True crime Books

Book SynopsisA “fascinating” memoir—and the inspiration for the movie starring Richard Gere—from the man behind the forged autobiography of Howard Hughes (Time).   Novelist Clifford Irving’s no-holds-barred account of his faked autobiography of Howard Hughes—one of the greatest literary hoaxes of the twentieth century—is the ultimate caper story.   The plan was concocted in the early 1970s, when eccentric billionaire Hughes was already living as a recluse in the Bahamas. An American author, Irving pitched the scheme to his friend, fellow writer Richard Suskind: Through forged letters and fake interviews, they would recount Hughes’s life “in his own words.” Meanwhile, Irving’s wife would open a Swiss bank account in the name of “Helga R. Hughes” using a fake passport. Their success hinged on the assumption that Hughes would never resurface to challenge the book, as he had not

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Book SynopsisTwo brothers turn from Jehovah’s Witnesses in Allentown, PA, to neo-Nazi murderers in this true crime investigation from the author of Lobster Boy. Raised as Jehovah’s Witnesses and frustrated with their parents’ repressive rules, Bryan and David Freeman rebelled as teenagers. Encouraged by an acquaintance he met while institutionalized at a reform school, Bryan became a neo-Nazi. Bryan then indoctrinated David, and their flare for defiance took a dark turn. After callously murdering their father, mother, and younger brother, the skinhead brothers took flight across America, with police from three states in hot pursuit. They were eventually captured in Michigan and returned to Pennsylvania for trial. During the trial, author Fred Rosen uncovered evidence that one of the brothers might not have been as culpable as authorities claimed, and divulged the history of a family torn apart by stringent religious beliefs.Trade ReviewPraise for Fred Rosen “The one true crime masterpiece I have read.” —The Guardian on Lobster Boy

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Book Synopsis The shocking exposé of a carny’s murder arranged by his wife—and the daughter who threatened the author to keep the truth from getting out. In his account of the sensational life and murder of Grady Stiles Jr., also known as the legendary carnival “freak” Lobster Boy, author Fred Rosen explains how Stiles’s death was engineered by his wife, Mary Teresa, the carny known as the Electrified Girl. Rosen describes how Mary Teresa arranged for her husband’s murder after years of physical and emotional abuse. The narrative is full of appearances from the couple’s colorful acquaintances, including the World’s Only Living Half Girl, Midget Man, and the Human Blockhead.   During Mary Teresa’s dramatic trial, Rosen becomes a character in his own book. When both he and the prosecution are threatened by Mary Teresa’s daughter, who Rosen believes was a co-conspirator although she was never indicted, the writer risks his life in pursuit of the truth and the evidence that leads to Mary Teresa’s conviction.

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Book SynopsisThe author of the true crime “masterpiece” Lobster Boy traces a brutal killer’s history across two decades of slipping past the legal system (The Guardian). When police in Tampa, Florida, arrested Larry Singleton in 1997 for brutally murdering prostitute Roxanne Hayes, they soon realized it wasn’t the man’s first violent attack. Back in 1978 he had gained notoriety as “the Mad Chopper” for raping and cutting off the arms of 15-year-old Mary Vincent on a patch of desolate, sun-scorched land 5 miles off the highway near Modesto, California. When Singleton was let out of prison on supervised parole after serving only 8 years for his crimes, no community in California would accept him. He eventually moved back to his home in Florida, where he killed Hayes nearly 20 years after his original crime. But his first victim, Vincent, had survived, walking nearly a mile to get help after the assault, and testified against him at his trial for murdering Hayes.Trade ReviewPraise for Fred Rosen “The one true crime masterpiece I have read.” —The Guardian on Lobster Boy

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Book Synopsis The shocking true crime story of a beloved Hollywood star gone too soon—told by the captain of the boat on which Natalie Wood spent her last night.   Goodbye Natalie, Goodbye Splendour is the long-awaited, detailed account of events that led to the mysterious death of Hollywood legend Natalie Wood off the coast of Catalina Island on November 28, 1981. It is a story told by a haunted witness to that fateful evening: Dennis Davern, the young captain of Splendour, the yacht belonging to Wood and husband Robert Wagner. Davern initially backed up Wagner’s version of that evening’s events through a signed statement prepared by attorneys. But Davern’s guilt over failing Natalie tormented him.   Davern reached out to his old friend Marti Rulli, and little by little, at his own emotional pace, he revealed the details of his years in Wood’s employ, of the fateful weekend that Natalie died, and of the eve

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Trade ReviewNo competing encyclopedia of this type exists. Nothing like it has ever been published before on this subject matter. * Small Wars Journal *Table of ContentsList of Entries, Introduction, A–Z Entries, Chronology, Glossary, General Works, Index,

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Book SynopsisGitta Sereny, CBE (1921 2012) was an Austrian-born biographer, historian and investigative journalist. She was the author of five books, including The Case of Mary Bell: A Portrait of a Child Who Murdered and Albert Speer: His Battle with Truth for which she was awarded the Duff Cooper Prize and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize.

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Book SynopsisThe shocking true story of the Russian serial killer who brutally murdered more than fifty victims—and evaded capture for over a decade. By the time he was brought to trial in 1992, Soviet serial killer Andrei Chikatilo had killed more than fifty women and children, often sexually abusing them and leaving their bodies mutilated beyond recognition. Although he was initially arrested in 1984, the police lacked enough evidence to pin the unsolved murders on him and he was able to torture and kill dozens more before his eventual conviction. Compiling exclusive interviews and trial transcripts, journalist and editor at London’s Sunday Times Peter Conradi reveals how the grandfather and former teacher carried out a horrific twelve-year killing spree right under the nose of authority. Based on extensive research into Chikatilo’s past and the elements of Soviet society that allowed his crimes to go unsolved for so long, Conradi delves into the life of one of history’s most prolific and disturbing serial killers. Interviews with Moscow police detectives detail the fervent hunt for the man who preyed on young children, prostitutes, and runaways—a search that turned up many dead ends and false convictions before a massive undercover surveillance effort ultimately nabbed Chikatilo. A chilling look into the deranged mind of a monster, The Red Ripper is a comprehensive and shocking true crime account—plus photos—of one of the twentieth century’s deadliest killers and the manhunt to catch him. Table of Contents Dedication Map Introduction by Colin Wilson Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chronology Image Gallery About the Author

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Book SynopsisThe New York Times–bestselling account of the serial killer’s rampage and the ensuing manhunt. Now a Hulu true crime thriller starring Keira Knightley. On June 14, 1962, twenty-five-year-old Juris Slesers arrived at his mother’s apartment to drive her to church. But there was no answer at the door. When he pushed his way inside, Juris found Anna Slesers dead on the kitchen floor, the cord of her housecoat knotted tightly around her neck. Over the next two years, twelve more bodies were discovered in and around Boston: all women, all sexually assaulted, and all strangled. None of the victims exhibited any signs of struggle, nothing was stolen from their homes, and there were no signs of forcible entry. The police could find no discernable motive or clues. Who was this madman? How was he entering women’s homes? And what insanity was driving him? Drawn from hundreds of hours of personal interviews, as well as police, medical, and court documentation, this is a grisly, horrifying, and meticulously researched account of Albert DeSalvo—an American serial killer on par with Jack the Ripper.Trade Review“Stock up and stand back. . . . It takes will power to lay the book down, almost as much as it would have required of the victims to keep their doors closed to the man who said he’d been sent to repair their plumbing and repaint their apartments. . . . It is a mad genius stroke and Frank’s book will contribute to a legend and literature of America’s Jack the Ripper.” —Kirkus Reviews “One of the most remarkable chronicles of true crime ever published. A classic in its genre!” —John Barkham Reviews “A superb true crime account . . . The book tells a sensational story; it tells it simply, candidly, faithfully, and as completely as one could want. Chilling reading . . . An engrossing book and creepy tale.” —The New York Times Table of Contents A Note to the Reader The Dead Part One 1 2 3 4 5 6 Part Two 7 8 9 10 11 Part Three 12 13 14 15 16 17 Part Four 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 About the Author

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Book SynopsisThe dark double life of Ellen Boehm, the mother who murdered her two sons—and nearly killed her daughter. Ellen Boehm, a single mom from St. Louis, Missouri, appeared devoted to her children. But in reality, she was unequipped for motherhood, financially strapped, and desperate. Within a year of each other, her sons, ages two and four, died mysteriously, and Boehm’s eight-year-old daughter then suffered a near-fatal mishap when a hair dryer fell into the girl’s bath. While neighbors wondered how Boehm remained so calm through it all, Det. Sgt. Joseph Burgoon of St. Louis Homicide had darker suspicions. Burgoon soon unraveled a labyrinth of deception, greed, and obsession that revealed a cold-blooded killer whose get-rich-quick scheme came at the cost of her children’s lives. Boehm had taken out insurance policies on her children with six different companies totaling nearly $100,000. Using police reports, case documents, and photos, journalist John Coston recreates the events that led to one mother’s unspeakable acts of filicide—and a cop’s relentless pursuit of the truth. Table of Contents Dedication Author’s Note The Hair Dryer A Single Mother A Married Man A Thanksgiving Tragedy A Little Boy’s Fight Death Benefit Party Girl Happy Birthday, Steven The Autopsy An Extraordinary Case A Cold Shoulder A Good and Kind Person A Mother Carries On A Detective’s Questions My Mommy Told Me A Blue Car, After All In Search of a Man A Mother’s Lie Keeping Up Appearances Widening the Net Our Best Bet The Long Wait Last Day of Freedom Ellen’s Turn to Wait A Capital Case A Little Girl’s Fate A Trial Date “Yes, Your Honor” Afterthoughts Epilogue Image Gallery Acknowledgments About the Author

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Book SynopsisWinner of the Edgar Award: The riveting account of an audacious fraud scheme that stretched from a Mafia hangout on the Lower East Side to the Vatican. With a round, open face and a penchant for tall tales, Matteo de Lorenzo resembled everyone’s kindly uncle. But Uncle Marty, as he was known throughout the Genovese crime family, was one of the New York mob’s top earners throughout the 1960s and ’70s, the mastermind of a billion-dollar trade in stolen and counterfeit securities. In the spring of 1972, de Lorenzo and his shrewd and ruthless business partner, Vincent Rizzo, traveled to Europe to discuss a plan to launder millions of dollars worth of phony securities. Shockingly, the plot involved Archbishop Paul Marcinkus, the scandal-plagued president of the Vatican Bank. Unbeknownst to de Lorenzo and Rizzo, however, the NYPD was already on the case—thanks to the crusading work of Det. Joseph Coffey. Coffey, the legendary New York policeman who investigated the Lufthansa heist and took the Son of Sam’s confession, first learned of the scheme in a wiretap related to the attempted mob takeover of the Playboy Club in Manhattan. From those unlikely beginnings, Detective Coffey worked tirelessly to trace the fraudulent stocks and bonds around the world and deep into the corridors of power in Washington, DC, and Rome. Meticulously researched and relentlessly gripping, The Vatican Connection is a true story of corruption and deceit, packed with “all the ingredients of a thriller” (San Francisco Chronicle).Trade Review“Explosive . . . All the ingredients of a thriller.” —San Francisco Chronicle “For people who enjoy reading about good gumshoes doing good work, with the added twist that at the end of the trail sit men in red hats and long robes abusing the power of their religious authority.” —Chicago Sun-Times “Hammer . . . fashions a smooth narrative around nefarious activities involving prominent political and religious figures.” —The New York Times

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Book Synopsis The horrific true story of serial kidnapper, rapist, and killer Robert Hansen’s reign of terror As oil-boom money poured into Anchorage, Alaska the city quickly became a prime destination for the seedier elements of society: prostitutes, pimps, con men, and criminals of all breeds looking to cash in. However, something even worse lurked in their midst.   To all who knew him, Robert Hansen was a typical hardworking businessman, husband, and father. But hidden beneath the veneer of mild respectability was a monster whose depraved appetites could not be sated. From 1971 to 1983, Hansen was a human predator, stalking women on the edges of Anchorage society—women whose disappearances would cause scant outcry, but whose gruesome fates would shock the nation. After his arrest, Hansen confessed to seventeen brutal murders, though authorities suspect there were more than thirty victims.   Alaska State Trooper Walter Gilmour and writer Leland E. Hale tell the story of Hansen’s twisted depredations—from the dark urges that drove his madness to the women who died at his hand and finally to the authorities who captured and convicted the killer who came to be known as the “Butcher Baker.”

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Book SynopsisThe basis for the Meryl Streep film A Cry in the Dark: The dramatic true story of a mother’s worst nightmare and the murder trial that shocked Australia. On a camping trip at Ayer’s Rock, the Chamberlain family’s infant daughter disappeared in the middle of the night. Her distraught mother, Lindy, claimed she saw a dingo carry her off into the Australian outback. Two years later, their tragedy worsened when, without a murder weapon, a body, or even a motive, a jury convicted Lindy Chamberlain of killing her own daughter. The public cheered. John Bryson, a trial lawyer and award-winning journalist, deconstructs the factors that led to a seemingly reasonless incarceration and the public attitude that demanded it. With this book, he began to sway popular opinion in the Chamberlains’ favor by discussing the failures on the part of the police, forensics team, and press. Winner of the CWA Gold Dagger and the inspiration for the film A Cry in the Dark starring Meryl Streep, Evil Angels presents an impartial analysis of the most notorious miscarriage of justice in Australian history. It serves as a reminder of the dangers of blindly searching for a conviction, the importance of scientific accuracy, the volatility of the media, and the ease with which a nation can fall prey to bigoted thinking. Written with literary finesse, this is one of the twentieth century’s most important—and thoughtful—works of true crime.Trade Review“Out of the complex story of his country’s most famous murder trial, Australian lawyer, journalist and novelist John Bryson has fashioned a remarkable book, one that resonates with moral ambiguities and wrenching emotions. . . . Bryson’s handling of the complicated testimony about physical evidence is a model of clarity and coherence. . . . Far more important, however, is his quietly devastating portrait of the ugly undercurrent of ignorance and prejudice that ran against Lindy Chamberlain almost from the beginning.” —Newsday “One of the most interesting and disturbing books I’ve ever read about the social and emotional ramifications of a criminal trial . . . [Bryson] turns the worst nightmare of false justice into an affirmation of honest grit, without losing sight of how easily Lindy Chamberlain could still be in jail. . . . Terrific.” —Erika Munk, The Village Voice “Five hundred and fifty pages of cinematic excitement.” —Maeve Binchy “Non-stop excitement . . . Bryson piles shock upon shock as he spirits readers all over the map: To courtrooms in Darwin and Alice Springs; to the homes of aboriginal trackers; to forensic laboratories in Australia, England and the United States; even to an Adelaide zoo, for bizarre experiments in the likely behavior of dingoes. . . . Books don’t get more interesting than this one.” —The Virginian-Pilot “An impressive literary document.” —The Times (London) “Hypnotic.” —The Mail on Sunday “Stunning and disturbing.” —The Australian “A fine work of literature. The dramatic intensity never wavers.” —The Age (Melbourne) “A story with the tragic force of a Shakespearian drama.” —Monthly Review “A work of art.” —Australian Book Review Table of Contents Praise for Evil Angels Contents So Void Was Night Phoenixville 1 2 3 Desert 1 2 3 4 5 God Put It Here, Himself 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 Evensong 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Vigil 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 It’s Time We All Went Home 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Cerements 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Evil Eye Every Part of Town 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Curiosities 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Nothing At All Like Trust 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Faces in the Bloodstream Partisans 1 2 3 The Rarest Species Around 1 2 3 Spells 1 2 3 4 5 The Proper Management of Sorrow 1 2 3 4 5 A Graveyard, Floodlit 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Use the Word: Merciful 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 For All the Good It Will Do 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 The Secret Assumptions of Science Sanctuary 1 2 3 4 Newsflashes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Effigies 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Necromancy, So to Trial Always Running From Something 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 A Whole Different Town Here 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Part of the Fact, Anyway 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Enough Magnifications to See By 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 The Molecular Structure of Truth 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 2 Timothy. 4:7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 The Lord Should Have Been Here By Now 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 A Quiet Place on Redemption Street 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Afterword About the Author

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Book SynopsisThe real story behind the murder of a Manhattan schoolteacher that became a symbol of the dangers of casual sex: “A first-rate achievement” (Truman Capote). In 1973, Roseann Quinn, an Irish-Catholic teacher at a school for deaf children, was killed in New York City after bringing a man home to her apartment from an Upper West Side pub. The crime made headlines and the ensuing case quickly evolved into a cultural phenomenon, spawning both a #1 New York Times–bestselling novel and a film adaptation starring Diane Keaton and Richard Gere, and sparking debates about the sexual revolution and the perils of the “pickup scene” at what were popularly known as singles bars. In this groundbreaking true crime tale, Lacey Fosburgh, the New York Times reporter first assigned to the story, utilizes an inventive dramatization technique, in which she gives the victim a different name, to veer between the chilling, suspenseful personal interactions leading up to the brutal stabbing and the gritty details of its aftermath, including the NYPD investigation and the arrest of John Wayne Wilson. An Edgar Award finalist for Best Fact Crime, this classic of the genre is “more riveting, and more tragic, than the Judith Rossner novel—and 1977 movie Looking for Mr. Goodbar” (Men’s Journal). Trade Review“A first-rate achievement.” —Truman Capote “More riveting, and more tragic, than the Judith Rossner novel—and 1977 movie Looking for Mr. Goodbar.” —Men’s Journal “A meticulous, investigative account of the so-called Goodbar killing.” —Los AngelesTimes “Told crisply and very, very graphically . . . Lacey Fosburgh writes with compassion of these sick and shattered lives.” —The New York Times Book ReviewTable of Contents Prologue 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 About the Author

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