomes, the author writes “too strange for fiction.” Travelling from the border city streets, to the courtroom, to the Oak Ridge rehabilitation centre, and finally Rhodesia, Watching the Devil Dance is both a thrilling narrative about a shocking true crime and its bizarre aftermath and an insightful analysis of the 1960s criminal justice system.Trade ReviewPraise for Watching the Devil Dance "A vital addition to the Canadian true crime canon. Packed with agonizing moment after agonizing moment, Watching the Devil Dance takes you from the bloodied sidewalks to the moan-filled hallways of Oak Ridge and places the Matthew Lamb case at the centre of a turning point in legal history, offering a peek into Canadian history rarely examined and highlighting the historic failings of the criminal justice system in our country. This is not just a regional crime story. It is a tragedy with national implications."—Vanessa Brown, author of The Forest City Killer: A Serial Murderer, A Cold-Case Sleuth, and a Search for Justice “An unusual tale marked by fascinating elements that are unique to the era in which his crimes occurred. [Toffan’s] book offers detailed insight into a type of criminal that would later become more prevalent: the mass murderer.” —Toronto Star “An impressive debut ... By any yardstick, this is an excellent true-crime book. Toffan develops context and provides understanding, especially of the law. He also renders a gripping account of the murders, without ever sensationalizing the violence he recounts.”—Winnipeg Free Press “Fascinating, measured, and compulsively readable, Watching the Devil Dance is essential true crime reading and a chilling indictment of the failings of the justice system.” —Open Book “With spectacular insight Toffan details the horrible tragedy of Lamb’s shooting spree, submerging the reader in that era and putting them right in the middle of the story. Toffan also gives us a very generous amount of background on Lamb which is essential in understanding the mind of a killer ... This is a must read for crime story lovers.”—The Horror Report

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