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Written in Blood
By Mike Silverman, Tony Thompson. 2014
As one of the UK’s leading forensic scientists, Mike Silverman has helped to identify and convict dozens of murderers, rapists,…
armed robbers, burglars and muggers, thanks to the evidence they – or their victims – unwittingly left behind at the scenes of their crimes. Mike Silverman started his career in the days when fingerprints were still kept on card files and DNA profiling was just a pipe dream, so Written in Blood is more than just a casebook – it is also a definitive history of the development of forensic science over the course of the past thirty-five years.From collecting blood samples at gangland executions to investigating forensic science failings, including in the murders of Rachel Nickell and Damilola Taylor, Mike Silverman’s unique career provides a fascinating insight into the ways forensic science is used to help solve real-life crimes. Packed with genuine crime scene photographs and original sketches, Written in Blood is the ultimate insider’s account of the fascinating world of forensic science.Wild Thing: The True Story of Britain's Rightful Guv'nor
By Bernard O'Mahoney, Lew Yates. 2007
Everybody in the unlicensed fight game knows that only one man has the honour of being titled 'Guv'nor' - and…
that man is Lew 'Wild Thing' Yates. Yates began boxing at the age of six, and as an adult he was ruthless in pursuit of his dream of becoming world heavyweight champion. But when his licence was revoked following an assault on a referee, he turned to unlicensed boxing.By day, Yates pounded punchbags and the streets in an effort to reach the peak of physical fitness as he prepared for his epic battle with Roy 'Pretty Boy' Shaw. At night, he pounded gangsters and drug dealers foolish enough to take him on in the nightclubs where he worked.Wild Thing documents how Yates rose to the top of his bloody profession. When it comes to his fighting ability, he doesn't need to boast, brag or exaggerate. With Lew Yates, what you see is what you hope you're never going to get. This is his remarkable story.Vanessa: A Portrait of Evil
By Wensley Clarkson. 2011
The compelling and disturbing true story of Vanessa George and the evil abuse she doled out upon the children of…
more than 300 families.As a nursery worker, wife and mother, she was a figure to place trust in. Yet her adulterous relationship and sick love triangle with Colin Blanchard and Angela Allen drew her into a dark world of violence and sexual abuse. To compete for Blanchard's attention she would do everything in her power to impress him, even if this meant committing unspeakable acts of sexual violence on children as young as two years old.What could have driven a mother to betray not only her daughters and loving husband, but the very families who entrusted her with their children? How could a seemingly caring women become engaged in a sordid and vile love triangle with a man and woman she had never met? Were there events in her own childhood that pushed her to commit these acts?True crime expert Wensley Clarkson pieces together the events surrounding the case as well as new investigative research to compile a fascinating yet disturbing account of a case which shocked a nation.We may never know the full extent of Vanessa George's cruelty, but the horror of her story will remain as a chilling memory for generations.When Kids Kill
By Jonathan Paul. 2003
Jonathan Paul goes behind the sensationalist headlines of 'child killers' to investigate why these crimes happen. He examines child homicide…
in today's violent, confusing world and contextualises it against the cruel unforgiving retribution of yesterday.Children are increasingly experimenting with drugs and committing offences, but there are those who commit the worst possible crimes: to end another person's life before their own could properly have begun. The cases are shocking but sometimes the path towards them is even more so. This is a fascinating exploration of disturbing events aimed at discovering what happens when childhood is trodden underfoot, and when and why kids kill.Wayne Barker: The Extraordinary Story of a Bare-Knuckle Boxer
By Bernard O'Mahoney. 2013
From Salford to St Louis, former professional boxer Wayne Barker fought every man who ever challenged him. In this brutally…
honest account of his eventful life, Wayne recounts how his parents left him in the care of the travelling community, where he learned to fight and journeyed throughout Britain and Ireland to take on opponents for cash.After being charged with attempting to murder a child killer, Wayne fled to America, where he found work in the gymnasiums of New York sparring with the likes of world champion Wilfred Benítez. His ability in the ring was noticed by promoter Bobby Gleason, whose gym had been graced by legendary boxers such as Jake LaMotta. Gleason set up a fight in Caracas between Wayne and former super middleweight world champion Fulgencio Obelmejias ('Fully Obel').Wayne’s past eventually caught up with him and he was deported to Britain, where he served time in prison. He returned to the streets to earn a living from bare-knuckle fighting, before becoming a trainer and running a gym. Cancer claimed his life in 2012.Wannabe in my Gang?: From the Krays to the Essex Boys
By Bernard O'Mahoney. 2004
Kray gang boss Tony Lambrianou, who served a life sentence for the brutal murder of Jack 'the Hat' McVitie, has…
threatened to kill Bernard O'Mahoney 'by smashing a hammer through his head'. 'Dodgy' Dave Courtney, who claims to have murdered two gangland rivals, tried 'to put him out of his misery' and 'the most dangerous man in the country', John 'Gaffer' Rollinson, has vowed to kill him 'when he finds him'.But O'Mahoney, one-time friend of the notorious Kray Brothers and former key member of the Essex Boys gang, isn't concerned about any of these threats, because he knows the truth about the wannabe gangsters who have built their 'reputations' on fantasy gleaned from Hollywood movies and 'true' crime books written by their heroes. Wannabe in my Gang? is a story that spans two decades and involves some of the most infamous names and crimes in British history. It gives a unique insight into the Kray brothers' firm, revealing that its public image is far from the truth. Also uncovered is what happened to the remaining members of the Essex Boys firm following the death of Esctasy victim Leah Betts and the murder of three of its leaders, who were found dead in their blood-spattered Range Rover one winter's evening. For the first time ever, O'Mahoney will expose the gangland myths that have made legends of those who claim to be responsible for mayhem and murder. He reveals the sordid secret of one of Britain's most infamous gangsters and tells the truth about the imposters who make a living selling stories and writing books about events that have never even happened. Wannabe in my Gang? is the book that many in the underworld never wanted the public to read. A crime exposé of the highest order, it is shocking, revelatory and gripping from beginning to end.Deal with the Devil: The FBI's Secret Thirty-Year Relationship with a Mafia Killer
By Peter Lance. 2014
In Deal with the Devil, five-time Emmy Award–winning investigative reporter Peter Lance draws on three decades of once-secret FBI files…
to tell the definitive story of Greg Scarpa Sr., a Mafia capo who “stopped counting” after fifty murders, while secretly betraying the Colombo crime family as a Top Echelon FBI informant.Lance traces Scarpa’s shadowy relationship with the FBI all the way back to 1960, when his debriefings went straight to J. Edgar Hoover. In forty-two years of murder and racketeering, Scarpa served only thirty days in jail thanks to his secret relationship with the Feds. This is the untold story that will rewrite Mafia history as we know it —a page-turning work of journalism that reads like a Scorsese film. Deal with the Devil includes more than 130 illustrations, crime scene photos, and never-before-seen FBI documents.Winged Obsession: The Pursuit of the World's Most Notorious Butterfly Smuggler
By Jessica Speart. 2011
One of the world's most beautiful endangered species, butterflies are as lucrative as gorillas, pandas, and rhinos on the black…
market. In this cutthroat $200 million business, no one was more successful—or posed a greater ecological danger—than Yoshi Kojima, the kingpin of butterfly smugglers.In Winged Obsession, author Jessica Speart tells the riveting true story of rookie U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agent Ed Newcomer's determined crusade to halt the career of a brazen and ingenious criminal with an almost supernatural sixth sense for survival. But the story doesn't end there. Speart chronicles her own attempts, while researching the book, to befriend Kojima before betraying him—unaware that the cagey smuggler had his own plans to make the writer a player in his illegal butterfly trade.Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony
By Jeff Ashton, Lisa Pulitzer. 2012
The definitive inside story of the case that captivated the nation. . . and the verdict that no one saw…
coming.It was the trial that stunned America. On July 5, 2011, nearly three years after her initial arrest, Casey Anthony walked away, virtually scot-free, from one of the most sensational murder trials of all time. She'd been accused of killing her daughter, Caylee, but the trial only left behind more questions: Was she actually innocent? What really happened to Caylee? Was this what justice really looked like?In Imperfect Justice, prosecutor Jeff Ashton, one of the principal players in the case's drama, sheds light on those questions and much more, telling the behind-the-scenes story of the investigation, the trial, and the now-infamous verdict. Complete with never-before-revealed information about the case and the accused, Ashton examines what the prosecution got right, what they got wrong, and why he remains completely convinced of Casey Anthony's guilt.Bind, Torture, Kill: The Inside Story of BTK, the Serial Killer Next Door
By Roy Wenzl, Tim Potter, L. Kelly, Hurst Laviana. 2007
For thirty-one years, a monster terrorized the residents of Wichita, Kansas. A bloodthirsty serial killer, self-named "BTK"—for "bind them, torture…
them, kill them"—he slaughtered men, women, and children alike, eluding the police for decades while bragging of his grisly exploits to the media. The nation was shocked when the fiend who was finally apprehended turned out to be Dennis Rader—a friendly neighbor . . . a devoted husband . . . a helpful Boy Scout dad . . . the respected president of his church.Written by four award-winning crime reporters who covered the story for more than twenty years, Bind, Torture, Kill is the most intimate and complete account of the BTK nightmare told by the people who were there from the beginning. With newly released documents, evidence, and information—and with the full cooperation, for the very first time, of the Wichita Police Department’s BTK Task Force—the authors have put all the pieces of the grisly puzzle into place, thanks to their unparalleled access to the families of the killer and his victims.Blood Brother: 33 Reasons My Brother Scott Peterson Is Guilty
By Anne Bird. 2005
What happens if, after being given up for adoption in childhood, you reestablish contact with your biological family -- only…
to discover that your newfound brother is a killer?Anne Bird, the sister of Scott Peterson, knows firsthand.Soon after her birth in 1965, Anne was given up for adoption by her mother, Jackie Latham. Welcomed into the well-adjusted Grady family, she lived a happy life. Then, in the late 1990s, she came back into contact with her mother, now Jackie Peterson, and her family -- including Jackie's son Scott Peterson and his wife, Laci. Anne was welcomed into the family, and over the next several years she grew close to Scott and especially Laci. Together they shared holidays, family reunions, and even a trip to Disneyland. Anne and Laci became pregnant at roughly the same time, and the two became confidantes.Then, on Christmas Eve 2002, Laci Peterson went missing -- and the happy façade of the Peterson family slowly began to crumble. Anne rushed to the family's aid, helping in the search for Laci, even allowing Scott to stay in her home while police tried to find his wife. Yet Scott's behavior grew increasingly bizarre during the search, and Anne grew suspicious that her brother knew more than he was telling. Finally she began keeping a list of his disturbing behavior. And by the time Laci's body -- and that of her unborn son, Conner -- were found, Anne was becoming convinced: Her brother Scott Peterson had murdered his wife and unborn child in cold blood.Filled with news-making revelations and intimate glimpses of Scott and Laci, the Peterson family, and the investigation that followed the murder, Blood Brother is a provocative account of how long-dormant family ties dragged one woman into one of the most notorious crimes of our time.When Satan Wore A Cross: The Shocking True Story of a Killer Priest
By Fred Rosen. 2007
In 1980 in Toledo, Ohio—on one of the holiest days of the church calendar—the body of a nun was discovered…
in the sacristy of a hospital chapel. Seventy-one-year-old Sister Margaret Ann had been strangled and stabbed, her corpse arranged in a shameful and stomach-churning pose. But the police's most likely suspect was inexplicably released and the investigation was quietly buried. Despite damning evidence, Father Gerald Robinson went free.Twenty-three years later the priest's name resurfaced in connection with a bizarre case of satanic ritual and abuse. It prompted investigators to exhume the remains of the slain nun in search of the proof left behind that would indelibly mark Father Robinson as Sister Margaret Ann's killer: the sign of the Devil.When Satan Wore a Cross is a shocking true story of official cover-ups, madness, murder and lies—and of an unholy human monster who disguised himself in holy garb.Seven Days: a gripping, high-octane crime thriller for 2024 - can Alice save her father from death row?
By Robert Rutherford. 2024
'Wow! An absolutely fantastic edge of your seat thriller. I could not turn the pages fast enough... Would be an…
amazing film or tv series. The ending was perfect... Highly recommended' Reader review⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Your father is on death row. You have seven days to save him. But do you want to?Alice knows her father is guilty of many things. He's guilty of abandoning her.He's guilty of being unfaithful to her mother.But is he guilty of murder?Now on Death Row, he has seven days to live.Some people want him released.Others will kill to keep him just where he is.Alice has only one chance to save him. But should she?Readers are loving Seven Days:'This was wild! Really enjoyed this. Good characters, good story line and it kept me guessing' Reader review⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Compulsive and page turning read... lots of surprises' Reader review⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'A dark and atmospheric thriller that explores the complexities of family, trauma, and life, with a shocking ending, fantastic novel'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Twisty, tense and superbly characterised, this global race against time and across the world is a top read'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Kept me hooked from start to finish!'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'A high-octane, high-stakes thriller about family dynamics, guilt and responsibility'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Seven Days: a gripping, high-octane crime thriller for 2024 - can Alice save her father from death row?
By Robert Rutherford. 2024
'Wow! An absolutely fantastic edge of your seat thriller. I could not turn the pages fast enough... Would be an…
amazing film or tv series. The ending was perfect... Highly recommended' Reader review⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Your father is on death row. You have seven days to save him. But do you want to?Alice knows her father is guilty of many things. He's guilty of abandoning her.He's guilty of being unfaithful to her mother.But is he guilty of murder?Now on Death Row, he has seven days to live.Some people want him released.Others will kill to keep him just where he is.Alice has only one chance to save him. But should she?Readers are loving Seven Days:'This was wild! Really enjoyed this. Good characters, good story line and it kept me guessing' Reader review⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Compulsive and page turning read... lots of surprises' Reader review⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'A dark and atmospheric thriller that explores the complexities of family, trauma, and life, with a shocking ending, fantastic novel'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Twisty, tense and superbly characterised, this global race against time and across the world is a top read'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Kept me hooked from start to finish!'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'A high-octane, high-stakes thriller about family dynamics, guilt and responsibility'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Seven Days: a gripping, high-octane crime thriller for 2024 - can Alice save her father from death row?
By Robert Rutherford. 2024
'Wow! An absolutely fantastic edge of your seat thriller. I could not turn the pages fast enough... Would be an…
amazing film or tv series. The ending was perfect... Highly recommended' Reader review⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Your father is on death row. You have seven days to save him. But do you want to?Alice knows her father is guilty of many things. He's guilty of abandoning her.He's guilty of being unfaithful to her mother.But is he guilty of murder?Now on Death Row, he has seven days to live.Some people want him released.Others will kill to keep him just where he is.Alice has only one chance to save him. But should she?Readers are loving Seven Days:'This was wild! Really enjoyed this. Good characters, good story line and it kept me guessing' Reader review⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Compulsive and page turning read... lots of surprises' Reader review⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'A dark and atmospheric thriller that explores the complexities of family, trauma, and life, with a shocking ending, fantastic novel'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Twisty, tense and superbly characterised, this global race against time and across the world is a top read'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Kept me hooked from start to finish!'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'A high-octane, high-stakes thriller about family dynamics, guilt and responsibility'⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐Practice to Deceive
By Ann Rule. 2013
This New York Times bestseller—from &“America&’s best true-crime writer&” (Kirkus Reviews) and the author of The Stranger Beside Me—is a…
shocking tale of greed, sex, scandal, and murder on an isolated and eerie island in the Pacific Northwest. The basis for the Lifetime movie event Circle of Deception. With more than 50 million copies of her books in print—from her chilling personal account of knowing Ted Bundy to sixteen collections in her #1 bestselling Crime Files series—Ann Rule is a legendary true crime writer. Here, in Practice to Deceive, Rule unravels a shattering case of Christmastime murder off the coast of Washington State—presented with the clarity, authority, and emotional depth that Rule&’s readers expect. Nestled in Puget Sound, Whidbey Island is a gem of the Pacific Northwest. Accessible only by ferry, it is known for its artistic communities and stunning natural beauty. Life there is low-key, and the island&’s year-round residents tend to know one another&’s business. But when the blood-drenched body of Russel Douglas was discovered the day after Christmas in his SUV in a hidden driveway near Whidbey&’s most exclusive mansion—a single bullet between his eyes—the whole island was shocked. At first, police suspected suicide, tragically common at the height of the holiday season. But when they found no gun in or near the SUV, Russel&’s manner of death became homicide. Brenna Douglas, Russel&’s estranged and soon-to-be-ex wife, allowed him to come home for a Christmas visit with their children. The couple owned the popular Just B&’s salon. Brenna&’s good friend Peggy Sue Thomas worked there, and Brenna complained often to her that Russel was physically and emotionally abusive. Peggy Sue&’s own life has been one of extremes. Married three times, hers is a rags-to-riches-and-back-again tale in which she&’s played many roles, from aircraft mechanic to &“drop-dead gorgeous&” beauty queen as a former Ms. Washington. But in 2003, her love affair with married guitarist Jim Huden led the two Whidbey Island natives to pursue their ultimate dreams of wealth and privilege—even at the expense of human life. Unravel the tangled web woven by Russel Douglas&’s murder in Practice to Deceive, a heart pounding true-crime tour de force.They Walk Among Us: New true crime cases from the No.1 podcast
By Benjamin Fitton, Rosanna Fitton. 2019
A Chilling Casebook of Horrifying Hometown Crimes How well do you really know your friends?Neighbours, friends, doctors and colleagues. We…
see them every day. We trust them implicitly. But what about the British army sergeant who sabotaged his wife’s parachute? Or the lodger who took his landlady on a picnic from which she never returned? From dentists to PAs, these normal-seeming people were quietly wrecking lives, and nobody suspected a thing.In this first book from the addictive award-winning podcast They Walk Among Us, Benjamin and Rosanna serve up small-town stories in gripping detail. They’ve hooked millions of listeners with their intricate and disturbing cases, and now they dig into ten more tales, to provide an unforgettably sinister true-crime experience, scarily close to home.It could happen to you.Tears at Bedtime
By Andrew Crofts, Tom Wilson. 2007
At just six years old Tom Wilson fell prey to a predator of the worst sort. David Murphy was supposed…
to be his carer, instead he lifted his victims from their beds in the dead of night, and Tom was powerless to stop it.Tom endured years of horrific abuse which led to years of silence and self-torture. He grew up to be a troubled man, stumbling through care homes, schools, borstal and eventually prison. The damage that was done to him in those early years had destroyed his life.Then, one day, Tom read a newspaper article which unlocked the terrible memories he'd kept hidden for over forty tormented years. And a painful battle for justice began...Surviving the Krays: The Final Explosive Secret about the Firm
By David Teale. 2021
David Teale: groomed by the twins, controlled by threats, raped by Ronnie, falsely imprisoned by the State for his 'own…
protection' as younger brother of Kray-informer Bobby. Turns out that's only half the story. David first met the Krays when he was seventeen years old. He was drawn into London's underworld, and became Ronnie's reluctant foot soldier, driver, errand boy. He was close to murder, and witnessed menaces and the increasingly psychotic behaviours of the most feared men in gangster land. Unbeknown to David, his brother Bobby had bravely turned informer at great risk to his own safety and that of his brothers. That had its own consequences. But why, when the police were being furnished with eye-witness statements, from an impeccable source, were they seemingly incapable of bringing the twins to justice? The Krays were untouchable. After tireless research through newly released documents in the National Archives, and piecing together previously classified information together with his own, first-hand knowledge of the time, David Teale uncovers the shocking new truth, revealed in this book for the first time. David's story rewrites True Crime history.In the tradition of the great investigative classics, Dangerous Doses exposes the dark side of America's pharmaceutical trade. Stolen, compromised,…
and counterfeit medicine increasingly makes its way into a poorly regulated distribution system—where it may reach unsuspecting patients who stake their lives on its effectiveness. Katherine Eban's hard-hitting exploration of America's secret ring of drug counterfeiters takes us to Florida, where tireless investigators follow the trail of medicine stolen in a seemingly minor break-in as it funnels into a sprawling national network of drug polluters. Their pursuit stretches from a strip joint in South Miami to the halls of Congress as they battle entrenched political interests and uncover an increasing threat to America's health. With the conscience of a crusading reporter, Eban has crafted a riveting narrative that shows how, when we most need protection, we may be most at risk.