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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.In Perfect Murder, Perfect Town, Lawrence Schiller thoroughly recreates every aspect of the complex case of the death of JonBenét…
Ramsey. A brilliant portrait of an inscrutable family thrust under the spotlight of public suspicion and an affluent, tranquil city torn apart by a crime it couldn't handle, Perfect Murder, Perfect Town uncovers the mysteries that have bewildered the nation.Why were the Ramseys, the targets of the investigation, able to control the direction of the police inquiry?Can the key to the murder be found in the pen and writing pad used for the ransom note?Was it possible for an intruder to have killed JonBenét?Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood
By William J. Mann. 2014
New York Times Bestseller • Edgar Award winner for Best Fact CrimeThe Day of the Locust meets The Devil in…
the White City and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil in this juicy, untold Hollywood story: an addictive true tale of ambition, scandal, intrigue, murder, and the creation of the modern film industry.By 1920, the movies had suddenly become America’s new favorite pastime, and one of the nation’s largest industries. Never before had a medium possessed such power to influence. Yet Hollywood’s glittering ascendency was threatened by a string of headline-grabbing tragedies—including the murder of William Desmond Taylor, the popular president of the Motion Picture Directors Association, a legendary crime that has remained unsolved until now.In a fiendishly involving narrative, bestselling Hollywood chronicler William J. Mann draws on a rich host of sources, including recently released FBI files, to unpack the story of the enigmatic Taylor and the diverse cast that surrounded him—including three beautiful, ambitious actresses; a grasping stage mother; a devoted valet; and a gang of two-bit thugs, any of whom might have fired the fatal bullet. And overseeing this entire landscape of intrigue was Adolph Zukor, the brilliant and ruthless founder of Paramount, locked in a struggle for control of the industry and desperate to conceal the truth about the crime. Along the way, Mann brings to life Los Angeles in the Roaring Twenties: a sparkling yet schizophrenic town filled with party girls, drug dealers, religious zealots, newly-minted legends and starlets already past their prime—a dangerous place where the powerful could still run afoul of the desperate.A true story recreated with the suspense of a novel, Tinseltown is the work of a storyteller at the peak of his powers—and the solution to a crime that has stumped detectives and historians for nearly a century.Bloody Crimes: The Chase For Jefferson Davis and the Death Pageant for Lincon's Corpse
By James L. Swanson. 2010
In Bloody Crimes, James L. Swanson—the Edgar® Award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of Manhunt—brings to life two epic events…
of the Civil War era: the thrilling chase to apprehend Confederate president Jefferson Davis in the wake of the Lincoln assassination and the momentous 20 -day funeral that took Abraham Lincoln’s body home to Springfield. A true tale full of fascinating twists and turns, and lavishly illustrated with dozens of rare historical images—some never before seen—Bloody Crimes is a fascinating companion to Swanson’s Manhunt and a riveting true-crime thriller that will electrify civil war buffs, general readers, and everyone in between.Eliot Ness and the Mad Butcher: Hunting America's Deadliest Unidentified Serial Killer at the Dawn of Modern Criminology
By Max Allan Collins, A. Brad Schwartz. 2020
"The thrilling history of the torso murderer. The tale of the ‘Untouchable’ who got Al Capone but failed to solve…
his goriest case." —Dan Jones, The Sunday TimesIn the spirit of Devil in the White City comes a true detective tale of the highest standard: the haunting story of Eliot Ness's forgotten final case–his years-long hunt for "The Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run," a serial killer who terrorized Cleveland through the Great Depression. “After helping to put Al Capone behind bars, lawman Eliot Ness came to Cleveland, where he did battle with a vicious killer. ... Even Ness was stumped trying to apprehend the ‘torso murderer’ responsible for a series of ghoulish killings. ... The authors have done Ness justice." —Wall Street JournalIn 1934, the nation’s most legendary crime-fighter–fresh from taking on the greatest gangster in American history–arrived in Cleveland, a corrupt and dangerous town about to host a world's fair. It was to be his coronation, as well as the city's. Instead, terror descended, as headless bodies started turning up. The young detective, already battling the mob and crooked cops, found his drive to transform American policing subverted by a menace largely unknown to law enforcement: a serial murderer.Eliot Ness's greatest case had begun. Now, Max Allan Collins and A. Brad Schwartz–the acclaimed writing team behind Scarface and the Untouchable–uncover this lost crime epic, delivering a gripping and unforgettable nonfiction account based on decades of groundbreaking research.Ness had risen to fame in 1931 for leading the “Untouchables,” which helped put Chicago’s Al Capone behind bars. As Cleveland's public safety director, in charge of the police and fire departments, Ness offered a radical new vision for better law enforcement. Crime-ridden and devastated by the Depression, Cleveland was preparing for a star-turn itself: in 1936, it would host the "Great Lakes Exposition," which would be visited by seven million people. Late in the summer of 1934, however, pieces of a woman’s body began washing up on the Lake Erie shore–first her ribs, then part of her backbone, then the lower half of her torso. The body count soon grew to five, then ten, then more, all dismembered in gruesome ways.As Ness zeroed in on a suspect–a doctor tied to a prominent political family–powerful forces thwarted his quest for justice. In this battle between a flawed hero and a twisted monster–by turns horror story, political drama, and detective thriller–Collins and Schwartz find an American tragedy, classic in structure, epic in scope.Traitor By Default: The Trials of Kanao Inouye, the Kamloops Kid
By Patrick Brode. 2024
At the end of World War II, a young Japanese Canadian would stand trial and face execution for having committed…
war crimes and betraying his country.One of the most bizarre stories to emerge at the end of the Second World War was that of Kanao Inouye. Born in Kamloops, B.C., in 1916, he had relocated to his ancestral homeland of Japan, and by 1942 was a translator for the Japanese army. He was assigned to the prisoner of war camp in Hong Kong where he became infamous as one of the “most sadistic guards” over the Canadian survivors of the Battle of Hong Kong. Scores of prisoners would attest to his brutality administered in revenge for the treatment he had received growing up in Canada.His reputation was such that he was quickly apprehended after the war and faced charges of war crimes. But his subsequent trials became mired in questions as to who he really was. Was he a Canadian forced to serve in the Japanese military machine? Or was he a devoted soldier of his emperor obeying his superiors?Sonny: The Last of the Old Time Mafia Bosses, John "Sonny" Franzese
By S. J. Peddie. 2022
&“Couldn&’t put it down.&” —Nicholas Pileggi, author of Wiseguy (Goodfellas) and CasinoThe extraordinary life and times of a legendary crime boss who refused…
to squeal—but who finally agreed to talk to an award-winning New York Newsday reporter shortly before his death at age 103 . . . John &“Sonny&” Franzese reportedly committed his first murder at the age of fourteen. As a &“made man&” for the Colombo crime family, he operated out of his Long Island home specializing in racketeering, fraud, loansharking, and other illicit deeds he would deny to his dying day. His career in organized crime spanned over eight decades—and he was sentenced to fifty years in prison for robbery charges. But even behind bars, Sonny Franzese never stopped doing business . . . This is the true story of an old-school mafioso as it&’s never been told before. Newsday reporter S. J. Peddie interviewed Franzese in prison—and uncovered a lifetime of shocking secrets from the legend himself: * Why FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover had a very personal interest in Sonny. * How Sonny managed to juggle numerous affairs with women, including a famous model. * How Sonny spent a third of his life in prison—and still managed to earn untold millions for the mob. * How Sonny accidentally revealed some of his worst crimes—to a &“friend&” wearing a wire. Through it all, Franzese refused to break the Mafia&’s code of silence. Authorities believe he may have murdered, or ordered the murders of, forty to fifty people. Yet he earned a grudging respect from law enforcement and an absolute reverence from his fellow gangsters. Eventually he managed to outlive them all—until his death in 2020 of natural causes, a rare event in the Mafia. Thanks to a series of exclusive firsthand interviews, the astonishing life story of John &“Sonny&” Franzese can be told in all its bold, brutal, and blood-spattered glory. This is a must-read for anyone fascinated with Mafia history—and a rare look inside a criminal mind that has become the stuff of legend.