A powerful, bracing and deeply spiritual look at intensely, troubled youth, Last Chance in Texas gives a stirring account of the way one remarkable prison rehabilitates its inmates.While reporting on the juvenile court system, journalist John Hubner kept hearing about a facility in Texas that ran the most aggressive–and one of the most successful–treatment programs for violent young offenders in America. How was it possible, he wondered, that a state like Texas, fa...

The "fascinating" true story behind the HBO Max and Hulu series about Texas housewife Candy Montgomery and the bizarre murder that shocked a community ( Los Angeles Times Book Review ).Candy Montgomery and Betty Gore had a lot in common: They sang together in the Methodist church choir, their daughters were best friends, and their husbands had good jobs working for technology companies in the north Dallas suburbs known as ...

When you are 15 years old and destitute, too unskilled to work and too young to claim unemployment benefit, your body is all you have left to sell.'THE BEST WORK BY ANYONE ON PROSTUTION EVER.' Catherine A. MacKinnonRachel Moran came from a troubled family background. Taken into state care at 14, she became homeless and got involved in prostitution aged 15, ending up isolated, drug-addicted, outside of society.Rachel's experience was one of violence, loneliness, and relentless exploitation ...

From a New York Times–bestselling journalist: The story of the murder of a California attorney at the hands of the lethally cunning wife he never doubted.A wealthy and well-connected legal ace and the proud owner of a champion show horse, Larry McNabney had every reason to love his life. But when he disappeared in September 2001, his wife, Elisa, claimed he joined a cult.When Larry's body was found in a shallow grave three months later, Elisa was al...

Clean SweepOn the morning of December 30, 1978, in Littleton, Colorado, Robert Spangler lured his wife Nancy into the basement with the promise of a "surprise." He then shot her in the head with a .38 handgun. Going upstairs, he shot his teenage children, Susan and David. David was slow in dying, so his father finished him off by smothering him with a pillow.Cover UpSpangler had cunningly framed the crime scene, making it appear that his wife had shot their children...

The horrific true story of serial kidnapper, rapist, and killer Robert Hansen's reign of terrorAs oil-boom money poured into Anchorage, Alaska the city quickly became a prime destination for the seedier elements of society: prostitutes, pimps, con men, and criminals of all breeds looking to cash in. However, something even worse lurked in their midst.To all who knew him, Robert Hansen was a typical hardworking businessman, husband, and father. But hidden be...

A New York Times–bestselling journalist traces a string of unsolved murders—and the botched investigation that let the New Bedford Highway Killer walk away.Over the course of seven months in 1988, eleven women disappeared off the streets of New Bedford, Massachusetts, a gloomy, drug-addled coastal town that was once the whaling capital of the world. Nine turned up dead. Two were never found. And the perpetrator remains unknown to this day.How could ...

The "fast-paced" inside story of the manhunt for bloodsucking serial killer Richard Chase ( Publishers Weekly).Written by the case's lead homicide detective, this gripping true crime account details the killing spree of one of California's most gruesome murderers: Richard Chase, aka "the Vampire of Sacramento." In January 1978, Sacramento police found the corpse of Teresa Wallin, a loving wife and soon-to-be mother. Veteran detective Lt. Ray Biondi immediat...

What sort of man spends his Saturday afternoons with people named Bonehead, Paraffin Pete and Steamin' Sammy? Bill Buford's acclaimed Among the Thugs is a book about the experience, and the attractions, of crowd violence.

The dark double life of Ellen Boehm, the mother who murdered her two sons—and nearly killed her daughter.Ellen Boehm, a single mom from St. Louis, Missouri, appeared devoted to her children. But in reality, she was unequipped for motherhood, financially strapped, and desperate. Within a year of each other, her sons, ages two and four, died mysteriously, and Boehm's eight-year-old daughter then suffered a near-fatal mishap when a hair dryer fell into the girl's bath....

The bestselling author of Targeted shares the identity of the serial killer who co-starred with him on Dark Minds and the story of their intriguing bond.In September 2011, M. William Phelps made a decision that would change reality-based television—and his own life. He asked a convicted serial killer to act as a consultant for his TV series. Under the code name “Raven,” the murderer shared his insights into the minds of other killers and helped an...

The twelve-year rampage of "Missoula Mauler" Wayne Nance—and the shocking end to his murder spreeTo his neighbors, Wayne Nance, a furniture mover from Missoula, Montana, appeared to be an affable, considerate, and trustworthy guy. No one knew that Nance was the "Missoula Mauler," a psychopath responsible for a series of sadistic sex slayings that rocked the idyllic town between 1974 and 1986.Nance's only requirement for murder was accessibility—a preacher's ...