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Books > Fiction > True stories > Crime
Jackie Malton was a no-nonsense girl from Leicestershire who joined the police force in the 1970s when women were kept apart from the men. Feisty and determined, Jackie worked in CID and the famous flying squad before rising to become one of only three female detective chief inspectors in the Metropolitan Police. In The Real Prime Suspect, Malton describes the struggles she faced as a gay woman in the Metropolitan Police, where sexism and homophobia were rife. Jackie dealt with rapists, wife beaters, murderers, blackmailers and armed robbers but it was tackling the corruption in her own station that proved the most challenging. Ostracised and harassed by fellow officers furious that she reported the illegality of some colleagues, Malton used alcohol to curb her anxiety. A chance meeting with writer Lynda La Plante five years later changed the course of her life. Together they worked on shaping Jane Tennison, one of TV's most famous police characters, in the ground-breaking series Prime Suspect. Not long after, Malton recovered from alcoholism and now works as an AA volunteer in prison and as a TV consultant. Jackie has spent her life working in crime. Now she's ready to share her story.
From Jack Henry Abbott, who stabbed a waiter through the heart for not allowing him to use the toilet, to the ?Zodiac, ? an unknown California serial killer who may have murdered as many as 37 people, this reference work details 280 of the most famous murder cases of the twentieth century. Each entry contains, when applicable, birth and death dates, aliases, occupation, location of the murders, weapons used, number of victims, and the time period when the killings occurred. Films, plays, television shows, videos and audio programs based on or inspired by the case are then cited, followed by a brief overview of the murder case and a bibliography of English-language works related to it.
The body of a woman floats to the surface of a lake with sixty pounds of cinder block and chain attached to her legs. Her killer faces the death penalty if the prosecution can answer one question: Did she drown? A worker for the only U.S. plant licensed to produce anthrax dies, the victim of a heart attack. But what caused his heart to stop beating? Follow veteran medical examiner Dr. Stephen D. Cohle into the world of forensic pathology, as he solves these and many other cases. Written from an insider's view, Cause of Death puts the reader behind Dr. Cohle's shoulder while he examines each victim. The cases range from exotic murder mysteries ripe for a CSI episode to everyday casualties of heart attacks and car accidents. Every victim, though, has a story to tell. Enter a real-life morgue with its strange sights, sounds, and smells, and watch a forensic mastermind as he unravels each victim's cause of death.
Ann Rule presents a collection of fascinating and disturbing true-crime stories-drawn from her real-life personal files-in this seventeenth volume in the #1 New York Times bestselling Crime Files series. In this gripping collection of investigative accounts from her private archives, "America's best true-crime writer" (Kirkus Reviews) exposes the most frightening aspect of the murderous mind: the waiting game. Trusted family members or strangers, these cold-blooded killers select their unsuspecting prey, wait for the perfect moment to strike, then turn normality into homicidal mayhem in a matter of moments. Ann Rule will have you seeing the people and places around you with heightened caution as you read these shattering cases, including: * New mothers murdered, their infants kidnapped, in an atrocious baby-selling scheme * The man who kept his criminal past hidden from his wife-and his wife from his mistress-until he coldly disposed of one of them * The beautiful daughter of a State Department official ran away from the privileged world she knew and hitched a ride with a man she didn't . . . with fatal consequences * For months, a vicious, rage-filled serial rapist eluded police and terrorized Seattle's women-when would he strike next, and how far would his violence escalate? * A criminal known for his Houdini-like escapes is serving time for murder in a botched robbery-now the convict is being served dinner in a civilian's home, where he has one more trick up his sleeve * A long-lost relative who came home to visit, leaving a bloody trail through Washington and Oregon; no one realized how dangerous he and his ladylove were-until it was far too late. . . . With her ability to translate the most complex cases into storytelling "as dramatic and chilling as a bedroom window shattering at night" (The New York Times), Rule expertly analyzes the thoughts and deeds of the sociopath, in this seventeenth essential Crime Files volume.
Now a major motion picture starring Melissa McCarthy-Lee Israel's hilarious and shocking memoir of the astonishing caper she carried on for almost two years when she forged and sold more than three hundred letters by such literary notables as Dorothy Parker, Edna Ferber, Noel Coward, and many others. Before turning to her life of crime-running a one-woman forgery business out of a phone booth in a Greenwich Village bar and even dodging the FBI-Lee Israel had a legitimate career as an author of biographies. Her first book on Tallulah Bankhead was a New York Times bestseller, and her second, on the late journalist and reporter Dorothy Kilgallen, made a splash in the headlines. But by 1990, almost broke and desperate to hang onto her Upper West Side studio, Lee made a bold and irreversible career change: inspired by a letter she'd received once from Katharine Hepburn, and armed with her considerable skills as a researcher and celebrity biographer, she began to forge letters in the voices of literary greats. Between 1990 and 1991, she wrote more than three hundred letters in the voices of, among others, Dorothy Parker, Louise Brooks, Edna Ferber, Lillian Hellman, and Noel Coward-and sold the forgeries to memorabilia and autograph dealers. "Lee Israel is deft, funny, and eminently entertaining...[in her] gentle parable about the modern culture of fame, about those who worship it, those who strive for it, and those who trade in its relics" (The Associated Press). Exquisitely written, with reproductions of her marvelous forgeries, Can You Ever Forgive Me? is "a slender, sordid, and pretty damned fabulous book about her misadventures" (The New York Times Book Review).
'I think you have something here' I said, 'This could lead to a whole new way of understanding criminal behaviour. As far as I know no one's ever tried to figure out why serial killers kill. The implications are profound.' Haunting, heartfelt, and deeply human, Dr Ann Burgess's remarkable memoir combines a riveting personal narrative of fearless feminism and ambition, bone-chilling encounters with real-life monsters, and a revealing portrait of the ever-evolving US criminal justice system. A Killer By Design will inspire, terrify, and enlighten you in equal measure. It forces us to confront the age-old question 'What drives someone to kill, and how can we stop them?' 'Of all the colleagues I've worked with, Ann is one of the sharpest - and one of the toughest ... She taught us how to harness the chaos of serial killers' minds and helped us decipher the undecipherable. I'd recommend that everyone read A Killer By Design; not only is it a great page-turner, but it's about time Ann's story was heard' - JOHN E. DOUGLAS, former FBI criminal profiler and bestselling author of Mindhunter.
The true story of one of Glasgow's most controversial detectives and his battle with the criminals and violent street gangs of the city Two children lay dead on the floor. Beside them was a hammer and the ceiling was splattered with blood from the fatal blows. Even to a hardened detective, it was the kind of sight that would stay with you to the grave. This was Glasgow and the initial crime that led to the killings was as petty as the crime scene was horrific - the theft of a TV set. This was just one case among hundreds investigated by Les Brown, one of the most experienced and controversial detectives in a force charged with policing the city known as the Chicago of north-west Europe. Glasgow Crimefighter tells the inside story of cases and criminals who have written themselves into the history of a city where brawling is said to be in the blood. Down the years, the stories of many of the Glasgow godfathers and gangsters have appeared in lurid headlines and in books and articles. This is a different view - a rare and intensely human insight into what it was like on the other side of the law and it is told by someone who was just as hard as the men and women he hunted down.This is what it was like to be on the frontline in the war against crimes such as murder, fraud, rape, moneylending and prostitution, and having to deal with violent street gangs on a daily basis. Throughout his amazing career, Les Brown was in the thick of the action and here he gives the insider's view on many of the aspects of his work - the success stories and the failures of the controversial Special Unit, the drama of famous trials and his tangling with notorious gangland figures like Arthur Thompson.
Everyone loves a romantic rogue whose exciting exploits feature a cheeky disregard for the law, narrow escapes and lots of love interest. Even at the height of highway robbery activity, it was thought that the death penalty was too harsh for these wayward scoundrels. There was the ever-courteous Claude du Vall, the epitome of gentlemanliness; the infamous Katherine Ferrars, who was the inspiration for the film The Wicked Lady; Dick Turpin, the most famous highwayman of them all; and lesser-known characters like William Gordon, whose corpse was subjected to an experiment in reanimation. All these and more form an entertaining volume that will keep the reader glued to the page following the mounted thief in his, or her, endless match against the law and a death by public hanging.
Terrifying tales of the ultimate evil among us! One of the best serial killer books for fans of true crime. The Killer Book of Serial Killers is the complete resource for any true crime fan or student of the lurid, fascinating world of serial killers. Inside you'll find a concise compilation of the world's thirty-five most notorious murderers, including an in-depth look at their crimes and the lives that turned them into monsters. This is the perfect gift for any true crime buff or psychology enthusiast. Sprinkled throughout the book are Q&A, quizzes, quotes, photos, and odd facts about serial killers and their true stories to test your knowledge and make you shudder in horrified delight, along with recommended reading to dig even deeper into their sordid lives. Learn more about notorious serial killers like: Ted Bundy Jack the Ripper Jeffrey Dahmer Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer John Wayne Gacy Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka Dennis Rader, the Bind, Torture, Kill (BTK) Killer Bela Kiss David Berkowitz, the Son of SamWith many more shocking tales and tidbits about serial killers that will keep you up at night!
"JFK and Sam" is a tale of two murders. The first occurred in Dallas in 1963 and the second in Illinois in 1975. The first was ordered by Sam Giancana to avenge his betrayal by the Kennedys. Giancana had assured JFK's win in Illinois with the understanding that the new administration would go easy on the Chicago mob. Instead, Bobby Kennedy stepped up prosecutions. The second assassination was carried out by the CIA and the mob to prevent Giancana from testifying before the Church Committee hearings regarding his role in the CIA's plot to kill Fidel Castro. The irony is that both men were assassinated because of their relationship to each other and events that transpired from that relationship. "JFK and Sam" is unique from other books on the Kennedy assassination. Written by an insider with access to key figures, it names the assassins and traces the assassination team's movements in 1963. The first shot came from the Dal-Tex building (adjacent to the book depository) and struck Kennedy in the back of the neck. The second came from Giancana's driver who fired a CIA prototype handgun with a telescope (called a "fireball") from the grassy knoll, using a frangible bullet, which explains why there was such a massive wound to Kennedy's head. Lee Harvey Oswald was the fall guy and did not fire a weapon.
"Before the Internet became widely known as a global tool for terrorists, one perceptive U.S. citizen recognized its ominous potential. Armed with clear evidence of computer espionage, he began a highly personal quest to expose a hidden network of spies that threatened national security. But would the authorities back him up? Cliff Stoll's dramatic firsthand account is "a computer-age detective story, instantly fascinating [and] astonishingly gripping"" (Smithsonian). Cliff Stoll was an astronomer turned systems manager at Lawrence Berkeley Lab when a 75-cent accounting error alerted him to the presence of an unauthorized user on his system. The hacker's code name was "Hunter" -- a mysterious invader who managed to break into U.S. computer systems and steal sensitive military and security information. Stoll began a one-man hunt of his own: spying on the spy. It was a dangerous game of deception, broken codes, satellites, and missile bases -- a one-man sting operation that finally gained the attention of the CIA...and ultimately trapped an international spy ring fueled by cash, cocaine, and the KGB.
Robberies, murders, kidnappings - Minnesota has been home to several notorious crimes. Some were committed by infamous lawbreakers: the James-Younger gang, John Dillinger, Bonnie & Clyde and others. But not all misdeeds have been done by career criminals. Take a closer look at more than two dozen unlawful acts that rocked Minnesota and often grabbed headlines across the country.
Also called ""resurrectionists,"" body snatchers, were careful not to take anything from the grave but the body--stealing only the corpse was not considered a felony since the courts had already said that a dead body had no owner. (""Burking""--i.e., murder--was the alternative method of supplying ""stiffs"" to medical schools; it is covered here as well). This book recounts the practice of grave robbing for the medical education of American medical students and physicians during the late 1700s and 1800s in the US, why body snatching came about and how disinterment was done, and presents information on: efforts to prevent the practice, a group of professional grave robbers, and the European experience.
The legendary FBI criminal profiler and international bestselling author of Mindhunter and The Killer Across the Table returns with this timely, relevant book that goes to the heart of extremism and domestic terrorism, examining in-depth his chilling pursuit of, and eventual prison confrontation with Joseph Paul Franklin, a White Nationalist serial killer and one of the most disturbing psychopaths he has ever encountered. Worshippers stream out of an Midwestern synagogue after sabbath services, unaware that only a hundred yards away, an expert marksman and avowed racist, antisemite and member of the Ku Klux Klan, patiently awaits, his hunting rifle at the ready. The October 8, 1977 shooting was a forerunner to the tragedies and divisiveness that plague us today. John Douglas, the FBI's pioneering, first full-time criminal profiler, hunted the shooter-a white supremacist named Joseph Paul Franklin, whose Nazi-inspired beliefs propelled a three-year reign of terror across the United States, targeting African Americans, Jews, and interracial couples. In addition, Franklin bombed the home of Jewish leader Morris Amitay, shot and paralyzed Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt, and seriously wounded civil rights leader Vernon Jordan. The fugitive supported his murderous spree robbing banks in five states, from Georgia to Ohio. Douglas and his writing partner Mark Olshaker return to this disturbing case that reached the highest levels of the Bureau, which was fearful Franklin would become a presidential assassin-and haunted him for years to come as the threat of copycat domestic terrorist killers increasingly became a reality. Detailing the dogged pursuit of Franklin that employed profiling, psychology and meticulous detective work, Douglas and Olshaker relate how the case was a make-or-break test for the still-experimental behavioral science unit and revealed a new type of, determined, mission-driven serial killer whose only motivation was hate. A riveting, cautionary tale rooted in history that continues to echo today, The Killer's Shadow is a terrifying and essential exploration of the criminal personality in the vile grip of extremism and what happens when rage-filled speech evolves into deadly action and hatred of the "other" is allowed full reign. The Killer's Shadow includes an 8-page color photo insert.
'A hugely impressive achievement.' - Hadley Freeman, author of House of Glass At 8.00am on Monday 18th June 2001, Danielle Jones left home dressed in her school uniform - and promptly vanished. The 15-year old's body was never recovered, but Danielle's parents soon learned that her 'Uncle Stuart', a close family friend, had concealed a decades-long history of sexual violence against teenage girls. Despite the absence of a body, Stuart Campbell was sentenced to life in prison for Danielle's abduction and murder. But what set him on his path as a violent sexual predator? And how do you come to terms with his actions if he's your own flesh and blood? In My Brother the Killer, Stuart's older brother Alix Sharkey chronicles the violent childhood and troubled teens that helped shape a bright and handsome little boy into one of Britain's most notorious killers, and led to one of the UK's most unusual murder trials. Sharkey also poses several terrifying questions: what happens when you discover a deadly sexual predator in your family? Is it possible to trace the root of his heinous crimes? And with the clock ticking towards his possible parole, can Stuart Campbell be convinced to reveal the location of Danielle's remains? A devastating hybrid of true crime and family memoir, My Brother the Killer examines the true cost of keeping dark family secrets.
"Cannibalism and the Common Law" is an enthralling classic of legal
history. It tells the tragic story of the yacht Mignonette, which
foundered on its way from England to Australia in 1884. The killing
and eating of one of the crew, Richard Parker, led to the leading
case in the defence of necessity, R. v. Dudley and Stephens. It
resulted in their being convicted and sentenced to death, a
sentence subsequently commuted. In this tour de force Brian Simpson
sets the legal proceedings in their broadest historical context,
providing a detailed account of the events and characters involved
and of life at sea in the time of sail. Cannibalism and the Common
Law is a demonstration that legal history can be written in human
terms and can be compulsive reading. This brilliant and fascinating
book, a marvelous example of eareful historical detection, and
first-class legal history, written by a master.
This book is about criminologist Maurice Godwin's Internet social movement that sprang to life during the Baton Rouge serial murder case. The movement was a response to the Task Force failing to find serial killer Derrick Todd Lee, as citizens in Baton Rouge, South Louisiana, and South Mississippi no longer wished to wait in fear. This is a story of citizen empowerment in a time of crisis. Both scholars and ordinary citizens will be inspired by the way the people in Baton Rouge helped themselves by putting pressure on investigators for improved results. Godwin's innovative Internet movement, involving geographic mapping and online discussions with Baton Rouge citizens, developed into a hub of information to expedite the finding and arrest of Lee. The author sociologically describes and analyzes the key players, the major controversies, and the internal dynamics of the movement that led to the arrest of the serial killer on May 27, 2003.
Shortlisted for the Speaker's Book Award * Shortlisted for The Brass Knuckles Award for Best Nonfiction Crime Book "You have taken our civil rights-we want our human rights." On April 14, 1971, a handful of prisoners attacked the guards at Kingston Penitentiary and seized control, making headlines around the world. For four intense days, the prisoners held the guards hostage while their leaders negotiated with a citizens' committee of journalists and lawyers, drawing attention to the dehumanizing realities of their incarceration, including overcrowding, harsh punishment and extreme isolation. But when another group of convicts turned their pent-up rage towards some of the weakest prisoners, tensions inside the old stone walls erupted, with tragic consequences. As heavily armed soldiers prepared to regain control of the prison through a full military assault, the inmates were finally forced to surrender. Murder on the Inside tells the harrowing story of a prison in crisis against the backdrop of a pivotal moment in the history of human rights. Occurring just months before the uprising at Attica Prison, the Kingston riot has remained largely undocumented, and few have known the details-yet the tense drama chronicled here is more relevant today than ever. A gripping account of the standoff and the efforts for justice and reform it inspired, Murder on the Inside is essential reading for our times. Includes 24 pages of photographs.
The gripping account from an ex-con who went undercover to help
the ATF infiltrate three of America's most violent biker
gangs
It has been called the most dangerous gang in American history. In Los Angeles alone it is responsible for over 100 homicides per year. Although it has fewer than 300 members, it controls a 40,000-strong street army that is eager to advance its agenda. It waves the flag of the Black Hand and its business is murder. Although known on the streets for over fifty years, the Mexican Mafia has flown under the radar of public awareness and has flourished beneath a deep cover of secrecy. Members are forbidden even to acknowledge its existence. For the first time in its history, the Mexican Mafia is now getting the attention it has been striving to avoid. In this briskly written and thoroughly researched book, Tony Rafael looks at the birth and the blood-soaked growth of this criminal enterprise through the eyes of the victims, the dropouts, the cops and DAs on the front lines of the war against the Mexican Mafia. The first book ever published on the subject, Southern Soldiers is a pioneering work that unveils the operations of this California prison gang and describes how it grew from a small clique of inmates into a transnational criminal organization. As the first prison gang ever to project its power beyond prison walls, the Mexican Mafia controls virtually every Hispanic neighborhood in Southern California and is rapidly expanding its influence into the entire Southwest, across the East Coast, and even into Canada. Riding a wave of unchecked immigration and seemingly beyond the reach of law enforcement, the Mexican Mafia is poised to become the Cosa Nostra of twenty-first-century America.
THE DEFINITIVE ACCOUNT OF THE MOST INFAMOUS STREET GANG IN AMERICA In the 1980s, El Salvador was involved in a bloody fight for control of the government. To escape the guerrilla assaults and death squads many fled to the US. As a survival instinct, they formed a group called the Mara Salvatrucha Stoners, a relatively harmless social network bound by rock and roll. But later, as they brushed against established local gangs, the group took on a harder edge, selling drugs, stealing cars and killing rivals who threatened their territories. As authorities cracked down, gang members were incarcerated and deported. But in the prison system, the group only grew stronger. Today, MS-13 is one of the most infamous street gangs on Earth, with tens of thousands of members operating in a half-dozen nations and two continents, and linked to thousands of grisly murders each year. Through the story of former gang member Norman and his family, journalist Steven Dudley brings readers inside the deadly group.
James Tillman was stretched out on his basement couch, relaxing after a long day of work at the car wash, the smell of sweet onions and simmering steak filling the air of his modest apartment in the projects of Hartford, Conn. His mother, a bible perched nearby, was softly singing a hymn when she was shaken by the thundering sound of pounding on the front door. It wasn't a knock; it was an act of sheer force. In an instant, the police burst in, lifted James out of his home and shoved him into prison, arresting him for the brutal rape of a young corporate executive. For over 18 years, James professed his innocence, through the investigation, trial, appeals, and to anyone who would listen. Finally, after a series of extraordinary events, the Connecticut Innocence Project took up James' case, eventually winning his freedom-the first person to be exonerated in the state through the use of DNA. This is an inspirational story about the power of conviction: the wrongful conviction that sent James Tillman to prison for over 18 years, and the power of his own conviction that helped him persevere, offer a transformational forgiveness and earn a redemption that is so valued he remarkably calls his experience in prison, "a gift." "The Power of Conviction" is for people who are facing tough times. You will understand that you're not alone, that things can be brutally bad and we can react poorly at times, but where there is love, there is always hope. How did James Tillman endure 18 years of hell in prison? What specific lessons can you learn about the transformational power of forgiveness, love and conviction? When faced with your own challenges in life, what will you choose?
"But Bill isn't there some other way? I didn't give up all I had and come here just to let some 'punk' gang leader kill me?" "Well Jim, there's the door; you can either go out, turn left, walk down to the corner, face Eddie, and see if he really intends on killing you: or you can turn right and run for your life; hoping he doesn't catch you. Either way, your life and ministry here are probably over. You must decide whether to stay and fight for those you love or run away to live another day. No one can make that decision for you, not even me." Jim was called of God to leave the college ministry where he was working at the University of Maryland and move to New York City to join with Young Life in their work with violent youth and gang bangers. Never did Jim imagine that when we say we are willing to die for Jesus, that one day he would have to face that ultimate challenge. "A Bullet for Jesus" is based on a real story. A faced paced thriller filled with danger, romance, joy and tragedy. A young man with high spiritual values jeopardizes his very life while trying to help those caught up in a world of drugs and violence. What he encounters though will not only change his life, but put his very faith at risk. |
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