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Books > Fiction > True stories
In February 1983, civil servant Dennis Nilsen was arrested after body parts were found to be blocking drains at the house where he lived. As the squad car drove him away, he confessed he had strangled 15 young men. It wasn't just the crimes that stunned the police, but the way Nilsen talked. He spoke as if he loved the young men he killed. His words seemed bizarre. When newspapers carried stories of how the 37-year-old lured men back to his flat and why, the nation was shocked by his sheer evil. Yet some psychiatrists considered him a man of rare, complex, and extreme psychological problems. Moreover, they had never met a killer who seemed so keen to understand his own psyche. Whilst on remand in Brixton Prison, Nilsen filled 55 exercise books with thoughts. During his subsequent thirty years in prison he has continued to write, most notably on the first draft of a multi-volume autobiography. The Home Office has now banned it, calling the work pornographic and outrageous. Only one journalist has read the book. Using exclusive access to Nilsen's writing and extensive independent research, Russ Coffey explains what Nilsen says and how much of it we can believe. This is a shocking glimpse into the mind of a killer.
'Powerful, intelligent and vital - one of the year's must-reads' Hannah Nathanson, Features Director, ELLE Featuring contributions from Candice Carty-Williams, Jessica Horn, Ebele Okobi, Funmi Fetto and Freddie Harrel. In the vein of Roxane Gay's Bad Feminist, but wholly its own, Girl is a provocative, heartbreaking and frequently hilarious collection of original essays on what it means to be black, a woman, a mother and a global citizen in today's ever-changing world. Black women have never been more visible or more publicly celebrated. But for every new milestone, every magazine cover, every box office record smashed, the reality of everyday life remains a complex, nuanced, contradiction-laden experience. Award-winning journalist and American in London Kenya Hunt threads razor sharp cultural observation through evocative and relatable stories, both illuminating our current cultural moment and transcending it.
As Judge Robert Clive Jones enters the courtroom, plaintiff Frank Romano takes a deep breath. Finally, after all this time, his opportunity to seek justice has arrived. As Judge Jones bangs his gavel, a trial to determine the responsibility for the largest cheating scandal in Nevada Gaming History begins. Several years earlier, beneath the neon lights of Las Vegas, Romano became a partner in the American Coin Company. In the 1980s, as the company grew to be the third largest slot company in Nevada, Romano was content with his challenging and profitable work, despite regularly being at odds with his partners over the operating principles of the business. But in 1989, Romano's world changed forever when American Coin was seized and closed by the Gaming Control Board for rigging programs. In his gripping story of white collar crime, Frank shares the incredible details of his fall from grace and how he dedicated the rest of his life to recovering his monetary losses and professional reputation. "American Coin" provides an unforgettable glimpse behind closed doors of Nevada's biggest gaming scandal as one man embarks on a road to redemption lined with betrayal, deception, and murder.
In October 1991, three weather systems collided off the coast of Nova Scotia to create a storm of singular fury, boasting waves over one hundred feet high. Among its victims was the Gloucester, Massachusetts-based swordfishing boat the Andrea Gail, which vanished with all six crew members aboard. "Drifting down on swimmers is standard rescue procedure, but the seas are so violent that Buschor keeps getting flung out of reach. There are times when he's thirty feet higher than the men trying to rescue him. . . . [I]f the boat's not going to Buschor, Buschor's going to have to go to it. SWIM! they scream over the rail. SWIM! Buschor rips off his gloves and hood and starts swimming for his life." It was the storm of the century, boasting waves over one hundred feet high a tempest created by so rare a combination of factors that meteorologists deemed it "the perfect storm." When it struck in October 1991, there was virtually no warning. "She's comin' on, boys, and she's comin' on strong," radioed Captain Billy Tyne of the Andrea Gail off the coast of Nova Scotia, and soon afterward the boat and its crew of six disappeared without a trace. In a book taut with the fury of the elements, Sebastian Junger takes us deep into the heart of the storm, depicting with vivid detail the courage, terror, and awe that surface in such a gale. Junger illuminates a world of swordfishermen consumed by the dangerous but lucrative trade of offshore fishing, "a young man's game, a single man's game," and gives us a glimpse of their lives in the tough fishing port of Gloucester, Massachusetts; he recreates the last moments of the Andrea Gail crew and recounts the daring high-seas rescues that made heroes of some and victims of others; and he weaves together the history of the fishing industry, the science of storms, and the candid accounts of the people whose lives the storm touched, to produce a rich and informed narrative. The Perfect Storm is a real-life thriller that will leave readers with the taste of salt air on their tongues and a sense of terror of the deep.
SPECIAL COMMEMORATIVE COLLECTOR'S EDITION to mark the 800th anniversary of William Marshal's death. A 'Director's Cut' of Elizabeth Chadwick's bestselling and best-loved novel. 'An author who makes history come gloriously alive' The Times 'Stunning' Barbara Erskine ***Elizabeth's new novel TEMPLAR SILKS is OUT NOW in hardback, ebook and audio, and available to pre-order in paperback.*** ************************************ Normandy, 1167 A penniless young knight with few prospects, William Marshal is plucked from obscurity when he saves the life of Henry II's formidable queen, Eleanor of Aquitaine. In gratitude, she appoints him tutor to the heir to the throne. However, being a royal favourite brings its share of conflict and envy as well as fame and reward. William's influence over the volatile, fickle Prince Henry and his young wife is resented by less favoured courtiers who set about engineering his downfall. In a captivating blend of fact and fiction, Elizabeth Chadwick resurrects one of England's greatest forgotten heroes. Praise for Elizabeth Chadwick 'Enjoyable and sensuous' Daily Mail 'Stunning grasp of historical details... Her characters are beguiling and the story is intriguing and very enjoyable' Barbara Erskine 'Meticulous research and strong storytelling' Woman & Home 'A sumptuous ride' Daily Telegraph
'[A] pacy, frictionless read' Sunday Telegraph 'Cinematic. . . an entertaining and persuasive study of the royal family' Publisher's Weekly 'Patterson treats the princess as a person and tells the story from a mother's perspective' Kirkus ______________________________ Twenty-five years after her tragic death, James Patterson tells the heartbreaking true story of Princess Diana's life as a mother and a global icon. At the age of thirteen, she became Lady Diana Spencer. At twenty, Princess of Wales. At twenty-one, she earned her most important title: Mother. As she fell in love, first with Prince Charles and then with her sons, William and Harry, the world fell in love with the young royal family - Diana most of all. With one son destined to be King and one needing to find his own way, she taught them lessons about royal tradition and also real life. 'William and Harry will be properly prepared,' Diana once promised. 'I am making sure of this.' Even after her tragic death, the strength of her love for her sons remains an enduring inspiration, not only for the two princes, but for the entire world. ______________________________ Praise for James Patterson 'The master storyteller of our times' Hillary Rodham Clinton 'One of the greatest storytellers of all time' Patricia Cornwell 'Truly astonishing' Bob Woodward
Regina Calcaterra's emotionally honest and reflective memoir recounts how she and her four siblings survived an abusive and painful childhood, caring for one another while enduring a series of foster homes and intermittent homelessness - all in the shadows between Manhattan and the Hamptons. With beautiful writing and an authentic voice, In the Shadow of the Hamptons shares Regina's true life rags-to-riches story of how she rose above her past while fighting to keep her siblings together and protecting them from their mother's deranged outbursts. At the age of fourteen, Regina's journey changed dramatically when she chose to become legally emancipated. This difficult decision allowed her to finally escape from her mentally unbalanced mother and achieve real independence. Her commitment to improving herself through education - even putting herself through college - established her belief that the American Dream is still within reach for those who have the desire and the determination to succeed. In the Shadow of the Hamptons is also the story of how Regina found the family she had never known when she became involved in the groundbreaking legal case that established a young adult's right to know his or her biological heritage. Most of all, Regina's memoir is a story of tenacity. At a time when fewer than two percent of foster children achieve a college degree, she rose to become a partner in a high-powered law firm through a steadfast commitment to hard work and sheer bare-knuckled will. Today she has come full circle, now serving the Long Island community where she grew up as Chief Deputy County Executive to Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone.
How a series of violent Amish-on-Amish attacks shattered the peace of a peace-loving people and led to a new interpretation of the federal hate crime law. 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. 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.
There are other manifestations of greatness than to relieve suffering or to wreck an empire. Julius Caesar and John Howard are not the only heroes who have smiled upon the world. In the supreme adaptation of means to an end there is a constant nobility, for neither ambition nor virtue is the essential of a perfect action. How shall you contemplate with indifference the career of an artist whom genius or good guidance has compelled to exercise his peculiar skill, to indulge his finer aptitudes? A masterly theft rises in its claim to respect high above the reprobation of the moralist. The scoundrel, when once justice is quit of him, has a right to be appraised by his actions, not by their effect; and he dies secure in the knowledge that he is commonly more distinguished, if he be less loved, than his virtuous contemporaries. While murder is wellnigh as old as life, property and the pocket invented theft, late-born among the arts. It was not until avarice had devised many a cunning trick for the protection of wealth, until civilisation had multiplied the forms of portable property, that thieving became a liberal and an elegant profession. True, in pastoral society, the lawless man was eager to lift cattle, to break down the barrier between robbery and warfare. But the contrast is as sharp between the savagery of the ancient reiver and the polished performance of Captain Hind as between the daub of the pavement and the perfection of Velasquez.
________________________________________ The bestselling true story and inspiration behind the hit Netflix show of how one underfunded FBI team became the first to explore the dark world of serial murderers. John Douglas is a former FBI Special Agent and expert in criminal profiling and behavioural science. He made a career of looking evil in the eye - and understanding it. No wonder that he was the inspiration for Special Agent Jack Crawford in The Silence of the Lambs, as well as the film's consultant on the reality of serial killers. Douglas invented and established the practice of criminal profiling, and submerged himself in the world of serial killers in a quest to understand why they killed, and to help prevent more innocent lives from being ended by future killers. As his serial crime unit developed from a derided two-bit operation in a dingy officer to one of the FBI's elite task forces, Douglas personally confronted the most terrible crimes of the age, including those of Jeffrey Dahmer, Charles Manson, Ted Bundy and the Atlanta child murderer. With the fierce page-turning power of a bestselling novel, yet terrifyingly true, Mindhunter is a true crime classic. ________________________________________ 'John Douglas knows more about serial killers than anybody in the world' - Jonathan Demme, director of The Silence of the Lambs 'A cracker of a book' - Esquire
Serial Killers and the Phenomenon of Serial Murder examines and analyses some of the best known (as well as lesser) cases from English criminal history, ancient and modern. It looks at the lifestyles, backgrounds and activities of those who become serial killers and identifies clear categories of individuals into which most serial killers fall.Led by Professor David Wilson the authors are all experts and teachers concerning the ever-intriguing subject of serial killing: why, when and how it happens and whether it can be predicted. Taking some of the leading cases from English law and abroad they demonstrate the patterns that emerge in the lives and backgrounds of those who kill a number of times over a period. The book is designed for those studying the topic at advanced level, whether as an academic discipline on one of the many courses now run by universities and colleges or as a private quest for understanding. It contains notes on key terms and explanations of topics such as co-activation, Munchausen syndrome, cooling-off period, psychopathy checklist, social construction, case linkage, family annihilation, activity space, rational choice theory, medicalisation and rendezvous discipline. As the first textbook of its kind it will be an invaluable resource for teachers and students of serious crime.
An expose of organised crime and its unholy alliance with world leaders, intelligence agencies, and law enforcement, Double Deal is a 40-year saga told with unflinching honesty by mob insider and former Chicago chief of police Michael Corbitt. Growing up poor and angry, Michael Corbitt fought his way up the ranks of greasers and street gangs until he attracted the attention of Chicago crime boss Sam Giancana, who placed him on the Willow Springs, Illinois, police force. By the time Corbitt was appointed chief of police, he'd also moved up the Outfit's ranks and was living the high life of a respected mobster. Corbitt's luck turned when he was indicted on charges of racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder. Although there was a mob contract on his life and he was facing a 20-year jail sentence, he refused to testify against organised crime figures under the witness protection programme, maintaining instead the Mafioso's code of silence - until his release from prison. Now Corbitt breaks that silence, holding back nothing-including the account of his personal involvement in the brutal murder of the wife of Chicago mob attorney Alan Masters. Corbitt bares his soul, confessing in graphic - sometimes horrific - detail a life lived as both saint and sinner, a life that moved back and forth between the conflicting worlds of the police officer and the gangster with ease.
Hells Angels turned 50 in 1998. It is now a sophisticated, technology proficient and aggressive supplier of illegal drugs. In order to expand its control, the Hells Angels must eradicate rival biker gangs. Yves Lavigne, known for his investigative journalism and inside knowledge of the Angels, is triggering a wake-up call for law enforcement agencies everywhere to understand the menace that is currently ripping apart Quebec, Scandinavia and South America in its ascendancy to become drug lords to the world..
WINNER OF THE GOOD READS BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2018 THE NEW YORK TIMES #1 BESTSELLER SHORTLISTED FOR THE GORDON BURN PRIZE 2018 The masterful true crime account of the Golden State Killer - the serial rapist turned murderer who terrorised California for over a decade - from the late Michelle McNamara. I'll Be Gone in the Dark offers a unique snapshot of suburban West Coast America in the 1980s, and a chilling account of the wreckage left behind by a criminal mastermind. It is also a portrait of one woman's obsession and her unflagging pursuit of the truth, three decades later, in spite of the personal cost. Updated with material which takes in the extraordinary events that followed its initial publication, Michelle McNamara's first and last book is a contemporary classic - humane, haunting and heroic.
**Longlisted for the ALCS Gold Non-Fiction Dagger** **Longlisted for the Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize 2022** 'Haunting ... lingers in the mind long after the final page is turned' Sunday Times 'A compelling whodunnit ... Devastating' Financial Times 'Transfixing' New York Times 'A powerful, unflinching account of misogyny, female shame and the notion of honour' Observer ___________________ A masterly and agenda-setting inquest into how the deaths of two teenage girls shone a light into the darkest corners of a nation Katra Sadatganj. A tiny village in western Uttar Pradesh. A community bounded by tradition and custom; where young women are watched closely, and know what is expected of them. It was an ordinary night when two girls, Padma and Lalli, went missing. The next day, their bodies were found - hanging in the orchard, their clothes muddied. In the ensuing months, the investigation into their deaths would implode everything that their small community held to be true, and instigated a national conversation about sex, honour and violence. The Good Girls returns to the scene of Padma and Lalli's short lives and shocking deaths, daring to ask: what is the human cost of shame?
The incredible story of Gyles Mackrell and his Burmese, elephant-assisted wartime rescue mission. In the summer of 1942, Gyles Mackrell a decorated First World War pilot and tea plantation overseer, performed a series of heroic rescues in the hellish jungles of Japanese-occupied Burma with the aid of twenty elephants. At the age of 53, Mackrell went into the green hell of the Chaukan Pass on the border of North Burma and Assam. Here, Mackrell and a team of elephant riders rescued Indian army soldiers, British civilians and their Indian servants, from the pursuing Japanese, directing the elephants through raging rivers, and territory infested with sand flies, mosquitoes and innumerable leeches. Those he saved were all on the point of death from starvation or fever: that summer was spent in a fight against time. Now in Andrew Martin s hands this tale of heroics is given the shape of a suspenseful adventure, a wartime rescue whose facts are the stuff of fiction. Flight By Elephant is a gripping chronicle of war and survival, starring everyone s favourite animal the powerful, exotic and hugely loveable elephant."
War and Enlightenment in Russia explores how members of the military during the reign of Catherine II reconciled Enlightenment ideas about the equality and moral worth of all humans with the Russian reality based on serfdom, a world governed by autocracy, absolute respect for authority, and subordination to seniority. While there is a sizable literature about the impact of the Enlightenment on government, economy, manners, and literature in Russia, no analytical framework that outlines its impact on the military exists. Eugene Miakinkov's research addresses this gap and challenges the assumption that the military was an unadaptable and vertical institution. Using archival sources, military manuals, essays, memoirs, and letters, the author demonstrates how the Russian militaires philosophes operationalized the Enlightenment by turning thought into reality.
THE "NEW YORK TIMES" BESTSELLER "Chasing Daylight" is the honest, touching, and ultimately inspirational memoir of former KPMG CEO Eugene O'Kelley, completed in the three-and-a-half months between his diagnosis with brain cancer and his death in September 2005. Its haunting yet extraordinarily hopeful voice reminds us to embrace the fragile, fleeting moments of our lives-the brief time we have with our family, our friends, and even ourselves. This paperback edition features a new foreword by his wife, Corinne O'Kelley and a readers' group guide and questions. "Voicing universal truths . . . shared . . . simply and clearly."-Janet Malin, "New York Times" "Words to live by."-Kerry Hannon, "USA Today" "One of the most unexpected and touching books you're likely to read this year."-Edward Nawotka, "Bloomberg News" "An honest, thought-provoking memoir . . . O'Kelly has many lessons to teach us on how to live."-Steve Powers, "Houston Chronicle" " A] well-written and moving book."-TheEconomist.com
Forget Breaking Bad, this is the extraordinary story of the 1970s Welsh LSD ring that supplied the world, told by a cop in deepest cover on the case. Life undercover was one great adrenaline rush fuelled by copious amounts of alcohol, hash, weed and some cocaine. I was off the leash. In the mid-1970s, at the age of 29, Stephen Bentley, a fresh-faced detective, turned himself into Steve Jackson, a dope-smoking, hard-drinking hippie. His time spent undercover with a gang making and distributing LSD helped bring down two criminal networks - but the operation also led to deep personal aftershocks felt long after the case closed. As we get up-close-and-personal with the people who were the operators of the drug supply chain that fuelled 70s counter-culture, the story becomes laden with heavy drug-taking, blurred lines between cop, criminal and friend, and creeping doubts about who Steve really is. Taking us into the unlikely setting of the rural Welsh valleys and infiltrating the gang that was responsible for about 90% of the LSD production in the UK, Steve Bentley's insider account shows what it really takes to go undercover - to befriend, to betray and to bury your sense of self. Now in development as an 8-part TV series.
The bestselling author and true crime master Ann Rule presents her fifteenth volume of the acclaimed Crime Files series focusing on disturbing stories of people in danger,. Walking home on a dark night, you hear footsteps coming up behind you. As they get closer, your heart pounds harder. Is it a dangerous stranger or someone you know and trust? The answer is as simple as turning around, but don't look behind you...run. With her signature in-depth research and compelling writing, Ann Rule chronicles fateful encounters with the secret predators hiding in plain sight. First in line is a stunning case that spanned thirty years and took one determined detective to four states-ending, finally, in Alaska-where he unraveled not one but two murders. A second case appears to begin and end with the hunt for the Green River Killer, focusing on a Washington State man who was once cleared as a suspect in that deadly chain of homicides. In another true story, a petite woman went to a tavern, looking only for conversation and fun. Instead, she met violent death in the form of a seven-foot tall man who had seemed shy and harmless. You'll feel a chill as you uncover these and numerous other cases of unfortunate victims who made one tragic mistake: trusting the wrong person-even someone they thought they knew.
'FRANK, FILTHY and FEROCIOUSLY FUNNY' Sunday Mirror 'I loved every HONEST and HILARIOUS second!' Carrie Hope Fletcher 'Made me CACKLE OUT LOUD on every single page' Daisy Buchanan Lush (adj.) Very rich and providing great sensory pleasure (Oxford English Dictionary) (n.) A habitual drunkard (Oxford English Dictionary) Gabby and Emma have been best friends since primary school in Wales. Emma has a stable job, a nice home and has just got engaged. Gabby has had a succession of disastrous one-night stands and awful jobs since drama school . . . and she has just been diagnosed with scurvy. She has one year until the wedding to pull herself together and prove to her friends and family that she can be a proper grown-up. Described by Caitlin Moran as 'filthy, immoral and incredibly funny', Gabrielle Fernie's blog, loveisa4letterturd.com, catalogued her life as a struggling actress with a taste for gin. Here, in her first book, she shares her most raucous stories with eye-watering honesty. It is a laugh-out-loud account of a young woman trying to find her place in the world. Readers love Lush: 'Best book I have read for a very long time! Absolutely hilarious!' 'Thanks for making me laugh out loud on the tube like a weirdo and for making me miss my stop more than once' 'Moments of true absurdity partnered with genuinely touching stories of friendship in your twenties makes for an excellent read' 'I would recommend this book to anyone who's ever doubted themselves; as a little reminder that no matter how ridiculous your life seems to have become, Gabrielle Fernie's has always been hilariously and irrevocably far, far worse'
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