Never Again offers first hand insight into the hours leading up to, during, and after the Los Angeles riots, telling detail by detail how closely the L.A. County Sheriff's Department was to changing the course of history. The L.A. Police Department is thrust into the limelight and finds itself totally unprepared to deal with this deadly and dynamic crisis. Bill Weiss, the Watch Commander, copes with his internal instinct to take action, waged against his self-discipline to follow orders, leading up to the final moment when he is ready to put his daring plan into action. This chaotic and rapidly evolving disturbance engulfed the city and portions of the surrounding metropolitan area. Its effect would be felt throughout the nation and observed throughout the world. Many of the scars still remains today, and something lost still lingers within Weiss as he tries to come to terms with what could have been.

On October 24th, 1961, Massachusetts woman Joan Risch vanished seemingly into thin air. Even with her children home and neighbors nearby, Joan disappeared from her upscale suburban house, never to be heard from again. The search that followed was one of the most intensive investigations of its time, but detectives were unable to identify any suspects. Using extensive police casesfiles and hundreds of newspaper articles written about the disappearance, this book carefully explores the story of Joan Risch and the investigation into her disappearance. With the assistance of a former FBI criminal profiler and an LA cold case detective, this book reports previously undisclosed facts from the investigation, including multiple witness statements. Also evaluated are the numerous theories on the disappearance, ultimately revealing a possible explanation of what happened to Joan Risch that fateful October afternoon.

For six decades, Pittsburgh-based forensic scientist Cyril Wecht has been an outspoken authority when horrible things happen to everyday people-murders, childhood deaths, tragic accidents and police brutality. His expertise and testimony have been called upon in high-profile cases, including the deaths of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., Elvis Presley, JonBenet Ramsey, Laci Peterson and others. As a criminal defendant, in 1979, he was acquitted on charges of personally profiting from his office as Allegheny County Coroner; a federal public corruption charge was dismissed in 2008. Both cases, his attorneys argued, were politically motivated. Wecht's memoir describes his work on famous cases, his life in the public eye and his legal battles with determined and powerful authorities, from his hometown DA to a U.S. Attorney and the FBI.

In every decade of the twentieth century, there was one sensational murder trial that riveted public attention and at the time was called "the trial of the century." This book tells the story of each murder case and the dramatic trial-and media coverage-that followed. Starting with the murder of famed architect Stanford White in 1906 and ending with the O.J. Simpson trial of 1994, the authors recount ten compelling tales spanning the century. Each is a story of celebrity and sex, prejudice and heartbreak, and all reveal how often the arc of American justice is pushed out of its trajectory by an insatiable media driven to sell copy. The most noteworthy cases are here--including the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, the Sam Sheppard murder trial ("The Fugitive"), the "Helter Skelter" murders of Charles Manson, and the O.J. Simpson murder trial. But some cases that today are lesser known also provide fascinating glimpses into the tenor of the time: the media sensation created by yellow journalist William Randolph Hearst around the murder trial of 1920s movie star Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle; the murder of the Scarsdale Diet guru by an elite prep-school headmistress in the 1980s; and more. The authors conclude with an epilogue on the infamous Casey Anthony("tot mom")trial, showing that the twenty-first century is as prone to sensationalism as the last century. This is a fascinating history of true crime, justice gone awry, and the media often at its worst.

A sucker is still born every minute. In this modern and interconnected world, con-men are lurking everywhere - it's never been easier for them to dupe us, take from us, and infiltrate our lives. One of the world's leading and celebrated experts on con-games takes the reader through the history of cons, how they've been updated to the modern age, how they work, how to spot them, and how to protect yourself from being the victim of one. R. Paul Wilson is a con-man who works for the other side - our side. He has spent a lifetime learning, performing, studying, and teaching about the ins and outs of the con world in order to open up our eyes to the dangers lurking about us - and to show us how not to get taken. Paul has never made a living as a con-man, profiting off of marks - he has used his expertise throughout his life to help people avoid cons. In this fascinating book, Paul takes the reader through the history and developments of the con game, what elements from the past are based on basic human psychology and have stood the test of time, what has been updated for the modern era and how it's getting used in the computer age, the structure of how these cons work, and - most importantly - how to recognize one, protect yourself and your loved ones, and avoid becoming just another sucker.

Reopening an investigation into the death of a plantation overseer (Duncan Skinner) almost a century and a half ago, Death of an Overseer is part murder mystery, part essay on the art of historical detection, and part seminar on the history of the slavery and the Old South. In this skillfully written book, Michael Wayne uses a complex murder case to teach readers the art of historical evidence and allows them to weigh competing interpretations and come to their own conclusions.

Some criminals become household names, while others--even those who seek recognition through their crimes-are forgotten. The criminal's actions are only a part of every famous true crime story. Other factors, such as the setting and circumstances of the crimes and the ways in which others take control of the narrative, ultimately drive their notoriety. Through a comparison of the tellings and retellings of two famous cases more than a century apart-the Jack the Ripper killings in 1888, and the murder trials of Steven Avery as documented in Making a Murderer-this book examines the complicated dynamics of criminal celebrity.

A New York Times Book of the Year, 2018 A REESE WITHERSPOON x HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK A dazzling love letter to a beloved institution - our libraries. After moving to Los Angeles, Susan Orlean became fascinated by a mysterious local crime that has gone unsolved since it was carried out on the morning of 29 April 1986: who set fire to the Los Angeles Public Library, ultimately destroying more than 400,000 books, and perhaps even more perplexing, why? With her characteristic humour, insight and compassion, Orlean uses this terrible event as a lens through which to tell the story of all libraries - their history, their meaning and their uncertain future as they adapt and redefine themselves in a digital world. Filled with heart, passion and extraordinary characters, The Library Book discusses the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives.

As a new attorney, Pamela Braswell was confident her career was about to skyrocket. Instead, she narrowly escaped death at the hands of a serial rapist and killer--his only surviving victim. Twenty years later, the moratorium on executions in California that put his execution on hold ended, but the governor announced he wouldn't enforce the death penalty. Braswell's firsthand true crime narrative gives a victim's perspective of the harrowing investigation, the revelations in the press, the grand jury indictment and capital murder trial. Through it all, her refusal to be a victim transforms her view of the world--and its heroes.

Born in mid-nineteenth century America, Sophie Lyons was a master thief, con artist, blackmailer and smuggler. Much of her success as a criminal was due to the fact that she was fearless, reckless, sharp and cunning--everything a woman of her time was not supposed to be. As a young child, Sophie's parents forced her to steal when she showed a talent for pickpocketing. Strong-willed and smart, she blossomed into a beautiful teenager who caught the eye of many men in the underworld of New York City. By the time Sophie reached her late teens she was married to her second husband--a notorious bank burglar named Ned Lyons--and was a professional criminal in her own right. Despite her prominent place in crime history, Sophie Lyons has never been the subject of a full-length biography. This book chronicles Sophie's fascinating and tragic life, from her beginnings as a criminal prodigy, through her ingenious escape from Sing Sing prison and her lifelong struggle with mental illness.

In the late 1950s the reputation of Brighton as a popular seaside resort took a sinister and notorious turn. After a series of drunken disturbances, suspicions were raised that the owner of the Astor Club, which became known globally as The Bucket of Blood', was bribing members of the town's CID to ignore licencing hours. The situation escalated to the point where Scotland Yard's Flying Squad was called in. Their investigation soon revealed that these bribes were the tip of a police corruption iceberg. Criminality among crooked cops had been going on for years. Provided money was paid, charges were dropped, previous convictions overlooked and evidence disappeared. Others were fitted up' unless they paid up. Police were party to burglaries, assisting in the fencing' of stolen property and protection payments from bookmakers, clubs and bars. During the scandal filled trial of the Chief Constable and CID ringleaders there was perjury, violent witness intimidation with one having his premises burnt to the ground. All this and more is described in this meticulously researched account of one of Britain's most publicised police corruption scandals written with insider knowledge.

When rumors about Geraldine Ferraro--the first woman vice-presidential nominee by a major party in U.S history--reached First Lady Nancy Reagan during the 1984 presidential election, a secret operation was launched to investigate her. It revealed Ferraro's familial ties to organized crime and the extent to which she would have been subject to pressure or blackmail by the Mafia if elected. Written by an insider responsible for running the investigation, this never-before-told story goes behind the scenes as an incumbent president's campaign works to expose a political opponent's mob connections. Part detective story, part political thriller, the narrative features all the major players in the Reagan White House and 1984 reelection committee, with revealing anecdotes about Ronald and Nancy Reagan.

Over 13 months in 1976 -1977, four children were abducted in the Detroit suburbs, each of them held for days before their still-warm bodies were dumped in the snow near public roadsides. The Oakland County Child Murders spawned panic across southeast Michigan, triggering the most extensive manhunt in U.S. history. Yet after less than two years, the task force created to find the killer was shut down without naming a suspect. The case "went cold" for more than 30 years, until a chance discovery by one victim's family pointed to the son of a wealthy General Motors executive: Christopher Brian Busch, a four-time convicted pedophile, was freed weeks before the fourth child disappeared. Veteran Detroit News reporter Marney Rich Keenan takes the reader inside the investigation of the still-unsolved murders-seen through the eyes of the lead detective in the case and the family who cracked it open-revealing evidence of a decades-long coverup of misfeasance and obstruction that averted justice for the victims.

The Breeding Of Contempt, details two horrific events in the Nation's history. The 1973 mass murder of seven people in Washington, D.C., and the 1977 siege on Washington that left a reporter dead, and nearly took the life of a popular city councilman. The book also introduces readers to a literary first, a Black family hiding in the Federal Witness Protection Program. The Breeding of Contempt reintroduces the reading public to some of the Black leaders of the 1960's and 1970?s, and also introduces others who would become powerful a decade later. Finally, the book gives its readers a glimpse into a virtually unknown group, the Black mafia, who operated in Philadelphia in the 1970?s, terrorizing the citizenry of Philadelphia.

Toward a Theory of True Crime Narratives vivifies how nonfiction murder stories are told, what role they play in society, and in the form of true crime why they remain enduringly popular internationally on every platform. This book establishes for the first time the actual line-or dotted line-between mainstream journalism and the multimedia phenomena of true crime. Presenting a stable definition of what is-and what is not-true crime will either challenge or justify Truman Capote's claims regarding the creation of a "new journalism" with In Cold Blood, and accordingly expose the reluctance of the promoters of NPR's Serial, HBO's The Jinx, and Netflix's Making a Murderer to refer to their products as such. This research codifies true crime texts of various types on multiple platforms-radio, television, print, digital, and film-to reveal the defining characteristics of the genre.

During an eight-month period in 1977 and 1978, the city of Columbus, Georgia, was terrorized by a mysterious serial killer who raped and ritualistically strangled seven elderly women in one of the community's finer neighborhoods. Despite intensive efforts on the part of police the Stocking Strangler, as he came to be known, managed to elude capture. After the last murder in April 1978, the case went cold. In the spring of 1984, a series of fortuitous events connected to an unrelated murder and a stolen pistol led to the capture of Carlton Gary, who had recently escaped from a South Carolina prison. Following a dramatic trial in August 1986, Gary was convicted of three of the seven Columbus murders and sentenced to death, a penalty that would not be carried out until March 2018. This convoluted tale of crime and punishment is punctuated by dramatic and unexpected twists and turns including issues of race, alleged conspiracy and misconduct on the part of the police and the judiciary, a second serial killer active in Columbus during the time of the Strangler murders, the Ku Klux Klan, errors in DNA analysis, and a vigorous and prolonged struggle by attorneys and death penalty opponents who believed in Gary's innocence.

Now that the publication bans are lifted, you need Stevie Cameron to get the whole story, which includes accounts of Pickton's notoriety that police never uncovered. You need On the Farm.
Covering the case of one of North America's most prolific serial killer gave Stevie Cameron access not only to the story as it unfolded over many years in two British Columbia courthouses, but also to information unknown to the police - and not in the transcripts of their interviews with Pickton - such as from Pickton's long-time best friend, Lisa Yelds, and from several women who survived terrifying encounters with him. You will now learn what was behind law enforcement's refusal to believe that a serial killer was at work.
Stevie Cameron first began following the story of missing women in 1998, when the odd newspaper piece appeared chronicling the disappearances of drug-addicted sex trade workers from Vancouver's notorious Downtown Eastside. It was February 2002 before Robert William Pickton was arrested, and 2008 before he was found guilty, on six counts of second-degree murder. These counts were appealed and in 2010, the Supreme Court of Canada rendered its conclusion. The guilty verdict was upheld, and finally this unprecedented tale of true crime can be told.

"From the Hardcover edition."

"Cold Serial" paints the picture of five girls who were raped and strangled in the Dayton, Ohio, area between 1900 and 1909. The working conditions, lack of rights for women and police protection, and the sexism of the age portray these girls as victims not only of a crime but also of their time. As their stories unfold, a common thread appears, a modus operandi that begins to link them together. During that era, police did not recognize the lurking shadow of a predator. But through diligent research conducted by the author, it is now revealed. "Cold Serial" contains riveting, fast-paced portraits of the personal and family tragedies of these five girls as well as the brutality and victim blaming of that time. Yet the deaths of these girls were not in vain, as they made significant contributions to the Dayton, Ohio, area and, ultimately, the nation. Sadly, though, according to the police authorities of the time, these crimes were never solved. Using criminological thinking of today, the author attempts to solve these murders/rapes. Did he discover others? Can the suspect be placed at the scene of all of the crimes? Does a serial murderer/rapist emerge in a time even before the coining of the term? The escape of one girl creates a twist that opens the door to solving these crimes. There are no memorials to any of these girls, nor were any tributes made. As their cases grew cold, their voices were silenced. "Cold Serial" provides the long-overdue justice and the voice they so richly deserve.

Meet 18 of the Midwests most atrocious and vile human beings. Read histories of murder and mayhem committed by individuals with burning anger and contempt for societal norms, and witness the macabre visions of their personal demons driving them to commit acts so reprehensible that they have earned for themselves a place in the annals of criminal history. Meet Micajah and Wiley Harpe, horrendous murderers who left a bloody trail of forty bodies behind them. Find out what happened to Belle Gunnesss beaus. Visit the H. H. Holms Murder Castle, and read accounts of Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy, John Dillinger, and more. For those future criminals who would follow in the footsteps of the notorious mentioned here, parting images are given: the gas chamber, gallows, firing squads, lethal injections, electric chairs, and tortured lives listening to the ticking of clocks from behind steel cell doors.

Investigative reporter Wensley Clarkson has spent years researching the most extreme and intriguing cases of women who commit murder. His books on the subject have sold across the world in their tens of thousands. Hell Hath No Fury Like a Woman Scorned is a gripping collection of twenty of Clarkson's most thrilling true stories. These are the tales of women who challenge our idea of what we still, mistakenly, often think of as the weaker sex. Their characters and backgrounds are as diverse as they are deadly, and their crimes are every bit as shocking as any of their male counterparts'. From the case of the beautiful Diana Perry, who suffered years of abuse at the hands of her husband before taking the matter into her own hands, to Bobby, a woman whose gruesome interest in blood led to one of the most horrific seduction killings ever seen, this book tells the chilling stories of women who kill, and examines exactly what triggers their murderous intent. The astonishing truth lies within these pages...

As featured on The Joe Rogan Experience ______________________________ A journalist's twenty-year obsession with the Manson murders leads to shocking new conspiracy theories about the FBI's involvement in this fascinating re-evaluation of one of the most infamous cases in American history. Twenty years ago, reporting for a routine magazine piece about the infamous Manson murders, journalist Tom O'Neill didn't expect to find anything new. But the discovery of horrifying new evidence kick-started an obsession and his life's work. What had he unearthed and what did it mean: why was there surveillance by intelligence agents? Why did the police make these particular mistakes and why did Tom's greatest ally in this fight turn into his biggest foe? Chaos is an explosive read that will shock, grip and change our understanding of a case that has haunted the world for over fifty years. ______________________________ 'Riveting ... Sensational revelations ... True crime fans will be enthralled.' PUBLISHERS WEEKLY '[Full of] scandalous findings ... to me it seems only too plausible. O'Neill's intricately sinister 'secret history' often sounds incredible; that doesn't mean that it's not all true.' OBSERVER 'Tantalizing ... Founded on prodigious research ... O'Neill's 20-year investigation reads like a thriller.' LOS ANGELES TIMES

'Indecently entertaining.' A Daily Mail Book of the Week An Amazon US Best Book of 2022 'A fascinating tale of poisons and poisonous deeds which both educates and entertains.' - Kathy Reichs As any reader of murder mysteries can tell you, poison is one of the most enduring - and popular - weapons of choice for a scheming murderer. It can be slipped into a drink, smeared onto the tip of an arrow or the handle of a door, even filtered through the air we breathe. But how exactly do these poisons work to break our bodies down, and what can we learn from the damage they inflict? In a fascinating blend of popular science, medical history, and narrative crime nonfiction, Dr Neil Bradbury explores this most morbidly captivating method of murder from a cellular level. Alongside real-life accounts of murderers and their crimes -some notorious, some forgotten, some still unsolved - are the equally compelling stories of the poisons involved: eleven molecules of death that work their way through the human body and, paradoxically, illuminate the way in which our bodies function. Drawn from historical records and current news headlines, A Taste for Poison weaves together the fascinating tales of spurned lovers, shady scientists, medical professionals and political assassins, showing how the precise systems of the body can be impaired to lethal effect through the use of poison. From the deadly origins of the gin & tonic cocktail to the arsenic-laced wallpaper in Napoleon's bedroom, A Taste for Poison leads readers on a fascinating tour of the intricate, complex systems that keep us alive - or don't.