The harrowing true story of a high-school senior, her parents, her secret online relationship with a handsome, manipulative stranger, and her well-laid plan to leave home and country to marry a man in Kosovo she thought she loved. The Baldwins were a strong, tight-knit family living in Texas. When their seventeen-year-old daughter, Mackenzie, met Aadam in an online chat room, she fell for his good looks, his charm, and his respectful conversation. He lived in Kosovo, and they began talking regularly. The more attached Mackenzie became to Aadam, the more detached she became from her family. Mackenzie's parents, John and Stephanie Baldwin, had no clue there was a man behind their daughter's sudden change in personality, her surprising interest in Islam, and her withdrawal from friends and family. When Mackenzie's attachment to Aadam increased and they became "engaged," Mackenzie started making plans to fly secretly to Kosovo and marry Aadam. But twenty-five days before Mackenzie was scheduled to leave the country, three friends in whom Mackenzie had confided told Mackenzie's father. Through the help of their pastor, John Baldwin contacted the FBI and asked for help. The FBI did not believe Aadam was involved with ISIS or that he was trying to radicalize her, but they were concerned about Aadam's intentions, as that part of Kosovo was known for sex-trafficking and money scams. With just 72 hours left before Mackenzie's planned departure, three FBI agents confronted her and urged her to stay. Told from the viewpoint of both father and daughter, Almost Gone allows us to walk with this family through Mackenzie's network of lies and deceit and John and Stephanie's escalating bewilderment and alarm. More than a cautionary tale, this is the story of unconditional parental love and unwavering faith, and how God helped a family save their daughter from a relationship that jeopardized not only her happiness, but also her safety.

A real-life "Mr. and Mrs. Smith, The Company We Keep" is a portrait by bestselling CIA operative Robert Baer ("See No Evil") and his CIA shooter wife, Dayna, of life as it's really lived by a CIA couple.

Until recently, no figure loomed larger on Wall Street than Richard Grasso, the former head of the New York Stock Exchange. Though short in stature, his power and influence was immense. During his 35 years at the exchange, the last seven as its Chairman, Grasso was known on the floor of the Exchange as The Little Guy in the Dark Suit who commanded the attention of politicians, brokered deals with the nation's most influential businessmen, became a national hero for his work helping Wall Street recover from the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and then emerged as a symbol of corporate excess over the details of his enormous compensation package.Chronicling the amazing rise, fall, and possible rise again of Richard Grasso, and also tells the modern history of the all-powerful institution that he came to symbolize: The New York Stock Exchange. Known as The Club, the NYSE is the world's biggest stock market, where trillions of dollars of stocks of the nation's largest companies are priced and traded each day between its 9:30 am opening bell and its 4 pm close. Richard Grasso began his career as a clerk on the floor of the Exchange, where screaming traders match buyers and sellers of stocks each day.Even as he rose through the ranks of the Club, Grasso never seemed to leave the floor too far behind. During his three decade career at the Exchange, Grasso fought tooth and nail to keep traders and the NYSE in business, underscored by his outlandish publicity stunts - and even more important, by his perennial public and private battles with various top players in the Club, including its most powerful member, Goldman Sachs CEO Hank Paulson.

In Black's Law, one of America's toughest and shrewdest criminal defense lawyers shows us the life-and-death struggles that occur every day in our criminal courts. This book takes us behind the scenes of four difficult and dangerous cases to reveal the legal strategies, no-holds-barred tactics, and courtroom psychology Roy Black used to make sure his clients received every protection promised by the law.

Black demonstrates in riveting detail how a defense attorney must investigate criminal cases by sifting through evidence and preparing for trial. (It's like preparing for war.) He shows us how the principles of law, cross-examination, and evidence -- as well as careful jury selection and skillful use of expert witnesses -- can level the playing field to counter the enormous resources that state and federal prosecutors have at their disposal.

Black's Law makes resoundingly clear the crucial role that criminal defense lawyers play in safeguarding the basic right to a fair trial for all.

'A poignant celebration of human resilience' Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner Dear Zari gives voice to the secret lives of women across Afghanistan and allows them to tell their stories in their own words: from the child bride given as payment to end a family feud; to a life spent in a dark, dusty room weaving carpets; to a young girl brought up as a boy; to life as a widow shunned by society. Dear Zari uncovers the reality of life in Afghanistan.

Between the late 1970s and the early 1980s, Nayra Atiya gathered the oral histories of five Egyptian men: a fisherman, an attorney, a scholar, a businessman, and a production manager. Through personal interviews over the course of several years, Atiya intimately captured the everyday triumphs and struggles of these young men in a rapidly changing Egyptian society. These tender stories of childhood experiences in the rural countryside, of the rigors of schooling, and of the many challenges in navigating adulthood shed light on both the rich diversity of Egyptian society and the values and traditions that are shared by all Egyptians. The concept of shahaama-a code of honor that demands loyalty, generosity, and a readiness to help others-is threaded throughout the narratives, reflecting its deeply rooted presence in Egyptian culture. Moving beyond leaden stereotypes of the oppressive Middle Eastern male, these candid self-portraits reveal the complexity of male identity in contemporary Egyptian society, highlighting the men's desires for economically viable lives, the same desires that fuel the many Egyptians today working toward revolutionary change.

This collection brings together Jo Rippier's writings about fishing, fact and fiction, and in one case 'dramatic'. He has recorded memorable experiences that occurred during his life in his pursuit of fish, and meeting unusual personalities, such as Mr Justice T. C. Kingsmill Moore ('Saracen'), and Hugh Falkus, as well letting his imagination provide a number of fictional tales. Together they provide the reader with a variety of enjoyable stories and articles, and some historical illustrations, mostly from Punch, ideal for fishermen with time on their hands.

Op 13 Oktober 2021 is Suid-Afrika tot stilstand geruk deur die nuus oor dominee Liezel de Jager, geliefde leraar van die NG Kerk Suidkus in Amanzimtoti, KwaZulu-Natal, wat in die oprit van die pastorie vermoor is toe sy terugkeer van haar daaglikse oggenddraf saam met vriende. Dit was ondenkbaar dat ’n geestelike leier soos sy, wat ’n enorme impak op haar gemeenskap gehad het, so wreed weggeruk kon word.

Maar nog vreemder gebeure volg in die dae en jare na haar moord. Haar man, Werner, verdwyn skielik spoorloos en word later in ’n bedenklike toestand in ’n suikerrietplantasie gevind. Hy vermoed dat hy moontlik deur Liezel se moordenaars aangeval is. Benewens
verskeie ander amper-noodlottige gebeure rondom Werner, is hy later ook in ’n ongeluk betrokke waar nog twee vroue dood is. Om alles te kroon, sloer die polisie twee jaar lank voordat hulle met die moordondersoek begin.

Intussen voer Liezel se ouers ’n volgehoue stryd om geregtigheid vir hul dogter te kry.

Dit loop uit op ’n suksesvolle hofsaak teen die minister van polisie en die Suid-Afrikaanse Polisiediens, met die gevolg dat Werner weens die moord op sy vrou in hegtenis geneem word, maar later onder misterieuse omstandighede in die hospitaal sterf. Die moord bly
onopgelos.