Signature Killers (Pocket Books True Crime)

Signature Killers (Pocket Books True Crime)

In a real-life scenario straight out of The Silence of the Lambs, Robert Keppel went one-on-one with the notorious serial killer Ted Bundy, who advised Keppel on the detective's highly publicized search for the elusive Green River Killer. Bundy's chilling revelations were chronicled in The Riverman, "a page-turner" (Ted Montgomery, Detroit News) praised by Ann Rule as "the definitive book on serials." But Ted Bundy wasn't the first killer of his kind -- or the last.Signature KillersThey leave telltale identifiers, their gruesome "calling cards," at the scenes of their crimes. They are driven by a primitive motivation to act out the same brutality over and over. With brilliant detection, high-tech analysis -- and a little luck -- they can be caught. But what does the signature killer seek from victim to victim? The answers are hidden among the grisly evidence, the common threads that link each devastating act.Sparked by a growing concern over the steady rise of signature murders, Robert Keppel explores in unflinching detail the monstrous patterns, sadistic compulsions, and depraved motives of this breed of killer. From the Lonely Hearts Killer who hunted the most desperate of women in 1950s America, to the savage Midtown Torso Murders that stunned the NYPD, to such infamous symbols of evil as Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, and John Gacy, these are the cases -- horrifying, graphic and unforgettable -- that Keppel ingeniously taps to shed light on the darkest corners of the pathological mind.

  • ASIN: 1416585796
  • ISBN: 1416585796
  • Brand: Brand: Gallery Books
  • Manufacturer: Gallery Books

Practice to Deceive

Practice to Deceive

From “America’s best true-crime writer” (Kirkus Reviews) Ann Rule comes the New York Times bestselling mystery novel of drama, greed, sex, scandal, and murder on an eerie island in the Pacific Northwest. Nestled in Puget Sound and accessible only by ferry, Whidbey Island is a gem off the coast of Washington State where life is insular and the island’s year-round residents tend to know one another’s business. But when the blood-drenched body of Russel Douglas is discovered the day after Christmas in his SUV, the whole island is shocked. No one can imagine who among them could plot such a cold-blooded crime. And like a cast of characters from a mystery novel, a host of Whidbey residents fall under suspicion. Brenna Douglas was Russel’s estranged and soon-to-be-ex wife, who allowed him to come home for a Christmas visit with their children. Brenna often complained to her good friend Peggy Sue that Russel was physically and emotionally abusive. Married three times, Peggy Sue’s own life has been one of extremes: hers is a rags-to-riches-and-back-again tale. But in 2003, her love affair with married guitarist Jim Huden led the two Whidbey Island natives to pursue their ultimate dreams of wealth and privilege—even at the expense of human life. Unravel the tangled web woven by Russel Douglas’s murder in Practice to Deceive, the newest heart pounding true-crime tour de force from Ann Rule.

  • ASIN: 1416544631
  • ISBN: 9781416544630
  • Brand: Pocket Books
  • Manufacturer: Pocket Books

Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighbors: Ann Rule's Crime Files Volume 16

Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighbors: Ann Rule's Crime Files Volume 16

#1 New York Times bestselling author and queen of true crime Ann Rule’s sixteenth volume in her True Crime Files series, Deadly Neighbors delves into the unsolved case of a billionaire’s son mysteriously falling off a balcony to his death and more.In July 2011, billionaire Jonah Shacknai’s Coronado, California, mansion was the setting for two horrifying deaths only days apart—his young son’s plunge from a balcony and his girlfriend’s ghastly hanging. What really happened? Baffling questions remain unanswered, as these cases were closed far too soon for hundreds of people; Rule looks at them now through the eyes of a relentless crime reporter. The second probe began in Utah when Susan Powell vanished in a 2009 blizzard. Her controlling husband, Josh, proved capable of a blind rage that was heartbreakingly fatal to his innocent small sons almost three years later in a tragedy that shocked America as the details unfolded. If anyone had detected the depth of depravity within Josh Powell, perhaps the family that loved and trusted him would have been saved. In these and seven other riveting cases, Ann Rule exposes the twisted truth behind the façades of Fatal Friends, Deadly Neighbors.These doomed relationships are the focus of queen of true crime Ann Rule’s sixteenth all-new Crime Files collection. In these shattering inside views of both headlined and little-known homicides, Rule speaks for vulnerable victims who relied on the wrong people. She begins with two startling novella-length investigations.

  • ASIN: 1451648286
  • ISBN: 1451648286
  • Brand: Pocket Books
  • Manufacturer: Pocket Books

Without Pity: Ann Rule's Most Dangerous Killers

Without Pity: Ann Rule's Most Dangerous Killers

THEY KILL WITHOUT CONSCIENCE. ANN RULE PORTRAYS THEIR SHATTERING CRIMES WITHOUT PITY. In eight stunning Case Files volumes, from A Rose for Her Grave to the #1 blockbuster Last Dance, Last Chance, Ann Rule reigns as "America's best true-crime writer" (Kirkus Reviews). Now, she updates the most astonishing cases from that acclaimed series -- and presents shocking, all-new true-crime accounts -- in one riveting anthology. In every explosive chapter of Without Pity, Ann Rule deepens her unrelenting exploration of the evil that lies behind the perfect facades of heartless killers...and the deadly compulsions of greed and power that shatter their outward trappings of material success. They are the admired, trusted neighbor; the affable family man; the sexy, charismatic lover; the high-achieving professional. Perhaps most frightening of all is that they are heroes in their own minds. But when someone gets in the way of their deluded dreams, they are capable of deadly acts of violence with no remorse. Analyzing the true nature of the sociopathic mind in chilling detail, Ann Rule traces the murderous crimes of seemingly ordinary men -- killers who drew their unsuspecting victims into their twisted worlds with devastating consequences.

  • ASIN: 0743448677
  • ISBN: 0743448677
  • Brand: Pocket Books
  • Manufacturer: Pocket Books

The A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers (Pocket Books True Crime)

The A to Z Encyclopedia of Serial Killers (Pocket Books True Crime)

  • ASIN: 0671020749
  • ISBN: 0671020749
  • Brand: Pocket
  • Manufacturer: Pocket

Mortal Danger (Ann Rule's Crime Files Book 13)

Mortal Danger (Ann Rule's Crime Files Book 13)

In this unputdownable true crime collection from New York Times bestselling author Ann Rule, discover fascinating cases of the spouse, lover, family member, or helpful stranger whose lethally violent nature, though masterfully disguised, can and will kill.The author of The Stranger Beside Me brings her brilliantly informed understanding of the sociopath to this riveting true crime collection. Featured here is the case of a Southern California family man who lured a beautiful flight attendant into a passionate and dangerous relationship. Other cases include that of the woman who masterminded her husband’s murder to gain his inheritance...the monstrous sadist whose prison release damaged a presidential candidate’s campaign and ended in a bitter double tragedy in a quiet neighborhood three thousand miles away...the shocking DNA link between a cold-blooded crime and a cold case...and inside the horrific case of the man who crossed an ocean and several countries to stalk the Eurasian beauty who had fled from him in desperation.

  • ASIN: B001AO0INY
  • Manufacturer: Pocket Books

Persuader (Jack Reacher)

Persuader (Jack Reacher)

“Gripping and suspenseful . . . Child ratchets up the suspense to new heights.”—The Denver Post   Jack Reacher lives for the moment. Without a home. Without commitment. And with a burning desire to right wrongs—and rewrite his own agonizing past. DEA Susan Duffy is living for the future, knowing that she has made a terrible mistake by putting one of her own female agents into a death trap within a heavily guarded Maine mansion.   Staging a brilliant ruse, Reacher hurtles into the dark heart of a vast criminal enterprise. Trying to rescue an agent whose time is running out, Reacher enters a crime lord’s waterfront fortress. There he will find a world of secrecy and violence—and confront some unfinished business from his own past.   Praise for Persuader   “A page-turner . . . [Lee] Child’s tale drives hard and fast.”—Los Angeles Times Book Review   “Wickedly addictive . . . so fast-paced it makes the eyeballs spin.”—Orlando Sentinel   “A story that will sweep you along as fast as some of the riptides Reacher survives.”—St. Petersburg TimesBONUS: This edition contains an excerpt from Lee Child’s The Enemy.

  • ASIN: 0440245982
  • ISBN: 0440245982
  • Brand: Child, Lee
  • Manufacturer: Dell

Lying in Wait: Ann Rule's Crime Files: Vol.17

Lying in Wait: Ann Rule's Crime Files: Vol.17

Ann Rule presents a collection of fascinating and disturbing true-crime stories—drawn from her real-life personal files—in this seventeenth volume in the #1 New York Times bestselling Crime Files series.In this gripping collection of investigative accounts from her private archives, “America’s best true-crime writer” (Kirkus Reviews) exposes the most frightening aspect of the murderous mind: the waiting game. Trusted family members or strangers, these cold-blooded killers select their unsuspecting prey, wait for the perfect moment to strike, then turn normality into homicidal mayhem in a matter of moments. Ann Rule will have you seeing the people and places around you with heightened caution as you read these shattering cases, including: • New mothers murdered, their infants kidnapped, in an atrocious baby-selling scheme • The man who kept his criminal past hidden from his wife—and his wife from his mistress—until he coldly disposed of one of them • The beautiful daughter of a State Department official ran away from the privileged world she knew and hitched a ride with a man she didn’t . . . with fatal consequences • For months, a vicious, rage-filled serial rapist eluded police and terrorized Seattle’s women—when would he strike next, and how far would his violence escalate? • A criminal known for his Houdini-like escapes is serving time for murder in a botched robbery—now the convict is being served dinner in a civilian’s home, where he has one more trick up his sleeve • A long-lost relative who came home to visit, leaving a bloody trail through Washington and Oregon; no one realized how dangerous he and his ladylove were—until it was far too late. . . . With her ability to translate the most complex cases into storytelling “as dramatic and chilling as a bedroom window shattering at night” (The New York Times), Rule expertly analyzes the thoughts and deeds of the sociopath, in this seventeenth essential Crime Files volum... [Read More]

  • ASIN: 1451648294
  • ISBN: 1451648294
  • Brand: Rule, Ann
  • Manufacturer: Pocket Books

If You Really Loved Me

If You Really Loved Me

There was only one way to please her father: Murder his wife.... David Brown was the consummate entrepreneur: a computer wizard and millionaire by age thirty-two. When his beautiful young wife was shot to death as she slept, Brown's fourteen-year-old daughter, Cinnamon, confessed to killing her stepmother. The California courts sentenced her harshly: twenty-four years to life. But in the wake of Cinnamon's murder conviction, thanks in part to two determined lawmen, the twisted private world of David Brown himself unfolded with astonishing clarity -- revealing a trail of perverse love, twisted secrets, and evil mind games. A complex and often dangerous investigation suggested a horrifying scenario: Was the seemingly bland David Brown really a stone-cold killer who convinced his own daughter to prove her love by killing for him? A man who turned young women into his own personal slaves, who collected nearly $1 million in insurance money, and married his dead wife's teenage sister, David Brown was a sociopath who would stop at nothing...a deadly charmer who almost got away with everything.

  • ASIN: 0671769200
  • ISBN: 0671769200
  • Manufacturer: Pocket Books

The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage

The Cuckoo's Egg: Tracking a Spy Through the Maze of Computer Espionage

Before the Internet became widely known as a global tool for terrorists, one perceptive U.S. citizen recognized its ominous potential. Armed with clear evidence of computer espionage, he began a highly personal quest to expose a hidden network of spies that threatened national security. But would the authorities back him up? Cliff Stoll's dramatic firsthand account is "a computer-age detective story, instantly fascinating [and] astonishingly gripping" (Smithsonian). Cliff Stoll was an astronomer turned systems manager at Lawrence Berkeley Lab when a 75-cent accounting error alerted him to the presence of an unauthorized user on his system. The hacker's code name was "Hunter" -- a mysterious invader who managed to break into U.S. computer systems and steal sensitive military and security information. Stoll began a one-man hunt of his own: spying on the spy. It was a dangerous game of deception, broken codes, satellites, and missile bases -- a one-man sting operation that finally gained the attention of the CIA...and ultimately trapped an international spy ring fueled by cash, cocaine, and the KGB.

  • UPC: 787721923671
  • ASIN: 1416507787
  • ISBN: 1416507787
  • Brand: Gallery Books
  • Manufacturer: Pocket Books