News reporter Irene Kelly untangles the threads of a past crime and a haunting disappearance while trying to survive the present -- in this suspense-charged bestseller from Edgar® Award winner Jan Burke. Not long after the Las Piernas Express publishes Irene Kelly's articles profiling missing children cases, bones turn up at a California estate -- and a notorious murder-kidnapping is churned up once more. When artist Richard Fletcher was found bludgeoned in his studio years ago, his stepson was quickly apprehended with the murder weapon and ultimately convicted. But Richard's young daughter, Jenny, who went missing at the time of the murder, was never found. Now Irene has joined Richard's son Caleb, a graduate student of forensic anthropology, in the fight to prove his stepbrother's innocence and solve Jenny's disappearance. But digging up the tragedies of the sprawling and powerful Fletcher family isabout to set off a murderous chain reaction -- and put Irene's own life in peril.
A self-confessed coward, Johnny Nelson hoped his opponents wouldn't turn up. He twice froze when given the chance to take the world title. Glenn McCrory declared: 'He's scared. I don't think he'll ever do it now' and even Johnny's mother mocked him. But by the time of his recent retirement, Johnny Nelson had been undefeated world cruiserweight champion for seven years. Now Johnny relates his moving, funny, frank and inspirational story: an amazing odyssey from chump to champ. Legendary trainer Brendan Ingle, who produced a string of champions including Naseem Hamed, described Nelson as 'the biggest success story from our gym.' He might have added that the skinny kid from the wrong side of Sheffield was also the least likely to succeed. Nelson had a stubborn streak. Determined not to let early failures stop him, he went into exile, taking fights all over the world to learn his craft. Finally, nine years after being booed from the ring, he earned the respect of everyone. Along the way he encountered the dark side of boxing: the drugs, the gangsters and the gamblers who wanted him to fix fights. He fell out with his best mates Herol Graham and Naseem Hamed and for the first time reveals exactly why they no longer talk. He tells the terrifying story of a plot to kidnap him. Johnny Nelson's story will appeal beyond fight fans as a straightforward, honest account of overcoming personal fears and terrible setbacks to become the best in the world.
You can't kidnap someone's hope. They were teachers, engineers, nurses, students, and artists from around the world who answered God's call to help Afghan refugees rebuild their lives following decades of war. But as international tensions reached inferno levels in 2001, extremists set out to rid Afghanistan of anyone who posed a threat to Islam and the influence of the Taliban. The Shelter Now International (SNI) humanitarian effort led by Christians from Western countries topped the Taliban's list. Kabul 24 is the story you didn't see on CNN. It's the story of the human heartbeats behind the headlines that captivated the world during one of the most volatile political windows in rencent history. Relive the harrowing, true account of how eight humanitarian aid workers imprisoned behind enemy lines would survive and even thrive in the midst of betrayal, inhumane conditions, and the massive Allied bombing raids?conducted by their own countries?following the terrorist attacks of 9/11. From peacemakers to pawns in a story of political and religious turmoil, the eight would individually and collectively discover a level of hope that would free them from captivity long before their dramatic rescue by American Special Forces 105 days after their abduction.
Being abducted and held captive by the Taliban isn't a tale many survive to tell. An American doctor shares the harrowing story about the four days he spent with his captors after being abducted on a humanitarian mission and his incredible rescue by SEAL Team Six. On December 5, 2012, American medical doctor Dilip Joseph and two colleagues are driving back to Kabul, Afghanistan, after serving villagers that morning at a rural clinic. Suddenly a man waving an AK-47 blocks their path. More armed men jump out of hiding. For Dilip, it is the beginning of a nightmare—he’s being kidnapped by the Taliban. Dilip recounts his story with chilling detail, transporting the reader to rural Afghanistan. “As we walk, I fear the worst—that when we reach the top, they will shoot us. God, however this is going to end, please don’t let them torture me to death. Let it be one shot and done.” Dilip and his friends endure a nine-hour march into the mountains, gruesome images of torture and death, and repeated threats of execution. After four days of uncertainty, gunfire announces the arrival of Navy SEAL Team Six, the elite group of soldiers that took down al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden. SEAL team member Nicolas D. Checque loses his life in the rescue, as do the Taliban kidnappers. Yet this is more than a story of desperation, survival, and loss. It is also a tale of surprising connection, compassion, and inspiration. As Dilip begins to view the Taliban not as monsters but as men, both he and his captors are challenged to re-examine everything that matters: courage, sacrifice, hope, and faith. The book includes: First-hand account of a Taliban kidnapping survivor Insights into the Taliban's daily existence Insights into the sacrifices made by the American armed forces Includes a glossary and map of Afghanistan Kidnapped by the Taliban is a story of both terror and triumph. After reading this dramatic and inspiring account, you will never view Afghanistan or the Taliban in the same way again.
A National Bestseller From New Yorker staff writer and bestselling author of The Nine and The Run of His Life: The People v. O. J. Simpson, the definitive account of the kidnapping and trial that defined an insane era in American history On February 4, 1974, Patty Hearst, a sophomore in college and heiress to the Hearst Family fortune, was kidnapped by a ragtag group of self-styled revolutionaries calling itself the Symbonese Liberation Army. The weird turns that followed in this already sensational take are truly astonishing--the Hearst family tried to secure Patty's release by feeding the people of Oakland and San Francisco for free; bank security cameras captured "Tania" wielding a machine gun during a roberry; the LAPD engaged in the largest police shoot-out in American history; the first breaking news event was broadcast live on telelvision stations across the country; and then there was Patty's circuslike trial, filled with theatrical courtroom confrontations and a dramatic last-minute reversal, after which the term "Stockholm syndrome" entered the lexicon. Ultimately, the saga highlighted a decade in which America seemed to be suffering a collective nervous breakdown. American Heiress portrays the electrifying lunacy of the time and the toxic mic of sex, politics, and violence that swept up Patty Hearst and captivated the nation.
The devil's in the details when a man is found murdered near Trinity Church in the latest installment of the national bestselling Gaslight Mystery series... The year of 1899 is drawing to a close. Frank and Sarah Malloy are getting ready to celebrate the New Year at Trinity Church when they notice Mr. Pritchard, a relative of their neighbor's, behaving oddly and annoying the other revelers. Frank tries to convince Pritchard to return home with them, but the man refuses and Frank loses him in the crowd. The next morning Sarah and Frank are horrified to learn Pritchard was murdered sometime in the night, his body left on Trinity Place, the side street near the church. The police aren't too interested in the murder, and the family are concerned that the circumstances of the death will reflect badly on Pritchard's reputation. To protect the family from scandal, Nelson asks Frank to investigate. Frank and Sarah delve into Pritchard's past and realize there may have been a deadly side to the dawning of the new century.
2014 Independent Publisher Book Awards Bronze Medalist A madcap dark comedy about best friends determined to tackle the American Dream with bird feathers, duct tape, and a sticky AK-47. Hank and Larry are performance artists on the seedy streets of San Francisco where art fans flock to see what crazy performance they'll do next. Fame and fortune seem just around the corner--provided Larry can keep his best friend Hank's paranoia and delirium from spiraling out of control. But when poverty forces the performers to take computer jobs working for a ruthless billionaire CEO, their boss's hundred-hour workweeks, relentless corporate propaganda, and soggy breakroom burritos turn them into nervous wrecks. Hungry for revenge with their dreams of glory fading, Hank and Larry plot their greatest performance ever... The first novel by a performance artist, Two Performance Artists was a 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Contest First-Round Finalist.