Broadmoor - My Journey Into Hell


Charlie Bronson - 2015
    His journey has, until now, never been told.In the winter of 1979, aged just twenty-seven, the inmate who would come to be known as 'Charlie Bronson' was considered uncontrollable by the prison system. Certified insane, he was transferred from Parkhurst Prison to the most infamous high-security psychiatric hospital in England, Broadmoor Asylum for the Criminally Insane. There he embarked on a one-man campaign to retain his sanity, and to fight against the brutality of a largely hidden regime that relied on enforced drug control.This outstandingly honest account takes the reader back to those dark days. It is a journey filled with sadness, and yet it is one that includes much laughter and pathos, as well as detailing the camaraderie among fellow patients, who included Ronnie Kray and Frankie Fraser.How Charlie Bronson survived Broadmoor, what he endured and the things he witnessed are, for the very first time, documented in this sad, often chilling, sometimes funny and often moving account of one man's journey into madness and his methods for surviving the UK's most feared and notorious psychiatric hospital. Capturing Bronson's unique voice, it is a roller-coaster ride of madness, pain, laughter and tears. It is also a testament to one man's triumph over adversity.

The Murder of Adrianne Reynolds & Other Stories: A Collection of True Crime


Pete Bird - 2019
    Sarah and Cory would take Adrienne's body to Sarah's grandparents' farm where they attempted to burn it to no avail. They would then recruit another friend to help dismember the body after which they would dump it in a historic site. The three then went and ate lunch at McDonald's to celebrate their crime. What would ever possess these teens to commit such a horrific crime?

Bending the Rules


Lizzie Scott - 2015
    Two little boys joined our family when the bitter winter weather was still chilling our bones and their dad was absolutely destitute, no home, no money and no hope of getting his children back with a social worker who seemed to be a bit of a ladies man and favoured their mother. Steve was the second father we had met that would do anything and everything to get his children home…once he had managed to clean himself up and convince the department of Social Services that he would stay off the drink, stay away from women and that he intended to raise his sons in a happy and safe family home. We had to bend a few rules...then break a couple of them in order to help keep this family together…the rewards are immeasurable and, until now, I guess no-one but us and our nearest and dearest (and of course Elizabeth) knew how far we were willing to go to make sure that the right outcome for this placement happened in the end. This placement more than any other we have had, taught me that the determination that one man can have to save his family, against the determination of a department that knows he can’t is a powerful thing, and love really can conquer all.

Hollywood Haunted: A Ghostly Tour of Filmland


Laurie Jacobson - 1994
    The paperback is revised with totally new stories about the ghosts of Lucille Ball, Erroll Flynn and Madonna's haunted house. More than 100 stunning vintage photographs support the authors' amusingly spooky tales of spirits who haunt the world's most bizarre city. In this macabre and very entertaining tome, the ghost of Ozzie Nelson proves there is sex after death, Howard Hughes haunts a landmark movie palace and we discover celebrities who have lived with ghosts as well as those who are ghosts (Marilyn Monroe, Lon Chaney, Montgomery Clift). Featured on Unsolved Mysteries, and in the New York Times;

Beverly Hills Confidential: A Century of Stars Scandals and Murders


Barbara Schroeder - 2012
    Co-written by Clark Fogg, the lead CSI investigator for the Beverly Hills police department and Barbara Schroeder, Emmy-award winning journalist, this book is “A rip-roaring read,” documenting not only long forgotten scandals and crimes, but also those that made international headlines.

Gyppo


Mary Margaret Doherty - 2017
    A community rich with diverse cultures, humour and warmth; but behind closed doors, mopping up her Mother’s blood became a gruesome task all too familiar in a world of domestic violence, oppression and neglect. A story of alcohol fuelled domestic abuse, of secret lives beyond the windows veiled by the pristine white net curtains; which proudly proclaimed a women’s worth as much as a black eye marked her not as a victim, but as a man’s property. Though amidst the stark reality of a bygone era, there is also an affectionate account of love and family bonds on a street that often echoed with the sounds of children’s laughter.

Rivals of the Ripper: Unsolved Murders of Women in Late Victorian London


Jan Bondeson - 2016
    But there is a profusion of unsolved murders of London women from late Victorian times, and this book presents 11 of the most gruesome and mysterious of them. Marvel at the convoluted Kingswood Mystery and the unsolved Cannon Street Murder of 1866; shudder at the Hoxton Horror and the Great Coram Street Murder of 1872; be puzzled by the West Ham Disappearances and by the unsolved railway murder of Elizabeth Camp in 1898. There are many books about the Whitechapel fiend, but this is the first one to detail the ghoulish handiwork of the Ripper's rivals.

The NYPD’s Flying Circus: Cops, Crime & Chaos (Tell All NYPD Books)


Vic Ferrari - 2019
    A police force that large is going to have more than a few colorful characters and unbelievable stories. Retired NYPD Detective Vic Ferrari takes you behind the scenes as he peels back the onion, revealing the good, the bad, and the ugly of the New York City Police Department. The NYPD's Flying Circus picks up where NYPD: Through the Looking Glass left off in this controversial tell-all sequel. The NYPD’s Flying Circus is an introspective, behind-the-scenes look into the New York City Police Department. Cops, crime and chaos are sarcastically woven together through the eyes of a retired NYPD detective, exposing the funnier side of the NYPD—a fascinating history lesson wrapped in personal anecdotes covering a twenty-year law enforcement career. If you enjoy Live PD, are fascinated with police work, or ever wondered what it was like to be a member of the NYPD, you’ve picked up the right book.

The story of Baby P


Ray Jones - 2014
    Fifteen months later, his mother, her boyfriend and the boyfriend's brother were sent to prison. But media attention turned on those who worked to protect children, especially the social workers and their managers, who became the focus of the reporting and of the blame. Five years later they are still harassed by press reporters. This book tells what happened to 'Baby P', how the story was told and became focused on the social workers, its threatening consequences for those who work to protect children, and its considerable impact on the child protection system in England. This is the first book to draw together all evidence available on this high profile case and will make a unique and crucial contribution to the topic. It will make essential reading for everyone who is concerned about child protection and the care of children and about the media's impact.

Unofficial Series List - Dean Koontz - In Order: Odd Thomas, Frankenstein, and all other books


This Fangirl - 2015
     This information is available on the author's website, deankoontz.com. If, like me, you'd like to have the list on your kindle where you can pop it open just like your other kindle books instead of logging on to your laptop or PC, you will find this list handy. Hopefully you have the Kindle Unlimited subscription and can download it for free. If not, you'll have to decide if the convenience is worth a buck. TIP 1: Titles you've read can be "checked off" with the kindle highlight feature. TIP 2: Turn on Automatic Updates so that this series list updates on your kindle when new titles are added. How-to included. This is a title list only. In reading order. No portions of the books mentioned have been reproduced here. No copyright infringement is intended. Just to avoid any misunderstandings about copyright, according to the United States Copyright Office, “Copyright law does not protect names, titles, or short phrases or expressions.” (copyright.gov, circular 34). I hope you find this made-for-kindle list as helpful as I do in deciding which of Mr. Koontz's books to purchase and enjoy next.

RED-HANDED: 20 Criminal Cases That Shook India


Souvik Bhadra - 2014
    As the nation watched on in horror, the police uncovered the body parts of fifteen more children in the same location. These grisly killings were found to have been the handiwork of Surinder Koli, a serial killer who lived in a house nearby.In Red-Handed: 20 Criminal Cases That Shook India, lawyers Souvik Bhadra and Pingal Khan narrate the stories behind some of the most sensational criminal cases to have caught the attention of the country in the last few decades. From the murder of Nitish Katara in a case of ‘honour killing’ to the shooting of Jessica Lal; from the Harshad Mehta scam to the Best Bakery arson of 2002; and, from the horrifying ‘tandoor’ case, in which Naina Sahni was killed and then cremated, to the trial and conviction of Sanjay Dutt under TADA, Red-Handed examines the motives behind these crimes even as it aims to lay bare the inner workings of the Indian judicial system. Additionally, the authors illuminate the crucial role that the media has come to play in judicial matters—it shapes public opinion, and often even investigates cases and delivers justice, much before the judges do.

Breaking Out: The unbelievable, inspirational true story of a former Class A drug dealer who became a probation worker


Janice Nix - 2021
    We’re going to make you a new life.’ From petty shoplifter to gangland empress.From frightened runaway to proud mother.From drug dealer to probation worker.Janice Nix lived a life of crime. Groomed to work as a shoplifter in London’s West End, she entered a glamorous underworld of beautiful possessions – and drugs. As she rose to the top of her criminal empire, Janice achieved the money and status her family had never had. But one day, it had to come tumbling down.Several prison stretches later, Janice was reformed – and inspired to join the probation service. Using everything she learned in her years on the streets, she’s devoted her life to ensure girls like her don’t make the same mistakes.This is her story.

My So Called Mum: Child abuse, Love & My Great Britain


Joseph Kane - 2019
    Out of respect for the dead, this story has been told exactly how it happened. I was born in 1985 in Lancashire, England, to two alcoholic parents. Having selfish parents left me exposed to abuse, poverty and crime. My loving grandparents helped me the best they could at the weekends, but life was barely survivable. Spending most of my life on a rough estate, bad influence pulled me between good and evil. Falling in love during a life of hell, my heart filled like a balloon that carried me to a greater good. What you will read is no sweet lullaby. It will repulse and shock you. I fought with every ounce of strength to survive with betrayal and evil around every corner.

Salford Lads: The Rise and Fall of Paul Massey


Bernard O'Mahoney - 2021
    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.

Still Standing: A Pregnant Woman. A brutal attack. An inspirational fight for survival.


Natalie Queiroz - 2019
    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.