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Indefensible: The Missing Truth about Steven Avery, Teresa Halbach, and Making a Murderer
By Michael Griesbach. 2016
An insider exposes the shocking facts left out of the hit Netflix series Making a Murderer—proving that Avery was guilty…
of murder—in this true crime book.After serving eighteen years for a crime he didn't commit, Steven Avery was freed—and filed a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against Manitowoc County, Wisconsin. But before the suit could be settled, Avery was arrested again—this time for the murder of Teresa Halbach. In that now-famous trial, he was convicted once more.When Making a Murderer became a runaway hit, prosecutor Michael Griesbach was targeted on social media—and plagued by doubt. Now he re-examines all the evidence, offering the most complete account of the case available. Griesbach reviews allegations of tampering and planted evidence, the confession by Avery's nephew, and statements by his former girlfriend. He also examines previously sealed documents deemed inadmissible at the trial—as well as a plausible alternate suspect.Through it all, Griesbach shows how the filmmakers' agenda, the accused man's dramatic backstory, and sensational media coverage have clouded the truth about Steven Avery.Includes sixteen pages of photosPrison Life Writing is the first full-length study of one of the most controversial genres in American literature. By exploring…
the complicated relationship between life writing and institutional power, this book reveals the overlooked aesthetic innovations of incarcerated people and the surprising literary roots of the U.S. prison system.U.S. Marshals: Inside America's Most Storied Law Enforcement Agency
By Mike Earp, David Fisher. 2011
Deputy U.S. Marshal: How often did you draw your gun?Retiring FBI Agent: Never. You?Deputy U.S. Marshal: Seven times before lunch.123,006…
FugitivesThat's how many wanted men and women, each with an average of four felony convictions to his or her name, the U.S. Marshals Service tracked down and arrested in 2012. Of that number, 3,962 were charged with murder, most were violent career criminals, and all were on the run from the authorities. If you are a fugitive in America, your worst nightmare is a deputy U.S. marshal on your trail: each year the Marshals Service takes more criminals off the streets than every other federal law enforcement agency—combined.From Mike Earp, the former associate director of operations for the Marshals Service, and New York Times bestselling author David Fisher, this book tells the thrilling inside story of today's U.S. marshals in their own words. Based on interviews with more than fifty current and former deputies, as well as Earp's personal case notes, here are the greatest cases, hairiest arrests, and most unforgettable moments, all revealed for the first time. Here also is a history of how the marshals of legend have evolved into the country's frontline law enforcement agency, charged with apprehending the most notorious and dangerous suspects. The U.S. Marshals Service is America's oldest law enforcement agency, established in 1789 by George Washington, who called for "the selection of the fittest characters to expound the law and dispense justice." It has had a long and colorful history, famously interwoven into the mythology of the Wild West, with notable real-life marshals like Wyatt Earp and Bass Reeves and legendary fictional characters like Matt Dillon, Elmore Leonard's Raylan Givens, and Rooster Cogburn, played by John Wayne in the 1969 film True Grit.However, what few people realize is that in the past three decades the marshals have been at the heart of a transformation of the entire structure of law enforcement in America. The Marshals Service has become the most effective U.S. law enforcement agency, responsible for tracking down the nation's most wanted fugitives. Organized under the Department of Justice, the marshals serve as the apprehension arm for most federal agencies, including the FBI and the DEA, and across the nation U.S. Marshals regional task forces aid state and local law enforcement authorities to catch the most dangerous fugitives. All told, the Marshals Service processes more than 150,000 warrants each year, and deputies make an average of 337 arrests per day. They are also charged with transporting federal prisoners, protecting judges, and operating the Witness Security Program.This is the untold story of the new U.S. Marshals Service, as seen through the eyes of the men and women who were pivotal in solving many of the most high-profile and dangerous cases in recent history.Hitler's Hangman: The Life of Heydrich
By Robert Gerwarth. 2011
A chilling biography of the head of Nazi Germany&’s terror apparatus, a key player in the Third Reich whose full…
story has never before been told. Reinhard Heydrich is widely recognized as one of the great iconic villains of the twentieth century, an appalling figure even within the context of the Nazi leadership. Chief of the Nazi Criminal Police, the SS Security Service, and the Gestapo, ruthless overlord of Nazi-occupied Bohemia and Moravia, and leading planner of the "Final Solution," Heydrich played a central role in Hitler's Germany. He shouldered a major share of responsibility for some of the worst Nazi atrocities, and up to his assassination in Prague in 1942, he was widely seen as one of the most dangerous men in Nazi Germany. Yet Heydrich has received remarkably modest attention in the extensive literature of the Third Reich. Robert Gerwarth weaves together little-known stories of Heydrich's private life with his deeds as head of the Nazi Reich Security Main Office. Fully exploring Heydrich's progression from a privileged middle-class youth to a rapacious mass murderer, Gerwarth sheds new light on the complexity of Heydrich's adult character, his motivations, the incremental steps that led to unimaginable atrocities, and the consequences of his murderous efforts toward re-creating the entire ethnic makeup of Europe. &“This admirable biography makes plausible what actually happened and makes human what we might prefer to dismiss as monstrous.&”—Timothy Snyder, Wall Street Journal &“[A] probing biography…. Gerwarth&’s fine study shows in chilling detail how genocide emerged from the practicalities of implementing a demented belief system.&”—Publishers Weekly &“A thoroughly documented, scholarly, and eminently readable account of this mass murderer.&”—The New RepublicJohn Brown's Spy: The Adventurous Life and Tragic Confession of John E. Cook
By Steven Lubet. 2012
A &“compulsively readable&” account of the fugitive who betrayed John Brown after the bloody abolitionist raid on Harper&’s Ferry (Booklist,…
starred review).John Brown&’s Spy tells the nearly unknown story of John E. Cook, the person John Brown trusted most with the details of his plans to capture the Harper&’s Ferry armory in 1859. Cook was a poet, a marksman, a boaster, a dandy, a fighter, and a womanizer—as well as a spy. In a life of only thirty years, he studied law in Connecticut, fought border ruffians in Kansas, served as an abolitionist mole in Virginia, took white hostages during the Harper&’s Ferry raid, and almost escaped to freedom. For ten days after the infamous raid, he was the most hunted man in America with a staggering one-thousand dollar bounty on his head.Tracking down the unexplored circumstances of John Cook&’s life and disastrous end, Steven Lubet is the first to uncover the full extent of Cook&’s contributions to Brown&’s scheme. Without Cook&’s participation, the author contends, Brown might never have been able to launch the insurrection that foreshadowed the Civil War. Had Cook remained true to the cause, history would have remembered him as a hero. Instead, when Cook was captured and brought to trial, he betrayed John Brown and named fellow abolitionists in a full confession that earned him a place in history&’s tragic pantheon of disgraced turncoats.&“Lubet is especially effective at capturing the courtroom drama . . . A crisply told tale fleshing out one of American history&’s more intriguing footnotes.&” —Kirkus Reviews&“Take[s] readers on a ride through the frantic days surrounding Brown&’s raid that will make them &‘feel&’ the moment as much as understand it.&” —Library Journal (starred review)Turncoat: Benedict Arnold and the Crisis of American Liberty
By Stephen Brumwell. 2018
A historian examines how a once-ardent hero of the American Revolutionary cause became its most dishonored traitor. General Benedict Arnold&’s…
failed attempt to betray the fortress of West Point to the British in 1780 stands as one of the most infamous episodes in American history. In the light of a shining record of bravery and unquestioned commitment to the Revolution, Arnold&’s defection came as an appalling shock. Contemporaries believed he had been corrupted by greed; historians have theorized that he had come to resent the lack of recognition for his merits and sacrifices. In this provocative book Stephen Brumwell challenges such interpretations and draws on unexplored archives to reveal other crucial factors that illuminate Arnold&’s abandonment of the revolutionary cause he once championed. This work traces Arnold&’s journey from enthusiastic support of American independence to his spectacularly traitorous acts and narrow escape. Brumwell&’s research leads to an unexpected conclusion: Arnold&’s mystifying betrayal was driven by a staunch conviction that America&’s best interests would be served by halting the bloodshed and reuniting the fractured British Empire. &“Gripping… In a time when charges of treason and disloyalty intrude into our daily politics, Turncoat is essential reading.&”—R. R. B. Bernstein, City College of New York &“The most balanced and insightful assessment of Benedict Arnold to date. Utilizing fresh manuscript sources, Brumwell reasserts the crucial importance of human agency in history.&”—Edward G. Lengel, author of General George Washington &“An incisive study of the war and the very meaning of the American Revolution itself…. The defining portrait of Arnold for the twenty-first century.&”—Francis D. Cogliano, author of Revolutionary AmericaGeronimo (The Lamar Series in Western History)
By Robert M. Utley. 2012
This &“meticulous and finely researched&” biography tracks the Apache raider&’s life from infamous renegade to permanent prisoner of war (Publishers…
Weekly). Notorious for his ferocity in battle and uncanny ability to elude capture, the Apache fighter Geronimo became a legend in his own time and remains an iconic figure of the nineteenth century American West. In Geronimo, renowned historian Robert M. Utley digs beneath the myths and rumors to produce an authentic and thoroughly researched portrait of the man whose unique talents and human shortcomings swept him into the fierce storms of history. Utley draws on an array of newly available sources, including firsthand accounts and military reports, as well as his geographical expertise and deep knowledge of the conflicts between whites and Native Americans. This highly accurate and vivid narrative unfolds through the alternating perspectives of whites and Apaches, arriving at a more nuanced understanding of Geronimo&’s character and motivation than ever before. What was it like to be an Apache fighter-in-training? Why was Geronimo feared by whites and Apaches alike? Why did he finally surrender after remaining free for so long? The answers to these and many other questions fill the pages of this authoritative volume.Alcatraz Ghost Story: Roy Gardner's Amazing Train Robberies, Escapes, and Lifelong Love
By Brian Stannard. 2024
The Incredible True Story of the Most Hunted Man in Pacific Coast History––and the Woman He Loved Before the 1920s…
found their roar, a charismatic gambling addict named Roy Gardner dominated news headlines with daring train robberies and escapes from incarceration. Nicknamed "the Smiling Bandit," Gardner spilled no blood––except his own––as he cut a felonious path across the western United States, as the country hobbled through a recession in the aftermath of the First World War. Once imprisoned for the long term in federal prisons, including Alcatraz, the most notorious prison's second-most-notorious inmate won over some unlikely champions. Both Gardner's wife, Dollie, and a police officer who once arrested him launched extensive campaigns for Gardner's release on the vaudeville circuit, claiming a brain operation would cure his lawless ways. Was Gardner a good man who made bad decisions as the victim of injury and circumstance? Or was his charming personality merely the poker face of a scoundrel? Richly researched, drawing on contemporary newspaper accounts, Alcatraz Ghost Story explores the life of Roy Gardner in the context of his great love story and the larger backdrop of drug addiction, incarceration, and the racial and labor violence of the 1920s and 1930s.**Longlisted for the Brooklyn Public Library Book Prize in Nonfiction (2023)** **An Amazon EDITOR'S PICK for BEST BOOKS OF 2023…
SO FAR in BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR and HISTORY** **An Amazon EDITOR'S PICK for BEST BOOKS OF THE MONTH (March 2023)** **A Bookshop.Org EDITOR'S PICK (March 2023)** &“This is the story of one of the boldest women in American history: self-made millionaire, a celebrity in her era, a woman beloved by her patients and despised by the men who wanted to control them.&” An industrious immigrant who built her business from the ground up, Madame Restell was a self-taught surgeon on the cutting edge of healthcare in pre-Gilded Age New York, and her bustling &“boarding house&” provided birth control, abortions, and medical assistance to thousands of women—rich and poor alike. As her practice expanded, her notoriety swelled, and Restell established her-self as a prime target for tabloids, threats, and lawsuits galore. But far from fading into the background, she defiantly flaunted her wealth, parading across the city in designer clothes, expensive jewelry, and bejeweled carriages, rubbing her success in the faces of the many politicians, publishers, fellow physicians, and religious figures determined to bring her down. Unfortunately for Madame Restell, her rise to the top of her field coincided with &“the greatest scam you&’ve never heard about&”—the campaign to curtail women&’s power by restricting their access to both healthcare and careers of their own. Powerful, secular men—threatened by women&’s burgeoning independence—were eager to declare abortion sinful, a position endorsed by newly-minted male MDs who longed to edge out their feminine competition and turn medicine into a standardized, male-only practice. By unraveling the misogynistic and misleading lies that put women&’s lives in jeopardy, Wright simultaneously restores Restell to her rightful place in history and obliterates the faulty reasoning underlying the very foundation of what has since been dubbed the &“pro-life&” movement. Thought-provoking, character-driven, boldly written, and feminist as hell, Madame Restell is required reading for anyone and everyone who believes that when it comes to women&’s rights, women&’s bodies, and women&’s history, women should have the last word.Victorian Convicts: 100 Criminal Lives
By Helen Johnston, Barry Godfrey, David J. Cox. 2016
&“An interesting introduction to Victorian crimes, the people who committed them, and how effective rehabilitation may have been.&” —Ripperologist Magazine…
What was life like in the Victorian underworld—who were the criminals, what crimes did they commit, how did they come to a criminal career, and what happened to them after they were released from prison? Victorian Convicts, by telling the stories of a hundred criminal men and women, gives the reader an insight into their families and social background, the conditions in which they lived, their relationships and working lives, and their offences. They reveal how these individuals were treated by the justice and penal system of 150 years ago, and how they were regarded by the wider world around them. Such a rare and authentic insight into life in and out of prison will be fascinating reading for anyone who is interested in the history of crime and criminals, in legal and prison history and in British society in the nineteenth century. &“A fascinating, informative and educational read providing the history of these one hundred individuals who lived so long ago but who can teach us today the practices of the Victorian penal system and the struggles of the era.&” —Crime Traveller &“It is intriguing and very readable opening a window into lives of so many unfortunates. If you have an interest in police history this work, particularly details of numerous convictions and what followed after the court case was concluded, will be of interest.&” —Surrey Constabulary History JournalThe Last Vermeer: Unvarnishing the Legend of Master Forger Han van Meegeren
By Jonathan Lopez. 2008
“A grand yarn of twisty deceit, involving prestigious dupes and scads of money, with a sensational trial at the finish.”…
—The New YorkerIt’s a story that made Dutch painter Han van Meegeren world-famous when it broke at the end of World War II: A lifetime of disappointment drove him to forge Vermeers, one of which he sold to Hermann Goering in mockery of the Nazis. And it’s a story that’s been believed ever since. Too bad it isn't true.Jonathan Lopez has drawn on never-before-seen documents from dozens of archives for this long-overdue unvarnishing of Van Meegeren’s legend. Neither unappreciated artist nor antifascist hero, Van Meegeren emerges as an ingenious, dyed-in-the-wool crook. Lopez explores a network of illicit commerce that operated across Europe: Not only was Van Meegeren a key player in that high-stakes game in the 1920s and ’30s, landing fakes with famous collectors such as Andrew Mellon, but he and his associates later cashed in on the Nazi occupation.Nominated for an Edgar Award and made into a film starring Guy Pearce, The Last Vermeer is a revelatory biography of the world’s most famous forger—a talented Mr. Ripley armed with a paintbrush—and a deliciously detailed story of deceit in the art world.Includes photographs“His pioneering research on van Meegeren’s early life gives us further insight into what motivates deception, a subject that will never cease to fascinate as long as art is bought and sold.” —ARTNews“Brings hard light to van Meegeren’s machinations and (very bad) character.” —The New Yorker“Fascinating . . . Lopez’s writing is witty, crisp and vigorous, his research scrupulous and his pacing dynamic.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)“A terrific read.” —Houston Chronicle“It’s hard to imagine improving on Lopez’s gem of a tale.” —Los Angeles TimesPreviously published as The Man Who Made VermeersTalking with Serial Killers: The World's Most Evil Killers Tell Their Stories (Talking with Serial Killers)
By Christopher Berry-Dee. 2023
A deep dive into the murders and minds of John Wayne Gacy, Kenneth Bianchi, William Heirens, John Cannan, and Patricia…
Wright from the bestselling author.In Talking with Serial Killers: World’s Most Evil, bestselling author and criminologist Christopher Berry-Dee delves deeper into the gloomy underworld of killers and their crimes. He examines, with shocking detail and clarity, the lives and lies of people who have killed and shines a light on the motives behind their horrific crimes. Through interviews with the killers, the police, and key members of the prosecution, alongside careful analysis of the cases themselves, the reader is given unprecedented insight into the most diabolical minds that humanity has to offer. Extending from lonesome outsiders to upstanding members of the community, Talking with Serial Killers: World’s Most Evil shows that the world’s most monstrous killers may be far closer than you think.The Hate Next Door: Undercover within the New Face of White Supremacy
By Matson Browning. 2023
The changing face of hate is on your doorstep…Matt Browning, an undercover detective in Arizona, thought he knew what hate…
looked like; that is, until he got a front row seat to White supremacy. What followed was a career of hardship and danger, and what he uncovered can no longer go left untold.For more than twenty-five years, Browning has been infiltrating, documenting, and disrupting white supremacy movements from the inside, gaining an intimate vantage point to the KKK, skinheads, border militias, Proud Boys, and other White Power groups, as they organized and grew, their ranks alarmingly including police force and military veterans. Together with his intrepid wife, Tawni, he adopted fake IDs and ideologies, seeking the arrest of its participants—none more so than J.T. Ready, a neo-Nazi who took "hunting trips" for border migrants while gaining mainstream acceptance as a political candidate—and terrorizing Browning's family. What others dismissed as fringe groups, Browning quickly recognized as large and interconnecting organizations permeating into every facet of American society, effectively spreading their dangerous and repugnant rhetoric at unprecedented speeds. Today, after the violent storming of the Capitol on January 6th, the threat posed by these toxic organizations can no longer be ignored by the public at large.In this imperative and gripping narrative, Browning gives readers the inside story of modern-day White supremacy in America in all of its ugly variation. Following his dramatic, high-stakes attempts to take down powerful White supremacists, the torment he faced whilst working undercover, and his eventual creation of the international Skinhead Intelligence Network, The Hate Next Door is a riveting, enlightening, and essential look at the what, where, when, and why of white supremacist groups, how to identify them, and why we must all do everything in our power to fight against them.Born to lose: Stanley B. Hoss and the crime spree that gripped a nation (True crime history series)
By James G Hollock. 2011
Stanley Barton Hoss was a burglar, thief, and local thug from the Pittsburgh area who began his career of crime…
at the age of fourteen. In 1969, he became a rapist, prison escapee, murderer, and kidnapper. Placed on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted List, Hoss was the subject of an intense nationwide manhunt. His final homicide occurred in prison and got him transferred to an isolation facility where in 1978 he committed suicide. 2011. Adult. Some strong language. Some violencePoetic justice: a memoir
By Byron Jerald Johnson. 2012
In this engaging memoir, former Idaho Supreme Court Justice Byron Johnson reveals a story of life in Idaho politics, law,…
and literature, taking us from his Boise High School graduation in 1955 to Harvard, the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention, a run for the U.S. Senate, raising a family during the eruptive 1960s and 70s, his appointment to the Idaho Supreme Court in 1988, an unsuccessful climb up Mt. McKinley, a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, and ultimately his devotion to poetry to explore more deeply the human truth of a time, a place, and a life. Originally penned for his family alone to read, Poetic Justice is for anyone interested in contemporary history and a memorable era of Idaho politics to which many look back upon nostalgically. Written with great candor and clarity, Johnson weaves a tale of larger-than-life figures on the local and national stage, offering a unique addition to the canon of memoirs, biographies and stories of 20th century Idaho. AdultWhen outlaws wore badges
By Melody Groves. 2021
When Outlaws Wore Badges explores the world of outlaw and lawman wrapped into one person. At tiimes the badge speaks,…
other times--the gun. Living in the Old West was not easy. Often, law and justice were left behind in the east, when men migrated to the open lands of the West. Some men took advantage of fluid regulations while others found themselves helping to invent and enforce law and order. A few men did both. AdultThe Krays' London: A History and Guide
By Caroline Allen. 2019
A true crime travel guide to the haunts and hangouts of the most notorious gangsters of London&’s East End. …
There are many conflicting stories about who Ronnie and Reggie Kray were. Films depicting their lives have made the public vilify them, adore them and even admire them. This guidebook will dig a little deeper into the places they spent their time. Many of the places are renowned as the stomping grounds of the devious duo, but there are one or two exclusives that are not yet covered anywhere else, including the untold story of their lifelong hairdresser. Chapter by chapter, a map of their lives will reveal itself, making this the perfect read for anybody around the world interested in London&’s gangster scene. &“I remember going home from a cinema visit to London in the early 1960s with police sirens all over the place as we went through the East End. I remember the newspaper reports of the time, and wondering how the police could allow such people to control the East End to such an extent, and to apparently countenance the horrors this evil gang inflicted on their own and their enemies. It was a horrendous time to be alive in the East End of London, and Caroline&’s superb book brings it all back to life.&” —Books MonthlyBrooke at the Bar: Inside Our Legal System (Timberline Books)
By Brooke Wunnicke. 2023
Brooke at the Bar is a candid, lively, and sometimes humorous autobiography by Brooke Wunnicke, the first woman to be…
a trial and appellate attorney in Wyoming and who went on to become a legal legend in Colorado. In conversational writing, Brooke provides insights from a lawyer, mentor, and educator. She advocates that, while not perfect, the United States has the world’s best legal system and that all citizens need to understand and protect their rights, freedoms, and responsibilities. Brooke shares vignettes of her early life—California in the Great Depression, college at Stanford, law school in Colorado during World War II, and the 1946 opening of her Cheyenne law office, a precedent for women in law. She vividly describes memorable and amusing experiences with clients, witnesses, lawyers, juries, and judges and explains some significant cases. She recounts important and dynamic events from her twelve years as Denver’s chief appellate deputy district attorney, an era during which she was an inestimable mentor to many young lawyers who became prominent in the private and public sectors. Brooke passionately believed “the law has been and will continue to be civilization’s hope.” In her book’s final part, she demystifies many legal terms and procedures and describes the parts of a civil jury trial—including information for jurors and witnesses—and provides an enthusiastic and clear refresher on the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. Brooke at the Bar is a unique and historically important contribution that will be of interest to general readers, scholars, and students interested in US law, political science, government, women’s history, twentieth-century western history, civil rights, and legal communities, including those in Wyoming and Colorado, where Brooke was “at the Bar.”Fly, Colton, fly: the true story of the Barefoot Bandit
By Jackson Holtz. 2011
Colton Harris-Moore was arrested for the first time when he was ten years old. By the time he was 19,…
he had committed countless burglaries in the San Juan Islands, gone cross country in stolen cars, and crashed the third plane he stole in the Bahamas. Adult. UnratedGuns of Outlaws: Weapons of the American Bad Man
By Gerry Souter, Janet Souter. 2014
“Chronicles the misdeeds of many of America’s worst miscreants, with special emphasis on the tools of the outlaw trade.” —American…
RiflemanFrom colonial-era rifles carried on the “Owlhoot Trail” to John Dillinger’s Colt pistols, the history of the American outlaw is told in guns—weapons that became each man’s personal signature. Authors Gerry and Janet Souter peer into these criminals’ choices of derringers, revolvers, shotguns, rifles, machine guns, and curious hybrids, giving us a glimpse into the minds behind the trigger fingers. With over 200 illustrations, Guns of Outlaws gives a unique look at the lives and the hardware of the most infamous outlaws in American history, and of the law enforcement officers who hunted them.As settlers moved further west, away from authority and soft city life into the Great Plains, the push for survival through the endless prairies and jagged isolating mountain ranges bred ruthless men. Most outlaws were technology freaks who seized upon the latest weapon innovations developed in the industrious East to provide an edge in the life-and-death cosmos of the Wild West. By the late 1930s and early 1940s, outlaws on horseback had given way to marauding bank robbers. Using fast cars and faster guns, they became folk heroes of the Great Depression, even as the law was hard on their tails.“Historians Gerry and Janet Souter take the reader back to a time between 1840 and 1940 when . . . outlaws and man hunters lived bold and died hard . . . [The] book show[s] actual tools of the trade wielded during a violent century, bound up in a mix of hard truths and mythology.” —Ammoland.com