'We're going to change all this. We're going to make you a new life.' From petty shoplifter to gangland empress. From frightened runaway to proud mother. From drug dealer to probation worker. Janice Nix lived a life of crime. Groomed to work as a shoplifter in London's West End, she entered a glamorous underworld of beautiful possessions - and drugs. As she rose to the top of her criminal empire, Janice achieved the money and status her family had never had. But one day, it had to come tumbling down. Several prison stretches later, Janice was reformed - and inspired to join the probation service. Using everything she learned in her years on the streets, she's devoted her life to ensure girls like her don't make the same mistakes. This is her story.

New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice The shocking story of the massacre of a group of Nepalese men working as Defense contractors for the United States Government during the Iraq War, and the widow who dedicated her life to finding justice for her husband and the other victims-a riveting tale of courageous heroes, corporate war profiteers, international business, exploitation, trafficking, and human rights in the age of global capitalism that reveals how modern power truly works. In August of 2004, twelve men left their village in Nepal for jobs at a five-star luxury hotel in Amman, Jordan. They had no idea that they had actually been hired for sub-contract work on an American military base in Iraq. But fate took an even darker turn when the dozen men were kidnapped and murdered by Islamic extremists. Their gruesome deaths were captured in one of the first graphic execution videos disseminated on the web-the largest massacre of contractors during the war. Compounding the tragedy, their deaths received little notice. Why were these men, from a remote country far removed from the war, in Iraq? How had they gotten there? Who were they working for? Consumed by these questions, award-winning investigative journalist Cam Simpson embarked on a journey to find answers, a decade-long odyssey that would uncover a web of evil spanning the globe-and trigger a chain of events involving one brave young widow, three indefatigable human rights lawyers, and a formidable multinational corporation with deep governmental ties. A heart-rending, page-turning narrative that moves from the Himalayas to the Middle East to Houston and culminates in an epic court battle, The Girl from Kathmandu is a story of death and life-of the war in Iraq, the killings of the twelve Nepalese, a journalist determined to uncover the truth, and a trio of human rights lawyers dedicated to finding justice. At its heart is one unforgettable young woman, Kamala Magar, who found the courage to face the influential men who sent her husband to his death-a model of strength hope, bravery, and an unbreakable spirit who reminds us of the power we all have to make a difference.

In this astonishing account, Iceberg Slim reveals the secret inner world of the pimp, and the smells, sounds, fears and petty triumphs of his world. A legendary figure of the Chicago underworld, this is his story: from defending his mother against the men in their lives to becoming a giant of the streets. A seething tale of brutality, cunning and greed, Pimp is a harrowing portrait of life on the wrong side of the tracks, and a rich warning from a true survivor.

Anita Biressi examines the historical origins and development of true crime and its evolution into distinctive contemporary forms. Embracing a range of non-fiction accounts including true crime books and magazines, law and order television, and popular journalism, Biressi traces how they harness and explore current concerns about law and order, crime and punishment, and personal vulnerability.

Death in a Texas Desert is a fast-paced collection of 17 compelling true crime stories from the pages of the award-winning The Dallas Observer. From the "Phantom Killer" that haunted Texarkana in teh mid-1940s to the day of terror in 1991 when a crazed man began spraying bullets into Luby's Cafeteria in Killeen, author Carlton Stowers recoutns the infamy and infamous from the crime files of Texas.

After September 11, 2001 Las Vegas Police Sergeant Randy Sutton began soliciting writing from law enforcement officers-his goal being to bridge the gap between the police and those they serve, with a book that offers a broad and thoughtful look at the many facets of police life. Hundreds of active and former officers responded from all over the United States: men and women from big cities and small towns, some who had written professionally, but most for the first time. Sutton culled the selections into five categories: The Beat, Line of Duty, War Stories, Officer Down, and Ground Zero.
The result is "True Blue," a collection of funny, charming, exciting, haunting stories about murder investigations, missing children, bungling burglars, car chases, lonely and desperate shut-ins, routine traffic stops, officers killed in the line of duty, and the life-changing events of September 11. Here, officers reveal their emotions-fear and pride, joy and disgust, shame and love-as they recount the defining moments of their careers. In these stories, the heart and soul behind the badge shines through in unexpected ways. "True Blue" will change the way we think about the deeply human realm of police service.

WINNER OF THE SUNDAY TIMES ALAN PATON AWARD

On 9 June 2003, a 43-year-old coloured man named Magadien Wentzel walked out of Pollsmoor Prison in Cape Town. Behind him lay a lifelong career in the 28s, South Africa's oldest and most reviled prison gang, for decades rumoured to have specialised in rape and robbery. In front of him lay the prospect of a law-abiding future, and life in a household of eight adults and six children, none of whom earned a living. Jonny Steinberg met Wentzel in prison in the dying months of 2002. By the time Wentzel was released, he and Steinberg had spent more than 50 hours discussing his life experiences.

The Number is an account of their conversations and of Steinberg's journeys to the places and people of Wentzel's past. Wentzel had lived a bewilderingly schizophrenic life, wandering to and fro between three worlds: the arcane universe of prison gangs, steeped in a mythology of banditry and retribution, where he was known as JR; the fringes of South Africa's criminal economy, where he lived by a string of stolen names and learned the arts of commercial fraud; and his scattered family which eked out a living int the coloured ghettos of the Cape flats. The Number visits each of those worlds in turn. It is a tale of modern South Africa's historic events seen through the eyes of the country's underclass.

Surprisingly, perhaps, it is neither a story of passivity nor despair, but of beguiling ingenuity and cool cynicism. Most of all, the book is an account of memory and identity, of Wentzel's project to make some sense of his bewildering past and something worthy of his future. When Steinberg met him, Wentzel was embarking on a quest to retrieve the name he had been given at birth. He was also beginning the daunting task of gathering together the estranged children he had sired into a nuclear family. It was an eccentric and painful venture for a man with his past, but it has led him to construct an account of himself that begs to be told.

From January through October 2003, a group of individuals engaged in an in-depth discussion of the death of one of the 20th century's most beloved figures, Marilyn Monroe. The result is "The DD Group," the highly detailed work of author David Marshall. It chronicles Monroe's final day and her tragic and puzzling demise.

Using available information including police reports, vintage magazine and newspaper accounts, documentaries and biographies, and correspondence with some of the principals in the case, the group had one purpose--to reconstruct the events of Monroe's last summer and reach an understanding of what likely took place on August 4, 1962.

By verifying sources, considering agendas, and, above all else, applying logic, the DD Group was able to weed through the conflicting and often contradictory reports. Through careful research and study, they arrived at the most comprehensive understanding of the events surrounding Monroe's disturbing death.

'Hugely insightful and thought provoking . . . I read it from cover to cover in one go' - Emilia Fox 'With characteristic brilliance and admirable sensitivity, Wilson illuminates the complex causes of their often horrific crimes' - Professor Simon Winlow, Vice President of the British Society of Criminology Professor David Wilson has spent his professional life working with violent men - especially men who have committed murder. Aged twenty-nine he became, at that time, the UK's youngest ever prison Governor in charge of a jail and his career since then has seen him sat across a table with all sorts of killers: sometimes in a tense interview; sometimes sharing a cup of tea (or something a little stronger); sometimes looking them in the eye to tell them that they are a psychopath. Some of these men became David's friends; others would still love to kill him. My Life with Murderers tells the story of David's journey from idealistic prison governor to expert criminologist and professor. With experience unlike any other, David's story is a fascinating and compelling study of human nature.

Here is the story of Sante Kimes, a cold-blooded, calculating killer who lived according to her own mad rules, conned her way into millions with logic, cunning, and subterfuge and left a cross-country trail of bodies. Dragging her brain-washed and beloved son into her devious and passionate acquisition of houses, furs, and cars, she indoctrinated the boy into the subtle craft of thievery -- and murder. The focus of this book is the trial and conviction of Sante and Kenneth Kimes for the bizarre murder of Irene Silverman, whose New York mansion they were attempting to steal. The fascination lies in the amazing story of Sante Kimes -- a woman whose sociopathic tendencies know no bounds -- and whose dedication to evil has few equals.

How would you feel if you were convicted of a crime you did not commit? Would you lie down and do nothing? Would you accept the truth that the judicial system played out for you? Would you fight for the truth? Would you seek justice that isn t there for you? Would you do everything in your power to fight for your freedom? Or would you just allow the judicial system to tear your world apart? These are some of the things that I had to answer in my book Justice or just Us . . . You Decide. Justice or Just Us is an up close and personal account of the inadequacies of the judicial system on racial profiling. No matter what walk of life you come from, this can happen to you. It takes place in Eastbay, California in the city of Devils Bay. I was a 41yr old African American disabled woman that was wrongfully accused of a crime I did not commit. Before this happened in my life my record was clean. The charges were 2 counts of battery on a couple (man and woman). This couple befriended me, stole from me, lied about me, used me, and wanted to sue me to get money. On their last few days at living above me, they decided to put their plan into action. I walked out of my house, and was dragged into the bushes underneath the stairs at the apartments and beaten by them. As I lay there I am screaming bloody murder for they both were beating on my body, as I was begging someone to call the police, my poor black body was being brutally beaten. The Police told them to press charges against me. The Caucasian Officer said to me How dare you come into my town thinking you can beat up on my white women . At that point I knew I was in for a long hard, drug out fight of my life. In my story I will show you the evidence, the transcripts, all paperwork pertaining to this incident and bring you through the process. All I ask is to look at the evidence and decide for yourself if this was a fair verdict. From the Misrepresentation of Attorneys, to witnesses testimonies, to the unfair treatment at the hospital, to the inadequate judges in the trial and appeal process, all the way through to the sentencing and home monitoring. This book will take you through from the incident to the trial and beyond."

On May 24, 1977, Trudy Resnick Farber was abducted from her home by a masked, armed intruder, taken to a remote wooded mountainside and buried alive! A million dollar ransom demand was made for her release. The Day the Catskills Cried is the complete and true story concerning a horrific crime that shook the Catskill region of New York.

Shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction 2017 The gripping, fascinating account of a shocking murder case that sent late Victorian Britain into a frenzy, by the number one bestselling, multi-award-winning author of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher 'Her research is needle-sharp and her period detail richly atmospheric, but what is most heartening about this truly remarkable book is the story of real-life redemption that it brings to light' John Carey, Sunday Times Early in the morning of Monday 8 July 1895, thirteen-year-old Robert Coombes and his twelve-year-old brother Nattie set out from their small, yellow brick terraced house in east London to watch a cricket match at Lord's. Their father had gone to sea the previous Friday, leaving the boys and their mother at home for the summer. Over the next ten days Robert and Nattie spent extravagantly, pawning family valuables to fund trips to the theatre and the seaside. During this time nobody saw or heard from their mother, though the boys told neighbours she was visiting relatives. As the sun beat down on the Coombes house, an awful smell began to emanate from the building. When the police were finally called to investigate, what they found in one of the bedrooms sent the press into a frenzy of horror and alarm, and Robert and Nattie were swept up in a criminal trial that echoed the outrageous plots of the 'penny dreadful' novels that Robert loved to read. In The Wicked Boy, Kate Summerscale has uncovered a fascinating true story of murder and morality - it is not just a meticulous examination of a shocking Victorian case, but also a compelling account of its aftermath, and of man's capacity to overcome the past.