Fact proves far stranger than fiction in this collection of real-life crimes, scandals, tragedies and murders which either influenced the works of the world's most popular mystery writer or affected the lives of many famous personalities involved in her long and brilliant career. Discover the truth behind many of her books, such as how the exploits of Jack the Ripper inspired the serial killings in The ABC Murders and how the plot twist in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd was s...

Jack the Ripper', the savage murderer of five prostitutes in the East End of London in 1888, is perhaps Britain's most notorious killer, mainly because his (or her!) identity was never proven. 'Rippermania' has driven a 120-year-old investigation to identify this depraved individual, a hunt that shows no signs of letting up, with numerous conspiracy theories continuing to do the rounds even today.In this compilation, Mike Holgate presents a lively look back at the ...

An in-depth look at the historic murder of an infamous politician during America's Reconstruction following the Civil War.No suspect was ever indicted or tried for the murder of scalawag politician John W. "Chicken" Stephens in a North Carolina courthouse; and the Ku Klux Klan not only rid itself of a troublesome adversary, but also set up a showdown between the state's old guard and the radical regime of Governor William Woods Holden. Follow this little-known tale...

A road trip becomes a dead end for a schoolteacher in this haunting cold case of murder that became a fifty-year fight for justice.In June of 1968, Irene Izak, a young French teacher from Scranton, Pennsylvania, was pulling an all-nighter on the road toward the promise of a new life in Quebec. The last time she was seen alive was at 2:09 a.m. by a toll collector at Thousand Island Bridge who claimed Irene was visibly afraid. Less than a half-hour later, Irene was f...

This compendium brings together thirty-three murderous tales — one from each of the capital's boroughs — that not only shocked the City but made headline news across the country. Throughout its history the great urban sprawl of Greater London has been home to some of the most shocking murders in England, many of which have made legal history. Contained within the pages of this book are the stories behind these heinous crimes. They include George Chapman, who was hanged in ...

Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, G.K. Chesterton and nine other writers from the legendary Detection Club collaborate in this fiendishly clever but forgotten crime novel first published 80 years ago.Inspector Rudge does not encounter many cases of murder in the sleepy seaside town of Whynmouth. But when an old sailor lands a rowing boat containing a fresh corpse with a stab wound to the chest, the Inspector's investigation immediately comes up against several obstacles. The vica...

This new edition, which is reproduced from a first printing of the book, is introduced by the author Martin Edwards, archivist of the Detection Club, and includes a never-before-published Preface by Agatha Christie, ‘Detective Writers in England’, in which she discusses her fellow writers in the Detection Club.Lord Comstock is a barbarous newspaper tycoon with enemies in high places. His murder in the study of his country houseposes a dilemma for the Home Secretary. In the hours be...

From bestselling author Martha Grimes, comes the first novel featuring Scotland Yard’s Detective Chief Inspector Richard Jury—a witty, atmospheric start to this beloved mystery series set in an English village.Long Piddleton had always been wary of newcomers. But the quiet town was stunned when the first stranger was found dead, upended in a butt of ale in the cellar of the Men with a Load of Mischief. Then the second body appeared, swinging in place of the mechani...

A good deed incites evil in a true crime mystery from the New York Times–bestselling author of Sleep My Little Dead: The True Story of the Zodiac Killer.Ash WednesdayBeautiful, bubbly, 20-year-old Kim Antonakos was returning to her New York City apartment after a night of clubbing with a friend. A business major with wild black hair, long polished fingernails, and a new Honda her loving father had bought her, Kim took good care of h...

Maureen Harvey lives in Kings Norton, Birmingham with her husband Ray. They have a daughter, Michelle, and three grandchildren Danielle, Paige, and Jordan. Since their son Lee was murdered by Tracie Andrews in December 1996, they have campaigned tirelessly to ensure that those convicted of murder serve their full prison tariff. Maureen's book is based on the diary she began writing after Lee's death and is a frank account of the emotional journey she and her family have taken during the la...

The Complete Miss Marple Collection gathers together all of Agatha Christie’s novels featuring her beloved intrepid investigator, Miss Marple. It’s an unparalleled compendium of murder, mayhem, mystery, and detection that represents some of the finest crime fiction in the field, and is an essential omnibus for Christie fans.Described by her friend Dolly Bantry as “the typical old maid of fiction,” Miss Marple has lived almost her entire life in the sleepy ...

'The sentence of this court is that you be taken from this place to whence you came, and from there to a place of lawful execution, there to be hanged by the neck till you be dead, and may the Lord have mercy on your soul'-Extract from judicial death sentence, England c.16th-20th centurySocieties throughout history have adopted many and varied methods of meting out the ultimate sanction of capital punishment to their more unruly mem...