Tags:true crime
The Trading Game
*NO.1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER*'An unforgettable story of greed, financial madness and moral decay' Rory Stewart'Hilarious, shocking and deeply sad — often in the same sentence' Sunday Times'The Wolf of Wall Street with a moral compass' Irvine WelshAn outrageous, white-knuckle journey to the dark heart of an intoxicating world - from someone who survived the trading game and then blew it all wide open'If you were gonna rob a bank, and you saw the vault door there, left open, what would you do? Would you wait around?Ever since he was a kid, kicking broken footballs on the streets of East London in the shadow of Canary Wharf's skyscrapers, Gary wanted something better. Something a whole lot bigger.Then he won a competition run by a bank: 'The Trading Game'. The prize: a golden ticket to a new life, as the youngest trader in the whole city. A place where you could make more money than you'd ever imagined. Where your colleagues are dysfunctional maths geniuses, overfed public schoolboys and borderline psychopaths, yet they start to feel like family. Where soon you're the bank's most profitable trader, dealing in nearly a trillion dollars. A day. Where you dream of numbers in your sleep - and then stop sleeping at all.But what happens when winning starts to feel like losing? When the easiest way to make money is to bet on millions becoming poorer and poorer - and, as the economy starts slipping off a precipice, your own sanity starts slipping with it? You want to stop, but you can't. Because nobody ever leaves.Would you stick, or quit? Even if it meant risking everything?Number 1 Sunday Times bestseller, March 2024
A Servant of Sarawak: Reminiscences of a Crown Counsel in 1950s Borneo
In this captivating memoir, Peter Mooney peppers his reminiscences of life as Crown Counsel in 1950s Sarawak with intriguing legal cases, which illustrate interesting points of law and capture historically important details of Sarawak’s indigenous people and colonial life. Peter faces numerous colorful characters in court, from indigenous warriors sporting feathered headdresses and leopard’s teeth earrings to the equally intimidating Lee Kuan Yew, who would become the first Prime Minister of Singapore.
Billion Dollar Whale
Named a Best Book of 2018 by the Financial Times and Fortune, this "thrilling" (Bill Gates) New York Times bestseller exposes how a "modern Gatsby" swindled over $5 billion with the aid of Goldman Sachs in "the heist of the century" (Axios). Now a #1 international bestseller, Billion Dollar Whale is "an epic tale of white-collar crime on a global scale" (Publishers Weekly), revealing how a young social climber from Malaysia pulled off one of the biggest heists in history. In 2009, a chubby, mild-mannered graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business named Jho Low set in motion a fraud of unprecedented gall and magnitude--one that would come to symbolize the next great threat to the global financial system. Over a decade, Low, with the aid of Goldman Sachs and others, siphoned billions of dollars from an investment fund--right under the nose of global financial industry watchdogs. Low used the money to finance elections, purchase luxury real estate, throw champagne-drenched parties, and even to finance Hollywood films like The Wolf of Wall Street. By early 2019, with his yacht and private jet reportedly seized by authorities and facing criminal charges in Malaysia and in the United States, Low had become an international fugitive, even as the U.S. Department of Justice continued its investigation.Billion Dollar Whale has joined the ranks of Liar's Poker, Den of Thieves, and Bad Blood as a classic harrowing parable of hubris and greed in the financial world.
Catch Me If You Can
The uproarious, bestselling true story of the world's most sought-after con man, immortalized by Leonardo DiCaprio in DreamWorks' feature film of the same name, from the author of Scam Me If You Can. Frank W. Abagnale, alias Frank Williams, Robert Conrad, Frank Adams, and Robert Monjo, was one of the most daring con men, forgers, imposters, and escape artists in history. In his brief but notorious criminal career, Abagnale donned a pilot's uniform and copiloted a Pan Am jet, masqueraded as the supervising resident of a hospital, practiced law without a license, passed himself off as a college sociology professor, and cashed over $2.5 million in forged checks, all before he was twenty-one. Known by the police of twenty-six foreign countries and all fifty states as "The Skywayman," Abagnale lived a sumptuous life on the lam—until the law caught up with him. Now recognized as the nation's leading authority on financial foul play, Abagnale is a charming rogue whose hilarious, stranger-than-fiction international escapades, and ingenious escapes-including one from an airplane-make Catch Me If You Can an irresistible tale of deceit.
Catching the Wolf of Wall Street
In this astounding account, Wall Street’s notorious bad boy—the original million-dollar-a-week stock chopper—leads us through a drama worthy of The Sopranos, from the FBI raid on his estate to the deal he cut to rat out his oldest friends and colleagues to the conscience he eventually found. With his kingdom in ruin, not to mention his marriage, the Wolf faced his greatest challenge yet: how to navigate a gauntlet of judges and lawyers, hold on to his kids and his enraged model wife, and possibly salvage his self-respect. It wasn’t going to be easy. In fact, for a man with an unprecedented appetite for excess, it was going to be hell. But the man at the center of one of the most shocking scandals in financial history soon sees the light of what matters most: his sobriety, and his future as a father and a man.
Because You Loved Me
A teenage girl plots her mother’s murder with a deranged online lover in this true-crime classic by the New York Times bestselling true crime author. Jeanne Dominico was a hard-working single mother. Nicole, her fourteen-year-old daughter, was on the honor roll—and head over heels in love with an older boy she’d met through the Internet. Once the lovers met in person, Jeanne sensed trouble. If only she’d known that the life in danger was her own. With a history of psychological trouble and family misfortune, Billy Sullivan demanded obsessive and controlling power over Nicole. The twisted Romeo and Juliet responded to Jeanne’s motherly concern with brutal fury—her fiancé discovered Jeanne’s beaten, barely recognizable body on the kitchen floor. Nicole’s stunning confession and guilty plea led to Billy’s sensational trial, where a sordid tale of love, loss, betrayal, and murder finally took a cold-blooded killer offline—and behind bars. Includes sixteen pages of shocking photos “Phelps is one of America’s finest true-crime authors.” —Vincent Bugliosi “Phelps is the Harlan Coben of real-life thrillers.” —Allison Brennan
Too Young to Kill
As daily headlines about bullying and teen violence render it more timely than ever, this shocking true crime tale of a vulnerable small-town girl gruesomely murdered by the peers she called friends is now updated with chilling new details and insights from New York Times bestselling author, investigative journalist, and host of the hit podcast Crossing the Line, M. William Phelps. After leaving her troubled home life in Texas, 16-year-old Adrianne Reynolds hoped for a fresh start as part of her adoptive father’s family in East Moline, Illinois, near the banks of the Mississippi River. Seeking acceptance, she was drawn to a trio of classmates steeped in, and obsessed with, the Juggalo culture—fans of the rap duo Insane Clown Posse. Though they bonded over their feelings of being outcasts, sporting dark clothing, “killer” clown makeup, tattoos, and piercings, Adrianne was ill-prepared to deal with the twisted tangles of jealousy and domination in her new social world. After a brutal murder stunned the community and was traced back to the teens, bonds were severed and loyalties tested . . . as the shocking truth finally emerged. In this updated edition of a true-crime classic, M. William Phelps revisits the alarming and timely saga of a girl who tried to find herself, the youths who befriended and then betrayed her, and the heartbreaking problems of bullying and teen-on-teen violence that continue to shock and bewilder us.
Serial Killers
A comprehensive examination into the frightening true crime history of serial homicide—including information on America’s most prolific serial killers such as:Jeffrey Dahmer • Ted Bundy • “Co-ed Killer” Ed Kemper • The BTK Killer • “Highway Stalker” Henry Lee Lucas • Monte Ralph Rissell • “Shoe Fetish Slayer” Jerry Brudos • “Night Stalker” Richard Ramirez • “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski • Ed Gein “The Butcher of Plainfield” • “Killer Clown” John Wayne Gacy • Andrew Cunanan • And more...In this unique book, Peter Vronsky documents the psychological, investigative, and cultural aspects of serial murder, beginning with its first recorded instance in Ancient Rome through fifteenth-century France on to such notorious contemporary cases as cannibal/necrophile Ed Kemper, the BTK killer, Henry Lee Lucas, Monte Ralph Rissell, Jerry Brudos, Richard Ramirez, “Unabomber” Ted Kaczynski, Ed Gein, John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, and the emergence of what he classifies as the “serial rampage killer” such as Andrew Cunanan, who murdered fashion designer Gianni Versace.Vronsky not only offers sound theories on what makes a serial killer but also makes concrete suggestions on how to survive an encounter with one—from recognizing verbal warning signs to physical confrontational resistance. Exhaustively researched with transcripts of interviews with killers, and featuring up-to-date information on the apprehension and conviction of the Green River killer and the Beltway Snipers, Vronsky’s one-of-a-kind book covers every conceivable aspect of an endlessly riveting true crime phenomenon.INCLUDES PHOTOGRAPHS
Michael Benson's True Crime Bundle: Watch Mommy Die, A Killer's Touch & A Knife In The Heart
In The Hands Of A Sadist... First, he bound and beat his girlfriend, a 43-year-old librarian. Then he went after her teenaged daughter-warning her, "Scream and I will kill you both"-before knocking her unconscious. When the teenager awoke, he proceded to rape her. And in a final horrifying act of depravity, he forced the girl to watch as he slit her mother’s throat. But the killing didn’t stop there... In The Crosshairs Of A Killer... Stephen Stanko was described as "a perfect gentleman" who "seemed so pleasant...and so normal." But behind Stanko’s mild-mannered appearance, round spectacles, and quiet intelligence was a coldblooded ex-convict who kept a grisly scrapbook on serial killers-and convinced everyone he was a nice guy-until he killed and killed again. On The Trail Of A Psycho... A well-orchestrated manhunt caught up with Stanko, who tried to get away with his crimes by pleading insanity. But the jury saw through his ruse and the ruthless killer was sentenced to death. Case Seen On 48 Hours Includes 16 Pages of Shocking Photos A PRETTY YOUNG WOMAN . . . Denise Amber Lee was a 21-year-old happily married mother of two little boys. She had her whole life ahead of her...until an intruder broke into her Florida home. Within a few short hours she was savagely terrorized, murdered, and buried naked in a shallow grave near a desolate swamp. A DEPRAVED KILLER . . . Michael King, a 38-year-old out-of-work plumber, was a ticking time bomb. For years, neighbors called the police on King, complaining that, among other things, he'd thrown battery acid in their pool and slashed their tires. Denise’s fate was far worse. In a horrifying act of cruelty, King bound her with duct tape, raped her repeatedly, then shot her dead. A TRAGIC FAILURE. . . Incredibly, Denise managed to call 911 twice during her abduction. Eyewitnesses and her distraught husband also called, but a slow, inefficient system tragically failed her. As a result, Florida passed the Denise Lee Law, setting voluntary standards for 911 systems. King was sentenced to death. But for Denise and her loving family, it was too late. Includes 16 Pages of Shocking Photos Difficult to put down. . .. This is one that I highly recommend. --True Crime Book Reviews on Watch Mommy Die Die For Love Sarah Ludemann was new to love. The Pinellas, Florida, 17-year old was a late bloomer. When she fell for a boy she was blind to the world of sex, drugs and drama swirling around her. Soon, Sarah had a bitter enemy in 18-year-old waitress Rachel Wade; both girls were head-over-heels with a cocky two-timer named Joshua Camacho. On a warm spring night, their passions erupted into violence. A knife flashed under the streetlights. When the fight was over one girl was dead and the other charged with murder. In an emotion-packed courtroom the whole story took shape--a troubling tale of conflicting lives, tangled sexual affairs, and the high price of having the right feelings for the wrong guy. . . "Brisk pacing. . .shocking details." --Publishers Weekly on The Burn Farm Includes dramatic photos.
Don't Tell a Soul
The New York Times bestselling author of If You Only Knew shares the true-crime story of a babysitter murdered to hide a mother's dark secret.Cherry Walker was a devoted, trusting, uncommonly innocent young woman who loved caring for a neighbor's little boy. But when she was asked to testify in court against his abusive mother, Cherry never got the chance. She couldn't lie if her life depended on it—and it did. Cherry's body was found on the side of a Texas road, after being doused with lighter fluid and set aflame.Attractive, manipulative, and violent, mother of four Kim Cargill had a wealth of dirty secrets she'd do anything to keep hidden. This in-depth account by bestselling investigative journalist M. William Phelps takes you inside Cargill's shocking trial—and into the mind of one of the most conniving female psychopaths in recent history—and on death row.Praise for M. William Phelps“One of America's finest true-crime writers.” —Vincent Bugliosi, New York Times bestselling author of Helter Skelter“Phelps is the Harlan Coben of real-life thrillers.” —Allison Brennan, New York Times bestselling author of Tell No Lies“Anything by Phelps is an eye-opening experience.” —Suspense Magazine“Phelps is the king of true crime.” —Lynda Hirsch, Creators Syndicate columnistIncludes sixteen pages of shocking photos
Banged Up
Davey Sommers should've ended up in a nice job, with a nice wife, living in a nice house... Instead, he ends up an eight-man unlock in prison, serving 17 years for assaulting a police officer, possession of firearms, obtaining money by intimidation and drug dealing. But then, Davey's never done what's expected of him. We've seen how prison works from one side of the door - now Ronnie Thompson has teamed up with Davey Sommers to tell the story of what it's like from the other side. BANGED UP is a gritty account of one man's descent into crime - from small-time dealing to big time. And it's about the realities of being a 'face' in prison - having to keep your fearsome reputation intact, even while you're behind bars. Life inside is revealed in all its gory detail - the smells, the tastes, the unsavoury company (and that includes the screws). Perhaps that's why Davey thought he'd try his luck and escape rather than serve his time... This is a story of drugs, violence, life on the run and, ultimately, justice.
Fatal Vision
The electrifying true crime story of Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald, the handsome, Princeton-educated physician convicted of savagely slaying his young pregnant wife and two small children—murders he vehemently denies committing....“Chilling. . . . A haunting resurrection of Crime and Punishment.”—TimeBestselling author Joe McGinniss chronicles every aspect of this horrifying and intricate crime and probes the life and psyche of the magnetic, all-American Jeffrey MacDonald—a golden boy who seemed destined to have it all. The result is a penetration to the heart of darkness that enshrouded one of the most complex criminal cases ever to capture the attention of the American public. It is a haunting, stunningly suspenseful work that no reader will be able to forget.Includes a Special Epilogue by the authorOVER ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD