True crime Books

Book SynopsisExplaining Chicago's mix of crime, corruption, and politicsTrade Review"Lombardo argues persuasively that organized crime is not a foreign deviance implanted by will but rather a condition made possible by circumstances of the place. Recommended."--Choice "Organized Crime in Chicago offers readers a revealing glimpse into the larger-than-life personalities that inhabited the netherworld of crime, such as members of 'The 42,' a boys' gang organized in the 1930s by seventh graders."--The Historian "Lombardo recounts more than 100 years of the rise and decline of various criminal organizations, including the Syndicates, the Forty-Two Gang, and the Outfit, in this history explaining the role of organized crime in Chicago. Because Chicago crime is depicted in many popular books and movies, this history will find eager readers everywhere."--Booklist"Robert M. Lombardo's book deflates the theory that organized crime in the United States was imported from Italy, and he provides ample evidence to prove that organized crime in the city evolved from social structure, frontier immorality, and political corruption. Organized Crime in Chicago should be on the reading lists for true crime enthusiasts and students of Chicago history and criminal history."--American Historical Review

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Book SynopsisProfiles 20 sensational true crimes from the 19th and 20th centuries Features a true creative nonfiction style, as each telling reads like a story Moves beyond details of the crimes to offer insight into motivationsTrade ReviewTrue crime fans will be well satisfied. * Publishers Weekly *No Place Like Murder is a manifestation of Thornton's love for local history and fascination with mysteries and true crime. -- Amy Oberlin * The Herald Republican *With no marker in sight, writer Janis Thornton a week ago stood in the shade of an old white oak tree she believed covered the grave of Andrew Jackson "A.J." Baker at Beech Grove Cemetery in Muncie to take a picture featured in her blog. She'd been to the site in June 2017 to look for the grave of the late butcher from Elwood who on Sept. 3, 1903, fatally shot Fred Kaiser, the husband of his alleged paramour, at the corner of Anderson and Main streets. "Some might call it a shady grave for a shady character, and I couldn't disagree," she wrote. The cemetery visit was part of a monthlong "Road Trip with the Dead," to visit the final resting places of victims and murderers. The visits coincided with the release of Thornton's latest book, "No Place Like Murder," a look at infamous historical murders throughout central Indiana. -- Rebecca R. Bibbs * The Herald Bulletin *Janis Thornton, one of the Frankfort Community Public Library's 2019 Women's Expo speakers, has released her second true crime book titled No Place Like Murder: True Crime in the Midwest. This book will hit a little close to home because four of the crimes took place in Frankfort. -- Ken Hartman * Clinton County Daily News *A Kokomo woman shot in the face twice by her boyfriend after rebuffing his advances. A Civil War veteran who shoots and kills a man in a downtown Kokomo hotel bar and gets away with it. A man sentenced to life for the poisoning deaths of his wife and her 8-year-old child. Those stories and more are the featured in "No Place Like Murder: True Crime in the Midwest," written by Tipton's own Janis Thornton. The book chronicles 20 true crime stories that "shocked the Midwest between 1869 and 1950," including crimes committed in Howard and Tipton counties. -- Tyler Juranovich * Kokomo Tribune *No Place Like Murder by Janis Thornton is a collection of chronicles about 20 celebrated criminal cases from 1869 to 1950. The chapters explore the criminal acts themselves, the murderers' mindsets and motives, and the ultimate disposition of the cases. The author draws heavily from contemporary newspaper reports, and the entries are written in a straightforward journalistic style, which makes for easy reading. A smattering of photographs — no crime scene photos, thankfully — which add to the accounts. -- Rich Gotshall * Daily Journal, Franklin, IN *Local author Janis Thornton is back with another true crime book. Tipton County locations and residents are featured in some of the tales. Most of the crimes I had not heard of, so it was a really interesting look into crimes of the past. Recommended for readers who like true crime and local history. -- Tipton County Public LibraryTable of ContentsForewords Acknowledgments Introduction PART I: All in the Family 1. The Mysterious Death of Belle Shenkenberger 2. The Liberation of Nora Coleman 3. 'Sweet Dreams, Mother' PART II: Wife Killers 4. Dan Snider and the Strychnine Solution 5. The Case of the Drowsy Uxoricidist 6. Death on Maish Road 7. Chirka and Rasico PART III: To Err Can Be Murder 8. Manhunt for the In-law Outlaws 9. The Black Sheep of Goldsmith PART IV: Loved to Death 10. He Was Her Man, But He Done Her Wrong 11. Fairy's Grim Tale of the Murder on LaFountain PART V: Deadly Decisions 12. Murder on Anderson and Main 13. The Strawtown Murders 14. Murder Unbecoming a Hero PART VI: Worst of the Worst 15. The Awful Crime of Jesse McClure 16. Massacre on Laughery Creek PART VII: Local Legends 17. The Legend of Kokomo Mayor H.C. Cole 18. Gun Girl PART VIII: Unsolved but Unforgotten 19. Murder Most Foul 20. The Strange Death of Garnet Ginn

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Book SynopsisProfiles 20 sensational true crimes from the 19th and 20th centuries Features a true creative nonfiction style, as each telling reads like a story Moves beyond details of the crimes to offer insight into motivationsTrade ReviewTrue crime fans will be well satisfied. * Publishers Weekly *No Place Like Murder is a manifestation of Thornton's love for local history and fascination with mysteries and true crime. -- Amy Oberlin * The Herald Republican *With no marker in sight, writer Janis Thornton a week ago stood in the shade of an old white oak tree she believed covered the grave of Andrew Jackson "A.J." Baker at Beech Grove Cemetery in Muncie to take a picture featured in her blog. She'd been to the site in June 2017 to look for the grave of the late butcher from Elwood who on Sept. 3, 1903, fatally shot Fred Kaiser, the husband of his alleged paramour, at the corner of Anderson and Main streets. "Some might call it a shady grave for a shady character, and I couldn't disagree," she wrote. The cemetery visit was part of a monthlong "Road Trip with the Dead," to visit the final resting places of victims and murderers. The visits coincided with the release of Thornton's latest book, "No Place Like Murder," a look at infamous historical murders throughout central Indiana. -- Rebecca R. Bibbs * The Herald Bulletin *Janis Thornton, one of the Frankfort Community Public Library's 2019 Women's Expo speakers, has released her second true crime book titled No Place Like Murder: True Crime in the Midwest. This book will hit a little close to home because four of the crimes took place in Frankfort. -- Ken Hartman * Clinton County Daily News *A Kokomo woman shot in the face twice by her boyfriend after rebuffing his advances. A Civil War veteran who shoots and kills a man in a downtown Kokomo hotel bar and gets away with it. A man sentenced to life for the poisoning deaths of his wife and her 8-year-old child. Those stories and more are the featured in "No Place Like Murder: True Crime in the Midwest," written by Tipton's own Janis Thornton. The book chronicles 20 true crime stories that "shocked the Midwest between 1869 and 1950," including crimes committed in Howard and Tipton counties. -- Tyler Juranovich * Kokomo Tribune *No Place Like Murder by Janis Thornton is a collection of chronicles about 20 celebrated criminal cases from 1869 to 1950. The chapters explore the criminal acts themselves, the murderers' mindsets and motives, and the ultimate disposition of the cases. The author draws heavily from contemporary newspaper reports, and the entries are written in a straightforward journalistic style, which makes for easy reading. A smattering of photographs — no crime scene photos, thankfully — which add to the accounts. -- Rich Gotshall * Daily Journal, Franklin, IN *Local author Janis Thornton is back with another true crime book. Tipton County locations and residents are featured in some of the tales. Most of the crimes I had not heard of, so it was a really interesting look into crimes of the past. Recommended for readers who like true crime and local history. -- Tipton County Public LibraryTable of ContentsForewords Acknowledgments Introduction PART I: All in the Family 1. The Mysterious Death of Belle Shenkenberger 2. The Liberation of Nora Coleman 3. 'Sweet Dreams, Mother' PART II: Wife Killers 4. Dan Snider and the Strychnine Solution 5. The Case of the Drowsy Uxoricidist 6. Death on Maish Road 7. Chirka and Rasico PART III: To Err Can Be Murder 8. Manhunt for the In-law Outlaws 9. The Black Sheep of Goldsmith PART IV: Loved to Death 10. He Was Her Man, But He Done Her Wrong 11. Fairy's Grim Tale of the Murder on LaFountain PART V: Deadly Decisions 12. Murder on Anderson and Main 13. The Strawtown Murders 14. Murder Unbecoming a Hero PART VI: Worst of the Worst 15. The Awful Crime of Jesse McClure 16. Massacre on Laughery Creek PART VII: Local Legends 17. The Legend of Kokomo Mayor H.C. Cole 18. Gun Girl PART VIII: Unsolved but Unforgotten 19. Murder Most Foul 20. The Strange Death of Garnet Ginn

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Book Synopsis-Author attends numerous local events and will be a good self-promoter -Author's books have good sales numbersTrade ReviewMcQueen writes with assured swiftness as he progresses through retellings that don't show much to applaud in the way of justice served. A hundred years later, it's still easy to 'blame the victim.' . . . McQueen sleuths his 'historical true crimeand real-life surrealism' throughout the realm of newspaper accounts. -- Rita Kohn * NUVO *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments1. Murderous Missouri2. Michigan Mayhem3. Ill-Tempered Illinois4. Naughty Nebraska5. Criminal Kansas6. Minnesota Massacres7. Iowa Exterminations8. Indiana Imbroglios9. Ohio Obliterations10. Wasted in WisconsinBibliography

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Book SynopsisThe story of one of America's most notorious criminalsTrade Review. . . Girardin's book is a fantastic read. * therumpus.net *. . . a wild ride through one of the most fascinating periods in American criminal history. * Chicago Tribune *. . . the first comprehensive overview of Dillinger's betrayal and killing. . . . A fascinating addition to the true-crime shelf. -- Digby Diehl * Playboy *Eminently revealing and enjoyable. * Kirkus Reviews *This is one of the most unusual books in the annals of modern true-crime writing, for the bulk of the text was written 60 years ago and never before published. . . . Helmer has been faithful to the florid style of the original . . . copious and informative notes reflect his further research, based on sources not available to Girardin. The book constitutes a significant addition to Americana. * Publishers Weekly *A fascinating addition to the true-crime shelf. * Playboy *One of the most entertaining, thought-provoking, and enlightening works on one of history's most infamous figures. * Austin American Statesman *Retains much of the spirit of the Depression era, when many regarded bankers as evil and bank robbers were celebrated in the media. . . . A significant addition to Americana. * Publishers Weekly *This book is a real steal and deserves to become legendary in its own right. . . . It reads like the best of fiction—only it's great history. * Minnesota History *. . . Girardin's book is a fantastic read.July 2, 2009 * therumpus.net *Table of ContentsContentsForeword by Rick MattixPreface to the 75th Anniversary EditionAbout the BookPrefaceI.1. The Twig Is Bent2. The Quality of Mercy3. "And every man's hand"4. The Gang Attains Maturity5. A Florida Vacation6. Prosecutor Estill Poses for a PictureII.7. Piquett Takes the Case8. The Vanishing American9. Wooden Gun, Indiana10. How Dillinger Did ItIII.11. Enter Uncle Sam12. Storm in the Midwest13. Homecoming14. Slaughter of Innocents15. The Safest Place in AmericaIV.16. Loeser Whets His Knife17. Dillinger Goes to the Park18. The Private Life of a Public Enemy19. The Last Raid of the Dillinger Gang20. Piquett Falls from GraceV.21. The Woman in Red22. KILL DILLINGER HERE!23. The Battle of Barrington24. Piquett Pays the Price25. CasualtiesEpilogueA Dillinger ChronologyChicago Hideouts and HangoutsGravesites of Gang MembersAfter the Facts: Further Investigations by William J. HelmerA Dillinger Miscellany Prepared by Rick Mattix and William J. HelmerAcknowledgmentsSourcesIndex

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Book SynopsisA true story of violence and punishment that illuminates a transformative moment in Guatemalan historyTrade ReviewReceived honorable mention for the Louis Gottschalk PrizeWinner of the James P. Hanlan Book Prize, sponsored by the New England Historical AssociationWinner of the Bolton-Johnson Prize, sponsored by the Conference on Latin American History“The Woman on the Windowsill is that rare history book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. At the book’s core is the paired drama of an unfolding crime with the historian’s measured discovery of a puzzling and at times inscrutable past.”— Kris Lane, Tulane University“An exquisite book. It is at once scholarly and popular, learned and accessible, challenging and inviting. The beauty is in the understated elegance, the pacing, and the care with which Sellers-Garciá approaches the pleasures and the problems of the archive.”— Raymond Craib, Cornell University“Every historian dreams about finding a spellbinding old case or an irresistible cache of documents. Sellers-García has found such a case and used it to give us a grand tour of colonial Guatemala City, showing us its cobblestone streets, nearby ravines, hospitals and medical procedures, families from various walks of life, city leaders, victims, and villains.”—Andrés Reséndez, author of The Other Slavery: The Uncovered Story of Indian Enslavement in America

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Book SynopsisA 2014 New York Times Book Review Notable Book and Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year Imagine that a terrorist tried to kill you. If you could face him again, on your terms, what would you do?

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Book SynopsisA searing portrait of the crack epidemic and violent drug wars that once ravaged the South Bronx.Trade Review"... a gripping narrative... this is a fascinating, albeit dispiriting read, a searing portrait of the appalling inequalities of the American Dream gone sour, a three-act tragedy played out against a soundtrack of gangsta rap." -- The Mail on Sunday"If any professionals are contemplating retraining as gang members to replace income diverted by the decline of their industries, seek counsel first from this riveting book." -- Strong Words

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Book SynopsisA delectable true-crime story of scandal and murder at America's most celebrated university.Trade Review"Tells the story of one of the most sensational crimes of 19th century America. Well-researched and beautifully written, his book is filled with Dickensian characters....Collins knows how to build suspense." -- San Francisco Chronicle

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Book SynopsisThe inside story of the largest digital piracy sting to date.Trade Review"A super-charged, electrifying story. CRACK99 reads like a bestselling thriller!" -- Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Code of Conduct "A gripping and sobering account of the hemorrhage of high-end American computer programs into the Chinese internet black market...A riveting story." -- Dennis Blair, former director of national intelligence and co-chairman, Intellectual Property Commission "A rollicking true tale of high-level undercover cyber espionage in which Hall puts every bit of his extensive experience and investigative skills into catching a cyber-pirate. His stories of teaming with Homeland Security agents to double-cross a Chinese cyber criminal are, in a word, sensational." -- Retired FBI Special Agent Robert K. Wittman, author of Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures

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Book Synopsis[Makes] history, with all its messiness, ugliness, and even humanity, come vividly alive.Chicago TribuneTrade Review"So much happens—and so much of it is unexpected—in Suzanne Lebsock's gripping study of the sensational ax murder of Lucy Jane Pollard...that we can only urge readers to read for themselves the acclaimed author's brilliant descriptions of racial politics (four African Americans were accused), the constant threat of lynching, the vicious court battles and how it all ended." -- Dallas Morning News"How refreshing! Honest-to-goodness, 100 percent-genuine facts in an age of docudramas and fictional histories....Impressive job of historical re-creation....[Lebsock] has done a service in resuscitating this forgotten tale." -- New York Times

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Book SynopsisOn the fiftieth anniversary of her murder, Kitty Genovese transcends the mythology of the tragic story and the famous association with the bystander effect.Trade Review"Kevin Cook takes the story apart and puts it back together again. His punchy account of this famous event reveals that almost everything we think we know about it is wrong." -- Daniel Finkelstein, Christmas Round-Ups 2014 - The Sunday Times"Cook is [an] adept storyteller." -- The New Yorker"...well-written and often gripping book..." -- The Times"A fully-realized portrait of Kitty... Readers won't forget that she was a person, not a player in an anecdote." -- The Boston Sunday Globe"A grim and fascinating history and discussion of the bystander effect... this book asks hard questions of human nature." -- Diva"...the book is brilliantly written, a veritable prose docudrama, full of suspense and tension, despite known outcomes." -- Human Givens

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Book SynopsisImagine that a terrorist tried to kill you. If you could face him again, on your terms, what would you do?Trade Review"In telling the story of Raisuddin Bhuiyan, an immigrant who pleaded for clemency for the white racist who tried to kill him, Anand Giridharadas presents an absorbing, haunting picture of what has happened to large tranches of the US." -- The Irish Times"Remarkable... A richly detailed, affecting account... Giridharadas seeks less to uplift than illuminate." -- The New York Times Book Review"Moving and indelible... manifestly inspirational..." -- Salon

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Book SynopsisThe inside story of the largest digital piracy sting to date.Trade Review"A crackling good tale, well-told in Hall's confiding, thoughtful, and humorous tone." -- Eloise Kinney - Booklist "A quirky tale of international pursuit through a legal labyrinth with unsettling implications regarding proliferation of ominous technologies." -- Kirkus Reviews "A super-charged, electrifying story. CRACK99 reads like a bestselling thriller!" -- Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Code of Conduct "A gripping and sobering account of the hemorrhage of high-end American computer programs into the Chinese internet black market...A riveting story." -- Dennis Blair, former director of national intelligence and co-chairman, Intellectual Property Commission "A rollicking true tale of high-level undercover cyber espionage in which Hall puts every bit of his extensive experience and investigative skills into catching a cyber-pirate. His stories of teaming with Homeland Security agents to double-cross a Chinese cyber criminal are, in a word, sensational." -- Retired FBI Special Agent Robert K. Wittman, author of Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewSecret Witness reads like a Jim Thompson noir novel, burrowing into the dark crevices of the rural American landscape. But this is no fictional work of fevered imagination; it's the real thing. Blaine Pardoe nimbly explores his story of murder, sex, and psychopaths in what makes for a crackling good read. This is a real 'can't put it down' page turner!" — Arnie Bernstein, author of Bath Massacre: America's First School Bombing

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Book SynopsisOn an August evening in 1933, in a quiet, working-class neighborhood in Paris, eighteen-year-old Violette Noziere gave her mother and father glasses of barbiturate-laced 'medication', which she told them had been prescribed by the family doctor; one of her parents died, the other barely survived.Trade Review"Maza explains brilliantly how and why Violette's story-or a culturally acceptable version of her story-grew from being a mere fait divers, or miscellaneous news item, into a nationally staged drama that bound France in schadenfreude-laced fascination near the end of the turbulent and divisive Third Republic. Combining a neatly suspenseful account of Violette's crime and its consequences with a richly layered cultural history ... she skillfully analyzes Violette's transformation from wretched schoolgirl to cultural icon." -- Judith Warner New York Times Book Review "Grittily cinematic." -- Megan O'Grady Vogue "An academic history with a pulpy noir heart." Publishers Weekly "The story itself is so fascinating that general readers interested in crime and mystery will be enthralled." -- Marie Marmo Mullaney Library Journal "Excellent... Maza gorgeously weaves together social history, crime culture, gender theory, and thorough research." -- Oline Eaton New Books In Biography "[An] excellent new biography... Maza gorgeously weaves together social history, crime culture, gender theory, and thorough research." -- Oline Eaton New Books In Biography "A true-life detective tale set not amid the glamour and romance of a well-touristed Paris but in a secret city that runs thick with the lives of the forgotten and the abandoned." -- David Kennedy Jones T: The New York Times Style Magazine "Compelling... A brief review cannot convey the elegance and persuasiveness of Maza's version of this famous case." -- Robert A. Nye, Oregon State University Journal Of Modern History A well-researched and thoroughly readable account of French culture as revealed in a generally forgotten murder case." -- Jaime O'Neill Chico News & Review "The trial captivated France, and readers will be just as captivated by Maza's study of Noziere and the culture of interwar France." -- Eric Feil Dan's HamptonsTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1. A Neighborhood in Paris 2. Interwar Girlhoods 3. Violette's Family Romance 4. A Crime in Late Summer 5. The Accusation 6. Letters to the Judge 7. A Culture of Crime 8. A Water Lily on a Heap of Coal 9. The Trial 10. Afterlives Conclusion Notes Index

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Book SynopsisIn 1969, the world was shocked by a series of murders committed by Charles Manson and his family of followers. Although the defendants were sentenced to death in 1971, their sentences were commuted to life with parole in 1972; since 1978, they have been regularly attending parole hearings. Today all of the living defendants remain behind bars. Relying on nearly fifty years of parole hearing transcripts, as well as interviews and archival materials, Hadar Aviram invites readers into the opaque world of the California parole processa realm of almost unfettered administrative discretion, prison programming inadequacies, high-pitched emotions, and political pressures. Yesterday's Monsters offers a fresh longitudinal perspective on extreme punishment.Trade Review"As California rethinks the roles of imprisonment and parole in this COVID-19, post-Three Strikes era, Yesterday’s Monsters has some lessons for today." * San Francisco Chronicle *"Does a time arrive when actors in even a truly heinous crime merit parole? . . . Aviram's readable, astute, and discerning parsing makes this a provocative examination of this under-investigated issue." * CHOICE *"Aviram’s book is a significant contribution to the academic literature discussing the social aspects of punishment in late 20th century America, but even more importantly, it is an imperative addition to discretionary parole research, which requires much more attention." * Criminal Law and Criminal Justice Books *"Aviram delves into the world of the California parole process, finding almost unfettered administrative discretion, prison programming inadequacies, high-pitched emotions, and political pressures." * Law & Social Inquiry *“Yesterday's Monsters provides a rich, detailed and provocative examination of parole through the lens of an infamous case, yet without sensationalism or voyeurism. Aviram has a unique voice which magnifies the readability of the text. . . . Readers interested in criminal justice as well as students in other disciplines like media studies, sociology, and psychology would be captivated by the book. Aviram's book will also appeal to true crime fanatics and may even provide an avenue for building empathy for people in prison.” * Punishment & Society *"Yesterday’s Monsters is an outstanding contribution to our sociological understanding of extreme punishment and mass incarceration in the US." * Law & Society Review *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface and Acknowledgments Introduction 1 • The California Parole Process 2 • The Manson Family Cases and the Birth of the “Extreme-Punishment Trifecta” 3 • The Triumph of Helter Skelter: How the Manson Family Cases Came to Represent the Sui Generis Ultimate Evil 4 • Revisiting the Past: From Facts to Emotion in Understanding the Crime of Commitment 5 • Reinventing the Present: Crafting and Interpreting the Inmate’s Prison Experience 6 • Reimagining the Future: The Past Casts Its Shadow on the Inmate’s Postrelease Plans 7 • In Bardo Notes Index

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Book SynopsisInvestigating the unsolved murder of a female law student and the pervasive violence against Guatemalan women that drives migration. Part memoir and part forensic investigation,Textures of Terror is a gripping first-person story of women, violence, and migration out of Guatemalaand how the United States is implicated. Accompanying Jorge Velásquez in a years-long search for answers after the brutal murder of his daughter Claudina Isabel, Victoria Sanford explores what it means to seek justice in postconflict countries where violence never ended. Through this father's determined struggle and other stories of justice denied, Textures of Terror offers a deeper understanding of US policies in Latin America and their ripple effect on migration. Sanford offers an up-close appraisal of the inner workings of the Guatemalan criminal justice system and how it maintains inequality, patriarchy, and impunity. Presenting the stories of other women who have suffered at the hands of strangers, inTrade Review"A scathing critique of a dysfunctional justice system, the willful incompetence of those charged with upholding women’s rights and a cast of institutional actors who seem hostile to the very idea of justice." * ReVista *"Sanford has woven Textures of Terror into a testimonio that draws on the emotional power of the stories she witnessed to demand a response to the larger tragedy of feminicide in Guatemala, and the ongoing refusal or impossibility of the government to address it." * NACLA *Table of ContentsContents Acknowledgments List of Illustrations List of Abbreviations Dramatis Personae Introduction 1 The Night Claudina Isabel Did Not Come Home 2 Esperanza’s Story: Sold at 12 3 Cycles of Violence 4 #TengoMiedo (#IAmAfraid) 5 Paradise for Killers 6 Marked Women 7 Bittersweet Justice Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year""Through her personal experience over 18 months observing forensic scientists in a metropolitan crime lab, sociologist Bechky introduces readers to the intricacies of a high-stakes job that can change the outcome of some of the most important court cases." * Discover Magazine *"The title is catchy, the cover provocative, but for readers seeking the standard sortie into the inner workings of a forensic lab, Beth A. Bechky’s book offers something quite different — a live, human angle. . . . Bechky’s portrait of the daily conflict faced by crime lab workers should prove enlightening to outsiders. . . . The writing is crisp and jargon-free, and the text includes many interesting anecdotes. . . . this account of a fascinating work world manages to be both scholarly and engaging."---Kathy Reichs, New York Times Book Review"Illuminating."---Marc Landas, Scientific Inquirer"Introduces readers to the ways in which real-life crime-lab personnel solve crimes. Bechky is not a screenwriter. But, she’s a darned good ethnographer."---Aaron Howard, Jewish Herald-Voice

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year""Through her personal experience over 18 months observing forensic scientists in a metropolitan crime lab, sociologist Bechky introduces readers to the intricacies of a high-stakes job that can change the outcome of some of the most important court cases." * Discover Magazine *"The title is catchy, the cover provocative, but for readers seeking the standard sortie into the inner workings of a forensic lab, Beth A. Bechky’s book offers something quite different — a live, human angle. . . . Bechky’s portrait of the daily conflict faced by crime lab workers should prove enlightening to outsiders. . . . The writing is crisp and jargon-free, and the text includes many interesting anecdotes. . . . this account of a fascinating work world manages to be both scholarly and engaging."---Kathy Reichs, New York Times Book Review"Illuminating."---Marc Landas, Scientific Inquirer"Introduces readers to the ways in which real-life crime-lab personnel solve crimes. Bechky is not a screenwriter. But, she’s a darned good ethnographer."---Aaron Howard, Jewish Herald-Voice

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Book SynopsisTells the story of Robert Kindred's brazen theft of irreplaceable antique illustrations and maps from academic libraries across the US - a crime spree that left the irredeemable wreck of countless rare books in its wake. Travis McDade's account of Kindred's pillaging and the paper trail that led to his capture unfolds with the drama of a true crime page-turner.Trade ReviewMcDade’s account of Robert Kindred’s book-pillaging spree in university libraries across the United States is a well-told narrative that reads like an Elmore Leonard novel. McDade’s dramatic tale of book theft, mutilation, and cultural destruction is firmly grounded in archival sources, field research, and interviews and will appeal to a wide range of readers."" - Mark Rose, professor emeritus of English, University of California, Santa Barbara

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Book SynopsisAn investigative account of the still-unsolved assassination of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, a major figure in world politics and an ardent opponent of apartheid, shot dead on the streets of Stockholm in February 1986.Trade ReviewBlood on the Snow is a melodramatic title, but the story of the 1980s murder of a Scandinavian politician so stretches skepticism and credulity that any sober, dry-as-dust academic treatment would have jarred. Jan Bondeson's involved, committed approach is the best way to do full justice to the complexity of an astounding case.... I doubt if the massively tangled web round Olof Palme's killing will inspire a more engrossing or a better-researched book. * Times Literary Supplement *Bondeson explores a variety of assassination theories that have arisen amid a botched police investigation, conflicting witness testimonies, and Palme's celebrity status.... Bondeson delves into the nature of the investigation and the uncertain guilt of the convicted killer—issues that have captivated Swedes and others for almost 20 years. * Library Journal *On February 28, 1986, at 11:21 p.m., Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was fatally shot while walking toward a Stockholm subway station. Jan Bondeson, a doctor, scientist, and investigator of unsolved mysteries, has written an extraordinarily penetrating book on the case, complete with a vivid minute-by-minute account of the crime as well as a detailed description of the failed police investigation and, best of all, a keen analysis of the byzantine political and financial intrigues in which Palme had been involved. * Wall Street Journal *Palme was a fascinating politician; an aristocrat and deeply committed socialist. He supported Castro's Cuba, thus guaranteeing he fell out with the US. He was hated by the opposition who accused him of everything from homosexuality to being a KGB spy so, not surprisingly, when he was murdered the rumour mills began grinding and a cycle of fantastic explanations and bizarre conspiracy theories emerged. In this well-written book Jan Bondeson attempts to explain why Palme was killed. The result is a non-fiction work that reads like a Tom Clancy political thriller. * Sydney Morning Herald *

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Book SynopsisHow a society defines crimes and prosecutes criminals illuminates its cultural values, social norms, and political expectations. In Murder Most Russian, Louise McReynolds draws on a fascinating series of murders and subsequent trials that took place in the wake of the 1864 legal reforms enacted by Tsar Alexander II. For the first time in Russian history, the accused were placed in the hands of juries of common citizens in courtrooms that were open to the press. Drawing on a wide array of sources, McReynolds reconstructs murders that gripped Russian society, from the case of Andrei Gilevich, who advertised for a personal secretary and beheaded the respondent as a way of perpetrating insurance fraud, to the beating death of Marianna Time at the hands of two young aristocrats who hoped to steal her diamond earrings.As McReynolds shows, newspapers covered such trials extensively, transforming the courtroom into the most public site in Russia for deliberation about legality and juTrade ReviewLouise McReynold's latest work reinforces her position as an important voice in scholarship on late imperial Russian culture and society.... Murder Most Russian makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of the development of the Russian legal system, the intersection of crime and culture, and the transition to modernity in late imperial Russia. -- Sharon A. Kowalsky * Slavic Review *McReynolds should be commended for the ways in which she integrates high political history with developments on the ground and uses cultural and social analysis to enrich her study of legal institutions. Artfully interweaving literaturese from several disciplines and historiography from different national contexts, Murder Most Russian lucidly tracks Russia's path toward its own unique form of modernity. -- Faith Hillis * Journal of Modern History *Murder defined the Russian fin de siècle. From Dostoevsky's homicidal literary creations, through the 1881 assassination of Alexander II, to a host of killings impelled by greed and lust, the Empire seemed to be plotting its path to modernity in blood. Murder Most Russian is a superb study of the jury trials for homicide ushered in by the legal reforms of the 1860s.... Each trial yields a portrait of a fiercely contested public realm in which ideas about gender, morality, science, the state, and individual sovereignty were all up for grabs.... With this subtle and imaginative book, Louise McReynolds allows readers to peer not only inside the trials themselves but beyond them, into the wider courtroom of Russian public opinion. -- Daniel Beer * Times Literary Supplement *This topic is not only luridly intriguing, but also gives great insight into the Russian cultural consciousness as the empire adapted itself to modern life. McReynolds's compelling book offers a homage to lively detective fiction and gruesome true-crime writing, while also providing an engaging history of crime's role in shaping Russian ways of seeing the world in the late imperial period. -- Eugenia Kapsomera Amditis * Slavic and East European Journal *Table of ContentsIntroduction1. Law and Order2. Criminology: Social Crime, Individual Criminal3. The Jurors4. Murder as One of the Middlebrow Arts5. Russia's Postrevolutionary Modern Men6. The "Diva of Death": Maria Tarnovskaia and the Degenerate Slavic Soul7. Crime Fiction Steps into Action8. True Crime and the Troubled Gendering of ModernityConclusionIndex

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Book SynopsisSince their spectacular rise in the 1990s, Russian gangs have remained entrenched in many parts of the country. Some gang members have perished in gang wars or ended up behind prison bars, while others have made spectacular careers off the streets and joined the Russian elite. But the rank and file of gangs remain substantially incorporated into their communities and society as a whole, with bonds and identities that bridge the worlds of illegal enterprise and legal respectability. In Gangs of Russia, Svetlana Stephenson explores the secretive world of the gangs. Using in-depth interviews with gang members, law enforcers, and residents in the city of Kazan, together with analyses of historical and sociological accounts from across Russia, she presents the history of gangs both before and after the arrival of market capitalism.Contrary to predominant notions of gangs as collections of maladjusted delinquents or illegal enterprises, Stephenson argues, Russian gangTrade Review[I]n her landmark study, Gangs of Russia: From the Streets to the Corridors of Power, Svetlana Stephenson finds an analytical similarity between the two types of organizations: like the Mafia, gangs in Russia are woven into the fabric of society. They have roots in the community and instead of challenging the established order, they reinforce it... Stephenson finds that most of her interviewees had finished high school, were studying at university (in some cases, medicine and law), or held professional jobs. They do not come from broken homes and are in steady relationships. Many are married. Some even belong to belong to political parties, such as the pro-Putin United Russia, and have relatives working for the police. Over time, a number of them become respected businessmen and even local politicians. -- Federico Varese * Times Literary Supplement *A recent and valuable contribution to this field of study is Dr. Svetlana Stephenson's book Gangs of Russiaa fine expose that contributes much to our understanding of the very roots of the reality of Russia 'corruption [...] violence and crime.’ -- David Holohan * East-West Review *This is a history of the growth and partial assimilation of youth gangs in Russia after the collapse of Soviet socialism... highly recommended. -- M. G. Meacham * CHOICE *Stephenson's account of gang life has much to offer, and the complications in pursuing this research may have been truly staggering. The result is an exhaustive - but never exhausting – account of the multifaceted nature of Russian gang life – including a fascinating section on the fleeting existence of a handful of all-female street gangs. -- Maxim Edwards * Transitions Online *This rich, absorbing work should impel readers to ask questions about political and economic transitions... this research offers a powerful caveat with regard to building such systems based on mass immiseration. * Terrorism and Political Violence *Table of ContentsIntroduction: In the Shadow of the State1. Street Organizations and Gangs in Russia2. The Transformation of Gangs in the 1990s3. The Business of Bandit Gangs: From Predation to Assimilation4. Gang Organization5. Street Trajectories6. The Gang in the Community7. Life according to the Poniatiia: The Gang's Code8. Navigating the World of Violence9. Gang Culture and the Wider Russian SocietyConclusion: Out of the Shadows?Appendix. Development of Tatarstan Gangs: Three Examples Key to Interviewees Methodological Note Glossary References Index

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Book SynopsisViolence and democracy may seem fundamentally incompatible, but the two have often been intimately and inextricably linked. In Ruffians, Yakuza, Nationalists, Eiko Maruko Siniawer argues that violence has been embedded in the practice of modern Japanese politics from the very inception of the country''s experiment with democracy. As soon as the parliament opened its doors in 1890, brawls, fistfights, vandalism, threats, and intimidation quickly became a fixture in Japanese politics, from campaigns and elections to legislative debates. Most of this physical force was wielded by what Siniawer calls violence specialists: ruffians and yakuza. Their systemic and enduring political violence-in the streets, in the halls of parliament, during popular protests, and amid labor strife-ultimately compromised party politics in Japan and contributed to the rise of militarism in the 1930s.For the post-World War II years, Siniawer illustrates how the Japanese developed a preference foTrade ReviewGamblers, ruffians, thugs, and yakuza have left a major imprint on contemporary Japanese politics and political style, and Siniawer tells their story well. * Journal of Asian Studies *In this important work, Eiko Maruko Siniawer argues very convincingly that violence, especially political violence, was a pervasive, highly influential, and nearly continuous force in Japan between the late Tokugawa age and the 1960s. * Japanese Studies *Siniawer's essential contention—that violence was a systemic, continuous feature of politics, which exerted a major impact on the nature of Japanese democracy—is demonstrated convincingly. Scholars inclined to emphasize the 'brighter side’ of Japan’s modern history may find this work troublesome. And that is a good thing. * Pacific Affairs *Table of ContentsIntroduction Political Violence in Historiographical Perspective Violence, Violence Specialists, and Politics Violence and Democracy Approaches to Comparative HistoryChapter 1. Patriots and Gamblers: Violence and the Formation of the Meiji State Shishi: Assassins, Rebels, Patriots Shishi Legacies in the Early Meiji Period Bakuto: Outlaws, Robin Hoods, Local Leaders Bakuto and the Meiji Restoration Bakuto as Political Violence Specialists: The Freedom and People's Rights MovementChapter 2. Violent Democracy: Ruffians and the Birth of Parliamentary Politics From Activist to Ruffian: Soshi in the 1880s Exporting Violence: Nationalist Tairiku Ronin across Borders Parliamentary Politics and the Professionalization of Soshi State Violence and the Second General ElectionChapter 3. Institutionalized Ruffianism and a Culture of Political Violence The Jiyuto Ingaidan and Its Bosses The Seiyukai Ingaidan in Party Politics Cultures of Violence: Yakuza Bosses in Diet PoliticsChapter 4. Fascist Violence: Ideology and Power in Prewar Japan Fascist Ideologies Fascist Violence The Nationalist Nexus in the Metropole and Beyond Violence in the Decline of the Political PartiesChapter 5. Democracy Reconstructed: Violence Specialists in the Postwar Period The Decline of Soshi and the Remaking of Ingaidan Violence Violence as a Political and Discursive Weapon in Diet Politics "Boryokudan" Redux: Yakuza and the Conservative Nexus 1960: The Apogee of Postwar Violence Specialists Coda: Political Violence after 1960Afterword Violence and Democracy Violence, Fascism, Militarism Violence Specialists and History A Contemporary Perspective on Violent DemocracyGlossary Notes Bibliography Index

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Book Synopsis"Killed Strangely is an engaging read that will entrance and inform readers who are at once murder mystery and history buffs."—Common-PlaceTrade ReviewKilled Strangely is an engaging read that will entrance and inform readers who are at once murder mystery and history buffs. -- Cornelia Hughes Dayton * Common-Place *A satisfying account of the mysterious death in 1673 of a 73-year-old Rhode Island matriarch (and ancestor of Ezra Cornell, founder of Cornell University), for which her son, Thomas Cornell was hanged. Rebecca Cornell was at home with her family—including 46-year-old Thomas, still dependent on mom's largesse—but remained in her chamber at suppertime; while the others dined, she died and her body caught fire from the hearth. But the author.... doesn't stop there, and subsequent chapters about Rhode Island society of the time will be of most interest to scholars and local historians. * Publishers Weekly *For sleuthing historian Elaine Forman Crane in Killed Strangely, the jury's 'willingness and ability to reconcile medieval superstitions with modern evidentiary standards makes the Cornell case a striking example of the friction between traditional Christian folklore and evolving common law.' And Crane's examination of the case in the context of its place and time—1673, 19 years before the Salem witch crisis—is a fine example of the 'microhistory' genre. She found it an opportunity to study 'the prescriptive values of Puritan society' and 'the ways in which people... actually lived out their lives. * Boston Globe *This book is brief and compulsively readable, the kind of work tailor-made to grip and hold the imaginations of undergraduates in early American survey courses everywhere.... Crane's use of material culture is also marvelously adept.... Her book succeeds nicely as a mystery story and admirably as a teaching tool. -- Nicole Eustace * Reviews in American History *This excellent book by a Fordham University history professor presents a true 1673 murder mystery.... This well-written, integrated, historical perspective on this mystery fascinated me. Think of it this way—when was the last time you heard about the testimony of a crime victim's ghost being admissible in a court of law? * Virginia Quarterly Review *Well written, thorough, scholarly, and entertaining. Summing Up: Recommended. * Choice *

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Book SynopsisExamining how since 1947 a regime of psychological operations and covert action has made the conflation of reality and fiction a central feature of both U.S. foreign policy and American culture.Trade Review"His study impressively documents how state secrecy became a privileged topos for reflecting on power and knowledge in late twentieth century American literature and cutlure." —Alexander Dunst,Journal of American StudiesIn his exploration of the national security state and the fiction it inspires, Melley engages in a spirited and cerebral examination of certain cultural and political tropes of the Cold Warand beyond, illustrating how often they have been rearticulated in a twenty-first-centurycontext as the War on Terror gathered pace in the wake of 9/11. -- Sam Goodman * Literature & History *Table of ContentsPrefaceIntroduction: The Postmodern Public Sphere Cold War Redux We Now Know Public Secrets Mere Entertainment Strategic Irrationalism Representations of the Covert State1. Brainwashed! The Faisalabad Candidate Brain Warfare Little Shop of Horrors Softening Up Our Boys Renditions2. Spectacles of Secrecy Trial by Simulation Political Theater Recovered (National) Memory The State's Two Faces Fakery in Allegiance to the Truth The Fabulist Spy3. False Documents True Lies Enemies of the State Psy Ops The Epistemology of Vietnam4. The Work of Art in the Age of Plausible Deniability Narrative Dysfunction Calculated Ellipsis The Feminization of the Public Sphere The Journalist as Patsy Metafiction in Wartime5. Postmodern Amnesia Assassins of Memory The Dialectics of Spectacle and Secrecy Secret History The Magic Show6. The Geopolitical Melodrama Ground Zero Enemies, Foreign and Domestic Whatever It Takes Demonology Melodrama as PolicyNotes Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisThe Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, a major figure in world politics and an ardent opponent of apartheid, was shot dead on the streets of Stockholm in February 1986. At the time of his death, Palme was deeply involved in Middle East diplomacy and was working under UN auspices to end the Iran-Iraq war. Across Scandinavia, Palme''s killing had an impact similar to that of the Kennedy assassinations in the United Statesand it ignited nearly as many conspiracy theories. Interest in the Palme slaying was most recently stirred by reports of the death of Christer Pettersson, who was tried for the murder twice, convicted the first time, and then acquitted on appeal.In his investigative account of Palme''s still-unsolved murder, the historian Jan Bondeson meticulously recreates the assassination and its aftermath. Like the best works of crime fiction, this book puts the victim and his death into social context. Bondeson''s work, however, is noteworthy for its dispassionate treatmenTrade ReviewBlood on the Snow is a melodramatic title, but the story of the 1980s murder of a Scandinavian politician so stretches skepticism and credulity that any sober, dry-as-dust academic treatment would have jarred. Jan Bondeson's involved, committed approach is the best way to do full justice to the complexity of an astounding case.... I doubt if the massively tangled web round Olof Palme's killing will inspire a more engrossing or a better-researched book. * Times Literary Supplement *Bondeson explores a variety of assassination theories that have arisen amid a botched police investigation, conflicting witness testimonies, and Palme's celebrity status.... Bondeson delves into the nature of the investigation and the uncertain guilt of the convicted killer—issues that have captivated Swedes and others for almost 20 years. * Library Journal *On February 28, 1986, at 11:21 p.m., Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was fatally shot while walking toward a Stockholm subway station. Jan Bondeson, a doctor, scientist, and investigator of unsolved mysteries, has written an extraordinarily penetrating book on the case, complete with a vivid minute-by-minute account of the crime as well as a detailed description of the failed police investigation and, best of all, a keen analysis of the byzantine political and financial intrigues in which Palme had been involved. * Wall Street Journal *Palme was a fascinating politician; an aristocrat and deeply committed socialist. He supported Castro's Cuba, thus guaranteeing he fell out with the US. He was hated by the opposition who accused him of everything from homosexuality to being a KGB spy so, not surprisingly, when he was murdered the rumour mills began grinding and a cycle of fantastic explanations and bizarre conspiracy theories emerged. In this well-written book Jan Bondeson attempts to explain why Palme was killed. The result is a non-fiction work that reads like a Tom Clancy political thriller. * Sydney Morning Herald *

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Book SynopsisThe first of its kind in English, Mafia and Outlaw Stories from Italian Life and Literature is a selection of readings from Italian fiction and non-fiction writers on the subject of the Mafia. Among the renowned writers featured are Giovanni Verga, Grazia Deledda, Anna Maria Ortese, Livia De Stefani, and Silvana La Spina, as well as famous witnesses such as Felicia Impastato, Letizia Battaglia, and Rita Atria who provide personal, often terrifying testimonies about their experiences with the Mafia. It is a historically diverse examination of criminal and outlaw institutions by some of the most significant figures in Italian literature.These newly translated writings show the ways in which Italians perceived and wrote about the Mafia and crime from the 1880s to the 1990s. Among them are stories dealing with the important legends used by the Mafia as sources for their image and ideology, legends such as the brigand and the Blessed Paulists. Some of the fascinating themTrade Review'The translations in Mafia and Outlaw stories from Italian Life and Literature are artfully rendered and the selections thoughtful, providing many opportunities for intertextual analysis particularly appropriate for courses in Italian History and Culture, Italian Literature, Criminology, and Justice and Legal Studies.' -- Gina M. Miele, Italian American Review: Winter 2011

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Book SynopsisProvides an introduction to the use of crime and punishment as a way to manage undocumented immigration in the United States.Trade Review"In short, Governing Immigration Through Crime is a superb contribution to the interdisciplinary scholarship on the merger of immigration and crime. The book offers in one concise volume a carefully woven mosaic of the pivotal scholarship in the field, amplified by thoughtful editorial analysis. Dowling and Inda have assembled a group of essential readings for scholars, students, and practitioners seeking an introduction to this growing field."—Ingrid V. Eagly, Punishment and Society"The belief that the United States is a welcoming nation of immigrants is still widely held, but this book presents us with a stark, alternative reality: manufacturing crime and punishment is now the leading form of controlling undocumented immigration in the U.S. Offering a set of thought-provoking essays, this important volume examines new mechanisms of governing immigration through the institutionalization of criminalization, focused particularly around the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. Crime and punishment is not only a Dostoevskian moral tale of 19th century, but a dominant challenge of our time."—Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo, University of Southern California"Contrasting the chilling details of post-9/11 enhanced enforcement and inspiring efforts and citizenship practices of immigrants, this volume critiques the ongoing criminalization of immigration. It is required reading for all of us concerned with enforcement regimes that increasingly go far beyond their borders."—Patricia Zavella, University of California, Santa Cruz, author of I'm Neither Here nor There: Mexicans' Quotidian Struggles with Migration and Poverty"America's disastrous experiment with mass incarceration is only the most obvious way that crime as a political logic has deformed our democracy. As Governing Immigration Through Crime documents in compelling detail, the same racialized and politicized fear of crime is driving our increasingly cruel and inhuman treatment of immigrants; not just at the borders, but in every facet of American life."—Jonathan Simon, University of California, Berkeley

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Eren crafts a narrative of Bernie Madoff's crimes as a sweeping comment on our society at large, which created and upheld the kill-or-be-killed finance ethos, and thereby produced the twenty-first century version of a Wall Street serial killer."—Erin Arvedlund, author of Too Good to Be True: The Rise and Fall of Bernie Madoff"There is important primary data here and a creative analysis. Eren makes a notable contribution to the literature on financial crime, as well as our understanding of the role that the Madoff case played during an unfolding financial crisis."—Kitty Calavita, University of California, Irvine, author of Big Money Crime"Eren uses massive amounts of media commentary and interviews—with journalists and Madoff himself—to reveal salient points about the contemporary economy, society, and its demonology. An easy read, and an informative one as we continue to sift through the ashes of the financial crisis and our societal stance on white collar crime."—Michael Levi, Cardiff University and author of The Phantom Capitalists and Regulating Fraud"Eren provides the first investigation of why the crimes of Wall Street and Madoff—though economically and legally dissimilar—were culturally inseparable to the public. Steeped in the voices of reporters, regulators, and Bernie himself, this book is a major contribution to the study of white-collar crime."—Gregg Barak, Eastern Michigan University, author of Theft of a Nation: Wall Street Looting and Federal Regulatory Colluding"Bernie Madoff and the Crisis<\i> is an engaging, insightful and thought-provoking book. Its theoretical lens and empirical design should inspire future research on social reactions to white-collar crime, also of the more mundane kind. The book will be appealing to a wide readership."—Aleksandra Jordanoska, British Journal of Criminology<\i>"Bernie Madoff and the Crisis is a brief, engaging book that reminds readers about the complexity of social and economic problems and the mistake in simplifying them and thinking that criminal law alone can resolve them."—David Schultz, Criminal Law and Criminal Justice BooksTable of Contents1. A Crisis in Search of a Villain 2. Out of the Business Section, Into the Front Pages 3. Sleeping Watchdogs: Blaming the Regulators 4. It's How You're Rich That Matters: Narratives of the Haves, the Have Nots, and Have Lots 5. Boil Him in Oil: Cracking Down on Wall Street through Madoff 6. The More Things Change, the More They Remain the Same?

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Book SynopsisRecounts the little-known facts and haunting stories that came to light from the author’s hundreds of interviews with both witnesses and suspects. His research points to the development of a particularly virulent local faction of the Klan who used terror and violence to stop integration and end the advancement of civil rights.Trade ReviewDevils Walking stands as an important milestone in the ongoing struggle to create justice from truth, and perhaps even reconciliation in a nation that must collectively move in this direction or face an uncertain future."—David Ridgen, Canadian filmmaker and director of award-winning documentary Mississippi Cold Case

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Book SynopsisIn 1951, a young Black woman, working as an overnight caretaker at a county-line beer joint in southwestern Mississippi, shot and killed a white intruder who was likely intending to assault her. In Roadhouse Justice, Trent Brown examines the long-forgotten circumstances surrounding this case.

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Book SynopsisPresents the true story of the life of Richie “the Boot” Boiardo, one of the most powerful and feared men in the New Jersey underworld. Richard Linnett provides an intimate look inside the Boot’s once-powerful Mafia crew, based on the recollections of a grandson of the Boot himself and complemented by never-before-published family photos.Trade Review"Richard Linnett’s riveting, eloquent account of a larger-than-life man, his family, and an era is testimony to the truism among crime writers that nothing we create can ever equal reality—a page turner." -- Katherine Hall Page * award-winning author of the Faith Fairchild mystery series *"In the Godfather Garden is a compassionate and remarkable story. This is a deeply-researched and beautifully written tale of a true-life character, straight out of classic tragedy." -- Scott Wallace * author of The Unconquered: In Search of the Amazon's Last Uncontacted Tribes *"A fascinating and often riveting book about Richie 'the boot' Boiardo and his exploits with an amazing cast of characters from the annals of organized crime in New Jersey … This is an excellent book, and highly recommended for anyone with an interest in organized crime." * The Historian *Table of ContentsContents The Garden ix Acknowledgements xi Prologue: They Got Me, Joe 1 1 Diamond Ritchie 11 2 The Longy War 26 3 I'm no Crybaby 45 4 Fortune Son 57 5 Jerry 65 6 The Club Fremont Incident 85 7 Castle Cruel 100 8 Loose Lips 113 9 The Old Gang of Mine 124 10 Cause for Indictment 134 11 The Italian Way 142 12 On the Jolly Trolley 154 13 The Mafia Exists! 162 14 This Thing of Theirs 171 Epilogue: The Curse 182 Timeline 191 Cast of Characters 195 Notes 203 Selected Bibliography 227 Index 231

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Book SynopsisChicago in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was second only to New York as a centre of both thoroughbred racing and off-track gambling. This book shines a light on its fascinating, complicated history, exploring the role of political influence and class; the business of racing; and its cultural and social significance.

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Book SynopsisThis text documents the existence during the recent Balkan conflict of rape/death camps in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Croatia, in which women were detained and raped repeatedly. The study concludes with an impassioned argument for the bringing to trial of the perpetrators of these atrocities.Table of ContentsIdentity; representation; facts; analysis; remedies; implications.

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Book SynopsisThis is the memoir of Zeke Caligiuri, who grew up in South Minneapolis in the 1990s when the city was dubbed "Murderapolis." Currently in prison, Zeke's story is a clear-eyed account of how he got from there to here, how a boy who had every hope went from dreaming of freedom to losing it, along with nearly everything and everyone he loved.Trade Review“An intimate, searing, and important document that makes no excuses for its subject’s life-choices and is all the more powerful for its honesty.”—Joyce Carol Oates "This Is Where I Am is a fabulous book that maps out the real lives of the city and the neighborhoods, of real hopes that die and real dreams that resurrect. For every hour of joy or sorrow the common citizen experiences, Zeke Caligiuri aptly magnifies that same hour into an eternity of lives deeply lived and feared and loved and lost. Every school, judge, counselor, and policeman ought to read this book. Read it. Read it again. Read it until you understand that how we make and shape our society is our responsibility—all of ours."—Jimmy Santiago Baca, author of Singing at the Gates "Zeke Caligiuri's debut memoir, This Is Where I Am, soulfully evokes his childhood playgrounds and present-day prison cells—and situates him as a powerful new voice in contemporary literature, a voice that is at once literary and streetwise, with an ice-cold restraint that blisters the heart."—Matt Burgess, author of Uncle Janice and Dogfight, A Love Story"Caligiuri demonstrates a willingness and ability to look back and share his experiences without judgment or ego, which makes for a fascinating and moving account of one man’s incarceration and life."—Booklist"Born and raised in the Powderhorn neighborhood, Caligiuri follows an all-too-familiar downward spiral: gang-banger friends + drugs + alcohol + guns = jail time. What is unexpected is the poetic curiosity Caligiuri exhibits in This Is Where I Am."—City Pages"He’s brutally honest. In raw yet lyrical language, he attempts to explain how a once promising life went wrong."—Star TribuneTable of ContentsContents Prologue I. The Beginning 1. The Dodge Duster 2. An Orphan at Christmas 3. Granny in a Yellow Dress 4. On Pilgrimage 5. Monsters and Floral Print Skirts 6. Marching on the Third Precinct II. Life, What I Would Be 7. Prayer and Resurrection 8. The Block Club 9. Fathers and Sons, Men and Boys 10. The Class of 1996 11. The First Strike 12. Snapshots of Me and Her in New York 13. A House, A Neighborhood 14. From September to September III. Death, Putting it Back Together 15. The Last Visit from the Girl in the Willow Tree 16. Walking into the Rest of My Life 17. The Only One Not There 18. Just Pictures 19. No Man’s Land 20. A Homecoming 21. Bombs Epilogue: This is Where I Am Acknowledgments

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Book SynopsisUsing the court records, FBI reports, oral interviews, and newspaper accounts, the author tells about the incident that fuelled the civil rights movement. One Sunday in September 1963, an intentionally planted cache of dynamite ripped through the walls of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church and ended the lives of four young black girls.Trade ReviewA lyrically moving description of the victim's last hours.... Until Justice Rolls Down is a story about intrepid prosecutors in pursuit of evidence. - Diane McWhorter, New York Times Book Review

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Book SynopsisMayan rebels killed an American plantation manager in 1875, but no one has ever unravelled why this murder took place. Paul Sullivan's fascinating and skillful telling of this story reads like a mystery novel.

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Table of ContentsAuthor's NotePart 1: Lewiston, Idaho Territory, August 1863Part 2: California, Autumn 1863Part 3: Lewiston, Winter 1863-1864Part 4: EpilogueEndnotesBibliographyAppendix: "When History and Folklore Intertwine" by Carole Simon-Smolinski

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Book SynopsisLindberg, an accomplished local historian and true crime writer, presents a fascinating story of two contemporaneous serial killers, both weaving marriage and murder in and around Chicago during the 1890s and 1900s. Johann Hoch was a debonair bigamist and wife killer who boasted of having perfected a scientific technique to romance and seduction. Belle Gunness was a nesting Black Widow whose sprawling farm in Northwest Indiana was a fatal lure for lonely bachelors seeking the comforts of middle-age security by answering matrimonial advertisements placed by Gunness. Notorious in his own day, Hoch had faded into the dark background of Chicago crime history. But, in Heartland Serial Killers, Lindberg brings back vividly the horrors of one of Chicago''s first celebrity criminals and uncovers new evidence of a close connection between Hoch and H.H. Holmes, the Devil in the White City. Unlike Hoch, Belle Gunness, likely the most prolific and infamous female serial killer of the tweTrade ReviewHeartland Serial Killers contains three elements that contribute to the success of a true crime work: a fresh take on a legendary tragedy (Gunness), reintroduction to a shocking and salacious yet forgotten one (Hoch) and entertaining prose underscored by evidence of serious research. By combining a popular approach with evidence of careful research, he has created a work that should appeal to both the general reader and the serious true crime aficionado. -- Rose Keefe, author of The StarkerGunness' and Hoch's stories are inherently interesting and Lindberg's focus on how they found and manipulated their victims, rather than on gruesome bloody details, makes this an engaging work of history. The author's extensive research in period newspapers, court documents and other material is evident in the rich detail in the text, notes and bibliography. This is a story you won't soon forget. -- Elizabeth A. De Wolfe, author of The Murder of Mary Bean and Other Stories

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Book SynopsisOn the morning of April 27, 1935, Louis N Hammerling fell to his death from the nineteenth floor of an apartment in New York City, where he lived alone. Hammerling was one of the most influential Polish immigrants in America and the leading voice and advocate of the Eastern Europeans who had come to the country seeking a better life.Trade ReviewReaders will have an exhilarating time with M. B. B. Biskupski's vivid biography of Louis N. Hammerling. A leading expert of Polish and Polish-American history, Biskupski located shreds of evidence in seventy-four archival collections in America, Great Britain, Poland, Canada, and Austria to painstakingly tell the story of the most significant Polish-immigrant voice at the turn of the twentieth century. * The Register of the Kentucky Historical Society *

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