Book picks similar to
South on Pacific Coast Highway by Gary Paul Corcoran


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true-crime

Till Death Do Us Part: The true story of misguided love, marriage, death and deception.


Siobhan Gaffney - 2005
    Little did they know that underneath his cool exterior lay a twisted desire to kill.Behind the facade of normality lay a psychopathic mind struggling to control its homicidal urges. Having seduced and married his sweetheart Mary Gough, Whelan immediately began planning her brutal murder.While his young wife dreamed of a love-filled marriage, Whelan searched the internet for information on serial killers and the methods they used to strangle their victims.Compelling and disturbing, this book reveals how Whelan murdered his wife to claim a hefty life insurance policy, and how he faked his own suicide when he became the prime suspect for the murder.Till Death Do Us Part offers a fascinating insight into the true motivation behind one of Irelands most notorious murders, and is a horrifying story of love, lust, revenge and murder - all the more shocking because every word is true.

Gambino: The Rise: A Novel Based on the True Story


James Pierre - 2015
    The Department of Justice’s endeavors to capture him on video surveillance likewise came up empty, because he rarely left his modest row house at 2230 Ocean Pkwy., in Brooklyn, New York. He was silent and reclusive to a fault. And by the time the public got their first look at him in 1970 (following an arrest on a trumped-up charge that was never prosecuted) he was already the most powerful mafia boss in the country, controlling a crew of 800 mafiosi, who oversaw nearly 50 criminal and legitimate businesses, which netted his crime family over $1 billion in annual revenue. Yet few even knew his name, let alone his story. Now, for the first time ever, the true story of Carlo Gambino is told in full, gory detail. Gambino: The Rise, A Novel Based on a True Story, unveils the intricate machinations of Gambino’s ascent, from poor, immigrant stowaway, to billionaire boss of America’s most deadly and elite crime family. On this journey, we meet such celebrity hoods as Charlie “Lucky” Luciano, Al “Scarface” Capone, Meyer Lansky, Vito Genovese, and Albert “The Mad Hatter” Anastasia… all of whom became pawns on Gambino’s Machiavellian chess set. Gambino’s story is a rags to riches tail of the bloodiest kind, which explores the dichotomies of family, wealth, and power within the mafia environment. With its careful scrutiny of mob business and brutality, Gambino: The Rise will undoubtedly draw comparisons to Mario Puzo’s timeless classic, The Godfather. But this is to be expected, especially when Puzo’s fictional crime patriarch, Vito Corleone, was based on none other than Carlo Gambino. Gambino: The Rise is a historical novel for the ages that will leave readers shell-shocked with every flip of the page, until its earth-shattering and climactic end.

The Life: A True Story About A Brooklyn Boy Seduced Into The Dark World Of The Mafia


Larry Mazza - 2016
    young Larry later learns she is married to the vicious gangster Greg Scarpa known as "The Grim Reaper." Greg takes a liking to Larry and makes him his protegé. He likes him so much that he gives his blessing for the affair to continue and brings Larry deep into the "family."

Tunnel Vision


N.P. Simpson - 2017
    Simpson and edited by New York Times bestseller and True Crime legend, Jerry Bledsoe, Tunnel Vision is a chilling tale of triple murder like no other. A horrific crime that shook the largest Marine base in America quickly becomes much more than meets the eye in this meticulously researched account from N.P. Simpson. A family’s life is in shambles when a mother and two children are found brutally murdered in their home. To make matters worse, the prime suspect is their own relative. Fifteen-year-old Butch Smith was a troubled teen. Despite being kicked out of school for his aggressive behavior, his family was fiercely loyal to him. During visits home while attending a camp for troubled boys, Butch lived a fairly normal life with his mother and two siblings in their duplex at Camp Lejeune. After returning home from a rare trip to New York with his aunt and cousins in tow, tragedy struck this unsuspecting family. In the dark of the night, his aunt, cousin and one of Butch's siblings were found savagely slain. When clashing confessions point to Butch as a suspect, his life is changed forever. From its portrayal of one young man’s harrowing past, to the shocking murder that shook the North Carolina Supreme Court, Tunnel Vision is true crime reporting at its most gripping.

The Covenant: A Riveting Mystery (Clyde Barker Paranormal Mysteries Book 4)


J.S. Donovan - 2021
    

Abuse of Power


Lizzie Scott - 2016
    The children arrived with a lot of kicking and screaming from the eldest…terrified of the changes going on in his life.One of our jobs as their carers was to minimise change as much as possible until their future was decided by the courts at the final hearing.There was much going on in the background that we were not aware of but would find out in the course of time.Plans were being made by professional people, who should know better and should never take advantage of their position to abuse those who are vulnerable and unable to defend themselves because they are told ‘The law is against you’, when actually what is meant is that they, in their powerful position are against you.We were slowly and blindly heading toward an adult temper tantrum that neither I nor any of the social workers present at the time, had ever witnessed before.A temper tantrum of such intensity that one person changed the course of these children’s lives.It was a truly, truly wicked act of power displayed by one very spiteful egotistical person.

Families First: A Post-Apocalyptic Next-World Series Volume 2 The Road


Lance K. Ewing - 2019
    In a post-apocalyptic world, where the rules have changed, Lance and his family, along with other survivors of the next-world, continue their struggle. Each setback grievously felt, and the clashes with military forces and desperate outlaws, have drained them both physically and mentally. But for Lance, he is left wondering how it will all end, as every day seems harder than the last. Can they reach the safety he promised everyone in one piece? Plagued with injuries and losses, will his group make it to the halfway point of Raton Pass, New Mexico, while already enduring more than they imagined? Vlad makes an unexpected trip to a FEMA camp without his consent, and Nancy is voted MVP of the first leg in the journey. Is Mike misunderstood or has Lance underestimated him once again? David’s group will suffer a devastating loss, while Mel loses everything but gains more than he could ever hope. Mac finds love and, in return, more drama than he can handle alone. James is reluctantly voted Mayor of Weston, Colorado, serving under a corrupt judge and sheriff with sinister plans. Recap of Volume 1 In Families First ~ Post-Apocalyptic Next-World Series, Volume 1, we are introduced to a cast of characters spanning multiple locations across the United States, with each group having diverse points of view and hardships to overcome. We learn that North Korea dropped an EMP in the center of the United States, knocking out power to all states except Hawaii, as well as parts of Canada and Mexico. With no electricity, food or running water, and few working vehicles, the country is instantly reduced to the hardships of days long gone. It’s every family for themselves in this new and hostile world. The story begins with a Chiropractor, husband, father and starting prepper, Lance, with his wife Joy and their young boys: twins Hudson and Jax (age 4), and Hendrix (age 3), from McKinney, Texas. They band with friends and neighbors as they prepare to leave their homes and head nearly 800 miles to Saddle Ranch, in the Rocky Mountains near Loveland, Colorado. With help from new friends, including two McKinney police officers and a former military couple, they gather a formidable group of prayerful and like-minded men, women and children. McKinney police officer Lonnie is always cool-headed and is a great leader of people. He convinces his old friend Vlad to join the group and bring the entire inventory from his nearly looted gun store in Plano, Texas, in return for membership in the group and the hopeful promise of long-term safety in the Colorado mountains. The other officer, Mike, has a soft spot for kids, females, and anyone close to him that needs his help. This behavior is closely pared with his propensity towards violent acts with seemingly little remorse. His conduct in Volume 2, and beyond, is sure to escalate and provide the groundwork for a wild ride. With the good Lord always watching over them, the group sets out on the journey of a lifetime in Volume Two. The cast of Saddle Ranch in Loveland, Colorado, is diverse, with more than 100 people living in the community. John is the leader of Saddle Ranch. With the help of Bill, Sharon, and Mac, they need to secure their territory quickly. However, they realize that nothing stays locked down tight for long. Close by is the Church of the West, just up the road in Green Valley, with Samuel as their leader. Working together, but still maintaining their separate groups, they do their best to secure the valley. Families First is the first book in the post apocalyptic next-world series.

The Shadow Priest: Book Two


D.C. Alexander - 2017
    The barest of clues lead him on a desperate quest to hunt down the hidden ringleaders of the conspiracy and find evidence that might ultimately clear his name. As he goes along, Arkin begins to wrangle with the question of whether the group should, in the interest of the greater good of humanity, be left to its philanthropic but murderous ways.

Behind Closed Doors: Harry Briscombe Detective Mystery Crime Series, Prequel Novella. (A DI Harry Briscombe Crime Thriller Mystery)


Carolyn Mahony - 2018
    When his wife, Serena, accuses him of physical abuse and calls the police, PC Harry Briscombe is put onto the investigation in what proves to be his last case before transferring to CID. Ed Hamilton dismisses his wife as a fantasist with a habit of making false claims against him. His wife claims that this is not the first time he has hit her and that this time she will follow through with a Prosecution. As Harry probes further, he realises the extreme intricacies involved in establishing the truth. For who can ever really be sure what goes on behind closed doors? A gripping, page-turning Prequel Novella by the author of Cry From The Grave, The Jagged Line and Shadow Watcher. If you like Rachel Abbott, Claire Mackintosh and Patricia Gibney, then you'll love this series.

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?

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.

McGraw: The Incredible Untold Story of Tam 'The Licensee' McGraw


Reg McKay - 2008
    He rose from poverty in the city's East End to amass a vast fortune from crime and, when he died in 2007, his empire stretched from Glasgow to the Canaries. When he was alive, few would talk openly about the man known as 'The Licensee'. But now his incredible, untold story can finally be revealed. Real stories about the time McGraw cheated The Godfather, risking his life to end a dynasty. How he was behind the UK's biggest coke heist and who paid the price. Who killed the six Doyles in the Ice Cream Wars. Why the BarL Team was never caught even with MI5 on their case. Armed jail breakouts - who arranged them, who grassed them. There are hit contracts, backstabbings, vendettas and scores to settle with everyone from The Godfather to The Devil, M Family, Specky Boyd and Paul Ferris. McGraw did all that and much more yet was never caught. Why? He was The Licensee. Licensed to Commit Crime.

True Crime Stories: Twisted Tales of True Crime: Murders, Disappearances, and Serial Killers


Hannah J. Tidy - 2020
    

Killen


P.H. Figur - 2020
    Anyone wanting to know what it was like to live there, only had to read a small wooden sign on the outskirts of town: “Welcome to Killen…a little piece of Heaven.” Those words rang true for most of Killen’s first 200 years. But there was one exception. It was the time that Killen lived up to its name and a little piece of heaven...became...a little piece of hell. When Thomas Dalton was 13-years-old, a string of murders in a North Georgia received unwanted national attention. With the passing of time, facts got distorted, turning Killen into a macabre tourist destination. But for Thomas, it became personal when his own parents, suddenly disappeared and were subsequently declared dead. He goes to school to become an investigative reporter and gets a job at a national cable television station. Thomas then is assigned to a national case tracking down a serial killer. What Thomas doesn’t realize is the serial killer he is looking for, will not only solve a national mystery it will also solve his own mystery. Throughout Thomas’s journey he is driven to find out who killed his parents. But he also desperately wants to restore the reputation of Killen and rebuild the family business.The only question that remains is…can he make Killen a little piece of heaven once again?