True crime Books

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Book SynopsisFINALIST FOR THE HARPER LEE PRIZE FOR LEGAL FICTION 2016FINALIST FOR THE MACAVITY AWARD 2016The year is 1936.Charles Lucky' Luciano is the most powerful gangster in America, Mob overlord and bootlegger millionaire. Thomas E. Dewey is an ambitious young prosecutor determined to bring him down, and Cokey Flo Brown grifter, heroin addict and sometime prostitute is the witness who claims she can do it.Only a wily defence attorney named George Morton Levy stands between Lucky and a life behind bars, and between Dewey and the New York Governor's mansion.As the Roaring Twenties give way to the austere reality of the Great Depression, four lives, each on its own incandescent trajectory, intersect in a New York courtroom. The events of this seminal Mob trial will introduce America to the violent and darkly glamorous world of organised crime, and leave its culture, laws and politics for ever changed.Trade ReviewA fast-paced collection of set-piece chapters that infuse popular-history with the wild energy of a 1930s Warner Bros. crime-movie. The novel’s prose-style shifts in tune to the events it chronicles, and we watch the protagonists change (if not quite grow), through experience and necessity, from youthful types into archetypes * Wall Street Journal *Fascinating * Independent *Meticulously researched … Jumps off the page * Guardian *A taut and intriguing thriller ... The novel displays Greaves’s deft grasp of psychology ... Greaves’s fictional version of her story is a strange and unsettling read * Sunday Times *Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Mailer, Capote and Berendt, Greaves has crafted a McCarthy-esque non-fiction novelisation that is, at once, both timeless and classic. A truly extraordinary accomplishment, and a wonderful, wonderful book. I was left speechless * R. J. Ellory on Hard Twisted *Now and again you discover a thriller that sweeps you off your feet, it is so unexpected. This is one ... We are in the days of the dustbowls and The Grapes of Wrath ... A delicate mix of poignancy and horror, it is impossible to forget * Daily Mail on Hard Twisted *A superb first novel, based on a true story ... Written in a style that is the prose equivalent of a Dorothea Lange photograph ... Extraordinarily moving reading * Guardian on Hard Twisted *

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Book SynopsisPart biography, part literary memoir, Dead Men's Wages is, like Lorna Sage's Bad Blood, a stunning book to inspire, haunt and move you.

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Book SynopsisThis book tells the stories behind both famous and unfamiliar cults ? and the people behind them.

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Book SynopsisThe fifth title in the 'Profiles in Crime' series, this book features medium-length profiles of serial killers from the 80s.

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Book SynopsisTrue stories of prison breaks including those of Frank Abagnale, whose story is told in Catch Me If You Can; Henri Charrière who claimed to have escaped from the supposedly inescapable Devil''s Island - the true story as opposed to his questionable memoir, Papillon; Bud Day, said to be the only US serviceman ever to have escaped to South Vietnam; the six prisoners who escaped from Death Row in Mecklenburg Correctional Center; and Pascal Payeret, the French armed robber who escaped not once, but twice from French prisons with the help of a helicopter.Trade ReviewA variety of true tales of ingenuity, opportunity, and persistence ... each chronicling larger-than-life, sometimes hard-to-swallow prison escapes ... Simpson delves into the details and background of each escape, leaving no stone unturned in his attempt to place each episode in context. He presents this series of engaging tales in an accessible, fluid style, and follows every subject to their often untimely end. Publishers Weekly

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Book SynopsisThe book used by Thandie Newton to research her part in Line of Duty. A lone policewoman disarms a knife-wielding schizophrenic; two officers drag a woman from a railway line seconds before an express train roars past; an undercover cop clings onto the bonnet of a drug-dealer''s car as it speeds through a busy town centre. These are just some of the ways Britain''s police officers are daily called upon to demonstrate bravery in the line of duty when even the most routine call can turn into a life-or-death situation and split-second judgements can make all the difference. Sometimes officers make the ultimate sacrifice in fulfilling their duty. When PC Bill Parker was swept to his death by floodwaters in Cumbria in 2009, he had been working to save stranded motorists from the same fate.This thrilling collection of first-person accounts of true courage celebrates the sustained bravery and presence of mind routinely displayed by so many officers in Trade Review‘I am astounded by the way you told our tale. Absolutely brilliant.’ -- Ian Worthington, North Midlands Air SupportVery inspirational and shows police officers for what they are – normal people, people who can get hurt. A police officer goes to work every day not knowing what he/she will face. Their bravery should NEVER be underestimated. Fantastically written, you feel like you know the officers – such is the writing style. I like how hard hitting the very real fears/emotions/mindset of the officers involved has been portrayed. Bravo to all those involved. -- C. A. HobsonAfter reading the book I can honestly say what a privilege and honour it is to have been able to contribute to it. The way each story is written really captured the moment and I couldn't help but feel humbled. It really is a fantastic book. -- Ryan Laking

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Book SynopsisFact is never more strange than fiction than when it comes to crime, and the crimes described here are so bizarre it''s inconceivable that they could have been made up. In this all-new collection of truly unusual crimes, a sequel to the bestselling Mammoth Book of Bizarre Crimes, Odell and Donnelley tell the extraordinary stories of criminal acts far stranger than any fiction, including the murder of Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace by spree-killer Andrew Cunanan and the killing of intern Chandra Ann Levy, who had had an affair with US Representative Gary Condit, though he was cleared of any involvement in her murder.They reveal how Danilo Restivo was eventually convicted of the murder of Heather Barnett in England after the ritualistic placing of hair connected him to another murder in Italy. They tell the terrible story of the inexplicably brutal murder, over a number of days, of 15-year-old Kristy Bamu by his sister and her lover because they believe

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Book Synopsis''Ghoulishly entertaining'' Jacqueline Banerjee, Times Literary Supplement''This is a great book for dipping into . . . the cases themselves are written engagingly and with appealing dramatisation of key events.''Kim Fleet, Crime ReviewA grisly book dedicated to the crimes, perversions and outrages of Victorian England, covering high-profile offences - such as the murder of actor William Terriss, whose stabbing at the stage door of the Adelphi Theatre in 1897 filled the front pages for many weeks - as well as lesser-known transgressions that scandalised the Victorian era.The tales include murders and violent crimes, but also feature scandals that merely amused the Victorians. These include the story of a teenage man who married an actress, only to be shipped off to Australia by his disgusted parents; and the Italian ice-cream man who only meant to buy his sweetheart a hat but ended up proposing marriage instead. When he Trade ReviewGhoulishly entertaining. -- Jacqueline Banerjee * Times Literary Supplement *This is a great book for dipping into . . . the cases themselves are written engagingly and with appealing dramatisation of key events. -- Kim Fleet * Crime Review *

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Book SynopsisWithin the Tokyo underworld there is an industry which exists to break up marriages. But when Kaitaro Nakamura is hired to seduce Rina, something unexpected happens - he falls in love. A subtle heartfelt novel from a fresh new talent.Trade ReviewI loved What's Left of Me Is Yours. Gripping, heartbreaking, immersive. I read it with my heart in my throat. * Sara Collins, author of THE CONFESSIONS OF FRANNIE LANGTON *A brilliant debut. * Louise Doughty, #1 bestselling author of APPLE TREE YARD and PLATFORM SEVEN *Dark, addictive and eye-opening, this is a brilliant debut. * Stylist, Best Books April 2020 *The wealth of detail about life in Japan is truly fascinating... you'll have the heart rate of an Olympic hurdler. * SUNDAY EXPRESS *This incredible debut is one you'll be pressing into the hands of others... it's an exquisite read. * WOMAN'S WEEKLY *[Scott] weaves in fascinating explanations of the legal system... the world she creates in What's Left of Me Is Yours feels very sure under foot: deeply researched, but delicately described. Scott gives a clear sense of place and time, from contemporary Tokyo to evocations of seaside holiday cabins and shrines in forests... she braids her different characters' timelines together with sophistication, her storytelling harmoniously well-constructed. The big questions over whether it's better to lie or to tell a difficult truth, and what might constitute a betrayal, are layered across generations and decades and there is strength in the subtlety with which Scott slowly unpacks them. * THE OBSERVER *This slow-burning novel tells a story of love, betrayal and lies. * MAIL ON SUNDAY *Scott delivers a delicately nuanced account of a complex tragedy rooted in the clash between illicit desire and the obligations of duty. -- Declan Burke * IRISH TIMES *Inspired by a real life situation, this spellbinding story set against the marriage break-up industry in Japan has devastating consequences you almost forget about, so immersed are you in the character's lives... An exquisitely crafted masterpiece you'll be pressing into the hands of others. * WOMAN & HOME *This hotly tipped debut examines the hidden human dramas behind Japan's murky marriage break-up industry, with the dead woman reclaimed as a vivacious, loving mother trapped in an unhappy marriage... lovely. * DAILY MAIL *Exhilarating... Byzantine subplots, distinctive characters, and atmospheric settings will leave readers spellbound. * PUBLISHER WEEKLY *Scott deftly spins a web through modern day Tokyo in this captivating dual-perspective rendering of a young woman determined to find out the truth behind her mother's murder. * NEWSWEEK *Scott poignantly evokes both a mother trapped by the choices made for her and a daughter learning to deal with her own precarious freedom. She clearly defines the unfortunate effects of the traditional Japanese legal system on women, and with carefully accumulated details describes a Japan both physically and psychologically teetering on the edge of change. * BOOKLIST *Remember that new-discovery, time-stopping, every-moment-is-magical kind of love? That's what it felt like to read this novel. Then limerence turns to passion which leads to tragedy and suddenly this book is impossible to put down as you speed toward a conclusion that is as surprising as it is satisfying. * Jamie Ford, New York Times bestselling author of HOTEL ON THE CORNER OF BITTER AND SWEET *Stephanie Scott has achieved that rare thing in her debut - a literary love story that reads like an assured thriller. Compelling, moving and intense, What's Left of Me is Yours reminds us that love is never without its dark side, families are never without secrets, and the deepest loss contains a seed of hope - if it can be foundStephanie Scott's story of a woman's murder sweeps the reader into a world in which love is fused with betrayal and truth is locked away. Beautiful, delicate and brutal, What's Left Of Me Is Yours is difficult to put down, impossible to forget. * Marti Leimbach, bestselling author of DANIEL ISN'T TALKING *Beautifully written, atmospheric, and immersive, Stephanie Scott's What's Left of Me Is Yours tells a propulsive story about heartbreak and loss and the greatest mystery of all, family.A stunning debut: tragically beautiful, sensuous and haunting. Wow, just wow. * Fiona Mitchell, author of THE MAID'S ROOM *What's Left of Me is Yours is part love story, part crime novel, exploring both romantic and family relationships as it charts a young woman's search for the truth about her mother's life and death. Set against a stylishly evoked backdrop of both past and present Japan, this is a beautifully written and meticulously researched novel. The illicit love story at the heart of this book is complex and unusual, but told with such insight that the deep, intense passion the couple experience almost rises from the page. This is a novel that is beautifully descriptive, unusual, and exquisitely written - a novel that is sure to stand out from the crowdMagnificent... What's Left of Me is Yours is all about the why, and to get there one is led elegantly through the story by the victim, Rina Sato. * STRONG WORDS *Scott excels at atmospheric descriptions: the glass and light of Tokyo, the forests, snow-capped mountains and beaches beyond... a slow-burning, many-layered and powerful mystery. * THE LADY *At once luminous and captivating, What's Left of Me is Yours is the best kind of fiction: it tells a truth. All the easy lies about love fall away, as Stephanie Scott explores its often bitter, twisting, aching core. This is a brilliant, haunting book -- Rene Denfeld, bestselling author of THE CHILD FINDER and THE BUTTERFLY GIRLA powerful, ambitious and stunning debut. This is an extraordinary, humane and shattering story of the lies we tell to protect ourselves and others. Scott's incredible novel brims with psychological complexity, forensic research and characters shaped by unimaginable loss -- Jacie Copelton, author of A DICTIONARY OF MUTUAL UNDERSTANDINGA gripping legal thriller that digs deep into the complications of human emotion. A daughter's quest for truth and understanding surrounding the murder of her mother probes the delicate intersection of trust and betrayal, passion and loyalty, justice and compassion -- Lynne Kutsukake, author of THE TRANSLATION OF LOVEA beautiful, beautiful book that defies genre - and my words. There is a crime. There is betrayal. There is love. There is history. This is truly an epic, meticulously and lovingly researched, with such exquisite description and detail that I read the same lines over, many times. There are thought-provoking observations, unforgettable characters, and heart-breaking decisions that set in motion catastrophic events. I will not forget this book for a long time -- Louise Beech, bestselling author or HOW TO BE BRAVE and I AM DUSTThis novel is a masterpiece. In What's Left Of Me Is Yours, Scott has delivered a breathtakingly original and haunting concept in the most exquisite prose. I never wanted it to end -- Lesley Kara, Sunday Times bestselling author of THE RUMOURBeautiful and heartbreaking, What's Left of Me is Yours delves on the lengths one would go to protect their loved ones from the painful truth, and whether a love built on lies can still be true. Stephanie Scott's debut novel is poignant, brave, and compelling; it will stay with me for a very long time -- Clarissa GoenawanA formidably accomplished debut that offers a glimpse into the dark and intriguing world of the Japanese marriage breakup industry. Using multiple perspectives Scott deftly creates an impressionistic narrative in a process of slow revelation. A young lawyer seeks the truth about her mother's death and as fragments of the past emerge, through photographs and legal statements, she begins to understand the elusive nature of truth and the proximity of love and death. Part Bildungsroman, part detective story this is a deeply moving and beautifully written novel. I couldn't recommend it more highly -- EC Fremantle, author of THE POISON BEDSensuous and unsettling, Scott's prose will stay with you long after the final page has been turned. Although at times a shatteringly brutal story, Scott carries the reader with great skill towards a surprisingly redemptive ending. Storytelling at its best -- Guinevere Glasfurd-BrownA gripping, beautiful, heart-breaking debut. Stephanie Scott stuns with her considerable talent in this Tokyo-set story of a young woman who dissects another's life-that of her murdered mother-in order to find the truth about her own past -- Abigail TarttelinInspired by a real-life situation, this spellbinding tale about the marriage break-up industry in Japan has devastating consequences. * Woman & Home *

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Book SynopsisAnne was one of five women who reported to police that they were either raped or assaulted -- in incidents from October 2009 to April 2012 -- by a single university football player, who was convicted on two counts of sexual assault in January 2014. Indeed, it was only the beginning of what would become the worst scandal in recent college sports history.This university''s sexual assault crisis does not stand alone in what is becoming one of the biggest crises in American culture-rape and violence against women on college campuses. But not until now has a sexual assault scandal stripped a celebrated head coach and university president of their jobs. Through previously unpublished interviews with victims, assailants, attorneys, university officials, players, coaches, and nationally recognized experts on sexual assault and campus safety, CROSS TO BEAR is an eye-opening, blow-by-blow account of the genesis and fallout of the football scandal, and tells a story that will l

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Book SynopsisJACK THE RIPPER FAQ:ALL THATS LEFT TO KNOW ABOUT THE INFAMOUS SERIAL KILLER

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis'I read this in one sitting. Fascinating and unique' BELLA MACKIE 'Gripping, sharp and sultry' PANDORA SYKES 'Superbly unsettling' GUARDIAN 'A gothic Olive Kitteridge mixed with Gillian Flynn' VOGUE On a cold day in 1997, student Sara Morgan was killed in the woods surrounding her liberal arts college in upstate New York. When suspicion falls on the person closest to her – her boyfriend, Blake – the case comes to haunt the friends, family and acquaintances of the couple in strange and unexpected ways. Some look for answers, while others are set on retribution; from the young woman who discovers the body to Sara’s half-sister who, years later, seeks out her own form of justice. A propulsive, taut tale of obsession and voyeurism, Nothing Can Hurt You pieces together a chorus of unforgettable voices to explore the far-reaching consequences of one single act of violence.Trade ReviewCaptivating, serpentine and affecting, Nicola Maye Goldberg’s Nothing Can Hurt You subverts the tropes of the “dead girl” genre in ways that impart its female characters with a dark majesty and mystery all their own -- Megan AbbottGripping, sharp and sultry – I couldn't put it down -- Pandora SykesA superbly unsettling account of the aftermath of a murder ... For a perceptive and moving account of people trying to process a senseless act, look no further -- Books of the Month * Guardian *An utterly compulsive read ... A breath of fresh air in the realm of the thriller * Harper's Bazaar *Fascinating ... The book is less about the murder itself than about its aftermath, the long tendrils of guilt, sadness, anger and confusion that stretch out from a single act, wrapping themselves around everyone they touch * New York Times Book Review *[An] incisive true crime novel ... It serves as a powerful comment on all the female voices missing in most commercial thrillers * Metro *The writing here is sparkling and the detective work, refreshingly, internal rather than external … Goldberg has a delightful eye for detail, too, and is just as good at sketching middleaged men as she is of girls on the verge of womanhood * Observer *This unsettling, sinuous novel subtly explores the case’s fallout among those closest to it * Mail on Sunday *I read this in one sitting. Fascinating and unique -- Bella Mackie, author of 'Jog On'[An] alarming, transfixing tale told from several different vantage points ... A more literary Gone Girl for the new decade * US Vogue *Like a gothic Olive Kitteridge mixed with Gillian Flynn ... The cumulative effect of this book is masterful, a small-scale renovation of a seemingly exhausted genre * US Vogue, 'Best books to read this summer' *I can't think of another book with such unique storytelling ... So adept and intricate I devoured it in two sittings, then went back to revisit all the subtle character links -- Nina Pottell * Prima *If you loved Little Fires Everywhere, you'll be all over this intoxicating read ... It's inspired by a true story, and will leave you thinking about how women are treated in life - and in death. -- Best books to read this summer * Cosmopolitan *An intoxicating, lyrical and honest journey into the traumatic murder of a young woman and its reverberating anguish ... I could not stop reading this book, and was haunted by it long after I finished -- Allie Rowbottom, author of 'Jell-O Girls'Fascinating, intimate and clever; it reminded me of Three Women. Reading it was like playing with Russian dolls, but in reverse -- Tomasz Jedrowski, author of 'Swimming in the Dark'I read the first page and couldn’t stop. So original -- Julie Mayhew, author of 'Impossible Causes'A different kind of crime novel: instead of trying to spot the killer we strive to make sense of something so needless and tragic. A powerful depiction of loss and a thoughtful meditation on violence -- Alex Pavesi, author of 'Eight Detectives'It’s moody, it’s dark, and it’s full of the same kinds of tough, angry, scarred (and of course beautiful) women that made Sharp Objects so compelling * Crime Reads *Haunting * i *Tender, brutal, beautiful. This book haunts me -- Kirsty Logan, author of 'The Gracekeepers'A melancholy thing about the stories and images and people that haunt, rather than another post-mortem on a pretty dead girl. I loved it -- Hayley CampbellA daring, electric debut ... This novel feels wholly new – Goldberg elegantly destroys all the “dead girl” tropes we’ve tired of, and in doing so reinvents the thriller for a new generation – her heroines, like her voice, are wise, darkly funny and often startlingly beautiful -- Rebecca Godfrey, author of 'Under the Bridge'Nicola Maye Goldberg articulates a new kind of darkness within the female psyche – one that makes this book pulse forth with danger and suspense. Between the unexpected turns and the sharp sentences, it's nearly impossible to stop reading -- Chelsea Hodson, author of 'Tonight I'm Someone Else'Nothing Can Hurt You is smart and human and true, simultaneously frightening and tender. Goldberg has written a gripping and tremendously searing book, one that will stay with me for a long time in ways I can't yet entirely imagine -- Leslie JamisonThe pleasure of falling into Goldberg’s taut thriller is in some ways a trap, a literary trompe l’oeil that momentarily screens us from what Nothing Can Hurt You is actually about. Investigating the relationships between women, voyeurism and violence, Goldberg elegantly excavates the ways in which crime simultaneously repulses and compels us, she reminds us why we are forever obsessed with looking at things that we are not supposed to see -- Alissa BennettGoldberg's razor-sharp, intricately constructed tale, with its varied voices, will leave few readers unmoved. Fans of literary thrillers will relish this incisive account of murder and its aftermath * Publishers Weekly *A dark, moreish read that reminded me of books like Celeste Ng’s Everything I Never Told You … [It] takes the reader to unexpected places but it illuminates the events all the more deeply as a result * Living Magazine *

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Book SynopsisTHE RIVETING MEMOIR FROM IRELAND'S FORMER STATE PATHOLOGIST

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Book Synopsis"You live with someone for two years and then . . . they simply don't exist."Over 40 years, two British police units acted undercover to infiltrate activist groups. At least 20 of those officers deliberately targeted women and entered relationships with them. One of those women was me. This is my story.Men wrote the police files. They wrote the scripts and the headlines. Men wrote the court orders to make us anonymous and they will sit in judgement at the coming public inquiry. In a system that doesn't see women, you have to fight to be heard. When they take your identity, you have to find your voice.Learning the truth nearly destroyed me - but an accidental activist was born.A voice at the centre of the Spy Cops scandal. The great love story of Donna McLean's life wasn't just built on lies, it was one. With an inquiry underway, Small Town Girl is a reclamation of a truth that was ruthlessly buried.REVIEWS"McLean excels [...] in resolving a mystery bigger even than her fake lover's identity: who she is and how she can survive such a devastating shock. For this and more, this is one not to miss." - Irish Times'It reads like a movie... absolutely astonishing' - Lorraine Kelly (on Lorraine)"Mind-blowing, gut-wrenching, shocking and beautifully written." - Chris Atkins"Utterly compelling from the first page." - Kerry Hudson"Donna McLean experienced the stuff of nightmares. But this profoundly compelling memoir reclaims the truth with eloquence and guts." - Wendy Erskine"Bold and brave, Donna McLean's courageous and vivid Small Town Girl is both a timely exposure of corruption and a searing story of emotional betrayal' - Catherine Taylor"Small Town Girl is a revelation, it is a brilliant and brave quest for truth, I found it deeply moving and brutally frank and honest." - Salena Godden"Donna suffered horrifically but it is a testament to her immense courage that she was able to take these deeply disturbing events and channel them into confronting the state and its diabolical abuses towards women." - Maxine Peake"This is a thoughtful and intimate account of the lived experience of state sanction betrayals. Donna and the other victims of the Spycops disgrace shine through with wit, kindness and resilience. This should be mandatory reading for all in the Met police, indeed everyone." - Siobhan McSweeney"'So unbelievably shocking it reads like a work of fiction... McLean is a natural storyteller, her book a fascinating glimpse into that strange world." - Belfast TelegraphTrade ReviewGripping... McLean excels [...] in resolving a mystery bigger even than her fake lover's identity: who she is and how she can survive such a devastating shoGripping... McLean excels [...] in resolving a mystery bigger even than her fake lover's identity: who she is and how she can survive such a devastating shock. For this and more, this is one not to miss.ck. For this and more, this is one not to miss. * Irish Times *So unbelievably shocking it reads like a work of fiction... McLean is a natural storyteller, her book a fascinating glimpse into that strange world. * Belfast Telegraph *

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Book SynopsisThe Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks meets Get Out in this landmark investigation of racial inequality at the core of the heart transplant race.In 1968, Bruce Tucker, a black man, went into Virginia's top research hospital with a head injury, only to have his heart stolen out of his body and put into the chest of a white businessman. Now, in The Organ Thieves, Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist Chip Jones exposes the horrifying inequality surrounding Tucker's death and how he was used as a human guinea pig without his family's permission or knowledge. The circumstances surrounding his death reflect the long legacy of mistreating African Americans that began more than a century before with cadaver harvesting and worse. It culminated in efforts to win the heart transplant race in the late 1960s.Featuring years of research and fresh reporting, The Organ Thieves is a story that resonates now more than ever, when issues of race and healthcare are the stuff of headlines and horror stories.Trade ReviewA horrific story superbly told * Irish Times *Gripping * Scientific American *

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Book SynopsisNOW SHORTLISTED FOR THE CWA ALCS GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION"Utterly gripping, timely and shocking" PHILIPPE SANDS"Compelling and disturbing . . . quietly devastating" DAMON GALGUT"This is a book of profound importance . . . A masterpiece" ALEXANDER McCALL SMITH "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 SynopsisNo crime is as synonymous with America as bank robbery. Though the number of bank robberies nationwide has declined, bank robbery continues to captivate the public and jeopardize the safety of banks and their employees. In A History of Heists, Jerry Clark and Ed Palattella explore how bank robbers have influenced American culture as much as they have reflected it. Jesse James, Butch Cassidy, Bonnie and Clyde, John Dillinger, Willie Sutton, and Patty Hearst are among the most famous figures in the history of crime in the United States. Jesse James used his training as a Confederate guerrilla to make bank robbery a political act. John Dillinger capitalized on the public’s scorn of banks during the Great Depression and became America’s first Public Enemy Number One. When she held up a bank with the leftist Symbionese Liberation Army, Patty Hearst fueled the country’s social unrest. Jerry Clark and Ed Palattella delve into the backgrounds and motivations of the robbers, and explore how they are as complex as the nation whose banks they have plundered. But as much as the story of bank robbery in America focuses on the thieves, it is also a story of those who investigate the heists. As bank robbers became more sophisticated, so did the police, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and other law enforcement agencies. This captivating history shows how bank robbery shaped the modern FBI, and how it continues to cultivate America’s fascination with the noble outlaw: bandits seen, rightly or wrongly, as battling unjust authority.Trade ReviewRetired FBI agent Clark and veteran journalist Palattella [offer a] . . . solid survey of bank robberies in the United States, beginning in 1798 with the first one on record and spanning to the present. . . . The book serves as a useful introduction to the topic, particularly in the sections that cover the 18th and 19th centuries. * Publishers Weekly *A good bank robbery has us walking along a razor, and the new book A History of Heists: Bank Robbery in America walks us along the sharp edge of our confused sympathies. . . .Clark and Palattella are able to draw a continuous line from one iconic robbery to the next in their history, while simultaneously explaining how every bank robbery is a distinct product of its era. They not only look at how banks get robbed, but why bank robbery becomes the crime of choice for certain kind of criminal. It's an explanation of how bank robbers become folk heroes, never summed up better than by Dillinger's line, 'We don't want your money. We just want the bank's.' * Biographile *Happily, A History of Heists is loaded with flesh-and-blood characters who don't fret about being down a quart or two of blood. People like Jesse James, who Clark and Palattella call 'the original outlaw.' . . . . A History of Heists is a thoroughly professional job; Clark and Palattella don't miss much. Behind the scenes, I imagine Palattella, a reporter at the Erie Times-News, writing most of the text in his garret at home, with Clark, a former FBI agent, providing research and professional know-how. I love Palattella's well-slanted take on the characters in his book: 'The Sundance Kid ... settled on banditry as his calling.' In fact, I'm glad Palattella settled on storytelling as his calling because, with Clark's expertise, there's a lot of story to tell in their new A History of Heists. * Erie Times-News *What Clark and Palattella have done quite effectively is bring the historical characters to life. From Jesse James and his need for publicity to Butch Cassidy and his creation of the professional thief to the lesser known Henry James who they call the last of the horseback outlaws these men, and occasionally ladies, are given their due. While these people are criminals, often violent ones, we come to see them as humans as well. . . .While certainly not a definitive look at bank robberies or the most notorious robbers this is a book that succinctly covers the subject. It is an easy read and recommended for those with a passing interest as well as those with more knowledge on the subject. Complete with b/w photos, notes, and a bibliography this is a book sure to engage any true crime reader. Recommended. * Robert Redd Historian & Author *Clark and Palattella have clearly joined the ranks of bank robbery myth busters in a well researched and carefully documented history of bank robbers and bank robbery from the western frontier to modern day urban America. While they provide very interesting and humanizing insights into the background of some of our Nation’s most well-known bank robbers, they leave no doubt that these men and women were criminals and often killers. Clark’s law enforcement and academic background, along with Palattella’s journalism background, make this book a fascinating read. -- Magnus Seng, Ph.D., Senior Professor Emeritus,Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, Loyola University ChicagoI love A History of Heists. Reading it is like sitting in with former FBI agent Jerry Clark as he interrogates a perp, and meeting underworld sources with investigative journalist Ed Palattella, all at the same time. The only way to learn more about heists is to rob a bank yourself. -- Matt Rees, award-winning crime novelist, author of The Collaborator of BethlehemClark and Palattella have done something difficult and unusual--they've given us not just isolated robberies or eras or bank robbers, but the long history of big heists. We learn how felon's techniques evolved over decades, and how law enforcement responded. A History of Heists is a good and rewarding read. -- Elliott J. Gorn, author of Dillinger's Wild RideI love this book! Jerry and his co-author do an amazing job of taking the reader through a fascinating history of bank robbery. All bank robbers are not created equal, and they will tell you why. This is better than any Hollywood depiction of bank robbers. It’s the real deal! -- Mary Ellen O'Toole, PhD, Retired FBI Profiler, BAU; Director Forensic Sciences Program, George Mason UniversityTable of ContentsIntroduction 1: Breaking In: Early Banks and Early Thieves 2: The Original Outlaw: Jesse James, the Civil War, and Crimes like No Other 3: Robbery on the Range: The Wild West, the Wild Bunch, and the Rise of the Professional Bandit 4: The G-Men Get Guns: Bank Robbery and the Birth of the Modern FBI 5: Marquee Mayhem: John Dillinger, Bonnie and Clyde, and the Glamorization of the Gangster 6: Lone Wolves: Willie Sutton, the Great Brink’s Robbery, and a Thief Found Dead 7: Countercultural Chaos: Clean-Cut Killers, Patty Hearst, and a Dog Day Afternoon 8: Striking Back, Striking Big: Boosted Bank Security and Record-Breaking Hauls 9: Robbery and Reverberations: Pizza Bomber, the Post-9/11 FBI, and Online Heists Afterword

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Book SynopsisJukebox Empire follows the many twists and turns in one man’s pursuit of the American dream, from a self-taught electronics genius to money launderer for the mob. This book exposes how the jukebox industry became the vertically integrated business model for organized crime at a time when there was a jukebox in every restaurant, diner, bar, barracks, arcade, and canteen throughout the country. Anyone can afford a nickel for a song and every week the jukeboxes generate millions of dollars in cash, untaxed income, that needed to be laundered.. Beneath this wholesome veneer lies a seamy underworld of juke joints, operators’ routes, smoke-filled showrooms, and violence. Rabinovitch reveals the details of the mob’s international money-laundering scheme to finance running guns to Cuba. The investigation pieces together an epic puzzle that begins in Chicago with the invention of a jukebox and spans the casinos of Havana and the financial giants of Europe, leading to what the FBI called “the biggest bank robbery in the world.”Trade ReviewThis is a brilliant depiction, in evocative prose, of the corrupt juke box industry as controlled by the mob. Anyone interested in how the mob can launder money through a seemingly innocent American past time should read Jukebox Empire. -- Jeffrey Sussman, author of Sin City Gangsters, Boxing and the Mob, and Big Apple GangstersTable of ContentsIllustrationsCast of CharactersPrefaceIntroductionChapter One – OriginsChapter Two – Pay to PlayChapter Three – Coin MenChapter Four – CrimebustersChapter Five – Biggest Bank Robbery in the WorldChapter Six – DollyeChapter Seven – Air ChaseChapter Eight – Front PageChapter Nine – Biggest Burglary SolvedChapter Ten – Wheels of JusticeChapter Eleven – Scheme and ArtificeChapter Twelve – Shoot the MoonConclusionAcknowledgementsBibliographyAbout the Author

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Book SynopsisIf you read one book on the Mona Lisa, let this be it. From the artwork to its theft and role in popular culture, The Thefts of the Mona Lisa provides the complete story, as written by a best-selling, Pulitzer finalist.Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait, called the Mona Lisa, is without doubt the world’s most famous painting. It achieved its fame not only because it is a remarkable example of Renaissance portraiture, created by an acclaimed artistic and scientific genius, but because of its criminal history. The Mona Lisa (also called La Gioconda or La Joconde) was stolen on 21 August 1911 by an Italian, Vincenzo Peruggia. Peruggia was under the mistaken impression that the Mona Lisa had been stolen from Italy during the Napoleonic era, and he wished to take back for Italy one of his country’s greatest treasures. His successful theft of the painting from the Louvre, the farcical manhunt that followed, and Peruggia’s subsequent trial in Florence were highly publicized, sparking the attention of the international media, and catapulting an already admired painting into stratospheric heights of fame. This book tells the art and criminal history of the Mona Lisa.This book examines the criminal biography of Leonardo’s Mona Lisa, with a focus on separating fact from fiction in the story of what is not only the most famous art heist in history, but which is the single most famous theft of all time. In the process this book also tells of Leonardo’s creation of the Mona Lisa, discusses why it is so famous, and investigates two other events in its history of theft and renown. First, it examines the so-called “affaire des statuettes,” in which Pablo Picasso and Guillaume Apollinaire were arrested under suspicion of involvement in the theft of the Mona Lisa. Second, there has long been a question as to whether the Nazis stole the Mona Lisa during the Second World War—a question that this book seeks to resolve.Trade Review“The Thefts of the Mona Lisa reads like a thriller. But this stuff is ALL real. It happened. You’re going to learn all about how and why one of the most famous works of art on the planet has attracted the attention of so many thieves and fanatics.” From the Foreword by New York Times best-selling author Steve Berry -- Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling authorThis book reads like a thriller, but a historically sound art thriller. It is not just about the famous 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa but covers the entire background to the theft and its subsequent denouement with, in addition, plenty of judicious art history. Read it before (and after) seeing the real thing. -- Donald Sassoon, author of Mona Lisa: The History of the World's Most Famous Painting

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Book SynopsisHe thought the nightmare was over, but nearly twenty years later, the most terrible Mafioso in Ukraine was back. This book is not just a memoir, but a confession. In 1994, author Sergey Maidukov accepted an exciting business offer from Samvel Martirosyan, later renowned as one of the most brutal and indomitable leaders of the Ukrainian Mafia. Maidukov quickly discovered that his job as president of a newly created business was actually a front for Mafia activities. Despite regular attempts to extricate himself, he was told that it was too late in no uncertain terms. Thus ensued five adrenaline-fueled years in a long-term apprenticeship with the Mafia underground. Deadly Bonds: Five Years Inside the Ukrainian Mafia provides a deep look at the Mafia family that dominated the 20th century post-Soviet state and how it brewed conditions of economic, political and moral catastrophe.

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Book SynopsisGreed in the Gilded Age is a Gatsby-esque tale of mystery, money, sex, and scandal. Millionaire' had just entered the American lexicon and Cassie Chadwick was front page news, becoming a media sensation before mass media, even eclipsing President Roosevelt's inauguration. Using these newspaper articles, Hazelgrove tells the story of one of the greatest cons in American history. Combining the sexuality and helplessness her gender implied, Chadwick conned at least 2 million dollars, equivalent to about 60 million today, simply by claiming to be the illegitimate daughter and heir of steel titan, Andrew Carnegie. Playing to their greed, she was able to convince highly educated financiers to loan hundreds of thousands of dollars, on nothing more than a rumor and her word. She was a product of her time and painting her as a criminal is only one way to look at it. Those times rewarded someone who was smart, inventive, bold, and aggressive. She was able to break through boundaries of class, education, and gender, to beat the men of the one percent at their own game.

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Book SynopsisGUILTY ADMISSIONS weaves together the story of an unscrupulous college counselor named Rick Singer, and how he preyed on the desperation of some of the country's wealthiest families living in a world defined by fierce competition, who function under constant pressure to get into the "right" schools, starting with pre-school; non-stop fundraising and donation demands in the form of multi-million-dollar galas and private parties; and a community of deeply insecure parents who will do anything to get their kids into name-brand colleges in order to maintain their own A-list status.Investigative reporter Nicole LaPorte lays bare the source of this insecurity -- that in 2019, no special "hook" in the form of legacy status, athletic talent, or financial giving can guarantee a child's entrance into an elite school. The result is paranoia, deception, and true crimes at the peak of the American social pyramid.With a glittering cast of Hollywood actors -- including Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin -- private equity titans, white-shoe attorneys, and Hollywood socialites, GUILTY ADMISSIONS is a soap-opera-slash-sneak-peek-behind-the-curtains at America's richest social circles; an examination of the cutthroat world of college admissions; and a parable of American society at a time when the country is run by a crass tycoon and all totems of status and achievement have become transactional and removed from traditions of ethical restraint.A world where the rich get whatever they want, however they want it.

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Book SynopsisBefore Nancy Grace became the iconic legal commentator we know today, she studied Shakespearean literature at college until one moment changed her entire life and career trajectory: her fiancé Keith was murdered weeks before their wedding. Driven to deliver justice to victims of criminals, Nancy became a prosecutor working in inner-city Atlanta, which, at the time, was the murder capital of the country. Now, with this potentially life-saving book, Nancy uses her experiences working with and covering families of victims of crime to help readers stay safe in the face of daily dangers. Filled with practical advice and valuable tips, Don't Be A Victim will show you how to:* Fend off the threat of street assaults and home predators* Protect yourself from online stalking and computer hackers* Stay safe in school and other public settings* Prepare for the worst case scenario -- no matter what you're facingNancy's legal expertise will help to keep you, your family, and anyone else you care about out of harm's way.

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Book SynopsisAMERICAN CARTEL is an unflinching and deeply documented dive into the culpability of the drug companies behind the staggering death toll of the opioid epidemic. It follows a small band of DEA agents led by Joseph Rannazzisi, a tough-talking New Yorker who had spent a storied thirty years bringing down bad guys; along with a band of lawyers, including West Virginia native Paul Farrell Jr., who fought to hold the drug industry to account in the face of the worst man-made drug epidemic in American history. It is the story of underdogs prevailing over corporate greed and political cowardice, persevering in the face of predicted failure, and how they found some semblance of justice for the families of the dead during the most complex civil litigation ever seen.The investigators and lawyers discovered hundreds of thousands of confidential corporate emails and memos during courtroom combat with legions of white-shoe law firms defending the opioid industry. One breathtaking disclosure after another-from emails that mocked addicts to invoices chronicling the rise of pill mills-showed the indifference of big business to the epidemic's toll. The narrative approach echoes such work as A Civil Action and The Insider, moving dramatically between corporate boardrooms, courthouses, lobbying firms, DEA field offices, and Capitol Hill while capturing the human toll of the epidemic on America's streets.AMERICAN CARTEL is the story of those who were on the front lines of the fight to stop the human carnage. Along the way, they suffer a string of defeats, some of their careers destroyed by the very same government officials who swore to uphold the law before they begin to prevail over some of the most powerful corporate and political influences in the nation.

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Book SynopsisFrom phishing scams to Ponzi schemes, fraudulent science to fake art, chess cheaters to crypto hucksters, and marketers to magicians, our world brims with deception. In Nobody's Fool, psychologists Daniel Simons and Christopher Chabris show us how to avoid being taken in. They describe the key habits of thinking and reasoning that serve us well most of the time but make us vulnerable-like our tendency to accept what we see, stick to our commitments, and overvalue precision and consistency. Each chapter illustrates their new take on the science of deception, describing scams you've never heard of and shedding new light on some you have. Simons and Chabris provide memorable maxims and practical tools you can use to spot deception before it's too late. Informative, illuminating, and entertaining, Nobody's Fool will protect us from charlatans in all their forms-and delight us along the way.?

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Book SynopsisIn the mid-1970s, the CIA and KGB watched Karel Koecher closely-they were both convinced he was working for the enemy. And they were both right. Traveling with his wife, Hana, Koecher posed as a Czechoslovak asylum seeker and arrived in the US as a Communist sleeper agent. After parlaying a doctorate from Columbia into a job at the CIA, Koecher proceeded to operate as a double agent at the height of the Cold War.Shunning a low profile, the Koechers embraced Manhattan's high life-with cocaine, swinging, and parties emblematic of the times and their penchant for risk. Hana, who was no more than a shy teenager when she arrived, grew into a sophisticated international diamond dealer who relayed messages to Karel's handlers. Riding a wave of euphoria, the Koechers felt unstoppable. But it was too good to last.Using newly declassified documents, interrogation tapes, and extraordinary firsthand accounts from the Koechers themselves, Cunningham reconstructs their double lives and the fading Cold War, where a strange moral fog made it hard to know what truth was being fought for, and to what end.

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Book SynopsisIn the summer of 1940, following France's surrender to Germany, Casablanca was transformed from an exotic travel destination to a key military target. Nazi agents and collaborators soon overran the city looking to capitalize on the new Vichy regime. The resistance was not far behind, as bartenders, shopkeepers, taxi drivers, celebrities, and disgruntled bureaucrats formed a network of Allied spies. Meanwhile, Jewish refugees from Europe flooded the city, hoping to obtain visas to the United States and beyond.In November 1942, Casablanca's wartime fate changed in 74 hours, when 33,000 American soldiers stormed the beaches of French Morocco as part of Operation TORCH. In Allied hands, Casablanca's port became a crucial logistical hub in British and American plans to return to Europe and defeat Germany. Two months later, Roosevelt and Churchill traveled to Casablanca to plot the next phase of war and achieve Germany's "unconditional surrender." Rife with rogue soldiers, power grabs, plot twists, and diplomatic intrigue, Destination Casablanca is the riveting and untold history of this glamorous and beloved city--memorialized in the classic film--at the heart of World War II.

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Book Synopsis Short-listed for the 2007 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Non-Fiction They were among Canada''s most desperate criminals, yet their names have been all but forgotten in the annals of history - until now! In their day these lawless men made headline news. Author Ed Butts has rescued their stories from dusty newspaper pages and polished them up for today''s readers in this fascinating volume. The Markham Gang introduced Canada West to organized crime long before anyone had heard of the Mafia. Lew Bevis took on the whole Halifax Police Department in a blazing gun battle. The wild Macdonald cousins went to Michigan, where they ended their violent careers as victims of a savage lynching. Reid and Davis, the notorious Border Bandits of the Roaring Twenties, were the nightmare of every banker from Manitoba to the state of Washington. This rogues'' gallery of killers, robbers, and men of mystery shocked the nation, challenged the forces of law and order, and sometimes even got away with it. Short-listed for the 2007 Arthur Ellis Award for Best Non-Fiction They were among Canada?s most desperate criminals, yet their names have been all but forgotten in the annals of history - until now! In their day these lawless men made headline news. Author Ed Butts has rescued their stories from dusty newspaper pages and polished them up for today?s readers in this fascinating volume. The Markham Gang introduced Canada West to organized crime long before anyone had heard of the Mafia. Lew Bevis took on the whole Halifax Police Department in a blazing gun battle. The wild Macdonald cousins went to Michigan, where they ended their violent careers as victims of a savage lynching. Reid and Davis, the notorious Border Bandits of the Roaring Twenties, were the nightmare of every banker from Manitoba to the state of Washington. This rogues? gallery of killers, robbers, and men of mystery shocked the nation, challenged the forces of law and order, and sometimes even got away with it.

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Book SynopsisThe extraordinary real-life story of a young man who became involved with the highest levels of the international drug trade - and lived to tell the tale.

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Book SynopsisA jailed priest reveals his life behind bars, the stories of his fellow inmates and the shocking way by which he secured his release.

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Book SynopsisIn this gripping and emotional memoir, a woman confronts the man who murdered her father twenty years earlier.

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Book SynopsisThe sudden disappearance of Judge Joseph Crater nearly 75 years ago led to perhaps the most famous missing persons case of the twentieth century. Crater, a justice of New York's state Supreme Court, vanished amid political scandal. Within days, questions arose about Judge Crater's finances and his liaisons with numerous women. A public frenzy about what happened to Crater provided impetus for scrutiny of New York's Tammany Hall political machine—and ultimately for the vanishing of Tammany Hall as well. The cast of characters in this book—the first-ever serious look at the Crater case—includes Franklin D. Roosevelt, the governor who named Crater to the bench; Senator Robert Wagner, Crater's mentor, but also the leader with the most to lose from having Crater found; Al Smith, Tammany's ebbing leader and failed presidential candidate; Jimmy Walker, the rogue Mayor of New York City and the darling of Tammany Hall; and Fiorello La Guardia, the crusading reformer who finally came to power on the back of the scandals. Richard J. Tofel's Vanishing Point is a revealing look at New York as the Jazz Age gave way to the Depression, and at one of the most intriguing stories in the annals of urban America.Trade ReviewCasts intriguing new light on a famous unsolved mystery. * Kirkus *It's a fascinating tale, even after all these years. * The Dallas Morning News *Fans of true crime and New York City politics alike will be attracted to Vanishing Point, an excellent survey. * Midwest Book Review *Tofel has written an entertaining account...For those who recognize the name, but don't know the fascinating story behind it, this is the book to read. * New York Post *With a newspaperman's eye for drama, Tofel covers a great tale about a New York just beyond our living memory. * New York Sun *Offers a portrait of Tammany personalities and their intricate political deals...The first book to piece together his [Crater's] surprising story. * The Wall Street Journal *Excellent...a vivid portrayal...New York lawyers should find fascinating the depiction of a New York legal world...Illuminating. * New York Law Journal *An intriguing mystery built around the author's compelling argument about the truth behind Crater's disappearance. * Smoke *Shrewd, terse, engrossing study... * The New York Times *Using a substantial body of evidence Tofel...offers a tentative, yet intriguing solution… -- Gracie Gregg * Times Record News, Wichita Falls, TX *He makes the case relevant and fascinating for the reader. -- Larry Cox * Tucson Citizen *This makes for fascinating reading. -- Eugene R. Fidell * Green Bag *Compelling. -- Owen Moritz * New York Daily News *A fascinating look at a great city’s greatest mystery. * Kevin Baker *Extraordinarily deft and skillfully written...[An] admirably understated book... -- Ric Burns, documentary filmmaker

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Book SynopsisA first-hand account of the oversight of the big banks in the wake of the financial crisis, from the Federal Reserve examiner who refused to be silenced In 2011, Carmen Segarra took a job as at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York supervising for Goldman Sachs. It was an opportunity, she believed, to monitor the big bank''s behavior in order to avoid another financial crisis. Segarra was shocked to discover, however, the full extent of the relationship between Goldman and the Fed. She began making secret recordings that later became the basis of a This American Life episode that exposed the Fed''s ineffectiveness in holding banks accountable. In Noncompliant, Segarra chronicles her experience blowing open the doors on the relationship between the big banks and the government bodies set up to regulate them.As we mark the tenth anniversary of the 2008 financial crisis, Noncompliant shows us how little has changed, and offers an urgent call for real reforms.

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Book SynopsisParis, 1911. Picasso, Debussy, and Proust were revolutionizing art, music, and literature. Electricity had transformed the City of Lights. And the Parisian elites were mad about their fancy new cars. The Belle Époque was well underway, yet it was not without incident. That year, Paris was gripped by a violent crime streak that obsessed and frightened its citizens. Before Bonnie and Clyde and John Dillinger, the Bonnot Gang, led by the coarse Jules Bonnot, captured the minds of a nation with their Robin Hood-esque capers. With guns blazing, the Bonnot Gang robbed banks and wealthy Parisians and killed anyone who got in their way in spectacularly cinematic fashion--all in the name of their particular brand of anarchism.In Ballad of the Anarchist Bandits, John Merriman describes the Bonnot Gang's murderous tear and the Parisian police force's botched efforts to stop them. At the heart of the book are two anarchist idealists who wanted to find an alternative to Bonnot's crimes and the French government's unchecked violence. Victor Kibaltchiche and Rirette Maîtrejean met and fell in love at an anarchist rally, and together ran the radical Parisian newspaper L'Anarchie, which covered the Bonnot Gang with great sympathy. The couple and their anarchist friends occupied a world far apart from the opulent Paris of the Champs-Élysées. Their Paris was a vast city of impoverished workers who lived near bleak canals, cemeteries, and empty lots around smoky factories. Victor and Rirette found hope in radical politics, Bonnot and his gang in crime, but none could escape the full might of the French military. The lovers were arrested and imprisoned for their political views, Bonnot was murdered after an hours-long standoff with the police, and his gang was hunted down and sentenced to death by guillotine or lifelong imprisonment.Ballad of the Anarchist Bandits is a classic tale of lost causes, tragic heroes, and the true costs of justice and revenge.

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Book SynopsisExplores the history of one of the most violent and deadly city in the United States during the 1920s.

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