They captivate us with their forbidden mystery and promises of excitement. Yet once inside us, they become toxic; compelling us to infect others, who in turn want nothing more than to be bitten. It's a vicious cycle that ensures nothing remains secret forever. The only way to protect yourself from their destructive energies is to simply turn the other way when offered one. To resist the lure of the forbidden fruit. But sometimes, something just happens to you - or you just happen to witness something - that forces one upon you; like an uninvited guest that arrives without warning, and leaves only under great duress. Unfortunately, I have been burdened by such a secret for over twenty years. You see, my childhood was stolen from me in broad daylight, right under my nose, by a cunning thief who dazzled me with his charms, only to run away with my innocence forever. It was the perfect crime, and at the time I was the perfect victim. But thankfully, I was able to pick up the pieces of my life and gradually go on to live quite normally. In fact, I even forgot all about my childhood trauma. Or so I thought. Because it was during a recent chance encounter with my old teenage diary that I realized my demons had never truly left me. They had only been lurking in the shadows all along as I busied myself with other things. I suppose I learned the hard way that a secret kept in darkness only grows in potency.  But there is one way to diffuse a secret. To take away all of its power. And that is to make it public. For no vampire can survive in the cold light of day. So it is at the behest of my wonderfully supportive husband that I have decided to lay bare the ghosts of my childhood in this book, in the hope that in doing so, I'll finally be able to lay them to rest forever. It's been a long, hard journey for me to get to this point. And I thank you, dear reader, for playing your part in my recovery. Emily WARNING: This book is based upon a true story of child abuse, and as such contains passages that some readers may find disturbing.

     Since being left in the custody of her abusive step-father, her life had gone from being a mere blur to something of a perpetual nightmare. Forced to endure the kinds of depravities that would shock even the most hardened of therapists, she had become too scared to even contemplate running away. But there comes a point in every such situation where the victim no longer has anything to lose. A point where the will to escape trumps the will to live. This book is that point. This is her shocking true story. DISCLAIMER: This book is based upon a true story of child abuse, and as such contains passages that some readers may find disturbing.

    

    Some came to him in sleep while others seemed to appear at random through his musings. He had time travelled, in a way, to a place where the darkness of his abusive childhood occurred and alongside, also came the dark and sometimes painful reflections.These are the second collection of such thoughts, a continuation of The Dark Ramblings of the Phoenix.They are real and raw; emotionally explicit and even occasionally, healing. Walk with him through his poetic journey as he takes you to those tiny cracks that most of us will never see.Note: Please take special care that the writings in this book may be explicit in nature. If you have been abused in any way they may be triggering for you. Be considerate to yourself while you read.

    Unwilling to add to their burden any longer, Sadie travels west as a mail order bride—only to find that the man does not want her anymore. Alone and hundreds of miles from home, Sadie takes a job at the town’s General Store. And there she meets Dakota Blake, a handsome young Indian whose kindness immediately soothes Sadie’s broken heart. Although Dakota Blake and his tribe are tolerated by the town, they are far from accepted. Still, Dakota finds himself falling in love with this gentle and gracious woman. But prejudices run deep, and Dakota fears that he could never give Sadie the life she needs—even if it comes with all his love. Nor would the town allow it. But the heart is strong, and prejudice cannot withstand the force of true love.

    Over night thousands of armchair detectives went on the offensive demanding Avery receive a new trial in the belief that both he and Dassey had been framed by planted evidence placed by the Manitowoc County Sheriff's Department. EDITORS NOTE: JAN 27th - Due to an error on behalf of the company formatting this book, a draft manuscript has originally been used which contained several spelling errors. This has been corrected in the current upload of this file. Those that were involved in the arrest and trial of Steven Avery immediately responded to the accuracy of the documentary Making a Murderer and complained that the film was highly biased and left out important evidence that was used to convict both Dassey and Avery. In this ground breaking new book by Tony Castella, he examines the missing evidence and presents the facts as were presented by the prosecution during both the Avery and Dassey trials. You will go behind the scenes to examine critical evidence you likely were not aware of and was not included in the Netflix documentary. It's a unique opportunity to see what the jurors saw when they handed down a guilty verdict. Includes rare photographs of evidence and links to important court documents.

    Part One holds 12 stories of women who have killed their children. The misbehaving ladies in part one are Amber Pasztor, Lacey Spears, Brenda Wilson, Christina White, Stephanie Adams, Cynthia Palmer, Kimberlynn Bolanos, Isabel Martinez, Teresa Moses, Lillie Stanton and Kelli Murphy. Part Two offers up four stories of women who have murdered their partners. They are Rita Gluzman, Adraiana Vasco, Kelly Forbes and Heather Horst. Part Three holds four Quick Hits. They include Stephany Lafountain, Kayla Giles, Keisha Holmes and Catherine Kieu. For the end of the book bonus chapter, we dusted off an oldie from Scene of the Crime 2 called The Old Orchard Beach Murders.

    Contained within these pages, is his story. It is a story that will horrify the non criminal mind and lay bare, how Massey unwittingly became the architect of his own demise. Massey was not the only casualty of a toxic feud that had ignited between two Salford gangs following the most trivial of disputes. John Kinsella, a close friend of Massey's, was gunned down in front of his pregnant partner. A seven-year-old boy and his mother were shot, a hand grenade was hurled through the front window of a family home, an attempt was made to behead a man with a machete and an orgy of beatings, stabbings, kidnappings and shootings were carried out in the name of respect. In today's underworld, the old school criminal code has been confined to the bin. Being known as a hard man, once demanded respect, but no more. Guns, and having the mindset to use one, often for little or no reason, has become the norm. Drugs are the currency and death often the penalty for a discrepancy or misdemeanour. It is an unforgiving world that Paul Massey helped to create and a world, that ultimately resulted in his death.

    She suffered horrific wounds to her lungs, liver, stomach and uterus, whilst the knife missed her baby by a margin of two millimeters, before the arteries in her wrists were methodically severed by the hooded attacker she finally realised was her partner and the father of her unborn child. After heroic intervention by passers-by and police, the attack was brought to an end, but her ordeal was not over. An air ambulance rescue was launched, and against all medical odds, Natalie and her baby survived - but not without life-changing physical and emotional damage.Still Standing is the story of one life-shattering event - what came before that fateful day, what happened on it, and how one woman and her baby survived to rebuild and heal together after it. At once a shocking story of evil, manipulation and violence, and a truly moving reminder that a life can be pieced back together, no matter how bad the damage, this book will empower and inspire anyone who has ever faced true adversity to rise up and stand tall.

    Deceased. The first words out of the Operations Officer's mouth, after saying Sam was found, were "You are going to kick yourself."A volunteer search and rescue dog handler, Rebekkah has always put duty and responsibility first. She lives by the rules, believing that success means having a plan and not deviating from it. Dreams are things that happen at night and don't ever seem to come true for her. Things in Rebekkah's life are about to change, and she’s not really sure she’s ready for it. With her K-9 partners Ariel and Gus, Rebekkah faces decisions that could jeopardize their lives every time they deploy. As she responds to missing person searches through treacherous terrain, emotional battles and bitter disappointment, she finds that there is a fine line between success and failure; but that the search for life is definitely worth the risk.Sharolyn Sievert, a seasoned K-9 handler herself, takes the reader with her on fictional missions in K-9 SEARCH—One Handler’s Journey, weaving the laughter, fears, faith and tears of a life that isn’t sensational or sexy, and definitely not glamorous, but a heartwarming and genuine reflection of a SAR dog handler and her dogs.

    What really happened to missing child Madeleine McCann? Crime writer Chelsea Hoffman delves into the evidence against the girl's parents, as well as the numerous theories in her case, with never-before-seen exclusive interviews and a look at the media madness surrounding this mysterious disappearance.

    

    He is standing right here in front of me. This could be the start of something special. It should be the start of something special. Only life isn’t always that simple, is it? With Aidan back in Cheshire and work on Blossom View well under way, it would appear that things are finally falling into place for Sadie Valentine. Her career with the charity is keeping her busy, Aldo is enjoying being off the market and her relationship with her mother is starting to heal, but it’s not long before the cracks start to show. Not wanting to succumb to the anxiety that is slowly casting a shadow over her newly-found happiness, Sadie attempts to press on with her life regardless. As Sadie tries to paper over the cracks, blasts from the past return to tip her world upside down in ways she could never have imagined. With her limits being tested once again, can Sadie use her experience and strength to break free from her anxiety once and for all? They say that the past should stay buried, but what if some ghosts simply refuse to lie low? Slip into Sadie’s world as she tries to adjust to a potentially life-changing discovery and change the perception of mental health forever. The other books in the ANXIETY GIRL series are available worldwide from Amazon. Praise for the ANXIETY GIRL series – “An excellent book combining a very meaningful story with a significant, yet sympathetic, account of mental health challenges faced by many in the modern world.” “This book allowed the reader to understand how much mental health can affect anyone at any time, no matter who you are or where you come from.” “Just reading this book has helped immensely with my anxiety and given me ideas on coping strategies.” “I am a sufferer of anxiety and depression and could relate throughout the whole book.” “This is a powerful story that anyone who has suffered from anxiety can relate to.” “Anxiety Girl has inspired me to learn more about anxiety. Brilliant book that everyone with or without the condition should read.”

    Her five older siblings were taken into care many years ago. So no one can understand why she was left at home to suffer for so long. It seems Aimee was forgotten.The social services are looking for a very experienced foster carer to look after Aimee and, when she reads the referral, Cathy understands why. Despite her reservations, Cathy agrees to Aimee on – there is something about her that reminds Cathy of Jodie (the subject of ‘Damaged’ and the most disturbed child Cathy has cared for), and reading the report instantly tugs at her heart strings.When she arrives, Aimee is angry. And she has every right to be. She has spent the first eight years of her life living with her drug-dependent mother in a flat that the social worker described as ‘not fit for human habitation’. Aimee is so grateful as she snuggles into her bed at Cathy’s house on the first night that it brings Cathy to tears.Aimee’s aggressive mother is constantly causing trouble at contact, and makes sweeping allegations against Cathy and her family in front of her daughter as well. It is a trying time for Cathy, and it makes it difficult for Aimee to settle. But as Aimee begins to trust Cathy, she starts to open up. And the more Cathy learns about Aimee’s life before she came into care, the more horrified she becomes.It’s clear that Aimee should have been rescued much sooner and as her journey seems to be coming to a happy end, Cathy can’t help but reflect on all the other ‘forgotten children’ that are still suffering…