Drawing on his experience in creating fictional bad guys, crime novelist Lawrence Block surveys the underside of American history through fifty of its most infamous characters. Some, like Jesse James, Bonnie Parker, and Joe Colombo, led a life of crime; others, like John Wilkes Booth and John White Webster, committed one notorious act. Some, like Pretty Boy Floyd or the elusive thief Railroad Bill, have become folk heroes, whether or not the real details of their lives matched the myths they inspired. Others, like Ed Gein and Ted Bundy, will be forever reviled.
Block introduces each biography with a writer's eye for character and a good story. He begins the book with a short essay that considers how Americans have defined and regarded villains through history.
The biographies, culled from the pages of the American National Biography and illustrated with archival photographs, describe each villain's background, exploits, and eventual fate--often with unexpected details. The convicted killer Nathan Leopold, for example, became the administrator of a leprosy hospital after his parole. The gangster Dutch Schultz was known not only for his bootlegging expertise but also for his cheap, ill-fitting clothes. The stagecoach bandit Black Bart fancied himself a poet (or, as he put it, "PO8"). And when outlaw Bill Doolin finally met his end, only a rusting buggy axle marked his grave.
Ideal for readers of true crime, crime fiction, and history, Gangsters, Swindlers, Killers, and Thieves brings a fresh perspective to American's fascination with crime and its perpetrators.

How does a privileged, eighteen year old end up in prison, convicted of one of the rarest of crimes--matricide? The literary nonfiction Stranger to the Truth explores the fatal intersection in the lives of Noura Jackson, her circle of dissolute Memphis friends, and the death of Noura's mother, Jennifer, on the eve of a popular outdoor festival. The brutal attack seemed to reflect personal and exponential rage. Tragedy stalked Noura. Her father was fatally shot when she was seventeen. A mystery never solved. A year later an auto accident claimed her best friend. Both mother and daughter were reeling from shock, grief, and confusion. The tension between them escalated until Noura's difficult teenage years yielded to something much darker. More than a whodunit, this fact-based account tells a spellbinding tale of impetuous youth and a single parent who too late assumes the role of disciplinarian, saying no to the demands of her daughter who will not listen. Weaving multiple points of view, back stories, and extensive research, Stranger to the Truth corrals a timely, complex story in an absorbing narrative. Praise for Stranger to the Truth "In Stranger to the Truth, Ms. Hickman has taken a local tragedy and, with eloquence and empathy, given it universal application. The reader will find not only a gripping story, but also a moving exploration of the shadows that dwell within us all." --Howard Bahr, author of The Black Flower, The Year of Jubilo, and The Judas Field

My friend Sue and I had spent so much time together we felt like sisters. We had made so many plans for our future, as young girls do. We would graduate from school, get married, have a career, children and we would be lifelong friends sharing those moments together. Part of that dream had already come true. Sue was a year older than myself. I went to her graduation and was so proud of her. She had just got an apartment with her boyfriend. I was halfway through my senior year. We went Christmas shopping at the mall. But by January 16, 1980, my friend Sue went missing. When I graduated Sue wasn't there. Then I got my first apartment, still no Sue. I would hear nothing about what happened to Sue for 15 years. Now I will try to fill in the blanks that I have learned over the years. And the surprising shocker after 33 years. Because of the sensitive nature of this book I will be using the pen name Crystal Clary. Since most of the information that I'm sharing with you was unknown to me at the time I decided to write this book in Omniscient: so you as the reader will be able to see all and know all.

First published in 1977 in the US and Britain to universal critical acclaim, Hitler's Children quickly became a world-wide best seller, translated into many other languages, including Japanese.

It tells the story of the West German terrorists who emerged out of the 'New Left' student protest movement of the late 1960s. With bombs and bullets they started killing in the name of 'peace'. Almost all of them came from prosperous, educated families. They were 'Hitler's children' not only in that they had been born in or immediately after the Nazi period - some of their parents having been members of the Nazi party - but also because they were as fiercely against individual freedom as the Nazis were. Their declared ideology was Communism. They were beneficiaries of both American aid and the West German economic miracle. Despising their immeasurable gifts of prosperity and freedom, they 'identified' themselves with Third World victims of wars, poverty and oppression, whose plight they blamed on 'Western imperialism'. In reality, their terrorist activity was for no better cause than self-expression.

Their dreams of leading a revolution were ended when one after another of them died in shoot-outs with the police, or was blown up with his own bomb, or was arrested, tried, and condemned to long terms of imprisonment. All four leaders of the Red Army Faction (dubbed 'the Baader-Meinhof gang' by journalists) committed suicide in prison.

The harsh discipline of Puritan life bred the hard-bitten and hard-working people of Massachusetts, but did it also breed a unique type of criminal? This book explores the headline crimes of the state to find an answer. Included are the cases of the alleged axe-wielding Lizzie Borden, the executed anarchists Sacco and Vanzetti, the legendary Brink's robbery, the mysterious Boston Strangler, the Big Dan's spectator rape, the desperate college professor who murdered a young prostitute, and the fur salesman who slaughtered his wife and unborn child in cold blood.

From its settlement in 1634 to its important proximity to the nation's capital in the present, Maryland has served as a crossroads of America, influencing critical events, not the least of which have been numerous crimes. This book begins with a general survey of lawbreaking in the state and then focuses on its landmark cases, including the terrifying killing spree of the Beltway Snipers, the mysterious Lover's Lane Murders, the attempted assassination of George Wallace, the still-unsolved disappearance of murderer Bradford Bishop, and the tragic saga of cop killer Terrence Johnson.

For nearly three decades, a series of rapes and murders occurred around Western New York by a nameless, faceless man dubbed "The Bike Path Rapist" by local media. Authorities had his DNA and knew his tendency to use a ligature, but could never capture the elusive criminal. His first known attacks were in the mid-1980s, continuing regularly through 1994. After a twelve-year gap, in September 2006, he returned by strangling and killing a 45-year-old mother along a rural bike path. While investigating the case, Buffalo Homicide Detective and task force member Dennis Delano reviewed unsolved rape cases from the past thirty years. He concluded that the Bike Path Rapist's span of attacks stretched back even further, into the 1970s. Delano learned that a different man, Anthony Capozzi, had been convicted of two rapes in 1985 and was still imprisoned 22 years later. Members of the task force interviewed Capozzi, who is schizophrenic. Delano and his colleagues believed the wrong man was in jail, but had no hard evidence to secure a release. After working tirelessly on behalf of a convicted man, DNA slides were discovered at a local medical center. Capozzi was exonerated and released before Easter 2007. Bike Path Rapist: A Cop's Firsthand Account of Catching the Killer Who Terrorized a Community will examine the complex and compelling story inside the investigation of a thirty-year string of serial rapes and killings. With detailed information culled from interviews, police reports and insights from Delano and his colleagues on an elite task force that solved the crime, the book will blend the drama of Cold Case and CSI with a behind-the-scenes look at investigative techniques and angles examined by investigators.

This is a journey into one, who is a gifted son of light. He was born unto life and became man. Saint John and Ian take us on their journey into the pits of Hell. After befriending and earning the love of the Devil, the hierarchy's of Hell delve upon them while Ian deals in and out of the methamphetamine trade. Earning the respect of all the Princes and Dukes of Hell, after beating their King Satan at his own game, Ian becomes the Saint of the Streets. After seeing himself in a trance, Ian earned a new name as Saint John the Immaculate, and takes on a new role, as a possible clandestine agent for the CIA. After filling out an application for a field analyst's position in Albuquerque, New Mexico, he receives a callback, in the spirit. From then on, it's a fight to the End, as all of Hells Army comes against them and America. Ian later finds their defense network and internet forum which may have been dubbed, Operation Myspace. When Ian finds a small weapon of mass destruction in the flesh, he begins to lose his mind as to what he saw and what he experienced. Was it all a possible apocalypse? Or was it a reindeer game that intelligence officials play with one another? There is a lot more to the story at hand, and will come to light in future works. What Ian experienced was very real to him, as he heard and seen it both in the spirit and in the flesh. After growing up on the mean streets of Albuquerque and Southern California, Ian was chosen not only by One, but by many others. From gangsters and syndicates, to devils and Christians. Even the Intelligence community sought after him. For everyone observed what happened in the spirit and now this story must be told. This is the story of Ian and the Triune of Saint John the Immaculate.

Taking up where 'Red Army General' left off, O'Neill begins with Operation Mars, the massive undercover operation to trap United's 'top boys', and reveals the truth behind their headline-making Crown Court trial and their eventual acquittal.

The history of criminal offense in Pennsylvania is documented in this book, beginning with a general survey of crime in the state and then focusing on its headline cases. Included are Philadelphia and Pittsburgh mob activities, the 20-year hunt for killer Ira Einhorn, the murder of Philadelphia-area schoolteacher Susan Reinert, the Freeman teenagers in Allentown who stabbed their parents to death, and the tragic shootings at the Nickel Mines Amish school.

This book taps the author's wealth of knowledge regarding the criminal mind and offers lessons for law enforcement including how killers think, as well as the conditions under which murders typically occur. It is hoped that these lessons will lead to more effective ways to thwart such crimes in the future. This chilling glimpse into the minds of some of the worst criminals makes a valuable contribution to criminology and is a must-read for both true-crime buffs and law enforcement professionals.

The real story of the shocking Jeffrey Dahmer murders, as told by the Milwaukee Journal reporter who broke the story--from the dramatic scene when police first entered Dahmer's apartment to the lasting repercussions of the case today. One night in July 1991, two policemen saw a man running handcuffed from the apartment of Jeffrey Dahmer. Investigating, they made a gruesome discovery: three human skulls in Dahmer's refrigerator and the body parts of at least 11 more people scattered throughout the apartment. Shortly after, Milwaukee Journal reporter Anne E. Schwartz received a tip that would change her life. Schwartz, who broke the story and had exclusive access to the principals involved, details the complete, inside story of Dahmer's dark life, the case, and its aftermath: the horrific crime scene and the shocking story that unfolded; the forensics; the riveting trial; and Dahmer's murder in prison. With approximately 12 images.

In the predawn hours of a gloomy February day in 1994, two thieves entered the National Gallery in Oslo and made off with one of the world's most famous paintings, Edvard Munch's Scream. It was a brazen crime committed while the whole world was watching the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Lillehammer. Baffled and humiliated, the Norwegian police turned to the one man they believed could help: a half English, half American undercover cop named Charley Hill, the world's greatest art detective.The Rescue Artist is a rollicking narrative that carries readers deep inside the art underworld -- and introduces them to a large and colorful cast of titled aristocrats, intrepid investigators, and thick-necked thugs. But most compelling of all is Charley Hill himself, a complicated mix of brilliance, foolhardiness, and charm whose hunt for a purloined treasure would either cap an illustrious career or be the fiasco that would haunt him forever.

The brutal murder of Richard Jennings in December of 1818 would gain notoriety as the first murder for hire in New York. It would also be remembered as an imperfect crime. Four men - James Teed, David Dunning, David Conkling and Jack Hodges - and one woman, Hannah Teed, had conspired to murder Jennings after losing a protracted court battle over a parcel of land. Poorly made plans and rumors in the close knit community of Sugar Loaf led to a quick unraveling of the conspiracy and arrest of the perpetrators. Future President Martin Van Buren assisted in prosecuting the case which ended up with two men in prison and two men to face the hangman before a crowd of almost 20,000 people. One of the men spared the noose would later end up a renowned Christian with a memorial in his honor. Author and police detective Michael J. Worden explores the complexity of this incident in an entertaining yet historically accurate manner. Worden examines the case from the origins of the dispute, to the plot, murder, and aftermath. Worden has redefined what a true crime book should be.

Mark Borovitz was a mobster, gangster, con man, gambler, thief, and a drunk. He's seen it all. In this inspiring memoir, he takes you on a journey from the streets to discovering his soul in a prison cell.

When Mark was fourteen, his father died and his world came crashing down. He stole, gambled, and drank, beginning a twenty-year life of crime, all the while trying to be the good son, the good brother, the good boy, but his life only spun more out of control until the mob put a hit out on him.

After his release from prison, the drinking and thieving continued until, at the edge of oblivion, he experienced a moment of true divine intervention, a startling revelation that saved his life.

Mark Borovitz proved that you can change your life -- profoundly. He is now the rabbi at Beit T'Shuvah in Los Angeles, the House of Return, a rehabilitation facility for addicts of all kinds.

The Holy Thief is the remarkable memoir of an amazing man. It is a true-life gangster story, a passionate love story, and a case of study in redemption. Regardless of your faith, you will find his story tragic, funny, uplifting, and inspirational.

Here is the shocking true saga of the Irish American mob. In Paddy Whacked, bestselling author and organized crime expert T. J. English brings to life nearly two centuries of Irish American gangsterism, which spawned such unforgettable characters as Mike "King Mike" McDonald, Chicago's subterranean godfather; Big Bill Dwyer, New York's most notorious rumrunner during Prohibition; Mickey Featherstone, troubled Vietnam vet turned Westies gang leader; and James "Whitey" Bulger, the ruthless and untouchable Southie legend. Stretching from the earliest New York and New Orleans street wars through decades of bootlegging scams, union strikes, gang wars, and FBI investigations, Paddy Whacked is a riveting tour de force that restores the Irish American gangster to his rightful preeminent place in our criminal history -- and penetrates to the heart of the American experience.