Best of
Crime

2006

Riding Dirty on I-95


Nikki Turner - 2006
    But despite an unsavory upbringing, Mercy vows to make something of herself–at all costs.Working as a concierge at a hotel notorious for its shady clientele, Mercy meets and falls hard for a notorious dealer who keeps her living large in Gucci clothes and off-the-hook apartments. Then she lands a real lucrative deal: running drugs up Interstate 95 from Miami to New York.But Mercy doesn’t want to live the gangsta life forever. She’s got bigger dreams. She turns legit and makes her mark, yet despite a new, cleaned-up career, she can’t get the streets completely out of her blood. A sexy hustler named C-Note steals her heart. And as their relationship heats up, Mercy discovers that their pasts are hopelessly–and tragically–entwined.

Blacksad


Juan Díaz Canales - 2006
    Guarnido's sumptuously painted pages and rich cinematic style bring the world of 1950s America to vibrant life, with Canales weaving in fascinating tales of conspiracy, racial tension, and the "red scare" Communist witch hunts of the time. Guarnido reinvents anthropomorphism in these pages, and industry colleagues no less than Will Eisner, Jim Steranko, and Tim Sale are fans!Whether John Blacksad is falling for dangerous women or getting beaten to within an inch of his life, his stories are, simply put, unforgettable.* Dark Horse is very proud to present the first three Blacksad stories in a beautiful hardcover collection, completely relettered to the artist's specifications and with the latest album, Red Soul, in English for the very first time.* This internationally acclaimed series has won nearly a dozen prestigious awards — including the Angoulême Comics Festival prizes for Best Series and Best Artwork-and is a three-time Eisner Award nominee.

The St. Paul Conspiracy


Roger Stelljes - 2006
    blonde hair, blue eyes and a curvaceous body she worked on relentlessly. Claire was the desire of every man in town. As the Twin Cities' most prominent political and investigative reporter she reported the news... now she was the news. Murder... Greed... Treason... Thirty-two-year-old, fourth-generation St. Paul Homicide Detective "Mac" McRyan thought his day was going to be less stressful. The day would involve paper work, coffee, and maybe even an early trip to the pub. Then his cell phone rings... A body has been found in a high-end condominium between Summit and Grand Avenues; and it's not just anyone. With the Daniels brutal murder on top of the latest serial killer attack, the political and media pressure on the police department only builds and places Mac in the middle of a dangerous and high-stakes murder investigation that will ultimately have national political and security implications.

A Hustler's Son


T. Styles - 2006
    She never knew she would find one in her 15-year-old son, Kelsi. Surrounded by violence, drugs and lies, Kelsi murders in self-defense. Suddenly Kelsi becomes charged with the new-found feeling he associates with becoming a man, and feels he can take on anything, including his mother's cheating lover. The heat of murder ensues and Janet feels it's time to make a permanent move out of Maryland. Before doing so, she plans one last murder which, if goes as planned, could ultimately be worth millions. To top it all off, Janet has not revealed to her son the biggest secret yet.

Haunted in Death


J.D. Robb - 2006
    The hot club in the 1960s, it is now reported to be haunted?and cursed. Lieutenant Eve Dallas is called there to investigate the apparent murder of Radcliff Hopkins, its new owner and the grandson of the man who made Number Twelve a cultural icon. Several bullets from a banned gun end his dream of returning the building to its former glory. With everyone around her talking about the supernatural, pragmatic Eve won't let rumors of ghosts distract her from hard evidence. The case becomes even more bizarre when it appears to be linked to the suspicious disappearance of a rock star eighty-five years ago. As Eve searches for the connection, logic clashes with the unexplainable. She may be forced to face the threat of something more dangerous than a flesh-and-blood killer.Duration: Approximately 180 min.

Dead Center


Danielle Girard - 2006
    Jamie Vail was one of them. So was Natasha Devlin, the woman Jamie caught in bed with her husband. When Natasha Devlin turns up dead, Jamie can’t bring herself to care. She’s got enough on her plate, hunting a sexual predator who preys on female officers. He leaves them alive, but brutalized. But when the MO of the Devlin murder matches the MO of the perp in Jamie’s case, she’s brought in on the homicide investigation and back into the Rookie Club she has been avoiding since her husband’s affair.As additional police officers become victims, Jamie must confront her past and solve the murder of her ex-husband's lover before she becomes the killer's ultimate prize.

The Winter of Frankie Machine


Don Winslow - 2006
    and The Power of the Dog now gives us a fierce and funny new novel—and a blistering new take on the Mafia story.Frank Machianno is a late-middle-aged ex–surf bum who runs a bait shack on the San Diego waterfront when he’s not juggling any of his other three part-time jobs or trying to get a quick set in on his longboard. He’s a stand-up businessman, a devoted father to his daughter, and a beloved fixture in the community.Frank’s also a hit man. Specifically: a retired hit man. Back in the day, when he was one of the most feared members of the West Coast Mafia, he was known as Frankie Machine. Years ago Frank consigned his Mob ties to the past, which is where he wants them to stay. But a favor being called in now by the local boss is one Frank can’t refuse, and soon he’s sucked back into the treacherous currents of his former life. Someone from the past wants him dead. He has to figure out who, and why, and he has to do it fast.The problem is that the list of candidates is about the size of his local phone book and Frank’s rapidly running out of time.And then things go really bad.

The Science of Sherlock Holmes: From Baskerville Hall to the Valley of Fear, the Real Forensics Behind the Great Detective's Greatest Cases


E.J. Wagner - 2006
    The book explores the emergence of science from superstition, how forensic autopsies evolved from anatomical dissection, the huge advances in blood chemistry and poison detection, and the early use of fingerprints, photography and trace evidence. It also provides new insights into landmark criminal cases that influenced the forensic world, such as Jack the Ripper and Lizzie Borden, and includes rare period illustrations.

Shadow Man


Cody McFadyen - 2006
    She was one of the best until a madman terrorized her family, killed her husband and daughter, and left her face scarred and her soul brutalized. Turning the tables on the killer, Smoky shot him dead but her life was shattered forever. Now Smoky dreams about picking up her weapon again. She dreams about placing the cold steel between her lips and pulling the trigger one last time. Because for a woman who's lost everything, what is there left to lose? She's about to find out.In all her years at the Bureau, Smoky has never encountered anyone like him: a new and fascinating kind of monster, a twisted genius who defies profilers' attempts to understand him. And he's issued Smoky a direct challenge, coaxing her back from the brink with the only thing that could convince her to live.The killer videotaped his latest crime, an act of horror that left a child motherless, then sent a message addressed to Agent Smoky Barrett. The message is enough to shock Smoky back to work, back to her FBI team. And that child awakens something in Smoky she thought was gone forever.Suddenly the stakes are raised. The game has changed. For as this deranged monster embarks on an unspeakable spree of perversion and murder, Smoky is coming alive again and she's about to face her greatest fears as a cop, a woman, a mother—and a merciless killer's next victim.From the Hardcover edition.

The Devil Inside


Ali Vali - 2006
    Except when the battle is over love, all bets are off. Derby Cain Casey was groomed from birth to take the reins of the Casey family enterprises, which just happens to be one of the major crime organizations in New Orleans. Surviving by never turning away from a fight and knowing how to win at all costs, Cain is as careful with her heart as she is with her business - until she meets Emma Verde. The farm girl from Wisconsin puts a hit out on Cain’s heart and leads her down a dangerous road filled with great joy and devastating sorrow. The Devil Inside is the story of unexpected passion, a shattering betrayal, and the challenge of love put to the test.

The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer


Philip Carlo - 2006
    . . if I kill Mommy, if something happens and she dies, I’ll have to kill you all . . .  I can’t leave any witnesses.”“Yes, Daddy.  I know, Daddy,” she said.As strange and horrible a thing as this was to tell a child, Richard was trying to let Merrick know in advance—out of consideration—what might happen.  He wanted her to understand that he was doing such a thing out of . . . love.  Only out of love.He loved Barbara too much. He loved the children too much.That was the problem.  The only way he could deal with their loss, if he inadvertently killed Barbara, was to kill them.  That was how Richard had dealt with all his problems since he was a child. “But you, Merrick . . . You’ll be the hardest to kill.  You understand that?”“Yes. Daddy,” she said, and she did understand this.  She knew she was his favorite, and she coveted that. ---from The Ice Man

The Killing Room


Gerri Hill - 2006
    She soon finds herself rehabbing at her cabin in the mountains, soaking in the remote natural springs—which is exactly where Psychologist Nicole Westbrook vacations and soon stumbles across her...When Nicole leaves the next day, the two women know little more about the other than her first name—yet they are now lovers instead of strangers.When Jake returns to Denver, a serial murder investigation soon leads her to Nicole. As the investigation develops, their physical attraction threatens to compromise the case. Nicole finds herself struggling to remain in the professional closet that she's been hiding in for so long—a place where an out cop like Jake McCoy simply does not belong.Once the crimes are solved, will the women go their separate ways? Or will the physical attraction and the gentle tug of love prove that opposites do attract...

The Chemistry of Death


Simon Beckett - 2006
    Working as a simple country doctor, seeing his lost wife and daughter only in his dreams, David struggles to remain uninvolved when the corpse of a woman is found in the woods, a macabre sign from her killer decorating her body. In one horrifying instant, the quiet summer countryside that had been David’s refuge has turned malevolent—and suddenly there is no place to hide.The village of Manham is tight-knit, far from the beaten path. As a newcomer, Dr. Hunter is immediately a suspect. Once an expert in analyzing human remains, he reluctantly joins the police investigation—and when another woman disappears, it soon becomes personal. Because this time she is someone David knows, someone who has managed to penetrate the icy barrier around his heart. With a killer’s bizarre and twisted methods screaming out to him, with a brooding countryside beset with suspicion, David can feel the darkness gathering around him. For as the clock ticks down on a young woman’s life, David must follow a macabre trail of clues—all the way to its final, horrifying conclusion.

Triptych


Karin Slaughter - 2006
    Leaving behind enough evidence to fuel a frenzied police hunt, this cunning madman is bringing together dozens of lives, crossing the boundaries of wealth and race. And the people who are chasing him must cross those boundaries too. Among them is Michael Ormewood, a veteran detective whose marriage is hanging by a thread—and whose arrogance and explosive temper are threatening his career. And Angie Polaski, a beautiful vice cop who was once Michael's lover before she became his enemy.But another player has entered the game: a loser ex-con who has stumbled upon the killer's trail in the most coincidental of ways—someone who may be the key to breaking the case wide open...

The Punisher MAX, Vol. 2


Garth Ennis - 2006
    3: Mother Russia and Punisher Max Vol. 4: Up Is Down And Black Is White. In Mother Russia, Nicky Fury's got an assignment that needs doing. It's the kind of suicide mission any sane person wouldn't ponder for a second. And there's only one man for the job: the Punisher. Searching for a deadly retrovirus whose sale on the black market could bring the world to its knees, Frank Castle penetrates a Russian nuclear silo... and comes face-to-face with the Mongolian! And in Up is down and Black is White, mobster Nicky Cavella finally figures out how you take down the Punisher. How you get under his skin. How you send Frank Castle over the edge. But when Cavella's scheme unleashes a wave of violence that rocks New York to its core, other predators start to come out of the darkness. There are scores to be settled. Blood to be spilled. When the world turns upside-down, will the killing and carnage ever end? Can even the Punisher go too far...? Collects Punisher #13-24.

True Evil


Greg Iles - 2006
    Chris Shepard, a busy young doctor in Natchez, Mississippi, has never seen his new patient Alex Morse before. But the attractive young woman with the scarred face has come to Dr. Shepards office on a mission to catch a killer. This New York Times bestseller is available in a tall Premium Edition.

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock Holmes, #4)


Arthur Conan Doyle - 2006
    A man like Sherlock Holmes has many enemies. Violent murderers, deviant villains, ghosts of old loves, blackmailers and poisonous scribes, to to name but a few. But none are so deadly, so powerful, as Professor Moriarty. Moriarty - the only man who can compete with Holmes' genius. The only man who can, perhaps, ultimately defeat the great detective ...

Powers: Definitive Collection, Vol. 1


Brian Michael Bendis - 2006
    Plus all the bonus features you've come to know and love: sketchbook, scripts, interviews, galleries, original designs, and a special Best of the Letter Column. This is where the story begins. A must-have for your comic library.

100 Bullets, Vol. 9: Strychnine Lives


Brian Azzarello - 2006
    With the Houses of the Trust warily circling each other, looking for the right angle to take in their impending war, the remaining Minutemen continue to pick their sides - and set up their own battle plans.

Trust Nobody


June Hampson - 2006
    While Kenny serves time in jail for robbery, Daisy looks out for pretty 16-year-old Suze and, with escort Vera in tow, the three women form a strong and lasting bond.The Lane brothers suffered a violent childhood, but Eddie took the brunt of the beatings. He has grown into a handsome, resourceful man - but also a villain with a vicious streak that leads him to commit acts of terrifying violence to get his way.But hard man Eddie has an Achilles heel - Daisy. She resists him, but when her visits to Kenny in jail become more and more difficult, it is Eddie she turns to for support. When Eddie pulls a racket too far, venturing into the patch of a villain who is even harder and more territorial than he is, Daisy discovers the hard way she can trust nobody. Even the man she loves the most . . . If you like books by Jessie Keane, Kimberley Chambers and Martina Cole, you'll love Trust Nobody: the first novel in the Daisy Lane thriller series.Why readers love June Hampson's thrillers:'A cracking story' - THE BOOKSELLER'A great alternative to Martina Cole' - Amazon reviewer'If you like gritty, hard hitting drama then I would highly recommend this' - Amazon reviewer'This book is an emotional rollercoaster full of grit, violence, sadness, warmth, emotion and love' - Goodreads reviewer

The Punisher MAX: From First to Last


Garth Ennis - 2006
    'The Tyger', where Frank's journey eventually turns him into the man known as the Punisher, and comes face to face with the Tyger; 'The Cell', where Frank weaves his way through the bloodstained halls; and, 'The End', where he's heading home, to the place it all began, and heaven help anyone who stands in his path.Collects: Punisher: The Tyger #1, Punisher: The Cell #1 and Punisher: The End #1.

The Menagerie and Other Byomkesh Bakshi Mysteries


Sharadindu Bandyopadhyay - 2006
    The present collection of stories, all set in Calcutta of the fifties and sixties, brings together four mysteries that put the sleuth's remarkable mental agility to the ultimate test. In The Menagerie (adapted by master film-maker Satyajit Ray for his 1967 film Chiriakhana) Byomkesh cracks a strange case involving broken motor parts, a seemingly natural death and the peculiar inhabitants of Golap Colony who seem capable of doing just about anything to safeguard the secrets of their tainted pasts. In The Jewel Case, he investigates the mysterious disappearance of a priceless necklace, while in The Will That Vanished he solves a baffling riddle to fulfil the last wish of a close friend. And in The Quills of the Porcupine, the shrewd detective is in his element as he expertly foils the sinister plans of a ruthless opportunist. Byomkesh's exploits just as it does Bandyopadhyay's remarkable portrayal of a city struggling to overcome its colonial past and come into its own.

Kaitlyn


Kevin Lewis - 2006
    . . Though the two year-old survives the brutal attack by his drunken father, his older sister Kaitlyn is convinced it's all her fault. Christopher is taken into care and never returns to the family home on the notorious Roxford estate in South London. But the bond between the siblings remains strong, and as Kaitlyn gets older she dreams of a new life away from the violence of the estate and her mother's dangerous addictions. But most of all, she dreams of being reunited with her little brother. Will Kaitlyn's dreams ever come true? And if they do, could they really turn into a nightmare? Kaitlyn is the heart-rending story of a family ripped apart by tragedy and reunited by a twist of fate that threatens to destroy all their lives and of a girl who has to choose between everything she has worked for, and the only family she has ever known.

The Club


Mandasue Heller - 2006
    But Zenith comes with a top class reputation and a location other clubs would kill for, so she reckons she's more than up for it.Until she starts to realize that the dangers aren't just from other club.s Beneath the glamour of the VIP lounge and the pumping music, sleaze and corruption are starting to creep in, and it'll take everything Jenna has to stop the rot.

Horse's Arse


Charlie Owen - 2006
    As only they could, the Police used it as a penal posting. Worst amongst the residents of Handstead were the Tree Top Mafia, a gang of violent thugs who terrorised their neighbourhood, the town and surrounding districts. They, and the officers doomed to serve at Handstead wrestled constantly for dominance. True stoics, the police officers resolved to make a difference in a town they called Horses Arse. Each group recognised something of themselves in the other. Not quite mutual respect, but something. This is the story of some of those Police officers; The Brothers, Psycho, Bovril, Pizza and others, a group of hooligans in uniform and their journey through manic excess, despair and finally some form of salvation. Police officers like these used to exist but their like have passed on. Only accounts like this one serve to remind us that once upon a time, police officers just got on with policing.

100 Bullets, Vol. 10: Decayed


Brian Azzarello - 2006
    10: DECAYED, collecting issues #68-75 of the acclaimed Vertigo series. Following Lono's ascension to warlord for the houses of the Trust, the last remaining Minutemen are activated as the players on both sides ready themselves for the endgame of their private war.

Close


Martina Cole - 2006
    And your family should be closest of all.Patrick Brodie knows exactly how far he's prepared to go to get what he wants. And he wants it all. Now. Before long, Patrick has become a legend in his own lifetime. Violently.Lily Diamond is different from the kind of woman Patrick is normally attracted to. But together they are determined that their children will have everything they didn't. Until the unthinkable happens and Lily is left on her own to look after their family in a dangerous world. The Brodies must stay close to survive. But as everyone knows, your sins will find you out.

Blindsided


Jay Giles - 2006
    Matt Seattle, a Sarasota stockbroker, befriends an older stock enthusiast, Joe Jesso. During one of their weekly Wednesday morning sessions, Joe announces he’s gotten married. A week later, Joe dies. Believing Joe may have been the victim of a black widow, Matt hires an investigator to look into Joe’s death. The investigator finds old Joe wasn’t so innocent; he embezzled money from a drug cartel. Suddenly, Matt finds himself battling Joe’s widow and her shyster lawyer who want his money, The National Association of Security Dealers who wants his broker’s license, and, oh yes, the cartel who wants his life. It’s enough to turn any bull into a bear.

The Flower Arranger at All Saints


Lis Howell - 2006
    It’s the sort of place where everyone knows each other’s business. And a new vicar wants to shake things up in the community.Then Phyllis the church flower arranger is found dead before the big Easter service.WHO WOULD KILL A SEEMINGLY SWEET OLD LADY?With fingers pointing and tensions rising, the village is in turmoil.Chaotic mum-of-two, Suzy Spencer, has just arrived in Tarnfield. She needs a fresh start after her husband betrayed her. Now she finds herself entangled in the mystery along with quiet widower, Robert Clark.The killer is set to strike again with another floral flourish. Despite their differences, can Suzy and Robert stop the murderer before anyone else suffers?A new series of cozy mysteries full of red herrings and twists and turns.Perfect for fans of Jeanne M. Dams, Frances Evesham, Margaret Mayhew, Betty Rowlands and M.C. Beaton.

100 Bullets, Vol. 11: Once Upon a Crime


Brian Azzarello - 2006
    Collecting issues #76-83 of the acclaimed series by Brian Azzarello, Eduardo Risso and Dave Johnson! The Trust, Agent Graves and the Minutemen arrive in Mexico for a showdown that will mark the end for at least one major player, while the mystery behind the Atlantic City job is finally revealed.

The Two Minute Rule


Robert Crais - 2006
    Requiem unleashes his most powerful novel to date--a brilliantly plotted tale about justice, love, and the sins of a father and son.

The Rabbit Factory


Marshall Karp - 2006
    Welcome to Familyland, an offshoot of Lamaar Studios. Once a small, Southern California animation house, it has grown into an entertainment conglomerate encompassing movies, television, music, video games, and a sprawling theme park. When an actor portraying Familyland's beloved mascot, Rambunctious Rabbit, is brutally murdered on park grounds, Lamaar executives are worried that the idyllic image of '50s America represented in Familyland will be shattered. They ask Mike Lomax and his partner Terry Biggs, the LAPD detectives assigned to solve the case, to keep the circumstances surrounding the death of their mascot quiet. When a second Lamaar employee is killed, Lomax and Biggs uncover a conspiracy to destroy Familyland and settle an unknown vendetta. Still under pressure to keep the case away from the public eye, the detectives are met with a third murder – and an outrageous demand: Anyone who associates with Lamaar – employees, customers, anyone – will be killed. Bringing a fresh duo of cops to the thriller set, The Rabbit Factory is both suspenseful and satiric; a taut mystery wrapped in sharp, comedic prose.

Prodigal Blues


Gary A. Braunbeck - 2006
    Braunbeck comes Prodigal Blues, his first foray into non-supernatural horror.After he finds himself stranded at a truck stop in Missouri, Mark Sieber gets one of the biggest shocks of his life when he recognizes the face of a little girl on a Missing poster as belonging to the same little girl he saw only a few minutes before. Looking around for some sign of her, he comes back to his table in the restaurant to find the little girl sitting there, waiting for him."I'm sorry, mister," is all she seems capable of saying.As the police and media begin to converge on the truck stop, Mark retreats back to his hotel room to call his wife and let her know what's going on, only to be taken hostage by the same people who released the little girl. But his abductors are little more than children themselves.Ranging in ages from 12 to 19, Mark's abductors are in the process of escaping from a sadistic pedophile known to them only as "Grendel" a man whose practices include torture and mutilation specifically, mutilation of the face.Mark's abductors have all been mutilated by Grendel, who may be very close behind them, and need someone with a "normal face" to help them carry out their plan for justice and return home.For the next few days, Mark will come to understand not only the inhuman horror that these children have suffered, but how they eventually learned to fight back and how they discovered that Grendel and his practices are at the center of a very complex network catering to those whose tastes run toward the molestation and mutilation of children.Prodigal Blues is perhaps Braunbeck's most suspenseful and emotionally powerful work to date; a story of suffering, depravity, redemption, and in the end the individual's compassion for his or her fellow human beings that can lead some people to find reserves of courage and determination they never thought they possessed.Terrifying, suspenseful, sometimes surprisingly funny, and ultimately moving, Prodigal Blues is quintessential Braunbeck.

Last Man Standing / Saving Faith


David Baldacci - 2006
    As the FBI investigates, suspicion surrounding Web deepens. Now, he needs help from an unlikely ally in his desperate search for the killer of his friends, and finds himself up against a force intent on finishing the job that began in the alley.SAVING FAITHWhen a zealous CIA Chief begins personally spying on his clients to promote a secret agenda of his own devising, the beautiful Faith Lockhard, one of Washington's greatest influence-peddlers, tells the FBI all her suspicions. Now in mortal danger, she still hopes to see justice done. Yet who will rescue Faith?

The Unquiet Grave: The FBI and the Struggle for the Soul of Indian Country


Steve Hendricks - 2006
    After a suspicious autopsy and a rushed burial, friends had Aquash exhumed and found a .32-caliber bullet in her skull. Using this scandal as a point of departure, The Unquiet Grave opens a tunnel into the dark side of the FBI and its subversion of American Indian activists. But the book also discovers things the Indians would prefer to keep buried. What unfolds is a sinuous tale of conspiracy, murder, and cover-up that stretches from the plains of South Dakota to the polished corridors of Washington, D.C. First-time author Steve Hendricks sued the FBI over several years to pry out thousands of unseen documents about the events. His work was supported by the prestigious Fund for Investigative Journalism. Hendricks, who has freelanced for The Nation, Boston Globe, Orion, and public radio, is one of those rare reporters whose investigative tenacity is accompanied by grace with the written word.

The Father of Forensics: The Groundbreaking Cases of Sir Bernard Spilsbury, and the Beginnings of Modern CSI


Colin Evans - 2006
     His name was Bernard Spilsbury-and, through his use of cutting-edge science, he single-handedly brought criminal investigations into the modern age. Starting out as a young, charismatic physician in early twentieth-century Britain, Spilsbury hit the English justice system-and the front pages-like a cannonball, garnering a reputation as a real-life Sherlock Holmes. He uncovered evidence others missed, stood above his peers in the field of crime reconstruction, exposed discrepancies between witness testimony and factual evidence, and most importantly, convicted dozens of murderers with hard-nosed, scientific proof. This is the fascinating story of the life and work of Bernard Spilsbury, history's greatest medical detective-and of the cases that not only made him a celebrity, but also inspired the astonishing science of criminal investigation in our own time.

Sharp Objects


Gillian Flynn - 2006
    For years, Camille has hardly spoken to her neurotic, hypochondriac mother or to the half-sister she barely knows: a beautiful thirteen-year-old with an eerie grip on the town. Now, installed in her old bedroom in her family's Victorian mansion, Camille finds herself identifying with the young victims—a bit too strongly. Dogged by her own demons, she must unravel the psychological puzzle of her own past if she wants to get the story—and survive this homecoming.Librarian's Note: this is an alternate cover edition - ISBN 10: 0307341550 (ISBN 13: 9780307341556)

Judge & Jury


James Patterson - 2006
    Hoping to get dismissed from the pool, she tells the judge that most of her legal knowledge comes from a bit part curling around the stripper's pole in The Sopranos. But she still ends up as juror number 11 in a landmark trial against a notorious mob boss. The judge is terrified of the defendant. The case quickly becomes the new Trial of the Century. Mafia don Dominic Cavello, known as the Electrician, is linked to hundreds of gruesome, unspeakable crimes. Senior FBI agent Nick Pellisante has been tracking him for years. He knows Cavello's power reaches far beyond the courtroom but the FBI's evidence against the ruthless killer is ironclad. Conviction is sure thing. So is the jury. As the jury is about to reach a verdict, the Electrician makes one devastating move that no one could have predicted. The entire nation is reeling, and Andie's world is shattered. For her, the hunt for the Electrician becomes personal, and she and Pellisante come together in an unbreakable bond: they exact justice - at any cost. The verdict: Run for your life.

A Tale Etched In Blood And Hard Black Pencil


Christopher Brookmyre - 2006
    We could tell you their names, where they were found, the state they were in. We could tell you about the suspects too, the evidence, the investigators; join a few dots, even throw you a motive. But what would be the point? You’re going to make your own assumptions anyway. After all, you know these people, don’t you? You went to school with them. We all did. Granted, that was twenty years ago, but how much does anybody really change? Exactly. So if you really knew them then, you’ll already have all the answers. If you really knew them then…Put on your uniform and line up in an orderly fashion for the funniest and most accurate trip back to the classroom you are likely to read, as well as a murder mystery like nothing that has gone before it. Forget the forensics: only once you’ve been through school with this painfully believable cast of characters will you be equipped to work out what really happened decades later. Even then, you’ll probably guess wrong and be made to stand in the corner.

The Fatal Heir


Lois Lewandowski - 2006
    A few years previous, she survived a car accident that shattered her ankle and her first marriage. Now she’s remarried and walking again and life would be perfect—if only she could get pregnant.Fortunately, Gillian’s mother-in-law and one of the Jackson County commissioners from Bend Brook, Nebraska, hatch a plan that will enable Gillian and her husband Clint to afford the next step in fertility treatment: they ask her to become an investigator for the county. Her first assignment is to find the biological parents of the commissioner’s adopted daughter, Caroline. With only one concrete fact to go on—Caroline was left at a Colorado monastery in 1967—Gillian heads for Aspen. Unfortunately, no one at the monastery remembers any such event—or so they say. When one monk goes missing and a woman who’s sleeping in the bed reserved for Gillian is murdered, Gillian has second thoughts. She can’t turn back, though, since most of Bend Brook has taken bets on whether she’ll be able to solve the case.As she uncovers past events that lead to the discovery of Caroline’s true identity, Gillian realizes that sometimes the perfect family might be the one you already have …

Head Over Heels: A Story Of Tragedy, Triumph and Romance in the Australian Bush


Sam Bailey - 2006
    After months of struggle, he learned how to resume his life as a farmer, running a sheep and cattle property in northwest New South Wales. then he met and fell in love with Jenny Black, an ABC Rural journalist, proposed to her on air, and the rest is history. Jenny tells Sam's story in his own laconic, wry style. By turns romantic, funny and moving, it affirms the strength of iron-willed determination and the power of love.

A Fatal Audio Collection: Fatal Voyage / Grave Secrets / Bare Bones


Kathy Reichs - 2006
     FATAL VOYAGE Read by Katherine Borowitz A commercial jetliner disaster has brought forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan to the North Carolina mountains as a member of the investigative agency DMORT. As bomb theories abound, Tempe discovers evidence that raises alarming questions -- and gets her thrown from the DMORT team. Relentless in her pursuit, Tempe uncovers a shocking tale of deceit as she probes her way into frightening territory -- where someone wants her silenced . . . GRAVE SECRETS Read by Katherine Borowitz While trying to piece together the violence of the past on a dig in Guatemala, forensic anthropologist Tempe Brennan becomes involved in a fresh wave of terror. When the horrific sounds of a fatal attack on two colleagues is heard on a blood-chilling satellite call and four privileged young women vanish from Guatemala City, Tempe is called in to investigate. Soon she finds herself caught in a dangerous web of power, money and greed that threatens to destroy her. BARE BONES Read by Michele Pawk A string of disturbing cases has put Tempe Brennan's vacation plans on hold. Instead, she heads to the lab to analyze charred remains from a suspicious fire, and a mysterious black residue from a small plane crash. But most troubling of all are the bones discovered on a remote farm. X-rays and DNA may link the crimes, but they can't reveal who is closing in on Tempe -- and how far they will go to keep her from uncovering the truth.

Ultimate CSI: Crime Scene Investigation


Corinne Marrinan - 2006
    Full color.

Coroner's Journal: Stalking Death in Louisiana


Louis Cataldie - 2006
     Baton Rouge is a little town with big-city problems. Rich with Creole history, colorful locals, and a strong sense of community, it's also the home of Napoleonic codes, stubborn cops, and a sometimes-troubled leadership. Baton Rouge-which literally means "Red Stick"-lives up to its bloody namesake. And after more than ten years as a deputy coroner and then as its chief coroner, Louis Cataldie has seen his fair share of unusual and disturbing cases. They range from the bizarre to the heartbreaking: an LSU professor killed by a barn door; the bones of a young woman found scattered in a churchyard; and as many as three serial killers loose at one time under Cataldie's watch. He has worked the scene of one of the Malvo/ Muhammad Beltway Sniper shootings and had a hand in bringing to justice serial killer Derrick Todd Lee in a controversial investigation that was featured in an ABC Prime Time special with Diane Sawyer and Patricia Cornwell. Coroner's Journal is an unflinching look at a world that television dramas such as CSI can only begin to show us.

Least Wanted: A Century of American Mugshots


Mark Michaelson - 2006
    Hookers, stooges, grifters and goons. Men and women, elderly and adolescent, rich and poor, but mostly poor. These are the Least Wanted. Their portraits make up a small part of Mark Michaelson's collection of over 10,000 American mugshots from the 1870s to the 1960s. Created as utilitarian instruments, and meant to be destroyed when obsolete, they survive as remnants of a bygone era of hard-copy originals, extraordinary visual windows on the past, and riveting physical artifacts, often accompanied by municipal ephemera. They are glued to cards and manuscripts, typed on and rubber stamped. Each suspect has been measured and fingerprinted, documented and classified. Bored, sheepish, proud, coy, tough, defiant, bounced, bloodied, bruised, broken and innocent faces--innocent until proven guilty--stare back at the camera with unmistakable individuality. This is central casting for the Late Late Show of unvarnished reality, and the lineup is full of small-timers, those who have fallen through the cracks. Each subject, each image, is a person, a portrait, a trace, a crime, a clue, a moment, an expression, a frame, a mustache, a mother, a father, a son or a daughter. Each image is evidence, documentation. A record of people and of stories dismissed by history and rescued here. A century of American souls, filed and forgotten, until now. Contributors include Ian McEwan and New Yorker contributor Malcolm Gladwell.

The Pardon / Beyond Suspicion


James Grippando - 2006
    Now the first two Swyteck adventures have been combined in a single volume -- two masterworks of double-cross, murderous intrigue, and pulse-pounding excitement that exhilarate with every unexpected twist and turn.The pardonDefense attorney Jack Swyteck cannot forgive his father, the governor, for allowing Jack's client to be executed for a murder he may not have committed. But a brilliant psychopath has targeted them both for revenge, so son and father must work together . . . or die.Beyond suspicionJack Swyteck falls victim to a beautiful con artist when he inadvertently helps an ex-girlfriend pull off a $1.5 million insurance scam. And when her dead body is discovered in his bathtub, Swyteck's suddenly a homicide suspect and forced to run for his life.

In My Hood


Endy - 2006
    As a once successful businesswoman, Desiree "Rae-Rae" Johnson use to avoid driving through that section of the neighborhood--until she fell on hard times. After becoming a crack addict, she starts living with her soul mate Bilal "Bunchy" Wilson, the man who introduced her to cocaine. After witnessing a double murder and struggling to survive the everyday dramas to support their drug habits, they manage to pull off one of the biggest robberies in New Jersey's history. Bilal is sentenced to life for murder and armed robbery and meets his sudden death in prison, leaving Desiree to face the demons of her past alone. After turning her life around, she meets one of the top men in the game, Ishmael Jenkins, and falls for him, not knowing his secret past. Ishmael is comfortable in his position in the hood and falls for Desiree just as hard. All hell breaks loose as Ishmael's loyalty is tested and Desiree struggles to maintain her sobriety. Between love, murder and a possible relapse, will they survive? Or will they be another statistic in this society in which we live? Have you seen this in your hood? Well, this is what happened In My 'Hood.

The Silver Cord / In Memorium


Paul McCusker - 2006
    But she isn't at peace, and her panicked words compel Father Gilbert to seek out a total stranger in a bizarre race against time. It's a case of life and death, but whose life and whose death can't be known until the final minutes. As the second episode, "In Memoriam," opens, memories abound in the wake of Clare Gilbert's illness. Old photographs. A mysterious girl. Clandestine meetings. An old flame returns. And soon Father Gilbert is haunted by the specters of his family's past and secrets that cannot be contained any longer. Father Gilbert investigates but does not know that this time the investigation will lead him to the darkest parts of his own heart.

In the Shadow of Papillon: Seven Years of Hell in Venezuela's Prison System


Frank Kane - 2006
    In desperation, he agreed to smuggle cocaine out of Venezuela. Almost inevitably, he and his girlfriend, Sam, were caught.The price they paid was a ten-year sentence in the hell of the overcrowded Venezuelan prison system, notorious for official corruption and abuse, and rife with weapons and gangs. At one point, Frank was held in the remote El Dorado prison, better known for being the one-time home of Henri Charrière, or Papillon. He witnessed countless murders as gang leaders fought for power, and he had to become as ruthless as his fellow inmates in order to survive. In an attempt to dull the reality of the horrendous conditions, he succumbed to drugs.After enduring years of systematic beatings by the guards and attempts on his life by inmates, Frank suffered more than one breakdown. He lost over four stone and was riddled with disease, but somehow he found the strength within himself to survive and was eventually released in 2004 after serving over seven years of his sentence. During the long walk back from hell, Frank decided to tell his story.

When I Go to Sleep


Belzebuub - 2006
    Imagine floating up into the air, flying to distant places, or meeting with spiritual beings. Imagine all this happening while you are out-of-body, knowing that it isn’t a fantasy, but very real. This book offers the best astral travel techniques put together in a step-by-step guide by Belzebuub who has nearly 20 years of experience, and has today reached an advanced level of proficiency in astral projection and explorations out of the body.Already proven by thousands of people over the last decade, A Course in Astral Travel & Dreams by Belzebuub will prepare and train you to successfully achieve an out-of-body experience. You will receive precise guidance to help you to master the different stages of astral projection so that you can make the best use of your time out-of-body. In just nine chapters find out how to astral project when you want to, experience lucid dreaming and dream recall, and receive guidance from the astral plane and dreams. Belzebuub includes a bonus dream symbol guide to interpret your dreams.Ancient texts from all over the world have referred to out of body experiences, as they are an intrinsic part of human spiritual experience, and have been used by mystics since the beginning of humanity to experience the greater multidimensional reality of life. Now, in A Course in Astral Travel and Dreams by Belzebuub, make them a part of yours.

Homicide 69


Sam Reaves - 2006
    The victim is a former Playboy bunny and mobster's girlfriend. Dooley suspects this is more than a sex killing, which leads him into the deep waters of mob intrigue and political corruption. The Night Watch is a gripping novel about a man, his family and his times. As Dooley, whose own youth was sacrificed in the Pacific in World War II, scans the news for hopeful portents regarding his son Kevin, a Marine in the thick of the fighting in Vietnam, he sees the world changing before his eyes. The moon landing, Woodstock, the Manson murders, and riots in the streets provide a backdrop for the personal and professional crises precipitated by Dooley's stubborn refusal to give up on a crime nobody but him wants solved.

The Tommy Good Story


Leondrei Prince - 2006
    Tommy learns from boyhood to manhood, valuable life lessons as his uncle drops "jewels" on him. But when Uncle Bear is murdered in the streets by the police, Tommy's life instantly changes. He's forced to survive and keep his Uncle Bear's legacy alive. He goes from ashy, to nasty, to classy!

Inside the Minds of Serial Killers: Why They Kill


Katherine Ramsland - 2006
    Many assume there is a profile of a serial killer, that serial killers always go for the same victim type or always use the same MO, that they are more clever than ordinary people, and that they are inevitably charming and attractive. The truth is not as simple as that. There are different types of serial killers, and while there are many books that discuss the serial killer phenomenon especially in relationship to victim types or context, researchers have not yet been able to come up with a definition, or type, that covers the broad spectrum of serial killers and their complex psychological dynamics. Ramsland looks at the variety of serial killer types, illustrating that it is difficult to accurately depict these elusive, intriguing, and dangerous killers.There are many cultural myths about serial killers, often propagated even by mental health professionals. Many assume there is a profile of a serial killer, that serial killers always go for the same victim type or always use the same MO, that they are more clever than ordinary people, and that they are inevitably charming and attractive. The truth is not as simple as that. There are different types of serial killers and while there are many books that discuss the serial killer phenomenon especially in relationship to victim types or context, researchers have not yet been able to come up with a definition, or type, that covers the broad spectrum of serial killers and their complex psychological dynamics. Ramsland looks at serial killer types, illustrating that it is difficult to accurately depict these elusive, intriguing, and dangerous killers.This book examines a variety of serial killers, from sexual predators to psychotic killers, from murder teams to odd eccentric stalkers, in order to present the distinct psychological dynamics that set serial killers apart from other violent murderers. Among the motives addressed are lust, control, glory, profit, thrill, delusions, rage, the desire for company, the need to please a partner, and even murder as an intellectual exercise. Serial killers live double lives, hiding their violence even from those who live with them, so along with a study of motives are chapters devoted to how close associates have described killers, including parents, siblings, co-workers, lovers, and survivors. There is no profile of a serial killer, and this book establishes that in vivid and frightening detail.

Murder Capital: Life and Death on Glasgow's Streets


Reg McKay - 2006
    This work offers up forty modern murder cases. This collection of tales graphically explores how the city has earned its unenviable title of Murder Capital of Europe. It highlights some of the most sickening murders to be committed in the world. Full description

A Kidnapped Mind: A Mother's Heartbreaking Memoir of Parental Alienation


Pamela Richardson - 2006
    From age five Dash suffered Parental Alienation Syndrome at the hands of his father. Indoctrinated to believe his mother had abandoned him, after years of monitored phone calls and impeded access eight-year-old Dash decided he didn’t want to be "forced" to visit her at all; later he told her he would never see her again if she took the case to court.But he didn’t count on his indefatigable mother’s fierce love. For eight more years Pamela battled Dash’s father, the legal system, their psychologist, the school system, and Dash himself to try and protect her son - first from his father, then from himself. A Kidnapped Mind is a heartrending and mesmerizing story of a Canadian mother’s exile from and reunion with her child, through grief and beyond, to peace.

6 Chambers, 1 Bullet: A Novel


Ralph Barger - 2006
    But when three of his fellow club members show up dead in a meat locker––frozen stiff on their bikes, with counterfeit $100 bills stuffed in their mouths – and the funny money leads back to the Russian mob, Patch is ready to add some ex–Pinkos to his hit list.After shaking down a couple of Russian hooker/con artists, Patch learns that there's a new Russian crime family, the Shalinsky Cartel, trying to establish their turf, and the murdered Infidelz were unfortunate casualties in their ruthless campaign. The Russians' leader is awaiting trial in prison, and it seems that Patch won't be able to get to the bottom of things without going to extreme measures. Soon he's behind bars himself, after cooking up an ingenious scheme to get at the Russian godfather, where he hopes to send a clear message – don't mess with the brotherhood of the Infidelz –with one well–placed shank. Now Patch's well–honed skills, learned inside and outside of prison walls, must serve him well if he's to avenge his compatriots' deaths, and regain dominance for the Infidelz once and for all.

The Tunnel Rats / Pay Off


Stephen Leather - 2006
    

Identity Theft, Inc.: A Wild Ride with the World's #1 Identity Thief


Glenn Hastings - 2006
    Just ask Frank Abagnale of Catch Me If You Can fame. He states so in the Q&A of the latest edition of that book. So here, then, is the truecrime book of this century. This is the first book on the subject from the inside, told by someone who's assumed hundreds of identities and become rich off it. Not only does the author reveal how ID theft is done, he tells loads of wildly unbelievable but true stories about his impersonations as they led to riches. Some of them are as funny and outrageous as they are amazing.At the same time he tells people how to protect themselves from the gangs of ID thieves thriving in the real and virtual worlds of today, and as he explains in his foreword, Glenn Hastings is writing this book to repent for his crimes. While committing them, he failed to take into account the damage they caused his victims. He states that had he continued on his massive trail of ID and credit fraud, he could have conceivably made a billion dollars. But enough was enough and ultimately he had to do the right thing.

Ghetto Princess


Mia Edwards - 2006
    She's fine, smart, and strong--qualities she inherited from a momma who made sure her little girl had every privilege--courtesy of Tony, one of Brooklyn's most powerful crime lords. Born to the life, Kanika knows the hustle from the inside out, but her future holds college and some quality time with Tony's second-in-command, Tyrell...Then Kanika's world explodes in a hail of bullets and blood when a hit takes down both the man who raised her and the mother she adores. Alone, shattered, and possibly a target herself, Kanika lets Tyrell convince her to attend college in Virginia and move in with her birth father. Down South has a whole other rhythm than Brooklyn, and the parent Kanika barely knows is a different kind of mobster than Tony was. Shon is angry and unpredictable...Determined as she is to make things work, Kanika is equally committed to finding out who killed Tony and her momma. She's not about to forget Tyrell. But nothing can prepare Kanika for what she's about to face: from temptation to danger to revelations that will call all her loyalties into question--and put her life on the line...

Under A Desert Sky


Loren Lockner - 2006
    It’s up to Chief Detective Nicole Lewis to solve the case and she quickly uncovers a lurid tale involving possessive boyfriends, provocative photographs, missing funds, and an attempted assassination of the Resort’s director, Justin Zachary. Soon Nicole is on the run with the chief suspect in the case, whose mesmerizing presence will either get her fired, killed, or worse yet, break her heart!

Miracle: Bobby Allison and the Saga of the Alabama Gang


Peter Golenbock - 2006
    After winning eighty-five races, he retired in 1988 when an accident at Pocono Raceway nearly killed him. He was severely brain injured, and it took him a full fifteen years to recover. After the accident, more tragedy struck. In 1992 his younger son, Clifford, died in a crash at the age of twenty-seven. A year later, his other son, Davey, died in a helicopter accident, and in 1994 he lost his close friend and protégé Neil Bonnet in a fatal crash. Then Bobby and his wife, Judy, separated and divorced. Through it all Bobby Allison persevered.Today Bobby's mind is as sharp, detailed, and analytical as anyone's in sports. Bobby remembers so much, in such great detail, the stories he tells leap off the page. It's all there---the feuds, the infighting, the victories, the accusations of cheating, and worse.Incredibly, Bobby, the poster boy for hard work, honesty, and integrity, holds nothing back, even when it reflects poorly on him. "It happened, and there's nothing I can do about that," is what he says. The result is raw racing history. Along with the Earnhardts, the Jarretts, and the Pettys, the Allisons are racing family royalty, and Miracle, a family saga of determination, loyalty, and love, is filled with some of the greatest racing stories of all time. If you ever wanted to read a book that puts you in the garage, in the pits, and in the boardrooms, and at the same time tugs at your heartstrings---this is the book for you.

Closure: The Untold Story of the Ground Zero Recovery Mission


William Keegan Jr. - 2006
    On the morning of 9/11, the Port Authority Police Department was the first uniformed service to respond to the attack on the World Trade Center. When the towers collapsed, thirty-seven of its officers were killed -- the largest loss of law enforcement officers in U.S. history. That afternoon, Lieutenant William Keegan began the work of recovery. The FDNY and NYPD had the territory, but Keegan had the map. PA cops could stand on top of six stories of debris and point to where a stairwell had been; they used PATH tunnels to enter "the pile" from underneath. Closure includes many never-before-told stories, including how Keegan and his officers recovered 1,000 tons of gold and silver from a secret vault to keep the Commodities Exchange from crashing; discovered what appeared to be a black box from one of the planes that hit the towers; and helped raise the inspirational steel beam cross that has become the site's icon. For nine brutal months, the men at Ground Zero wrestled with 1.8 million tons of shattered concrete, twisted steel, body parts, political pressure, and their own grief. Closure tells the unforgettable story of their sacrifice and valor, and how Keegan led the smallest of all the uniformed services at the site to become the most valuable.

A Grief Like No Other: Surviving the Violent Death of Someone You Love


Kathleen O'Hara - 2006
    From 9/11 to Cindy Sheehan's son – from mass tragedies like the recent London bombings to Law and Order type crimes that make the news only to be replaced by another name. As such, more people are left with the aftermath of dealing with the violent death of a loved one. It brings its own special brand of grieving since victim's families can spend years dealing with legal ramifications, guilt, and a myriad of other circumstances that don't accompany "normal" deaths. Kathleen O'Hara knows both sides of this coin. As a therapist, she has counseled hundreds of people dealing with grief. As a mother, she saw her worst fears realized when her college-aged son was brutally murdered in 1999. In the aftermath of Aaron's murder, O'Hara developed the seven stage journey that is at the heart of A Grief Like No Other. Although this is a book for those left behind in the aftermath of violence, it offers concrete and practical steps and stages, allowing family and friends safe passage through this incredibly harrowing journey.

Sara


Tony Hayden - 2006
    Her father, a rural county deputy, battles his own demons and a despotic sheriff in a desperate search to find his only child. Mike Haller must untangle a web of lies and secrets woven into the fabric of this small mountain town to discover the road that leads to his missing daughter.Tony Hayden has laced together a story of struggle, hope and the untethered brutality of men without boundary that forces the reader up a dark mountain path to the edge of a shallow grave that hides no secrets.

An Advancement of Learning / An April Shroud


Reginald Hill - 2006
    

Ricochet


Sandra Brown - 2006
    When Detective Sergeant Duncan Hatcher is summoned to the home of Judge Cato Laird in the middle of the night to investigate a fatal shooting, he knows discretion and kid-glove treatment will be key to staying in the judge’s good graces and keeping his job.It’s an open-and-shut case: Elise, the judge’s beautiful trophy wife, interrupted a burglary and killed the intruder in self-defense. Yet Duncan is suspicious of the beautiful woman’s story of innocence and his gut tells him her account of the shooting is only partially true.Determined to learn the dead man’s connection to the Lairds, Duncan investigates further but soon finds his career, and integrity, in jeopardy. Despite his suspicions, Duncan is increasingly drawn to Elise―even if she is a married woman, a proven liar, and a murder suspect.When Elise seeks Duncan out privately, he initially dismisses her incredible allegation as the manipulative lie of a guilty woman. But if she’s telling the truth, then that single fatal gunshot at her home takes on even more sinister significance, possibly involving Duncan’s nemesis, the brutal crime lord Robert Savich. And then Elise goes missing...

Jack the Ripper: Scotland Yard Investigates


Stewart P. Evans - 2006
    As the title declares, this is the complete investigation and is full of new insights and information on the murders and who might have committed them. The authors reopen every aspect of the case and offer a balanced account that does not favor any one suspect or motive. By viewing the case through the lens of police procedure, they have uncovered clues and links that have remained undetected for more than a hundred years. Evans and Rumbelow also extend the investigation beyond the “canonical” five victims and add other murders investigated at the same time that bring the total to twelve. This study strips away much of the nonsense that has accumulated since 1888 and draws the reader into the world of police investigation in Victorian London, reopening files on a case that will perhaps never be solved, but will always fascinate.

Dead Watch


John Sandford - 2006
    Her husband, a former U.S. Senator, has been missing for days. Kidnapped? Murdered? She doesn't know, but she thinks she knows who's involved, and why. And that she's next.Hours later in Washington, D.C., a cell phone rings. The White House chief of staff needs Jacob Winter now. His chief investigator and an Army Intelligence veteran, Winter knows how to move quickly and decisively, but he's never faced a problem like this. The disappearances are bad, but when the blackened body shows up barbed-wired to a tree, Winter knows there is much worse to come. And soon enough, there is. Large forces are at work, determined to do whatever it takes to achieve their ends. Winter will have to use all his resources not only to prevail but also to survive. And so will the nation. . . .

True Stories from Australian Police Files


Vikki Petraitis - 2006
    Vikki Petraitis has interviewed Australian police from Forensics, Fingerprints, Criminal Investigation Units and Homicide to write these stranger-than-fiction truce-crime stories.

Every Contact Leaves a Trace


Connie Fletcher - 2006
    They may also contaminate evidence, or not know what to look for in crime scenes that typically are far more chaotic and confusing, whether inside or outside, than on TV.   Forensic experts will tell you that the most important person entering a scene is the very first responding officer - the chain of evidence starts with this officer and holds or breaks according to what gets stepped on, or over, collected or contaminated, looked past, or looked over, from every person who enters or interprets the scene, all the way through the crime lab and trial.  And forensic experts will tell you the success of a case can depend on any one expert's knowledge of quirky things, such as:"The Rule of the First Victim": (the first victim of a criminal usually lives near the criminal's home) Criminals' snacking habits at the scene"Nature's Evidence Technicians," the birds and rodents that hide bits of bone, jewelry, and fabric in their nestsThe botanical evidence found in criminals' pants cuffs Baseball caps as prime DNA repositoriesThe tales told by the application of physics to falling blood drops.      Forensic experts talk about their expertise and their cases here.  They also talk about themselves, their reactions to the horrors they witness, and their love of the work.  For example, a DNA analyst talks about how she drives her family crazy by buccal-swabbing them all at Thanksgiving dinner.  A latent print examiner talks about how he examines cubes of Jell-O at any buffet he goes to for tell-tale prints.  A crime scene investigator gives his tips on clearing a scene of cops: he slaps "Bio-hazard" and "Cancer Causing Agent" stickers on his equipment.  And an evidence technician talks about how hard it is to go to sleep after processing a scene, re-living what you've just witnessed, your mind going a hundred miles an hour.   This is a world that TV crime shows can't touch.  Here are eighty experts - including beat cops, evidence technicians, detectives, forensic anthropologists, blood spatter experts, DNA analysts, latent print examiners, firearms experts, trace analysts, crime lab directors, and prosecution and defense attorneys - speaking in their own words about what they've seen and what they've learned to journalist Connie Fletcher, who has gotten cops to talk freely in her bestsellers What Cops Know,  Pure Cop, and Breaking and Entering.   Every Contact Leaves A Trace presents the science, the human drama, and even the black comedy of crime scene investigation.   Let the experts take you into their world. This is their book - their words, their knowledge, their stories.  Through it all, one Sherlock Holmesian premise unites what they do and what it does to them: Every contact leaves a trace.

Hyper Police, Volume 6


Mee - 2006
    But when an intense lesson turns into a bumpy ride, Natsuki makes up for her mistakes with some crafty motorcycle driving. And it's just as well--her skills may come in handy when elemental masters Po and Richelle get into an all-out battle!

Profiling Serial Killers: and other Crimes in South Africa


Micki Pistorius - 2006
    It took another twenty years of development and refinement before it was recognised as a valid investigative tool in the apprehension of criminals.Profiling can be described as an 'educated attempt to provide investigative agencies with specific information about the type of individual who could have committed a particular crime.' Today it is used in conjunction with other investigative techniques.Profiling Serial Killers and other crimes in South Africa contains a comprehensive introduction to the subject, followed by chapters on serial killers, pyromaniacs, rapists, child molesters, stalkers, and white collar crime and intelligence profiling.

The FBI Career Guide: Inside Information on Getting Chosen for and Succeeding in One of the Toughest, Most Prestigious Jobs in the World


Joseph W. Koletar - 2006
    However, there were more than 150,000 applicants, and you can be sure the successful candidates had not only relevant backgrounds, but also determination and a genuine desire to embark on one of the most coveted, rewarding, and challenging careers in the world.Joe Koletar, whose own blue-ribbon career at the Bureau is second to none, shows how to get the job-and how to thrive once you've got it.In The FBI Career Guide, Koletar’s inside look at the real FBI reveals:Smart educational and career decisions to improve your odds of being hiredHow to meet and network with current FBI agentsWhat Special Agents do, day-to-day, in different roles and environmentsHow undercover investigations, SWAT team operations, and specialty assignmentsWhat agents earn, and what benefits they receiveThe prospects for advancement, and some typical (and not so typical) career pathsHow the job may affect your personal and family lifeThis book also reveals the common mistakes applicants make, and shows how to avoid them while also giving you detailed information on excelling in the Agent Training Program.Finally, Koletar offers profiles of real agents who have gone on to successful post-FBI careers, and will help you lay the groundwork for a rewarding life after the Bureau. Above all, The FBI Career Guide will help you find out if you've got what it takes to succeed -- and if you do, how to show it.

A Hunt for Justice: The True Story of a Woman Undercover Wildlife Agent


Lucinda Delaney Schroeder - 2006
    Fish and Wildlife Service. In August 1992, she accepted an assignment that forever changed--and endangered--her life. She posed as a big-game hunter in Alaska in order to infiltrate an international ring of poachers out to kill the biggest and best of that state's wildlife.A Hunt for Justice recounts her dramatic story--a story she was not legally permitted to write about until her retirement in 2004.

Life on Mars: The Official Guide to Series One


Guy Adams - 2006
    It is packed with interviews and insights into the making of the series, from what first inspired it to what might really be happening to Sam.

For the Love of My Son


Margaret Davis - 2006
    When Margaret Davis's beloved son Steven was murdered by his own wife, a Philippino former prostitute, she travelled across continents to track down her son’s killers and bring them to justice, and to rescue her grandchildren. Based on Margaret's own diaries, notes, and emails, this tells not only the awful but utterly compelling story of her perilous journey, but also of how she has dealt with her crippling grief, and how she has striven to save and protect two small children caught up in the violent crossfire of their parents’ failing marriage. It is a tale of two cultures that clashed, with terrible results. And it is a tale of how one mother, faced with her worst nightmare, has fought for justice for her son and some kind of healing for herself and the others left behind after his appalling death.

The Socially Skilled Child Molester: Differentiating the Guilty from the Falsely Accused


Carla Van Dam - 2006
    The Socially Skilled Child Molester: Differentiating the Guilty from the Falsely Accused identifies how socially proficient molesters successfully ingratiate themselves into families and communities. The book closely examines their techniques and strategies while detailing the tools for prevention. The difficult issue of false accusation is tackled by learning the distinctions that clearly differentiate the actions of the guilty from those who are innocent. Practical recommendations for accurately assessing danger and managing safety are provided.The Socially Skilled Child Molester focuses on the sexual deviants who 'groom' family, friends, and their community to allow their activities, though arousing suspicion, to go on without restriction. This essential source reveals their tactics. Using composite representations of various types of child molesters, the author illustrates through case history and detailed research how these offenders succeed, while providing recommendations on how communities can stop enabling and protecting such individuals.The Socially Skilled Child Molester discusses in depth: 'groomers' versus 'grabbers' common misperceptions about child molesters the groomer profile--the different types groomer strategies for manipulation correctly differentiating between pedophiles and the falsely accused predicting risk the key concerns when interviewing child molesters the three levels of child molesters recidivism for the sexual deviant. The Socially Skilled Child Molester comprehensively brings together helpful strategies and vital information essential for parents, lawmakers, police, teachers, and therapists.

A Lovely Murder Down South


Paul Johnson - 2006
    Paul Johnson author of the brutal street classic blood money returns to breath life into urban lit.with his new masterpiece a lovely murder down south, This is a real heart wrenching bloody tale of three young ladies coming of age amongst the hustlers, strippers, lesbians, sexual predators and even a serial killer.

The Best American Crime Writing 2006


Mark BowdenRichard Rubin - 2006
    This thrilling compendium includes:Jeffrey Toobin's eye-opening exposé in The New Yorker about a famous prosecutor who may have put the wrong man on death rowSkip Hollandsworth's amazing but true tale of an old cowboy bank robber who turned out to be a "classic good-hearted Texas woman"Jimmy Breslin's stellar piece about the end of the Mob as we know it

The Long Dead


John Dean - 2006
     When an archaeological investigation of an old prisoner of war camp turns up several bodies in unmarked graves, it should be an open and shut case for DCI John Blizzard. But, on a foggy November morning, his instinct that something is not quite right is confirmed when forensics show that while most of the victims died during a flu epidemic after the Second World War, one of the deaths was far more recent. Who is this man? Why was he killed? As Blizzard and his team investigate, they begin to uncover a cruel crime, and a promise of revenge that goes back generations. Worse, the killer is at large and now motivated to strike again. Can Blizzard piece together the puzzle and let old wounds finally heal? Set in the fictional port of Hafton in northern England, THE LONG DEAD is a contemporary British whodunnit. If you are a reader who likes having to guess the identity of the murderer, you’ll enjoy picking up on the various clues. With snappy dialogue and convincing characters, this is a page turner that the whole family will appreciate.

The U.S. vs. John Lennon


David Leaf - 2006
    But that's what happened, as chronicled in directors David Leaf and John Scheinfeld's The U.S. vs. John Lennon. The film starts slowly, with a familiar look at the former Beatle's troubled childhood, his outspokenness as one of the Fabs ("We're more popular now than Jesus Christ," etc.), and his eventual hookup with Yoko Ono, paralleled by the growth of political protest in '60s America, particularly against the Vietnam War. John and Yoko went on to stage their own peaceful demonstrations, like the Canadian "bed-ins," but these were largely harmless media stunts. It was when the Lennons moved to New York in the early '70s and took a more active role in the anti-war movement, making friends with radicals like Abbie Hoffman, Jerry Rubin, and Black Panther Party founder Bobby Seale, that the government got interested--and paranoid--and men like President Richard Nixon, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, and right-wing Sen. Strom Thurmond began actively looking for ways to silence him (it was Thurmond who came up with the deportation idea). That's also when the film picks up. An array of talking heads weighs in, ranging from Ono and others sympathetic to Lennon's plight (Walter Cronkite, Sen. George McGovern, even Geraldo Rivera) to those on the other side, including Watergate conspirator G. Gordon Liddy. Though The U.S. vs. John Lennon is hardly impartial, it's safe to say that although Lennon was more an idealist than an activist, he was an influential celebrity whom Nixon viewed as a potential nuisance in an election year. And even once Nixon had won the '72 presidential race, the Immigration and Naturalization Service refused to drop its case. Why? "Anybody who sings about love, and harmony, and life, is dangerous to somebody who sings about death," says author Gore Vidal. "Lennon... was a born enemy of the U.S. He was everything they hated." For music fans, Lennon's solo recordings provide the soundtrack. The DVD also contains considerable additional documentary footage. --Sam Graham

Rico's Garden


Eve Lilas - 2006
    Surrounded by the finest things money can buy he leads a sterile life of comfort and loneliness, and that suits him just fine-that is, until gardener Eden Stuart runs him off the road with her dilapidated old farm truck. His anger at her recklessness soon gives way to unforgettable attraction. More than vegetables and flowers grow in Eden's lush garden-healing and warmth grow there too. Despite his awakening love Rico makes it clear that sex is all he has to offer Eden-it's all she'll ever get from him. Love without trust is meaningless and nothing more than personal vanity, Eden tells him, trust is everything. Rico knows she's right but trust is a commodity unaffordable to a man with so much to hide and everything to lose-sex isn't.

Devon Murders


John Van der Kiste - 2006
    John Hay, vicar of South Brent, dragged from his church and slaughtered in 1436, Devon has had its fair share of 'murder most foul'. This book recounts several notable cases, from the killing of Sarah and Edward Glass at Wadland Down in 1827, and the poisonings of Samuel Wescombe in Exeter in 1829 and William Ashford at Honiton Clyst in 1866, both by wives whose affections had gones elsewhere; to the horrific murder of Emma Doidge and her boyfriend William Rowe by the former's jilted suitor at Peter Tavey in 1892, the strangling of schoolgirl Alice Gregory in 1916, and the triple murder of Emily Maye and her daughters at West Charleton, Kingsbridge, in 1936, which remains unsolved to this day. Above all, there is an account of Devon's most famous case, the murder of Emma Keyse at Babbacombe and the convicted servant John Lee - the man they couldn't hang. John Van der Kiste's carefully researched, well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to anyone interested in the shady side of Devon's history.

The Sheriff: A Detective's Story


Gerry O'Carroll - 2006
    Following his first posting as an officer on the beat in Rathfarnham, Co. Dublin, Gerry spent three decades investigating some of the country's most high-profile crimes and here he explains the motives behind them and reveals the confessions that led to convictions.The Kerry Babies case split the nation and Gerry was at the centre of the debate. In The Sheriff, he shares his thoughts on the tragedy, along with his experiences as an officer at the height of the Troubles.Following his retirement from the force, Gerry has become a popular columnist with the Evening Herald and is in demand on radio and television for his views on crime. He most famously helped Jon Voight to prepare for his performance as an Irish policeman in John Boorman's The General. The film was based on the life of Martin Cahill, a gangster vigorously pursued by Gerry.The Sheriff recounts Gerry's story from his Kerry upbringing as one of a family of fifteen children to his professional success as one of Ireland's most well-known policemen.

The Killer #1 (of 10)


Matz - 2006
    The killer waits in the shadows, watching for his next target. However the longer he waits, the more he thinks he's losing his mind, if not his cool. A brutal, bloody, and stylish noir story of a professional assassin lost in a world without a moral compass.

Wild to Possess/A Taste for Sin


Gil Brewer - 2006
    His wife had left him for another man, and he had discovered them together--murdered. Drowning himself in gin, one night he stumbles across a parked car where a man and a woman are plotting the kidnapping and murder of the man's wife. At first he thinks he should turn them in, but there is some real money involved here, and he makes the liquor-fueled decision to follow them and work a double-cross of his own. But Lew doesn't figure on Clarkson, brother of his dead wife's lover. Clarkson wants to bring him back to pay for the death of his brother. But there's no turning back on the plan now--Lew has got to see this one through to the end.A TASTE FOR SINJim Phalen is obsessed with Felice. He can't get enough of her wild ways, her wicked charms. She is hot like no woman he has ever met before. They're quite a pair. Unfortunately, Felice is married to bank manager George Anderson. But Felice has a plan--to kill her husband one night while he works at the bank and steal all the money. Jim thinks the idea is crazy. But the more he figures it, the more he thinks that it just might work. He knows he had to have Felice. Just the thought of her drives him nuts. But can he create the perfect plan to possess her, and steal the money, too? It's crazy alright--but it just might work.

Secrets in the Sand: The Young Women of Juarez


Marjorie Agosín - 2006
    The remains of these brutalized young women continue to be found scattered in the parched desert, vacant city lots, and roadside ditches. Others are never found.In Secrets In The Sand, Agosin through her words and images invites her readers to bear witness to the reality that the grieving families of the disappeared and murdered young women face every day.As a poet and human rights activist Marjorie Agosin has dedicated her life’s work to the search for justice and human dignity.

Bronx D.A.: True Stories from the Sex Crimes and Domestic Violence Unit


Sarena Straus - 2006
    This book is about her experiences in combating crimes against women and children during a three-year stint with the Domestic Violence and Sex Crimes Unit, mostly prosecuting sex crimes against children. The literal and emotional battles, both won and lost, eventually destroyed her. Ms. Straus began with a burning desire to be part of the safety net, to prosecute criminals who terrorize the most defenseless among us. How and why she finally had to stop is the unusual psychological tale of this book. It is a true-crime memoir; an account and a tribute to the assistant district attorneys and their support staff, the physicians, social workers, crime victim advocates and cops who do what is truly God's work.

The Hole: Another Look at the Sinking of the Estonia Ferry on September 28th 2004


Drew Wilson - 2006
    It was the worst peacetime sea catastrophe in European waters in the 20th century. A controversial government investigation blamed the ship's design and high waves. But the Estonia was the only intact ship in maritime history to sink in less than one hour -- faster than some torpedoed ships. This disturbing fact is the core of the tragedy and was left unexplained. The victims still remain in the shipwreck in shallow depth just off the coast of Finland, a spot militarily guarded by Sweden. The Hole: Another look at the sinking of the Estonia ferry on September 28, 1994 examines alternative explanations in view of post-Soviet chaos, proceeding from the theory that the Estonia had a hole -- from a collision or an explosion.

Defending Gary: Unraveling the Mind of the Green River Killer


Mark Prothero - 2006
    He's too calm. He's too polite! He can't possibly have murdered forty-nine women. They can't be serious! They must have screwed up! I didn't realize then, but I was right. Gary Ridgway hadn't killed forty-nine women. He'd killed even more than that." Soon, Mark Prothero faced the question: "How could you possibly defend the most prolific serial killer in United States history, the infamous Green River Killer? If anyone deserved to be executed for his crimes, didn't he?"Mark Prothero, co-lead defense attorney who helped save Gary Ridgway from the death sentence, has heard that question many times. Now he's written a book that reveals the true, inside story of exactly how an idealistic public defender, high school swim coach, husband, and dad could bring himself to spend many months of close confinement with a man who brutally murdered at least 75 young women, often in the act of sex. Defending Gary shows how Prothero could reconcile these monstrous acts knowing the reality of this unassuming fellow Gary Ridgway, a mild-mannered, church-going, devoted husband, father, and former Navy man, with an IQ of around 82 and a longtime job as a truck-painter from Auburn, Washington, near Seattle.

The Complete Dick Tracy Volume 1: 1931-1933


Chester Gould - 2006
    The first volume of this multi-year project will include the five sample strips that Gould used to sell his groundbreaking strip, as well as nearly 500 comic strips encompassing the series' beginning, from October 1931-May 1933. Among these strips are the first appearance of many long-time Dick Tracy characters, such as Tess Truehart, Junior and Chief Brandon. This special first volume features an overview and introduction from Consulting Editor and writer Max Allan Collins, as well as a never-before-published interview between Collins and creator Chester Gould. Each volume will feature book design from award-winning designer/artist Ashley Wood. -The Library of American Comics is the world's #1 publisher of classic newspaper comic strips, with 14 Eisner Award nominations and three wins for best book. LOAC has become "the gold standard for archival comic strip reprints... The research and articles provide insight and context, and most importantly the glorious reproduction of the material has preserved these strips for those who knew them and offers a new gateway to adventure for those discovering them for the first time." - Scoop

Mortal Shield


Thomas A. Taylor - 2006
    In the State Capitol, security agents practice their formidable protection skills to guard the life of a governor and his family who try to outmaneuver their bodyguards at every turn. When the governor hosts a nationwide governors’ summit, security is taxed to the limit while the extremists infiltrate the gathering to massacre government officials and anyone else in their way.In the real world, public figures are faced with hazardous situations every day. Stalkers, inappropriate or threatening communications, and unwelcome approaches are all part of public life. The fiction thriller Mortal Shield, by protection-expert Thomas Taylor, delves into the hearts and minds of bodyguards, the dignitaries they protect, and the opponents they attempt to foil. Mortal Shield is a realistic and spellbinding portrayal of protection work, which captures the everyday challenge of guarding high-level VIPs.Most “assassin” novels are the same: Lone assassin stalks VIP; hero stalks assassin; hero is discredited and becomes outcast; hero figures out assassination plot; against all odds, hero lunges in at last moment and foils assassination in front of incompetent bodyguards. You seldom read: bodyguard orchestrates flawless travel procedures; bodyguard figures out assassination plot among hundreds of false alarms; bodyguard lunges in and saves VIP.Every situation, every person, and each piece of equipment described in this book are truthful depictions of the real world, down to the gritty details of training for everything, planning for anything, and protocol from everywhere—all elements which the protector has to weigh and measure. Readers will never look at public figures or their bodyguards the same way again.

Cover Up


John Francome - 2006
    When his two-year-old colt Goldeneye takes the July Stakes at Newmarket in some style, it seems he can lift Rob's failing business out of the mire. But there's a tragedy waiting round the corner...Rob’s head girl Ivana, a horse-mad beauty from the Czech Republic, would also revel in Goldeneye’s triumph except for the terrifying reappearance of her sadistic ex-lover Milos. She’s run a long way to escape from him - but it looks like she hasn’t run far enough...

Letter to a Prisoner: From a Career Criminal to Seeker of the Truth


Joe Wolfe - 2006
    Letter to a Prisoner is an account of an ex-prisoner's path from criminality to seeker of Truth. It describes out of the ordinary, mystical experiences, life in prison, years in solitary confinement, escape attempts and events that would change a career criminal into a seeker of the Truth. Letter To A Prisoner has changed the lives and behavior of many people either in prison or headed there. It also includes a clear and easy to understand introduction to A Course in Miracles through Gary Renard's The End of Reincarnation, and Carrie Triffet's The Crash Course. The book contains all 365 daily lessons in a Course in Miracles. It's designed to help all prisoners whether bound by walls and bars or by the ego's tenacious thirst for control. If guided to help anyone can can order copies of this book and send them to Joe Wolfe, Spirit Light Outreach PO BOX 1514 Ormond Beach FL 32175. We'll deliver them to the many prisoners who request copies. Over the years Letter To A Prisoner has succeeded to change the lives of many prisoners all over the world. For every copy purchased one is sent to a prisoner in your behalf. SpiritLightOutreach.org

Violence Is My Business/Turn Left for Murder


Stephen Marlowe - 2006
    Yet Chester Drum, hired to find out who the professor is sleeping with, penetrates a police cordon just in time to see Lord jump to his death from a fourth-floor ledge in the midst of Homecoming festivities. When Drum is accused of using his knowledge to blackmail the professor, his private investigator's license is lifted. The only way he can get it back is to learn what drove Lord to suicide. Was it an obsession with the call girl Bobby Hayst? Or was there something far more sinister? To find the truth, Drum must dodge a sadistic sheriff, a vengeful fellow professor, and a crooked investigator with the highest Washington connections all conspiring to make Drum's exit from his line of work a permanent one! TURN LEFT FOR MURDER As a teenager on the mean streets of Brooklyn, Norm Fisher had found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time. He'd witnessed a gangland killing. Worse, he'd driven the getaway car for Big Danny Cooper and Buggsy. They wanted him in the gang, but Fisher joined the Army instead. Now he's out, married with one kid and another on the way, and Buggsy wants him back. Buggsy has a particular hit in mind the special prosecutor for gangbusting! and he'll do whatever it takes to bring Fisher into it. Big Danny, execution expert for the mob's Brooklyn branch, has plans for Fisher too, and between them they give him no choice. The lives of his wife and child hang in the balance, and no matter which way he turns, the road leads to murder.

Cold Case Homicides: Practical Investigative Techniques


Richard H. Walton - 2006
    The book merges theory with practice through the use of case histories, photographs, illustrations, and checklists that convey essential, fundamental concepts while providing a strong, practical basis for the investigative process. It combines proven techniques from forensics, psychology, and criminal investigation, and focuses on technologies that may not have been available at the time of the crime. This guide defines the characteristics of a cold case homicide; details various investigative methods used by law enforcement agencies; explores the actual experiences of detectives in re-opening case files; and presents current technologies such as ViCAP, HITS, and TracKRS used in the identification of cases related to the re-opened case, or its perpetrator. It also highlights technological changes that contribute greatly to law enforcement's abilities to solve cold case homicides such as computerized print technology, the specificity of DNA, and the expanding data banks that enable the linkage of previously unknown suspects to the crimes they committed. Addressing methods particularly valuable to cold cases, Cold Case Homicides: Practical Investigative Techniques assists the investigator in being prepared, focused, objective - and successful in obtaining the truth.

Stasi: Shield and Sword of the Party


John Schmeidel - 2006
    In its attempt at 'total coverage' of civil society, the Ministry for State Security came close to realizing the totalitarian ideal of a political police force. Based on research in archival files unlocked just after the fall of the Berlin Wall and available to few German and Western readers, this volume details the Communist Party's attempt to control all aspects of East German civil society, and sets out what is known of the regime's support for international terrorism in the 1970s and 1980s.STASI will be of much interest to students of intelligence studies, German politics and international relations.

Tales of Judge Dee


Zhu Xiao Di - 2006
    The legendary figure comes back! He continues to solve baffling cases in 7th century China, but at a faster pace.Tales of Judge Dee is Zhu Xiao Di's debut in fiction. His other books include: Thirty Years in a Red House, a Memoir of Childhood and Youth in Communist China (University of Massachusetts Press, 1998, paperback from the same press, 1999, new edition by Penguin Books India, 2000) and Father: Famous Writers Celebrate the Bond between Father and Child(Pocket Books, 2000, contributing along with John Updike, Annie Proulx, Dean Koontz, Calvin Trillin, and others.)Boston Globe calls his memoir 'a splendid lesson in 20th-century Chinese history," and Library Journal says it is 'engrossing and engaging.

Shattered Sense of Innocence: The 1955 Murders of Three Chicago Children


Richard C. Lindberg - 2006
    A community and a nation were shocked. In a time when such crimes against children were rare, the public was transfixed as local television stations aired stark footage of the first hours of the investigation. Life and Newsweek magazines published exclusive stories the following week. When Kenneth Hansen was convicted and sentenced for the murders, the case was considered solved—until questions were raised about Hansen’s presumed guilt.Shattered Sense of Innocence: The 1955 Murders of Three Chicago Children tells the gripping story of the three murdered boys—thirteen-year-old John Schuessler, his eleven-year-old brother, Anton, and thirteen-year-old Bobby Peterson—and the quest to find and bring to justice their killer. Authors Richard C. Lindberg and Gloria Jean Sykes recount the bungled 1955 police investigation, the failures of multiple law enforcement agencies, and the subsequent convictions of Kenneth Hansen, in 1995 and 2002, and present new information concerning two suspects overlooked by police for five decades. The authors deftly examine all sides of this tragic story, drawing on exclusive interviews with law enforcement agents, with horse trainers affiliated with the so-called horse mafia, and with the man convicted of the murders, Kenneth Hansen. This intensely intimate account offers a rare glimpse into one community and examines how these atrocious crimes altered public perceptions nationwide. Shattered Sense of Innocence, which is also a story of political controversy, a determined federal agent’s quest for justice, and a community’s loss of innocence, includes fifty illustrations.

Killing Halfbreed


Zack Mason - 2006
    Jake Halfbreed is a man determined to break that silence when it comes to the disappearance of his brother, Ben, and Ben's young wife, Jessica. Discovering what happened to Ben becomes Jake's steadfast mission. He throws himself into the search only to find himself frustrated at every turn. Something is seriously wrong in Cottonwood Valley, but no one is talking. Soon, Jake is caught in a trap of his own making. The town is dead set on hanging him for the murder of a prominent townsman. What's worse, he knows he deserves it. Then, a stranger steps in....and the story begins.