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Books > Fiction > True stories
Jimmy James was only twelve-years-old when he tried drugs for the first time. That one taste of marijuana affected him the rest of his life. He didn't graduate from high school, but he did graduate with excellence from the drug game, which eventually led him into the drug dealer lifestyle. It's that lifestyle that contributed to forty-year-old Jimmy James' arrest for the death of a female friend, forty-four-year-old Lisa Amour. A general laborer in Huntsville, he was charged with first-degree reckless homicide by use of the dangerous weapon of cocaine. "A Line 2 Die 4" provides a firsthand account of his actions and thoughts, his arrest, incarceration, court proceedings, and interactions with police, attorneys, family, and friends. At one time in his life, James felt on top of the world as a user and dealer. But a dealer's life will end in one of three ways: broke and living on the street with no family or money, dead on the street, or in prison. That's the story of James' life.
A profound rumination on the concept of freedom from the bestselling author of The Perfect Storm 'Sebastian Junger bears witness to a hard-won and an uncertain new world, framed in vital and brilliant prose: a true and honest accounting of everything that underlies the frantic performance of life' Philip Hoare, author of Albert and the Whale Throughout history, humans have been driven by the quest for two cherished ideals: community and freedom. The two don't coexist easily: we value individuality and self-reliance, yet are utterly dependent on community for our most basic needs. In this intricately crafted and thought-provoking book, Sebastian Junger examines this tension that lies at the heart of what it means to be human. For much of a year, Junger and three friends-a conflict photographer and two Afghan war vets-walked the railroad lines of the east coast. It was an experiment in personal autonomy, but also in interdependence. Dodging railroad cops, sleeping under bridges, cooking over fires and drinking from creeks and rivers, the four men forged a unique reliance on one another. In Freedom, Junger weaves his account of this journey together with primatology and boxing strategy, the role of women in resistance movements and apache renegrades, and the brutal reality of life on the Pennsylvania frontier. Written in exquisite, razor-sharp prose, the result is a powerful examination of the primary desire that defines us.
From the dense woods of the Appalachian Mountains comes this true tale of deception, murder, and greed in a tiny West Virginia town. M. M. Stoddart returns to the scene of the decades-old murders of Glenn Roberts and his teenaged son, Timothy, to conduct a new investigation of the biggest homicide case in Tucker County history-one shrouded by suspicion and doubt for more than twenty years. Glenn and Timothy were killed by near-contact shotgun blasts from the same weapon on the same night. But their bodies were found eight miles and three weeks apart. Stoddart reopens the cold case, and soon finds that the murders were much more than a simple botched robbery, as West Virginia authorities had previously concluded. New information uncovers a vast web of missing evidence, deceit, and family intrigue. Set in an impoverished mountain community in the early 1980s, this shocking and compelling story exposes the tragedy of wrongful conviction and the true meaning of justice.
No body, no cause of death, no physical evidence-and yet, after ten years, a murder conviction . . . Janet March, artist and wife of corporate lawyer Perry March, had it all: two children she adored, a promising career as an artist, supportive parents, and a dream house she designed. But behind closed doors her husband led a destructive double life of secrets and lies. On August 16, 1996, Janet had an appointment to finally file for divorce; she never made it to see her lawyer-because on the night of August 15, she vanished. Her disappearance incited a massive search and media frenzy that revealed to the world Perry March's seedy dealings in the underbelly of Nashville. But he took his children and absconded away to a new life in Mexico. For ten years, Janet's parents fought their depraved son-in-law through the court system in what would become an international custody battle culminating in Perry's dramatic extradition to Tennessee. Meanwhile, the Nashville Police Department investigated the case from every possible angle but never found a body. In spite of overwhelming odds, cold case detectives and prosecutors were determined to find justice for Janet-and with the help of a shocking surprise witness, they did.
On the night of September 6, 2011, terror called at the Amish home of the Millers. Answering a late-night knock from what appeared to be an Amish neighbor, Mrs. Miller opened the door to her five estranged adult sons, a daughter, and their spouses. It wasn't a friendly visit. Within moments, the men, wearing headlamps, had pulled their frightened father out of bed, pinned him into a chair, and--ignoring his tearful protests--sheared his hair and beard, leaving him razor-burned and dripping with blood. The women then turned on Mrs. Miller, yanking her prayer cap from her head and shredding it before cutting off her waist-long hair. About twenty minutes later, the attackers fled into the darkness, taking their parents' hair as a trophy for their community. Four similar beard-cutting attacks followed, disfiguring nine victims and generating a tsunami of media coverage. While pundits and late-night talk shows made light of the attacks and poked fun at the Amish way of life, FBI investigators gathered evidence about troubling activities in a maverick Amish community near Bergholz, Ohio--and the volatile behavior of its leader, Bishop Samuel Mullet. Ten men and six women from the Bergholz community were arrested and found guilty a year later of 87 felony charges involving conspiracy, lying, and obstructing justice. In a precedent-setting decision, all of the defendants, including Bishop Mullet and his two ministers, were convicted of federal hate crimes. It was the first time since the 2009 passage of the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act that assailants had been found guilty for religiously motivated hate crimes within the same faith community. "Renegade Amish" goes behind the scenes to tell the full story of the Bergholz barbers: the attacks, the investigation, the trial, and the aftermath. In a riveting narrative reminiscent of a true crime classic, scholar Donald B. Kraybill weaves a dark and troubling story in which a series of violent Amish-on-Amish attacks shattered the peace of these traditionally nonviolent people, compelling some of them to install locks on their doors and arm themselves with pepper spray. The country's foremost authority on Amish society, Kraybill spent six months assisting federal prosecutors with the case against the Bergholz defendants and served as an expert witness during the trial. Informed by trial transcripts and his interviews of ex-Bergholz Amish, relatives of Bishop Mullet, victims of the attacks, Amish leaders, and the jury foreman, "Renegade Amish" delves into the factors that transformed the Bergholz Amish from a typical Amish community into one embracing revenge and retaliation. Kraybill gives voice to the terror and pain experienced by the victims, along with the deep shame that accompanied their disfigurement--a factor that figured prominently in the decision to apply the federal hate crime law. Built on Kraybill's deep knowledge of Amish life and his contacts within many Amish communities, "Renegade Amish" highlights one of the strangest and most publicized sagas in contemporary Amish history.
What happens when the President of the United States engages in criminal activity? He runs for re-election. Donald Trump's campaign chairman went to jail. So did his personal lawyer. His long-time political consigliere was convicted of serious federal crimes, and his National Security Advisor pleaded guilty to several more. Multiple Russian spies were indicted in absentia. Career intelligence agents and military officers were alarmed enough by his actions as President that they alerted senior government officials and ignited the impeachment process. Yet despite all this, a years-long inquiry led by Robert Mueller, and the third Presidential impeachment trial in American history, Donald Trump survived to run for presidency again. Why? Jeffrey Toobin's highly entertaining, definitive account of the Mueller investigation and the impeachment of the President takes readers behind the scenes of the epic legal and political struggle to call Trump to account for his misdeeds. Toobin recounts the mind-boggling twists and turns in the case - Trump's son met with a Russian operative promising Kremlin support; Trump paid a porn star $130,000 to hush up an affair; Rudy Giuliani and a pair of shady Ukrainian-American businessmen got the Justice Department to look at Russian-created conspiracy theories. Toobin shows how Trump's canny lawyers used Mueller's famous integrity against him, and how Trump's bullying and bluster cowed Republican legislators into ignoring the clear evidence of the impeachment hearings. Based on dozens of interviews with prosecutors in Mueller's office, Trump's legal team, Congressional investigators, White House staffers, and several of the key players, including some who are now in prison, True Crimes and Misdemeanours is a revelatory narrative that makes sense of the seemingly endless chaos of the Trump years. Filled with never-before-reported details of the high-stakes legal battles and political machinations, the book weaves a tale of a rogue President guilty of historic misconduct, and how he got away with it.
"Rigor mortis had set in by the time police arrived," Special Prosecutor Tony Clayton told the jury, watching their eyes as they viewed the photograph of the bloodied arm of Geralyn Barr DeSoto. Geralyn's clenched fist, frozen in death away from her body, held her secret. "Geralyn was trying to tell us something. She was telling us how hard she fought. She was telling us who her killer is. 'Right here, ' she said. 'Right here I have the killer. Just open my hand. Just open my hand, and you'll know who did it to me.'" Two months later: "Charlotte Murray Pace fought from one room of that apartment to the other," Prosecutor John Sinquefield told jurors as they blinked tears away. "She clawed, she hit, she fought. As her young, strong heart pumped its last blood out of the holes he cut out of her, she fought. And in the fight, he took her life, her body. But he could not take her honor. She preserved her honor by the way she lived and the way she died. That fight is not over, ladies and gentlemen of the jury. Charlotte Murray Pace has brought her fight to you." These crimes are vividly depicted in this first comprehensive book about Derrick Todd Lee. I've Been Watching You-The South Louisiana Serial Killer dramatically tells the story of Lee's life and follows the timeline of his reign of terror over South Louisiana. Readers will become intimately acquainted with the seven victims who have been linked to Lee by DNA, along with the frustrated investigators who could not catch this diabolical killer. This recounting also details the murders of ten other women who were not connected by DNA, but whom these authors believe should be included on the list of Lee's victims due to strong circumstantial evidence. There are many unanswered questions regarding these series of killings. How did Lee find his victims, and why did he choose them? Why didn't the Multi-Agency Homicide Task Force believe he was the killer when his name was brought repeatedly to its attention? What evil possessed him to rape and murder so many women? All of these questions are answered as I've Been Watching You journeys for more than a decade through the small towns and swamps of South Louisiana to create a graphic accounting of Lee's vicious rapes and homicides. I've Been Watching You vividly paints the portrait of this monster and the beautiful women who died as a result of his twisted compulsion to kill.
In the tradition of 'Agent Zigzag' comes a breathtaking biography of WWII's 'Scarlet Pimpernel' as fast-paced and emotionally intuitive as the best spy thrillers. This celebrates unsung hero Robert de La Rochefoucauld, an aristocrat turned anti-Nazi saboteur, and his exploits as a British Special Operations Executive-trained resistant When the Nazis invaded France during the Second World War and imprisoned his father, Robert de La Rochefoucauld - a scion of one of the oldest aristocratic families in France - escaped to England and trained in the dark arts of anarchy and combat. Under the guidance of SOE spies, he learned to crack safes, plant bombs and kill enemies with his bare hands. Then, back in France, he organised Resistance cells, killed Nazi officers and interfered with German missions. He survived unbearable torture and escaped Nazi confinement on not one but two occasions, to live well into his eighties. The adventures of de La Rochefoucauld offer rare insight into a unique moment in history, revealing brand new information about a network of commandos who battled evil and bravely worked together to change the course of history.
There is a cancer growing on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The best and brightest agents we have are being systematically harassed out of DHS. This is a story of bureaucracy run amok at the expense of our national security. We are less safe now than before "9-11," even though billions of taxpayer dollars have been spent. Why? This is the gripping true story of National Security Whistleblowers and their courageous fight for justice against the very people who are supposed to be protecting us. If these whistleblowers lose their fight we all lose. What America's enemies have not been able to accomplish will be done instead from within our own government. The Honorable Roger T. Benitez, United States District Judge, while presiding over "Fitzgerald-Nunn Vs. Department of Homeland Security" "Boy, there's something about this that doesn't pass the smell test " "All Americans who read this book should worry about the government's ability to protect us from terrorist and drug lords."-Mark Edwards, former Marine and host of the "Wake Up America" radio show. "They who give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty or safety."-Benjamin Franklin "This should be one of the few books that not only every attorney should read, but every one who calls themselves a patriot."-Attorney and Veteran Austin Price "This is a MUST READ for anyone who is concerned with the long-term viability of the republic."-Travis Alexander, CEO World Wide Protective Services, and former Marine. "A coincidence is a remarkable concurrence of events or things without apparent connection-Here too many things connect."-Attorney Gastone Bebi during land mark case "Fitzgerald-Nunn Vs. Department of Homeland Security"
'Both inspiring and disturbing, Sex Cult Nun unravels Jones' complicated upbringing, the trauma she endured as a result and her eventual path to liberation.' TIME 'A moving story about family, courage, religious oppression, and more, and readers will have their heads spinning.' SHONDALAND 'Her gripping memoir-like Educated-takes you inside a disturbing childhood and leaves you marvelling at the resilience of the human spirit' PEOPLE MAGAZINE Faith Jones was raised to be part of an elite army preparing for the End Times. Isolated on a farm in Macau, she practised devotions and read letters of prophecy written by her grandfather, the leader of the now infamous cult, The Children of God. A direct decedent of the founding family, Faith featured in international media coverage - she was celebrated as extraordinary and then published doubly as a sharp reminder that she was not. With indomitable grit, Faith created a world of her own, pilfering books and educating herself in secret. At the age of 23, she escaped, abandoning her history, her inheritance and her legacy. While her childhood friends succumbed to addiction, suicide and prostitution, Faith fought her way into Georgetown University and went on to establish a successful career in law. Sex Cult Nun is an enthralling coming-of-age story that gives fascinating insight into the closed and complex world of extreme belief. Exploring the issues of psychological and physical control, Faith draws on her hard-won insight to interrogate the binaries of good and evil, and shed light on the insidiousness of oppression. At its heart, this extraordinary story is a stark warning about the consequences of surrendering our rights and responsibilities.
Independence Day weekend, 1960: a young police officer is murdered, shocking his close-knit community in Stamford, Connecticut. The killer remains at large, his identity still unknown. But on a beach not far away, a young Army doctor, on leave from his post at a research lab in a maximum-security prison, faces a chilling realisation. He knows who the shooter is. In fact, the man—a prisoner out on parole—had called him only days before. By helping his former charge and trainee, the doctor, a believer in second chances, may have inadvertently helped set the murder into motion. And with that one phone call, may have sealed a policeman’s fate. Alvin Tarlov, David Troy and Joseph DeSalvo were all born of the Great Depression, all with grandparents who’d left different homelands for the same American Dream. How did one become a doctor, one a police officer and one a convict? In Genealogy of a Murder, journalist Lisa Belkin traces the paths of each of these three men—one of them her stepfather. Her canvas is large, spanning the first half of the 20th century: immigration, the struggles of the working class, prison reform, medical experiments, politics and war, the nature/nurture debate, epigenetics, the infamous Leopold and Loeb case and the history of motorcycle racing. It is also intimate: a look into the workings of the mind and heart. Following these threads to their tragic outcome in July 1960, and beyond, Belkin examines the coincidences and choices that led to one fateful night. The result is a brilliantly researched, narratively ingenious story, which illuminates how we shape history even as we are shaped by it.
The incredible Sunday Times No. 1 bestseller from the million-copy bestselling author of the phenomenon and 80-week Sunday Times bestselling The Salt Path 'Beautiful, a thrill to read . . . you feel the world is a better place because Raynor and Moth are in it' The Times 'Winn's writing transforms her surroundings and her spirits, her joy coming across clearly in her shimmering prose' i 'A beautiful, luminous and magical piece of writing' Rachel Joyce, author of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry _______ 'It was the land, the earth, the deep humming background to my very being' In 2016, days before they were unjustly evicted from their home, Raynor Winn was told her husband Moth was dying. Instead of giving up they embarked on a life-changing journey: walking the 630-mile South West Coast Path, living by their wits, determination and love of nature. But all journeys must end and when the couple return to civilisation they find that four walls feel like a prison, cutting them off from the sea and sky that sustained them - that had saved Moth's life. So when the chance to rewild an old Cornish farm comes their way, they grasp it, hoping they'll not only reconnect with the natural world but also find themselves once again on its healing path . . . _______ 'Confirms Raynor as a natural and extremely talented writer with an incredible way with words. This book gives us all what we wanted to know at the end of The Salt Path which is what happened next. So moving, it made me cry . . . repeatedly' Sophie Raworth, BBC 'Brilliant, powerful and touching . . . will connect with anyone who has triumphed over adversity' Stephen Moss, author and naturalist 'Unflinching . . . There is a luminous conviction to the prose' Observer 'Notions of home are poignantly explored . . . wonderful' Guardian LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE 2021 **Nominated for the Holyer an Gof Memoir Award** Praise for The Salt Path 'An astonishing narrative of two people dragging themselves from the depths of despair along some of the most dramatic landscapes in the country, looking for a solution to their problems and ultimately finding themselves' Independent 'This is what you need right now to muster hope and resilience . . . a beautiful story and a reminder that humans can endure adversity' Stylist 'The landscape is magical: shapeshifting seas and smugglers' coves; myriads of sea birds and mauve skies. Raynor writes exquisitely . . . it's a tale of triumph; of hope over despair, of love over everything' The Sunday Times 'The Salt Path is a life-affirming tale of enduring love that smells of the sea and tastes of a rich life. With beautiful, immersive writing, it is a story heart-achingly and beautifully told' Jackie Morris, illustrator of The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane
THE BLACK HAND is the true story of Rene Enriquez, aka "Boxer," and his rise in a secret criminal organization, a new Mafia, that already has a grip on all organized crime in California and soon all of the United States. This Mafia is using a base army of an estimated 60,000 heavily armed, loyal Latino gang members, called Surenos, driven by fear and illicit profits. They are the most dangerous gang in American history and they wave the flag of the Black Hand. Mafioso Enriquez gives an insider′s view of how he devoted his life to the cause--the Mexican Mafia, La Familia Mexicana, also known as La Eme--only to find betrayal and disillusionment at the end of a bloody trail of violence that he followed for two decades. And now, award-winning investigative journalist Chris Blatchford, with the unprecedented cooperation of Rene Enriquez, reveals the inner workings, secret meetings, and elaborate murder plots that make up the daily routine of the Mafia brothers. It is an intense, never-before-told story of a man who devoted his life to a bloody cause only to find betrayal and disillusionment. Based on years of research and investigation, Chris Blatchford has delivered a historic narrative of a nefarious organization that will go down as a classic in mob literature.
In the midst of gangland activities during the Roaring Twenties, a thief plagued the New York City area by breaking into people's homes and stealing radios, possibly the costliest thing a family could own. Not only did the crimes deprive families of property and security, but they also resulted in the injuries of three NYPD officers and the death of officer Arthur Kenney. Based on interviews and trial transcripts, this book documents the search for the Radio Burglar, which turned into a wide-spread manhunt. Initially perplexed by the case, authorities eventually overcame great odds to achieve a conviction that has received praise in the following decades. But nine years later, the devastating effect on his family and friends of Arthur Kenney's loss was prolonged when they were involved in a second murder trial that riveted the attention of the city and country.
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.
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