Nine exciting stories of real life crime and detection featuring serial killers, art forgers, kidnappers, robbers, runaways and forensic scientists. Gripping and engaging for readers who prefer real life to fiction.
Kids fascinated by crime and police work will appreciate this inside look at detection and forensic science. The 25 experiments can be performed at home and offer fascinating explanations of police lab techniques.
Bizarre, compelling, terrifying and authentic true crime stories of murder and mayhem. In these pages you will find a story about a tormented serial killer and how he resorted to cannibalism, a female celebrity's fan who had an obsession to murder her, torture murders, crimes of passion, among many others—chilling crimes that could only be perpetrated by the twisted minds and gruesome obsessions of coldblooded killers, the stuff that horror movies and novels are made of, brought to you from the vault of bestselling true crime author and serial killer expert Gary C. King. There are 15 terrifying, heart-pounding stories in all, guaranteed to keep you awake and your doors locked as only King, the Master of True Crime, can write them!
The fascinating story of a scientific breakthrough that solved one of the most brutal murders in Englands history and forever changed the criminal justice system. Fingerprints is the dramatic human story of how technology found its way into the criminal justice system, of one brilliant, flawed mans struggle to retain rightful credit for his discovery, and of a confoundingly difficult murder case. Impeccably researched and dramatically told, it traces fingerprinting to its present-day applications and illustrates why the unique tracks we leave with our fingers continue to be one of the most important means of identifying criminals.
A riveting true story of murder and detection in 15th-century Paris, by one of the most brilliant medievalists of his generation. On a chilly November night in 1407, Louis of Orleans was murdered by a band of masked men. The crime stunned and paralyzed France since Louis had often ruled in place of his brother King Charles, who had gone mad. As panic seized Paris, an investigation began. In charge was the Provost of Paris, Guillaume de Tignonville, the city's chief law enforcement officer -- and one of history's first detectives. As de Tignonville began to investigate, he realized that his hunt for the truth was much more dangerous than he ever could have imagined. A rich portrait of a distant world, Blood Royal is a gripping story of conspiracy, crime and an increasingly desperate hunt for the truth. And in Guillaume de Tignonville, we have an unforgettable detective for the ages, a classic gumshoe for a cobblestoned era.
This compilation includes 30 true stories of heroism, desperation, courage and daring; from the first exploration of Everest to the story of the real Indiana Jones.
Winner of four major prizes for the best critical/biographical book related to crime fiction: the Edgar, Anthony, Macavity and H.R.F. Keating Awards; and shortlisted for both the Agatha and Gold Dagger Awards. ‘Martin Edwards is the closest thing there has been to a philosopher of crime writing.’ The Times
More than two dozen gripping tales of murder, kidnapping, robbery, and much more from the Reader’s Digest archives. For more than 90 years, Reader’s Digest has been telling the amazing true stories of real-life thrillers, unsolved mysteries, and tales of cold-blooded murder—and of the regular folks caught up in these harrowing situations. Now we’ve pulled together a collection of more than two dozen of these gripping narratives, including: A woman’s account of being taken hostage by a convenience store robber True crime writer Ann Rule’s encounter with Ted Bundy before she knew he was a killer The case of the man who rigged the lottery The inside story of how Al Capone was finally arrested for tax evasion The unlikely tale of a widower father who enlisted his teenage son and daughter to help rob banks These modern classics are for crime aficionados and novices alike, tantalizing enough to hold your attention yet brisk enough to be your best beach or book club read. Enjoy the ride with an airplane bomber, an identity thief, and a Bonnie-and-Clyde team living on borrowed time. (Enjoy even more their comeuppance.)
Starting from the fundamental principles of forensics that 'every contact leaves a trace', the author presents a study of the techniques that we have all heard about in trials and on TV, but until now have remained mysteries to the outsider.
Extraordinary accounts of forensic crime detection—from poisoners in ancient Rome to modern day serial killers—by the bestselling author of The Outsider. In 44 BC, a Roman doctor named Antistius performed the first autopsy recorded in history—on the corpse of murder victim Julius Caesar. However, not until the nineteenth century did the systematic application of scientific knowledge to crime detection seriously begin, so that the tiniest scrap of evidence might yield astonishing results—like the single horsehair that betrayed the murderer in New York’s 1936 puzzling and sensational Nancy Titterton case. Many such dramatic tales appear in this updated edition of the most gripping catalog of crimes by acclaimed criminologist Colin Wilson. The book follows the progress of forensic science from the first cases of suspected arsenic poisoning right up to investigations using an impressive armory of high-tech methods: ballistic analysis, blood typing, voice printing, textile analysis, psychological profiling and genetic fingerprinting. “Colin Wilson has made himself the Philosopher-King of forensic speculation, the Diderot of the path labs.” —The Times Literary Supplement “Will enthrall connoisseurs of violent crime.” —The Glasgow Herald