It's 1952. Reporter Sydney Lockhart checks into the historic Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Before she even unpacks, she discovers the brutally murdered body of the hotel's bookkeeper. What had begun as a simple travel-writing assignment now turns into a murder investigation. The bad news is that Sydney is a suspect. Determined to clear her name and prove herself a reporter deserving more than just travel assignments, Sydney becomes embroiled in the underworld of gangsters and gamblers. In her fight for the truth, she soon faces a more urgent battle: saving her own skin.
Small town politics are always the same comfortably dull sandbox bickering-even when your small town is the gateway to the nation's capital. Or so thought Paige Smith, editor of the Spectator weekly. His love life was in the tank, and he wasn't getting any younger, but the speed was about right for him until the April morning that the County Board meeting was gaveled to order by a fatal gunshot. Before long, it was clear that none of the people who'd filled his political columns for years were who they seemed-and things were getting dangerous for a quiet man who'd never been threatened by anything more lethal than a deadline. '.a fictionalized version of the [Arlington] County Board and those in the political spotlight. hilarious, but. unsettling." Arlington Sun Gazette, 4/8/04
Paige Smith is back-the detective hero for people who aren't cut out to be detective heroes. For the editor of the Arlington weekly Spectator, one front-row seat for a hair-raising scoop had been enough for a lifetime, thank you. All he wanted now was safe, dull predictability, and maybe the hope of a Saturday night date. Alas, dull wasn't in the cards. Arlington County was simmering over a ballpark plan that was welcomed by no one or everyone, depending on whom you asked. The upcoming election was ugly with racism and hints of corruption. Now, the county's first marathon was jeopardized when its most prominent runner crossed his own personal finish line. And as for women, "Smitty" would soon be far out of his league, with the hyperactive athlete who taught him how to sprint; the single mom with short skirts and a long-barreled pistol; the no-nonsense cop who knew too much for comfort-and the jailbird blonde who still tugged at his heart. Which one was going to save him or sink him?
It's New Year's Eve, 1952. Texas politicians are backslapping and ringing in '53 at the historic Luther Hotel on the Texas Coast. Reporter Sydney Lockhart is there covering the festivities. The celebration turns sour when Sydney finds herself dancing with a dead man. With her fingerprints on the murder weapon and a police chief with his own agenda, Sydney ushers in the New Year behind bars. Soon there is another body, more damning fingerprints, and a crazy Cajun who's been paid to feed Sydney to the alligators. Things get worse when cousin Ruth comes to town with a problem even Sydney can't solve.
"The best fantasy novel I’ve read in years, because it’s about real people... Impossible to put down." —Stephen King The smash New York Times bestseller from Leigh Bardugo, a mesmerizing tale of power, privilege, and dark magic set among the Ivy League elite. Goodreads Choice Award Winner Locus Finalist Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the most unlikely member of Yale’s freshman class. Raised in the Los Angeles hinterlands by a hippie mom, Alex dropped out of school early and into a world of shady drug-dealer boyfriends, dead-end jobs, and much, much worse. In fact, by age twenty, she is the sole survivor of a horrific, unsolved multiple homicide. Some might say she’s thrown her life away. But at her hospital bed, Alex is offered a second chance: to attend one of the world’s most prestigious universities on a full ride. What’s the catch, and why her? Still searching for answers, Alex arrives in New Haven tasked by her mysterious benefactors with monitoring the activities of Yale’s secret societies. Their eight windowless “tombs” are the well-known haunts of the rich and powerful, from high-ranking politicos to Wall Street’s biggest players. But their occult activities are more sinister and more extraordinary than any paranoid imagination might conceive. They tamper with forbidden magic. They raise the dead. And, sometimes, they prey on the living. Don't miss the highly-anticipated sequel, Hell Bent.
Early on an April morning, eighteen-year-old Billy Frank Gilley, Jr., killed his sleeping parents. Surprised in the act by his younger sister, Becky, he turned on her as well. Billy then climbed the stairs to the bedroom of his other sister, Jody, and said, “We’re free.” But is one ever free after an unredeemable act of violence? The Gilley family murders ended a lifetime of physical and mental abuse suffered by Billy and Jody at the hands of their parents. And it required each of the two survivors–one a convicted murderer, the other suddenly an orphan–to create a new identity, a new life.
Widower Jack Reeves found his wife, Emelita Villa, in a magazine offering mail-order brides from the Philippines. When Emelita's friends reported her missing on October 11, 1994, police made some grisly discoveries about Reeves's first three marriages--and suspected him of killing at least two of his wives. As a result, Reeves was convicted on two counts of murder and was sent to prison for 99 years. Photos.
The novel’s title pertains to the historically famous residence of London’s Piccadilly known simply as ALBANY. Here dwells Hermes Pimm lately retired from M.I.6 following his wife’s tragic death, now wearing the mantle of Private Investigator. Presently at loose ends, his brother-in-law, a renowned Barrister, draws him into a case involving a former classmate at Sandhurst. This playboy brother to an Earl has financed his escape from ruin by plundering his sister’s estate. The family wish the matter settled discreetly, but before Pimm can deliver their terms to the miscreant, he is found murdered in Pimm’s own apartment, run-thru with a saber from his prized collection of military swords. During the ensuing quest to clear his name, he develops a romantic interest for an attractive widow of past acquaintance. Retaining his focus, he pays a visit to Lady Mayfield, the Earl’s wronged sister at her Horse Farm in the country and there stumbles upon the first solid clue to her brother’s murder.
Any murder causes pain and suffering that ripple through families and communities—of both the victims and the perpetrators—but premeditated murders cause the worst kind of damage. The Allure of Premeditated Murder is about the worst kinds of premeditated homicide in which the perpetrator plans an attack over a period of days, weeks, or months, leaving behind massive carnage and unspeakable suffering. Drawing on extensive research and interviews with murderers, sociologists Jack Levin and Julie B. Wiest help readers understand why such vicious murders occur and what we can do to minimize their incidence. Throughout the book, theyexamine why people engage in acts of premeditated murder—planning and implementing terrible violence against others—from the perpetrator’s viewpoint. By juxtaposing the motivations for these hideous homicides against everyday social circumstances, these often-baffling crimes are explained in an easy-to-understand manner that paves the way for promising solutions. In the process of examining the characteristics of premeditated murder, the book also addresses those questions that are commonly asked about this kind of violent crime but usually unanswered. How could a killer have enjoyed his murderous rampage when he committed suicide right afterward? Why do sadistic killers sometimes regard their murders as great accomplishments? What can be done to effectively reduce the likelihood of this kind of homicide? As violence remains such a prominent and troubling topic nationwide, The Allure of Premeditated Murder successfully explores the reasons behind the worst violence as well as the most promising solutions.
