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.

Perfect Prey relates how author Liz Cole was victimized by an online career con artist and how she turned the tables to expose the con man on national television. Much of this book is written as a real time journal, taking readers inside the world of Liz Cole and her suitor, an ex-convict and predator. About the Author and Perfect Prey: Recently divorced, with low self-esteem, Liz Cole turned to online dating and met a charming Irishman in reality, a Quebec man with a criminal record who preyed on her and vanished. Cole then set out to track him down. She found past victims and learned of the man s lengthy periods of incarceration before finding and publicly humiliating him in a national TV confrontation, also featured on U.S. website www.love fraud.com Every year across North America an average 1.1 million people divorce. Many of these people join countless singles and also children in turning to the Internet for friendship, love and romance. But online con artists are finding fertile ground in attracting unsuspecting prey. The problem is only likely to get worse given the following statistics: 74% of single North Americans have explored online dating (8 million people) 31% of N. American adults (70 million) know someone who used dating websites 26% of N. American adults (58 million) know someone who has dated online 2.2 million of us met their spouse online 2.8 million single N. Americans pay for dating sites; multi-million-dollar industry 30% of 18-24-year-olds worry about being stalked online for good reason. 32% of online teenagers have been contacted by complete strangers online. Liz Cole learned the hard way how easy it can be to be taken in by online fraud artists and she provides valuable advice. This is your opportunity to learn from her experience to protect yourself and your loved ones. Her fascinating story can save you from becoming the next online victim.

'I knew dogs could make a difference to the children's lives. I knew it the moment I watched a little boy, exhausted by pain and sickness, stretch out his hand to touch my dog's paw, and then...he smiled.' Lyndsey Uglow has endured and overcome mental health challenges and much personal pain, including her young son's battle with Leukaemia. Lyndsey knows only too well the emotional rollercoaster experienced by parents supporting their children through critical illness, but she also knows just how much the company of dogs can alleviate just some of their worry and pain. The healing bond with dogs that helped her, she now shares with others - in the shape of a dynasty of exceptional Golden Retrievers, including the incredible Leo. Since 2012, Lyndsey has made it possible for therapy dogs to visit more than 10,000 children, many critically ill, bringing smiles of simple joy and a sense of normality to lives ruled by pain, sadness and uncertainty in paediatric intensive care, cancer wards and palliative care. Leo has also faced his own battles. After suffering a serious injury on a beach run, he was saved by a pioneering technique which restored him to full health for the sake of the children who were missing him so much. This is Lyndsey and Leo's story and how they have brought the extraordinary healing powers of dogs to others; while sharing the stories of just some of the thousands of children for whom a soft paw or wet nose has brought comfort, care, laughter and joy at the darkest of times.

'Extremely compelling' - THE GUARDIAN 'It's a fascinating read... Buy the book! Buy the book!' - JO GOOD, BBC RADIO LONDON 'Searing... funny, eloquent and honest' - PSYCHOLOGIES 'Remarkable... I hope this book finds a wide readership' - WASHINGTON POST 'A beautifully-rendered memoir' - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 'Often as chilling as Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar, but also full of so much inner and external turbulence that it reminded me at times of The Bourne Identity and Memento. Readers will root for Lily, even when she is attempting to run away from the realities and sometimes authorities chasing her.' - HUFFPOST UK 'A harrowingly honest memoir' - KIRKUS REVIEWS' Because We Are Bad is an emotional, challenging read. Lily takes us deep into the heart of the illness but she is also a deft writer, and even the darkest moments are peppered with wit and wry observations.' - JAMES LLOYD, OCD-UK As a child, Lily Bailey knew she was bad. By the age of 13, she had killed someone with a thought, spread untold disease, and spied upon her classmates. Only by performing a series of secret routines could she correct her wrongdoing. But it was never enough. She had a severe case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and it came with a bizarre twist. This true story lights up the workings of the mind like Mark Haddon or Matt Haig. Anyone who wants to know about OCD, and how to fight back, should read this book. It is ideal for anyone who liked books by fellow OCD sufferers Bryony Gordon (Mad Girl, Glorious Rock Bottom), Rose Cartwright (Pure), and David Adam (The Man Who Couldn't Stop: The Truth About OCD). EXTRACT Chapter 1: Chesbury Hospital From the outside, Chesbury Hospital in London looks like a castle that got lost and was plonked down in the wrong place. It is long and white, with battlements and arched windows from which princesses could call down, in the chapter before they are saved. But it's not entirely believable. Where the portcullis should be, there are giant glass doors. Walk through them, and you could be in a five-star hotel. The man at reception wears a suit and tie and asks if he can help, like he's going to book you a table. A glass cupboard showcases the gifts sold by reception: bath oils, rejuvenating face cream, and Green & Black's chocolate, just in case you arrive empty-handed to see a crazy relative and need an icebreaker. The walls, lampshades, window fittings, and radiators are all a similar, unnameable colour, somewhere between brown, yellow, and cream. A looping gold chandelier is suspended by a heavy chain; the fireplace has marble columns. The members of staff have busy, preoccupied faces-until they come close to you, when their mouths break into wide, fixed smiles. Compared with the Harley Street clinic, there is a superior choice of herbal teas. When the police arrived after the escape, Mum cried a lot; then she shouted. Now she has assumed a sense of British resolve. She queries: 'Wild Jasmine, Purple Rose, or Earl Grey?' A nurse checks through my bag, which has been lugged upstairs. She takes the razor (fair enough), tweezers (sort of fair enough), a bottle of Baileys lying forgotten in the handbag (definitely fair enough), and headphones (definitely not fair enough). There would never be a hanging: far too much mess. The observation room is next to the nurses' station; they keep you there until you are no longer a risk to yourself. It is 10th January, 2013, and I am 19. ABOUT THE WRITER Lily Bailey is a model, writer, and mental health campaigner. As a child and teenager, Lily suffered from severe Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). She kept her illness private, until the widespread misunderstanding of the disorder spurred her into action. She began campaigning for better awareness and understanding of OCD, and has tried to stop companies making products that trivialise the illness.

Crime investigation is not always a matter of gathering hard evidence. Just as police officers sometimes follow a "hunch", people with psychic abilities have often supplied invaluable leads to help crack the most baffling cases. Through dreams, visions, telepathy, and a host of other means, psychics have also predicted and tried to prevent many serious crimes. Psychic Detectives allows you to enter their world, revealing their astounding experiences and the often heavy price they pay for sharing what they know. Police agencies are generally reluctant to admit to the use of psychics during or even after the completion of an investigation for fear of ridicule from the public and other members of the law enforcement community. Despite this, psychics have often become involved in a large number of highly publicised investigations into serial murders conducted over the last 20 years or more. Featured cases include: the Kennedy assassinations * Jack the Ripper * Charles Manson murders * Uri Geller's diamond find * David Berkowitz ("Son of Sam") * Los Angeles Olympic Games bombing * Moors murders * Peter Sutcliffe ("The Yorkshire Ripper") * IRA bombing, Manchester * disappearance of Lord Lucan * Patty Hearst kidnapping * and many more ...

A riveting, decades-in-the-writing memoir from the determined young prosecutor who, in two of America's most celebrated trials, managed to convict famed mob boss John Gotti-and subsequently took down the Mafia altogether. John Gotti was without a doubt the flashiest and most feared Mafioso in American history. He became the boss of the Gambino Crime Family in spectacular fashion-with the brazen and very public murder of Paul Castellano in front of Sparks Steakhouse in midtown Manhattan in 1985. Not one to stay below law enforcement's radar, Gotti instead became the first celebrity crime boss. His penchant for eye-catching apparel earned him the nickname "The Dapper Don;" his ability to beat criminal charges led to another: "The Teflon Don." This is the captivating story of Gotti's meteoric rise to power and his equally dramatic downfall. Every step of the way, Gotti's legal adversary-John Gleeson, an Assistant US Attorney in Brooklyn-was watching. When Gotti finally faced two federal racketeering prosecutions, Gleeson prosecuted both. As the junior lawyer in the first case-a bitter seven-month battle that ended in Gotti's acquittal-Gleeson found himself in Gotti's crosshairs, falsely accused of serious crimes by a defense witness Gotti intimidated into committing perjury. Five years later, Gleeson was in charge of the second racketeering investigation and trial. Armed with the FBI's secret recordings of Gotti's conversations with his underboss and consigliere in the apartment above Gotti's Little Italy hangout, Gleeson indicted all three. He "flipped" underboss Sammy the Bull Gravano, killer of nineteen men, who became history's highest-ranking mob turncoat-resulting in Gotti's murder conviction. Gleeson ended not just Gotti's reign, but eventually that of the entire mob. An epic, page-turning courtroom drama, The Gotti Wars is a brilliantly told crime story that illuminates a time in our nation's history when lawyers and mobsters dominated the news, but it's also the story of a tenacious young man, in the glare of the media spotlight, who mastered the art of becoming a great attorney.

By 1966, Hot Springs, Arkansas wasn't your typical sleepy little Southern town. Once a favorite destination for mobsters like Al Capone and Lucky Luciano, illegal activities continued to lure out-of-state gamblers, flim-flam men, and high rollers to its racetracks, clubs, and bordellos. Still, the town was shaken to its core after a girl was found dead on a nearby ranch. The ranch owner claimed it was an accident. Then the rancher was found to be the killer of another woman - his fourth wife. The story begins when 13-year-old Cathie Ward was found dead after horseback riding at Blacksnake Ranch on the outskirts of Hot Springs, Arkansas. Frank Davis, the owner of the ranch, tells authorities Cathie's death is an accident. He claims her foot caught in a stirrup and she was dragged to her death despite his pursuit of the runaway horse. People who know the 42-year-old skilled horseman don't believe his story, and soon rumors of her rape and murder begin swirling around town. The rumors reach a crescendo after Davis viciously guns down his fourth wife and mother-in-law in broad daylight outside of a laundromat. Davis is arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Soon after, Hot Springs authorities re-open the investigation into Cathie Ward's death. Snake Eyes is the first book to examine this decades-old murder and cover-up, and the only in-depth account of the man who would become the town's most notorious villain. Featuring personal interviews, crime scene records, court documents, and Davis' own prison files, author and lifelong Hot Springs resident Bitty Martin reveals the true story for the first time.

1969, Chappaquiddick, Martha's Vineyard: Mary Jo Kopechne is the unsuspecting victim of a fatal car accident. The driver is Senator Edward (Ted) Kennedy. This is a story that details the investigation, inquest,and grand jury deliberations into the young woman's untimely death. Leslie H. Leland, jury foreman, gives his own account of how the entire grand jury was stymied in seeking evidence relating to the accident caused by Senator Ted Kennedy and the threats made on his and his family's lives. A never before reported analysis of how the grand jury was denied its own legal rights, Left to Die is one example of how power and corruption can override America's justice system. Upon hearing the details, one judge stated, "That was not only intimidation, that was tampering with the grand jury." The grand jury attempted to investigate the accident but was stymied by the DA and judge unwilling to cross the Kennedys. "The rich and powerful can change the outcome of justice and they did in this case." - The Boston Globe The story that really needs to be told...fascinating stuff! - WQXA-FM If you ever thought you knew the story pick up this book and be prepared to learn a whole lot more! Wow! - K.E. Amazon.com The American justice system is responsible for maintaining social control, deterring crime, and sentencing those who violate laws with penalties. The American justice system protects and services the American people, or does it? Based on true events, Left to Die is a powerful vindication of one man's witness to the 1969 Chappaquiddick case against Senator Ted Kennedy. A blockbuster new book - Left to Die - Jerry Shaffer and Leslie H. Leland blow wide open the untold scandal surrounding the drowning of Mary Jo. - National Enquirer Jerry Shaffer was born and raised in Chicago; he received a Bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Illinois and served in the U.S. Navy. After working for a trade magazine and several advertising agencies, he started his own company. In 1982,he founded a marketing services company that specialized in co-op advertising programs, which became an industry leader. During his career, he wrote advertising copy and articles for trade magazines. Mr. Shaffer is currently retired and lives in southeast Florida. Leslie H. Leland was born and raised in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts. He graduated from Mass College of Pharmacy in 1963 and then moved to Chappaquiddick Island to work for his grandfather, later buying Leslie's Pharmacy from his grandmother after his grandfather's death. He owned and ran the pharmacy for 43 years, retiring several years ago. Mr. Leland served as a captain on the Tisbury Volunteer Fire Department, also for 43 years, and has been involved politically on the island as a county commissioner for the past 11 years. http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/LeftToDie.html

Many people express shock and horror when they hear of a wealthy or famous person killing another person. As a society, we seem to expect the rich and famous to behave better, to commit fewer crimes, to be immune to the passions that inspire other, less prominent people to kill. After all, the rich and famous have everything--why would they need to murder? But the rich and famous kill for the very same reasons other do: love, power, money, jealousy, greed, revenge, and rage. Here, Scott takes us on a tour of murders committed by the rich and famous during the last century, looking at the motives, the responses of the community and local law enforcement, the media, and the outcomes. She argues that the rich and famous may kill for the same reasons as others, but they receive vastly different treatment and are often able to get away with murder. Homicide by the rich and famous is not new in this country, nor is fascination with the crimes committed by our most revered citizens. But being among the upper echelon of society does afford such suspects with a greater ability to escape punishment. They have greater access to better respresentation, they have the means to flee the country, they have influential friends in high places willing to put themselves on the line, and they are generally treated better by law enforcement and the criminal justice system. This book profiles the many ways in which homicides committed by the rich and famous are similar to other murders in their motives, but differ from those committed by everyday citizens in their outcomes. Scott provides readers with a showcase of crimes that will infuriate and fascinate readers.

In 1854, the United States acquired the roughly 30,000-square-mile region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico from Mexico as part of the Gadsden Purchase. This new Southern Corridor was ideal for train routes from Texas to California, and soon tracks were laid for the Southern Pacific and Santa Fe rail lines. Shipping goods by train was more efficient, and for desperate outlaws and opportunistic lawmen, robbing trains was high-risk, high-reward. The Southern Corridor was the location of sixteen train robberies between 1883 and 1922. It was also the homebase of cowboy-turned-outlaw Black Jack Ketchum's High Five Gang. Most of these desperadoes rode the rails to Arizona's Cochise County on the US-Mexico border where locals and lawmen alike hid them from discovery. Both Wyatt Earp and Texas John Slaughter tried to clean them out, but it took the Arizona Rangers to finish the job. It was a time and place where posses were as likely to get arrested as the bandits. Some of the Rangers and some of Slaughter's deputies were train robbers. When rewards were offered there were often so many claimants that only the lawyers came out ahead. Southwest Train Robberies chronicles the train heists throughout the region at the turn of the twentieth century, and the robbers who pulled off these train jobs with daring, deceit, and plain dumb luck! Many of these blundering outlaws escaped capture by baffling law enforcement. One outlaw crew had their own caboose, Number 44, and the railroad shipped them back and forth between Tucson and El Paso while they scouted locations. Legend says one gang disappeared into Colossal Cave to split the loot leaving the posse out front while they divided the cash and escaped out another entrance. The antics of these outlaws inspired Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid to blow up an express car and to run out guns blazing into the fire of a company of soldiers.

Perhaps no other television show captures our innate fascination with crime and criminals better than the original Forensic Files. Examining true crime cases from murders to insurance fraud, hit-and-runs to kidnappings, every case featured on the show is solved in large part with the help of forensic science like DNA evidence. While the original Forensic Files stopped production in 2011 with over 400 original episodes, re-runs now air in 142 countries, not to mention on streaming services, making the show perfect for binge watchers, daunting for new-comers, and as much a mainstay as any program in the history of television. But, most of all, the cases always leave viewers wanting to know more. In Forensic Files Now, author Rebecca Reisner shares her own gripping retellings of 40 favorite cases profiled on the show along with fascinating updates adapted from her popular blog, ForensicFilesNow.com. From classic cases like the Harvard-educated architect who opted for arsenic instead of divorce, to the Texas lovebirds who robbed a grave in an insurance fraud plot that made international headlines, the Ohio doctor who attempted a fresh start by burying his wife in the basement of their house, and some cases that are so captivating that they have sparked spinoff mini-series of their own, readers will be enthralled by these vivid recaps and detailed updates. Also featuring an in-depth interview with Forensic Files creator Paul Dowling and a profile on the show's beloved narrator, Peter Thomas, Forensic Files Now is a must-read for diehard Forensic Files fans and a welcome find for true crime readers who are always looking for more riveting and well-told stories.

" When we cross the border: no ID, and it's kiss yourself good-bye if Charlie gets ahold of you."
In Vietnam, the Military Assistance Command's Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG) fielded small recon teams in areas infested with VC and NVA. Because SOG operations suffered extraordinary casualties, they required extraordinary soldiers. So when Capt. Thom Nicholson arrived at Command and Control North (CCN) in Da Nang, SOG's northernmost base camp, he knew he was going to be working with the cream of the crop.
As commander of Company B, CCN's Raider Company, Nicholson commanded four platoons, comprising nearly two hundred men, in some of the war's most deadly missions, including ready-reaction missions for patrols in contact with the enemy, patrol extractions under fire, and top-secret expeditions " over the fence" into Laos, Cambodia, and North Vietnam. Colonel Nicholson spares no one, including himself, as he provides a rare glimpse into the workings of one of the military's most carefully concealed reconnaissance campaigns.