All the ingredients of a first-rate thriller stand out in this investigative report by Robin Yocum and Catherine Candisky, who reveal a sinister and deadly con game that was three years in the making: a murder, an insurance scam with a multi-million dollar payoff, a playboy businessman, a sinister stun-gun-toting neurologist, false identities, and an international manhunt. On the morning of April 16, 1988, the emergency squad was called to the office of Dr. Richard P. Boggs, a respected neurologist in Glendale, California. On the floor of the examining room was the body of Melvin E. Hanson, the vice president of the Just Sweats athletic clothing store chain, based in Columbus, Ohio. Apparently, he had collapsed and died of heart failure during a routine examination. Early next morning, Hanson''s business partner and the company president, John B. Hawkins, arrived from Columbus and had the body unceremoniously cremated. The coroner ruled that Hanson died of natural causes, so there was nothing to be investigated, and the Glendale police did not pursue the case further. But this wasn''t just another unfortunate death. There was something very, very wrong here. The body lying on the floor was not Hanson''s. The corpse was an anonymous double who had been murdered in a scheme to fraudulently collect on Hanson''s life insurance policy.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • This “superbly written true-crime story” (The New York Times Book Review) masterfully brings together the tales of a serial killer in 1970s Alabama and of Harper Lee, the beloved author of To Kill a Mockingbird, who tried to write his story. Reverend Willie Maxwell was a rural preacher accused of murdering five of his family members, but with the help of a savvy lawyer, he escaped justice for years until a relative assassinated him at the funeral of his last victim. Despite hundreds of witnesses, Maxwell’s murderer was acquitted—thanks to the same attorney who had previously defended the reverend himself. Sitting in the audience during the vigilante’s trial was Harper Lee, who spent a year in town reporting on the Maxwell case and many more trying to finish the book she called The Reverend. Cep brings this remarkable story to life, from the horrifying murders to the courtroom drama to the racial politics of the Deep South, while offering a deeply moving portrait of one of our most revered writers.
A Financial Times Book of the Year An Economist Best Book of the Year “A triumph of investigative journalism.” —Tom Wright, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Billion Dollar Whale “A fascinating read. Highly recommended!”-John Carreyrou, bestselling author of Bad Blood "Truly one of the most nail-biting, page-turning, terrifying true-crime books I've ever read." —Nick Bilton, New York Times bestselling author of American Kingpin From award-winning journalists Matthew Campbell and Kit Chellel, the gripping, true-crime story of a notorious maritime hijacking at the heart of a massive conspiracy—and the unsolved murder that threatened to unravel it all. In July 2011, the oil tanker Brillante Virtuoso was drifting through the treacherous Gulf of Aden when a crew of pirates attacked and set her ablaze in a devastating explosion. But when David Mockett, a maritime surveyor working for Lloyd’s of London, inspected the damaged vessel, he was left with more questions than answers. How had the pirates gotten aboard so easily? And if they wanted to steal the ship and bargain for its return, then why did they destroy it? The questions didn’t add up—and Mockett would never answer them. Soon after his inspection, David Mockett was murdered. Dead in the Water is a shocking expose of the criminal inner workings of international shipping, told through the lens of the Brillante hijacking and its aftermath. Through first-hand accounts of those who lived it—from members of the ship’s crew and witnesses to the attacks, to the ex-London detectives turned private investigators seeking to solve Mockett’s murder and bring justice to his family—award-winning Bloomberg reporters Matthew Campbell and Kit Chellel piece together the astounding truth behind one of the most brazen financial frauds in history. The ambitious culmination of more than four years of reporting, Dead in the Water uncovers an intricate web of conspiracy amidst the lawless, old-world industry at the backbone of our new global economy.
There was a dark side to St. Louis dentist Dr. Glennon Engleman--a twisted secret life of sexual perversion and murder. This electrifying true-crime story chronicles the two decades of brutal executions that occurred while the doctor was in!
After years of chasing around sniffly munchkins with a tongue depressor, nurse Pauline Sokol has had it. She's sick of being an "angel of mercy"—she'd like to raise some hell for once! But finding a new career won't be easy for someone who's had no experience beyond thermometers and bedpans. Luckily, the smarmy head of an agency that investigates medical fraud thinks she'd be perfect for the job, since, for him, a potential employee's most important qualification is a killer pair of legs. So now Pauline's a p.i., but since she knows as much about detective work as a potted geranium might, the hunky and mysterious Jagger steps in to teach her the ropes. Her first assignment—going undercover at a local clinic to investigate fake insurance claims—promises to be a hoot ... until the healers around her start inexplicably dropping dead. And before she can say, "streptococci," Pauline's stuck in a true health care crisis with her own continued wellness in very serious jeopardy.
A critical care nurse marries his patient’s widow only to later poison her in this true crime story by the author of Stolen in the Night. A Woman with A Passion For Power . . . Kathy Marie Augustine was not out to make friends. In politics, she rose to the top by playing hardball—and pushing her way through the old boy’s network of the Nevada legislature, rising to the rank of State Controller. When she died, only a few people shed tears—including the man who killed her. A Killer with A Foolproof Plan . . . Chaz Higgs was a former body-builder turned intensive care nurse who saw wealthy, sexy Kathy Marie Augustine as his meal-ticket—until he couldn’t stomach her domineering personality any longer. When Chaz decided he’d had enough, he chose a poison that would leave no evidence behind. Murder Hidden in Plain Sight . . . The death of a nationally-known politician made headlines, but one slip of the tongue came to the attention of a determined Nevada detective. Now, true-crime master Gary C. King takes us into the extraordinary life and death of a famously ambitious woman politician, behind the scenes of the investigation that unearthed shocking secrets, and into the heart and mind of a man who nearly got away with the perfect crime . . . Includes Sixteen Pages of Revealing Photos
The brutal murder of Betsy Faria on December 27, 2011 set off a maelstrom of events that resulted in an innocent man's imprisonment and another man's death. It would take a decade to unravel all the misdirection in the Faria murder case, the misconduct of the prosecution team, and the insidious mind of a murderer that St. Charles County Prosecutor Tim Lohmar called "The Worst of the Worst!" Betsy Faria was stabbed over 55 times. The murder scene was staged in an effort to frame the victim's husband Russell Faria. Through an investigative trial filled with perjury, tainted evidence, and misdirection, Russell was found guilty and spent 3 1/2 years in prison before his tenacious lawyer won him a second chance. It was during that second trial that the shadows fell away and the real murderer was revealed. But, before they could bring her to justice, several people would be stalked as potential victims, and one man would eventually lose his life in her effort to deflect suspicion from herself. Along the way, her mother mysteriously plunged from her third-floor balcony and died. Pam Hupp benefited from the insurance in both her mother's and Betsy Faria's deaths. Ripped from the headlines, this incredible case has spawned multiple podcasts, including Dateline NBC's most-popular podcast to date: The Thing About Pam. It will air February 22, 2022 as an NBC mini-series starring Renee Zellweger as Pam Hupp. The story will also appear as a People Magazine Investigates documentary. At this printing, a Preliminary Hearing and Death Penalty Murder Trial are in the works against Ms. Hupp. At their conclusion, there will be a follow-up book in the Countdown to Murder: Pam Hupp series by Rebecca F. Pittman. Rumors of other victims are also being looked into at this time. The book is packed with crime scene photos supplied to Ms. Pittman by the prosecuting attorneys and their law enforcement agencies. Exclusive interviews with family, police, media, and prosecutors are included. Ms. Pittman was also given access to the detectives and PA's involved in the two murder cases and enjoyed sharing details of the evidence provided. Female serial killers are rare, representing only five to seven percent of the population. Accused of three murders, and with rumors of possible other victims, Pam Hupp falls within that five to seven percent. She filled the dark hours will plots so nefarious and unbelievable that it boggles the mind. It is chilling to think of what other plans she was composing when she was finally apprehended. There is still much to unveil. It is a story that will continue to rank as one of the most diabolical in True Crime history. The ripple effects of her actions have so far torn apart the lives of three victims and their families. Pam Hupp is in prison for the murder of Louis Gumpenberger and is currently going to trial for the murder of Betsy Faria where Prosecuting Mike Wood will be seeking the Death Penalty. A Preliminary Hearing is set for Spring of 2022, with the trial probably falling in early 2023.
The riveting account of the landmark "Hit Man Case"--involving a man who hired a contract killer to execute his ex-wife, his severely brain-damaged son, and the boy's nurse--written by a noted First Amendment attorney who risked his reputation and career to take on the case.
After his unspectacular professional baseball career ends with a knee injury in Toledo, Ohio, Johnny Earl gets busted for selling cocaine. After serving seven years in prison, all he wants to do is return to his hometown of Steubenville, retrieve the drug money he stashed before he went to jail, and start a new life where no one has ever heard of Johnny Earl. However, before he can leave town with his money, Johnny is picked up for questioning in the murder of Rayce Daubner, the FBI informant who had set him up on drug charges in the first place. Then his former prison cellmate shows up--a white supremacist who wants the drug money to help fund an Aryan nation in the wilds of Idaho. Five memorable characters, each with a separate agenda, come together in this layered tale of murder, deceit, and political intrigue.
THE TRUE STORY BEHIND NBC’S MARQUEE MINI-SERIES "THE THING ABOUT PAM" STARRING RENEE ZELLWEGER AS PAM HUPP AND JOSH DUHAMEL AS JOEL SCHWARTZ, PREMIERING FEBRUARY 2022. The explosive, first-ever insider’s account of the case that’s captivated millions – the murder of Betsy Faria and the wrongful conviction of her husband – told by Joel J. Schwartz, the defense attorney who fought for justice on behalf of Russel Faria, and New York Times bestselling author Charles Bosworth Jr. Goodreads Top Nonfiction of 2022 On December 27th, 2011, Russell Faria returned to his Troy, Missouri, home after his weekly game night with friends to an unthinkable, grisly scene: His wife, Betsy, lay dead, a knife still lodged in her neck. She’d been stabbed fifty-five times. First responders concluded that Betsy was dead for hours when Russ discovered her. No blood was found implicating Russ, and surveillance video, receipts, and friends’ testimony all supported his alibi. Yet incredibly, police and the prosecuting attorney ignored the evidence. In their minds, Russ was guilty. But prominent defense attorney Joel J. Schwartz quickly recognized the real killer. The motive was clear. Days before her murder, the terminally ill Betsy replaced her husband with her friend, Pamela Hupp, as her life insurance beneficiary. Still, despite the prosecution’s flimsy case and Hupp’s transparent lies, Russ was convicted—leaving Hupp free to kill again. Bone Deep takes readers through the perfect storm of miscalculations and missteps that led to an innocent man’s conviction—and recounts Schwartz’s successful battle to have that conviction overturned. Written with Russ Faria’s cooperation, and filled with chilling new revelations and previously undisclosed evidence, this is the story of what can happen when police, prosecutor, judge, and jury all fail in their duty to protect the innocent—and let a killer get away with murder. “Fans of Dateline will be interested in this work, which will likely only grow in popularity when the miniseries The Thing About Pam, starring Renée Zellweger, premieres in March 2022.” –Library Journal “Filled with chilling new revelations and previously undisclosed evidence, this is the story of what can happen when police, prosecutor, judge, and jury all fail in their duty to protect the innocent—and let a killer get away with murder. This book is an explosive, insider’s account of a case that continues to fascinate the public. We highly recommend it.” –Mystery Tribune “An engaging true-crime book that exposes failures in the American criminal justice system while putting a human face on those involved and is recommended to those that enjoy well-researched books.” –Mystery and Suspense “If you are interested in justice, in criminal profiling, in trial procedures, the dynamics between the judge, the defense, and the prosecution, this book is for you.” –Defrosting Cold Cases
