Beginning in the 1920s, an all-star team of goons, gunmen and garrotters transformed America's criminal landscape. Its membership was diverse; the mob recruited men from all ethnicities and religious backgrounds. Most were natives of the Big Apple, handpicked from the city's toughest neighborhoods: Brownsville, Ocean Hill, Flushing. So prolific were their exploits that the media soon dubbed this bevy of hired hands Murder, Incorporated. The brainchild of aging mob bosses, including Meyer Lansky and Bugsy Siegel, this ruthless hit squad quickly captured America's attention, making headlines coast to coast for over two decades. As for who these men were and how their partnership came to be, join author Graham Bell as he sheds light on this dark history of the Mafia's most notorious crime syndicate.

After losing his wife to cancer and suffering mental health problems, Jamie Rogers knew that things could be made better. Sharing stories of other bereaved fathers, interleaved with information regarding hospice help, this book is designed to dispel some of the myths surrounding hospice care.

"Monto Madam murders" In 1896, a Dublin court room was packed to capacity with crowds of people eager to hear the gruesome details of a horrific murder involving two sisters, both prostitutes that took place on the doorstep of a brothel in the Red-Light District of `The Monto'. This is the story of Nannie McLoughlin and Margaret Carroll, the author's great-grandmother, who were charged in the slaying of John McKenna, an innocent `Customer' who found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong people. In the opening chapters of this story, the author focuses on many examples of murder and mayhem on the streets of Dublin in the mid to late 1800's and shows how the Monto in particular was a `Powder-Keg' of violence where Madams, like Nannie McLoughlin ruled with fists of steel. And whatever became of Margaret Carroll's three young children, how did this murder affect their young lives? Two of her children spent more years in Reform Schools than she did in prison for her part in the murder of John McKenna. Finally, how did Prisoner B259, `Monto Madam' Nannie McLoughlin come to end her days in Toronto, Canada?

The journal of an Englishman's solo trip across Northern India Have you ever considered visiting the Taj Mahal or exploring the pink city of Jaipur? Or maybe a trek to see a tiger in the wild is more to your taste? Join me on my adventures where I encounter colourful temples, tempting curries and eventful drives along some of the world's most dangerous roads.

Mike Pressler walked into the bottomfloor meeting room of the Murray Building and, as he had done hundreds of times over a sixteen-year career at Duke University, prepared to address his men's lacrosse team. Forty-six players sat in theater-style chairs, all eyes riveted forward.
It was 4:35 P.M. on Wednesday, April 5, 2006. The program's darkest hour had arrived in an unexpected and explosive announcement.
Pressler, a three-time ACC Coach of the Year, informed his team that its season was canceled and he had "resigned," effective immediately. While his words reverberated off the walls, hysteria erupted. Players cried, confused over a course of events that had spun wildly out of control. What began as an off-campus team party with two hired strippers had accelerated into a rape investigation -- one that exposed prosecutorial misconduct, shoddy police work, an administration's rush to judgment, and the media's disregard for the facts -- dividing both a prestigious university and the city of Durham.
Wiping away tears, Pressler demonstrated the steely resolve that helped him win more than two hundred games. For the next thirty minutes, Pressler put his personal situation aside and encouraged his players to stick together. He also made a bold promise: "One day, we will get a chance to tell the world the truth. One day."
This is that day.
Pressler, who has not done an interview since the saga began, has handed his private diary from those three weeks to New York Times bestselling author Don Yaeger, exposing vivid details, including the day Pressler was fired, when the coach asked Athletic Director Joe Alleva why the school "wasn't willing to wait for the truth" to come out. "It's not about the truth anymore," Alleva said to the coach in a signature moment that said it all. In addition to Pressler, Yaeger interviewed more than seventy-five key figures intimately involved in the case. The result is a tale that defies logic.
"It is tough to be one of fifty people who believed a story when fifty million people believed something else," Pressler said. "This wasn't about the truth to many of the others involved. My story is all about the truth."

Having skippered and delivered in excess of 750 Motor Cruisers over the past 40 years, totalling a distance equivalent to 29 times around the world, has provided me with a number of adventurous and sometimes hair-raising stories to tell. Thankfully, I have lived to tell the tales! "Homeward Bound" starts with daily notes of the author's last single-handed voyage from the south of France to the south coast of England. In between these notes he recalls some of his memorable adventures, which he tells in such a way that the reader could almost be there with him, often experiencing how quickly a difficult situation at sea can turn into a disastrous one. Although showing the serious side of sailing there is also a fair amount of humour in his writing. An enjoyable and entertaining read.

The extraordinary story of how a Derbyshire coal miner survived as an escaped POW in occupied Poland by posing as a deaf-mute for three years. A few years before Colin Marshall died in 1993 he wrote his story and gave it to his daughter Hazel. She knew he'd had an extraordinary life but she read things he had never talked about, and it seemed part of another world. Years later, after Hazel's mother Nancy died, Hazel found tucked away in a cupboard, unseen letters, postcards and photographs that her mother had saved from Colin's time in Poland during WWII. As a tribute to her dad and the Polish people who helped him, Hazel decided to turn it into a book. This true story takes the reader from Colin growing-up in a Derbyshire mining village in the 1920s: starting work at the local colliery, joining the Lincolnshire Regiment of the Royal Engineers, being called-up at the outbreak of war, captured at Dunkirk and escaping from a POW camp in Poland - to being befriended by a Polish family, in a village occupied by German soldiers. Unable at that time to speak Polish, he posed as a deaf-mute for three years to avoid capture. Any slip-up and Colin knew that his Polish friends would be shot. It is a story of courage and determination and of two Polish families who risked their lives in order to save others.

In the early 1990's Kristiane Backer was one of the very first presenters of MTV Europe. For some years she lived and breathed the international music scene, quickly gaining a cult following amongst viewers and becoming a darling of European press. As she reached the pinnacle of her success she realised that, despite having all she could have wished for, she was never truly satisfied. Something very important was missing. A fateful meeting with Pakistani cricket hero Imran Khan changed her life. He invited her to his country where she encountered a completely different world from the one she knew, the religion and culture of Islam. Instead of pop and rock stars she was meeting men and women whose lives were dominated by the love of God and who cared very little for the brief glories of this world. She began to read the Quaran and to study books about the Faith. A few years later, after travelling more widely in the Islamic world and knowing that she had discovered her spiritual path, she embraced Islam in a London mosque. And then her real adventures began.In this very personal memoir Kristiane Backer tells the story of her conversion and explains how faith, despite the many challenges she faced, has given her inner peace and the meaning she sought.

The extraordinary story of the Afghan women judges who fought for their careers and their lives, and the international network of women who helped them to escape the Taliban

Combining moment-by-moment drama with an emotional story of friendship and bravery, The Escape from Kabul is also a searing insight into the captive fate of women in Afghanistan.

The fact that so many were betrayed by the speed and disorganisation of British and American retreat on the fall of Kabul is well known. What is less well known is that a collection of women judges from around the world operated a successful rescue mission for the majority of female Afghan judges, and their families.

In the twenty years since 2001, Afghan women had obtained legal degrees, became judges and set out to transform their country - tackling corruption, and reducing horrifying levels of violence against women and children. These educated women of power were clear targets for the Taliban. But their friends – and sister judges – from the UK, Poland, USA and ANZ were not prepared to abandon them, using WhatsApp and sheer bloody-minded persistence, they found escape routes and new homes for family after family.

This is a heart stopping story of rescue; but also a moving account of ambition, public service and the difficulties of having to build a new life abroad. Veteran, best-selling journalist Karen Bartlett's compelling account also celebrates the capabilities and global power of united, working women and of the bond of a career spent in service to justice. Individuals who are often the last and only check to unbridled power, influence and violence.

Minnesota might not seem like an obvious place to look for traces of Ku Klux Klan parade grounds, but this northern state was once home to fifty-one chapters of the KKK. Elizabeth Hatle tracks down the history of the Klan in Minnesota, beginning with the racially charged atmosphere that produced the tragic 1920 Duluth lynchings. She measures the influence the organization wielded at the peak of its prominence within state politics and tenaciously follows the careers of the Klansmen who continued life in the public sphere after the Hooded Order lost its foothold in the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes.

From the forests of Inverness-shire to fashionable Park Lane, London, this is the fascinating story of a small group of individuals, whose lives intertwined across the social classes to develop one of today's most beloved breeds of dog - the Golden Retriever.Spanning more than seventy years, From Yellow to Golden is a social and family history of seven people whose contributions were pivotal in the development of the breed. It was their devotion that helped make the Golden Retriever so successful as a working dog and in the show ring. They have left a lasting legacy. It is a legacy that is enjoyed by tens of thousands of owners around the world today.Supporting Medical Detection Dogs

Christopher Berry-Dee, criminologist and bestselling author of books about the serial killers Aileen Wuornos and Joanne Dennehy, turns his uncompromising gaze upon women who not only kill, but kill repeatedly. Because female murderers, and especially serial murderers, are so rare compared with their male counterparts, this new study will surprise as well as shock, particularly in the cases of women like Beverley Allitt, who kill children, and Janie Lou Gibbs, who killed her three sons and a grandson, as well as her husband. Here too are women who kill under the influence of their male partners, such as Myra Hindley and Rosemary West, and whose lack of remorse for their actions is nothing short of chilling. But the author also turns his forensic gaze on female killers who were themselves victims, like Aileen Wuornos, whose killing spree, for which she was executed, can be traced directly to her treatment at the hands of men. Christopher Berry-Dee has no equal as the author of hard-hitting studies of the killers who often walk among us undetected for many years, and who in so many cases seem to be acting entirely against their natures.

'I read everything he writes. Every time he writes a book, I read it. Every time he writes an article, I read it . . . he's a national treasure.' Rachel Maddow Patrick Radden Keefe's work has garnered prizes ranging from the National Magazine Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award in the US to the Orwell Prize in the UK for his meticulously reported, hypnotically engaging work on the many ways people behave badly. Rogues brings together a dozen of his most celebrated articles from the New Yorker. As Keefe says in his preface: 'They reflect on some of my abiding preoccupations: crime and corruption, secrets and lies, the permeable membrane separating licit and illicit worlds, the bonds of family, the power of denial.' Keefe brilliantly explores the intricacies of forging $150,000 vintage wines, examines whether a whistleblower who dared to expose money laundering at a Swiss bank is a hero or a fabulist, spends time in Vietnam with Anthony Bourdain, chronicles the quest to bring down a cheerful international black-market arms merchant, and profiles a passionate death-penalty attorney who represents the 'worst of the worst', among other bravura works of literary journalism. The appearance of his byline in the New Yorker is always an event, and collected here for the first time readers can see his work forms an always enthralling but deeply human portrait of criminals and rascals, as well as those who stand up against them.

Eager Traveller was written for the grandchildren of the author in order that they should see how different life was fifty years ago. It is the story of a London child, dominated by a stern father, who spent much of her time in the company of loving relatives. On leaving school her father sent her into private service where she was the lowest of the low, and made to take orders from all and sundry. She enjoyed the travels of the great families and their families and their servants as they moved about the country following the huntin', shootin' and fishin' seasons. She married a farm worker and as there was little money she was unable to travel, so she became an "Armchair Traveller" until chance and someone's bad luck took her abroad for the first time at the age of forty-one. From then on travel came frequently and the greatest adventure came in 1971 when she took her family behind the Iron Curtain into Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. They found kind and happy people who, although they had known great sufferings, showed kindness to the "Engleski". A strong psychic thread runs through the story

'Reads like a mashup of The Godfather and Chinatown, complete with gun battles, a ruthless kingpin and a mountain of cash. Except that it's all true.' Time In this thrilling panorama of real-life events, the bestselling author of Empire of Pain investigates a secret world run by a surprising criminal: a charismatic middle-aged grandmother, who from a tiny noodle shop in New York's Chinatown, managed a multimillion-dollar business smuggling people. In The Snakehead, Patrick Radden Keefe reveals the inner workings of Cheng Chui Ping aka Sister Ping's complex empire and recounts the decade-long FBI investigation that eventually brought her down. He follows an often incompetent and sometimes corrupt INS as it pursues desperate immigrants risking everything to come to America, and along the way he paints a stunning portrait of a generation of undocumented immigrants and the intricate underground economy that sustains and exploits them. Grand in scope yet propulsive in narrative force, The Snakehead is both a kaleidoscopic crime story and a brilliant exploration of the ironies of immigration in America.

From the forests of Inverness-shire to fashionable Park Lane, London, this is the fascinating story of a small group of individuals, whose lives intertwined across the social classes to develop one of today's most beloved breeds of dog - the Golden Retriever.Spanning more than seventy years, From Yellow to Golden is a social and family history of seven people whose contributions were pivotal in the development of the breed. It was their devotion that helped make the Golden Retriever so successful as a working dog and in the show ring. They have left a lasting legacy. It is a legacy that is enjoyed by tens of thousands of owners around the world today.Supporting Medical Detection Dogs

This is the story of one man's dream, a vision. It is the story of an enterprise unparalleled in the history of The Church of Scotland. It is the story of commitment in the face of danger and dogged persistence in facing up to immense obstacles in Scotland and the shifting political scene in Palestine and Israel. It is the story of a depth of faith which leaves you questioning your own. The author was employed as a member of staff of The Church of Scotland firstly in Malawi and then in Israel from 1986 to 1993. He was later appointed the Church's Middle East Secretary and retired in 2010. The sacrifice of The Great War was marked by many memorials across the world. There is none more unique or poignant than the Scots Memorial Church of St Andrew's in Jerusalem. The Society of Friends of St Andrew's, Jerusalem, supports The Church of Scotland in its work of maintaining this vital resource and its ministry in this most Holy Land. Many of the Friends have military connections and all wish to ensure that the commitment and achievements of Scottish soldiers in the Middle East campaigns continue to be recognised and remembered. This wonderful book records the background to the vision for a Scots Memorial in Jerusalem, its creation and challenges. By purchasing a copy you are helping the Friends and The Church of Scotland to develop and adapt the original vision and continue their work and influence in the region. Major General Mark Strudwick, C.B.E. - President of the Society of the Friends of St Andrew's, Jerusalem.

Whatever happens in life, Rosemary Solomon has an amazing gift for finding God in there somewhere. Rosemary's Ramblings is a light-hearted look at the kind of everyday experiences that life throws at all of us. In this, her first book, she offers a collection of 45 Ramblings, each a short story in themselves. The book has appeal across the board. No previous knowledge of faith, God or the bible is required. Reverend Rosemary Solomon is a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the United Reformed Church. She shares her home and her life with her husband Jeff and greyhound Blackie (and God!).

With the outbreak of World War I, whilst thousands of men were being swallowed up in the patriotic surge of volunteering for the Army, large numbers of physically fit men were being rejected out of hand. These were those who were less than the mandatory height for acceptance, five feet three inches. Six young men from very different walks of life found that when they tried to volunteer, they were summarily rejected because they were not tall enough. All this would change in December, 1914 when "Bantam" units were raised in order to tap this otherwise wasted source of manpower. These six men who enlisted at the same time and recruiting office made a pact that if they could manage to do so, they would stay together as a group whilst they were in the Army. The narrative sees them through their training in the Yorkshire Dales and on Salisbury Plain thence to France in the winter of 1916 where they are introduced to the hardships of trench warfare in the flooded battlefields of French Flanders. Ultimately, they move to the Somme where their luck runs out. Having recovered from their wounds, two of the survivors take part in the mining operations at Messines Ridge, before moving on to Passchendaele and all its horrors. One of them is shipped back to England after more wounding. As a result of his experiences catching up with him, he will not return to active service in France. This story is based on facts, the service history of the author's father.