Carolyn Jessop chronicles her harrowing experiences as a member of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and what she learned since her subsequent escape from its tyranny.
True crime stories
- Author:Jessop, CarolynSummary:
- Author:Miles, KathrynSummary:
In May 1996, two skilled backcountry leaders, Lollie Winans and Julie Williams, entered Virginia’s Shenandoah National Park for a week-long backcountry camping trip. The free-spirited and remarkable young couple had met and fallen in love the previous summer while working at a world-renowned outdoor program for women. During their final days in the park, they descended the narrow remnants of a trail and pitched their tent in a hidden spot. After the pair didn’t return home as planned, park rangers found a scene of horror at their campsite, their tent slashed open, their beloved dog missing, and both women dead in their sleeping bags. The unsolved murders of Winans and Williams continue to haunt all who had encountered them or knew their story. When award-winning journalist and outdoors expert Kathryn Miles begins looking into the case, she discovers conflicting evidence, mismatched timelines, and details that just don’t add up. With unprecedented access to crucial crime-scene forensics and key witnesses—and with a growing sense of both mission and obsession—she begins to uncover the truth. An innocent man, Miles is convinced, has been under suspicion for decades, while the true culprit is a known serial killer, if only authorities would take a closer look.
- Author:Evans, WandaSummary:
When Jim Dunn got the heart-stopping call every parent dreads: "Your son has disappeared," and then saw his son's blood-splattered apartment, it set into motion a six-year nightmarish odyssey of desperate searches. Ahead were moments of frantic hope, growing despair and finally acceptance that Scott was dead. Texas law insists on a body before prosecuting anyone for murder and Scott's body was nowhere to be found. Frustrated, Dunn turned to members of the little-known Vidocq Society, highly experienced criminologists and forensic experts who crack the coldest "unsolvable" or unprovable" cases around the world.
- Author:Coston, JohnSummary:
The twelve-year rampage of "Missoula Mauler" Wayne Nance, the serial sex killer who terrorized Montana-and the shocking end to his murder spree. To his neighbors, Wayne Nance, a furniture mover from Missoula, Montana, appeared to be an affable, considerate, and trustworthy guy. No one knew that Nance was the "Missoula Mauler," a psychopath responsible for a series of sadistic sex slayings that rocked the idyllic town between 1974 and 1986. Nance's only requirement for murder was accessibility-a preacher's wife, a teenage runaway, a female acquaintance, a married couple. Putting on a friendly facade, he could easily gain his victims' trust. Then, one September night, thirty-year-old Nance pushed his luck, preying on a couple who lived to tell the tale. A true story with an incredible twist, written by former Wall Street Journal editor John Coston and complete with photos, To Kill and Kill Again reveals the disturbing compulsions of a charming serial killer who fooled everyone he knew, stumped the authorities, terrified a community, and very nearly got away with it.
- Author:Glatt, JohnSummary:
One by one, three waterlogged suitcases were pulled from the Chesapeake Bay. In each were body parts of a man. In a forensics room, the truth was discovered: William McGuire had been horribly murdered and dismembered. William and his loving wife, a registered nurse named Melanie, had just closed on their New Jersey dream home. Little did William know about the nightmare that was in store . . . For Melanie had been involved in a long-term affair with a married doctor at the fertility clinic where she worked-and she had plans for the future that didn't include William. Investigators believe that on April 29, 2004, Melanie first drugged her husband, then murdered him in cold blood. Three years after America witnessed the details of the suitcase incident unfold-on 48 Hours, Dateline NBC, and ABC Primetime, and in People magazine, among other news outlets-Melanie was convicted of first-degree murder and desecrating human remains. To Have and to Kill is the true story of a marriage that turned deadly . . .
- Author:Coakley, MarkSummary:
The story of a friendship that started in law school and ended with the largest insider trading scandal in Canadian history, this eye–opening chronicle reveals for the first time how Gil Cornblum and Stan Grmovsek worked together to rip off Wall Street and Bay Street for over $10 million.
Cornblum would scout around his law offices in the middle of the night, looking for confidential information on mergers or takeovers. When he found something, he would tip off Grmovsek, who would make the stock market trades that would gain them illegal profits. From the joint investigation by the Ontario Securities Commission, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the FBI, to Cornblum’s resultant suicide and Grmovsek’s 39–month prison sentence, Tip and Trade covers the double lives of the twosome and their inevitable downfall.
First–person interviews, conducted with Grmovsek from prison, give insight into what case prosecutors called a classic “Hollywood” insider trading tragedy.
- Author:Patterson, JamesSummary:
From the world's #1 bestselling author comes a collection of Discovery ID true crime stories where the bonds of matrimony and love can tear you brutally apart. Til Murder Do Us Part : Kathi Spiars can't believe she's found such a good man to marry as Stephen Marcum. Twelve years later, she starts to suspect that he isn't who he says he is. As she digs into his past, she doesn't realize that learning the truth will lead to a lifetime of fear and hiding. (with Andrew Bourelle) Ramp Up to Murder : Brandi McClain, a young beautiful teenager, moves to Tucson, Arizona, where she quickly meets her new best friend and her new boyfriend. But her perfect life is about to turn on its head. In San Diego, investigator Richard Castaneda hunts for a missing girl. It's a case that seems to plagued by dead ends. But once the truth emerges, it's more haunting than he could have imagined. (with Max DiLallo)
- Author:Bourelle, Andrew, DiLallo, Max, Patterson, JamesSummary:
In these true-crime stories in which the bonds of matrimony and love can tear you apart, "Til Murder Do Us Part" features a husband too good to be true, and "Ramp Up to Murder" involves a missing teen.
- Author:Exotic, JoeSummary:
Joe Exotic, star of the Netflix original documentary that "consumed the pop-cultural imagination" and transfixed a nation in the midst of a global crisis, opens up about his outlandish journey from Midwestern farmer to infamous Tiger King, and finally, to federal inmate. Shortly after his arrest (for charges including hiring a hitman to murder his rival, Carole Baskin), Joe Exotic began keeping a daily journal of his life behind prison walls. In support of his defense, Joe began writing everything he wished he could tell a jury of his peers. Little did Joe know that mere months later, the self-proclaimed "gun-toting, gay redneck with a mullet" would become one of the most famous men in the world. Written entirely while incarcerated, this no-holds-barred memoir is Joe Exotic's first, and maybe only, chance to tell his side of the story-the full story. Despite never having seen Tiger King, Joe is aware of what's been said about him, and he's eager to answer all the questions the world is dying to know. Such as: The origin of the mullet, How Joe became the Tiger King, Joe's favorite animals, Joe's relationships, Joe's explanation of all charges against him, What happened with Trump's pardon, What he thinks about caging animals now that he lives in a cage, What Joe has to say now about Carole Baskin. From his tragic childhood riddled with abuse to his dangerous feuds with big cat rivals and beyond, nothing is off the table.
- Author:Fezzani, NadiaSummary:
Journalist Nadia Fezzani spent years probing the minds of serial killers in search of answers to unsettling questions: What went on in their heads as they prepared for their next crime? What drove them to murder not once, but habitually? Were they born killers, or had they begun as normal individuals and been somehow transformed into predators? Fezzani conducted groundbreaking, uncensored interviews with multiple-murderers behind bars. The account she pieces together from interviews, psychological research, criminal profiling, and genetic studies, is as unsettling as it is undeniable. The scars of abuse, and cold-blooded logic all emerge as Fezzani dissects serial killers' personalities in a quest to understand those who have committed unthinkable crimes. Through the Eyes of Serial Killers explores the leading theories on the psychology of serial killing, victim selection, and telling signs of potentially dangerous mental disturbance. It is hoped that a clear-headed understanding of serial killings can unlock better strategies to prevent, or even predict this rarest and most evil of crimes.
- Author:Poor, NigelSummary:
An illuminating view of prison life, as told by currently and formerly incarcerated people, from the co-creators and co-hosts of the Peabody- and Pulitzer-nominated podcast Ear Hustle "A must-read for fans of the legendary podcast and all those who seek to understand crime, punishment, and mass incarceration in America."-Piper Kerman, author of Orange Is the New Black. When Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods met, Nigel was a photography professor volunteering with the Prison University Project and Earlonne was serving thirty-one years to life at California's San Quentin State Prison. Initially drawn to each other by their shared interest in storytelling, neither had podcast production experience when they decided to enter Radiotopia's contest for new shows . . . and won. Using the prize for seed money, Nigel and Earlonne launched Ear Hustle, named after the prison term for "eavesdropping." It was the first podcast created and produced entirely within prison and would go on to be heard millions of times worldwide, garner Peabody and Pulitzer award nominations, and help earn Earlonne his freedom when his sentence was commuted in 2018. In This Is Ear Hustle, Nigel and Earlonne share their own stories of how they came to San Quentin, how they created their phenomenally popular podcast amid extreme limitations, and what has kept them collaborating season after season. They present new stories, all with the same insight, balance, and rapport that distinguish the podcast. In an era when more than two million people are incarcerated across the United States-a number that grows by 600,000 annually-Nigel and Earlonne explore the full and often surprising realities of prison life. With characteristic candor and humor, their moving portrayals include unexpected moments of self-discovery, unlikely alliances, inspirational resilience, and ingenious work-arounds. One personal narrative at a time, framed by Nigel's and Earlonne's distinct perspectives, This Is Ear Hustle reveals the complexity of life for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people while illuminating the shared experiences of humanity that unite us all.
- Author:Schroeder, AndreasSummary:
Willie Sutton was casing a bank when he noticed that the manager looked a lot like Sutton himself, so he walked into the vault, loaded up with banknotes, and calmly walked out. D.B. Cooper hijacked a plane, demanded $200,000 in payment, and parachuted from the aircraft. He was never captured. Other criminals in this book were no less brazen: - Arthur Barry, the greatest jewel thief in American criminal history - Vincente Perugia, who boldly stole one of the world’s greatest art treasures - Amil Dinsio, one of the most accomplished bank vault robbers in the U.S. - Victor Desmarais and Leo Martial, a hapless duo who bungled their getaway - James Landis, who stole two bricks of freshly printed banknotes from his employer—the U.S. Treasury - Adam Worth, the Napoleon of Crime - the Great Train Robbers, who planned one of the largest heists of all time - the five heisters of the Great Purolator Caper, whose ineptitude ensured capture. Be prepared for some high-stakes action in Thieves! While many ended their careers broke and disillusioned, these impresarios of crime make for great reading.
- Author:Fitton, BenjaminSummary:
Penguin presents the audiobook edition of They Walk Among Us written by Benjamin and Rosanna Fitton, read by Benjamin Fitton. A Chilling Casebook of Horrifying Hometown Crimes. How well do you really know your friends? Neighbours, friends, doctors and colleagues. We see them every day. We trust them implicitly. But what about the British army sergeant who sabotaged his wife's parachute? Or the lodger who took his landlady on a picnic from which she never returned? From dentists to PAs, these normal-seeming people were quietly wrecking lives, and nobody suspected a thing. In this first book from the addictive award-winning podcast They Walk Among Us , Benjamin and Rosanna serve up small-town stories in gripping detail. They've hooked millions of listeners with their intricate and disturbing cases, and now they dig into ten more tales, to provide an unforgettably sinister true-crime experience, scarily close to home. It could happen to you.
- Author:Fanthorpe, Lionel and PatriciaSummary:
Reading of murder stimulates a powerful response. We are repelled by the horror of it, but, simultaneously, our natural curiosity is strongly aroused. We want to know who did it, and why.Most unsolved murders have no apparent motives - or too many motives. The murders of Sir Harry Oakes in 1943, one of the richest men in Canada, and Christine Demeter, found dead in a blood-soaked garage in Mississauga in 1973 - remain unsolved. In fact, history is full of unsolved murders. Who killed King William Rufus, Edward II, and the Princes in the Tower? Who was Jack the Ripper? Was James Hanratty really guilty of killing Michael Gregson? These mysteries and more are contained in The World’s Most Mysterious Murders.
- Author:Tallant, NicolaSummary:
Joey O'Callaghan was just 18 years old when he became a ghost - the youngest ever person to be signed up to the Witness Protection Programme. Groomed into a drug gang from the age of 10, a cold-blooded assassination sickened him to his core, and he broke the golden bond of gangland silence. His evidence won murder convictions against two of the most violent drug bosses in Ireland. Relocated to England with a new identity, Joey had to face the world alone, and soon realised it was he who had received the life sentence. 15 years on, the ripple effects of the gunshots that rang out that night continue to leave a devastating legacy for everyone. None more so than Joey 'The Lips'. This is his story. "'Gritty, terrifying and the most incredible true gangland story you will ever read. The Witness is hard to put down but will be harder to forget." - DONAL MACINTYRE
- Author:Summerscale, KateSummary:
Early in the morning of Monday 8 July 1895, thirteen-year-old Robert Coombes and his twelve-year-old brother Nattie set out from their small, yellow-brick terraced house in East London to watch a cricket match at Lord's. Their father had gone to sea the previous Friday, the boys told their neighbours, and their mother was visiting her family in Liverpool. Over the next ten days Robert and Nattie spent extravagantly, pawning their parents' valuables to fund trips to the theatre and the seaside. But as the sun beat down on the Coombes house, a strange smell began to emanate from the building. When the police were finally called to investigate, the discovery they made sent the press into a frenzy of horror and alarm, and Robert and Nattie were swept up in a criminal trial that echoed the outrageous plots of the 'penny dreadful' novels that Robert loved to read. In The Wicked Boy, Kate Summerscale has uncovered a fascinating true story of murder and morality - it is not just a meticulous examination of a shocking Victorian case, but also a compelling account of its aftermath, and of man's capacity to overcome the past.
- Author:Whitney, Brian, Fehr, ReneeSummary:
Renee Fehr knew, without a single doubt, that Gregory Houser killed her sister. Yet for twenty-seven years Houser walked free. Renee wouldn't rest until he was convicted for murder.
- Author:Grann, DavidSummary:
On January 28, 1742, a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washed up on the coast of Brazil. Inside were thirty emaciated men, barely alive, and they had an extraordinary tale to tell. They were survivors of His Majesty’s Ship the Wager, a British vessel that had left England in 1740 on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain. While the Wager had been chasing a Spanish treasure-filled galleon known as “the prize of all the oceans,” it had wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia. The men, after being marooned for months and facing starvation, built the flimsy craft and sailed for more than a hundred days, traversing nearly 3,000 miles of storm-wracked seas. They were greeted as heroes. But then ... six months later, another, even more decrepit craft landed on the coast of Chile. This boat contained just three castaways, and they told a very different story. The thirty sailors who landed in Brazil were not heroes – they were mutineers. The first group responded with countercharges of their own, of a tyrannical and murderous senior officer and his henchmen. It became clear that while stranded on the island the crew had fallen into anarchy, with warring factions fighting for dominion over the barren wilderness. As accusations of treachery and murder flew, the Admiralty convened a court martial to determine who was telling the truth. The stakes were life-and-death—for whomever the court found guilty could hang. The Wager is a grand tale of human behavior at the extremes told by one of our greatest nonfiction writers. Grann’s recreation of the hidden world on a British warship rivals the work of Patrick O’Brian, his portrayal of the castaways’ desperate straits stands up to the classics of survival writing such as The Endurance, and his account of the court martial has the savvy of a Scott Turow thriller. As always with Grann’s work, the incredible twists of the narrative hold the reader spellbound.
- Author:Levy, StevenSummary:
The true story of Ira Einhorn, the Philadelphia antiwar crusader, environmental activist, and New Age guru with a murderous dark side. During the cultural shockwaves of the 1960s and '70s, Ira Einhorn-nicknamed the "Unicorn"-was the leading radical voice for the antiwar movement at the University of Pennsylvania. At his side were such noted activists as Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin. A brilliantly articulate advocate for peace in a turbulent era, he rallied followers toward the growing antiestablishment causes of free love, drugs, and radical ecological reform. In 1979, when the mummified remains of his girlfriend, Holly Maddux, a Bryn Mawr flower child from Tyler, Texas, were found in a trunk in his apartment, Einhorn claimed a CIA frame-up. Incredibly, the network of influential friends, socialites, and powerful politicians he'd charmed and manipulated over the years supported him. Represented by renowned district attorney and future senator Arlen Specter, Einhorn was released on bail. But before trial, he fled the country to an idyllic town in the French wine region and disappeared. It would take more than twenty years-and two trials-to finally bring Einhorn to justice. Based on more than two years of research and 250 interviews, as well as the chilling private journals of Einhorn and Maddux, prize-winning journalist Steven Levy paints an astonishing and complicated portrait of a man motivated by both genius and rage. The basis for 1998 NBC television miniseries The Hunt for the Unicorn Killer, The Unicorn's Secret is a "spellbinding sociological/true crime study," revealing the dark and tragic dimensions of a man who defined an era, only to shatter its ideals (Publishers Weekly).
- Author:Farley, Audrey ClareSummary:
As American women began to reject Victorian propriety, authorities feared that "oversexed" women could destroy civilization if allowed to reproduce and pass on their defects. In 1934, aided by a eugenics law, socialite Maryon Cooper Hewitt had her "promiscuous" daughter declared feebleminded and sterilized. This was to deprive Ann of millions of dollars from her father's estate, which contained a child-bearing stipulation. A sensational court case ensued, captivating the public and eugenicists, who saw a chance to restrict reproductive rights in America.
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