Unusual Crime

What drives a person to commit unspeakable acts of violence? How does a seemingly ordinary individual become a monster? This gripping collection takes you deep inside twenty of the most harrowing and complex criminal cases in modern history. Forget simple headlines and sensationalism. This is a meticulous work of investigative journalism that explores the darkest corners of the human psyche. Each chapter is a comprehensive deep dive, detailing the perpetrators' backgrounds, their chilling methodologies, and the desperate investigations that brought them to justice. From the calculated ...

Weird but True Stories from the Roaring 1920s: Strange and Bizarre Tales from the Prohibition Era is a riveting collection of real, historically documented events that prove truth is stranger than fiction. From haunted courtrooms and dance marathons that drove people to madness, to bootlegging schemes, deadly medical frauds, and a massacre that changed organized crime forever, this book explores the weirdest corners of 1920s America. Set against the backdrop of Prohibition, jazz, flappers, and gangsters, these ten unforgettable stories showcase the bizarre side of the decade that redefined ...

THE PENSION JOB, is a light and entertaining crime story full of suspense, adventure, and humour. Joan and Brian have been married for almost 40 years and have worked hard all their lives to save for a comfortable retirement. When they are presented with an exciting pension proposal that promises inflation-proof returns, they are immediately drawn in. But when their retirement date approaches and they contact the company to arrange for the pension payments, they hear nothing. After months of searching for their investments, they realise they have been duped and their choices are suddenly ...

'Let's start, and end, with this: Patricia Cornwell's autobiography, True Crime, could be the best book she's ever written. And I've read them all!' JAMES PATTERSON 'Patricia Cornwell's memoir is a personal page turner, filled with mysteries and tragedies like her fiction, but these characters...

A small town filled with secrets, a family with more than a few dark secrets of their own, a challenging and suspense-filled escape from unexpected danger, a library older than anyone can imagine, and a love that survives it all. Welcome to Rome Legend’s world. She’s not overly happy with it at the moment, however captivating and intriguing it might be. And she can easily count the reasons for it on one hand…namely her brothers and her father. She’s not the slightest bit thrilled with any of them and doesn’t expect that to change anytime soon. She hasn’t decided about Jackson ...

When convicted killer Ronnie Joe Waddell is executed in Virginia’s electric chair, he becomes what should be a routine postmortem case for Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta. But after Waddell’s execution the murders continue, as everyone connected to him begins to die – including members of Scarpetta’s staff. Then, when crucial records disappear from her files, Scarpetta comes under fire for incompetence. Caught in a web of political intrigue, Scarpetta must fight for her good name and her life.

Deadly Ingenuity does something new in the study of weaponry and martial arts. It traverses the centuries and continents while focusing exclusively on fighting tools that are not the usual suspects. It also brings to light some historical weapons and fighting techniques that have never before been surveyed. The diverse panoply of objects takes the reader from islands (Hawaii, Okinawa, New Zealand), to plains (Argentina, the American Southwest) and from jungles (Borneo, Brazil) to cities (New York City, London, Seoul, Tokyo, Venice). Nor are those complete lists. Sources include but are not ...

Behind the whitewashed walls of a quiet Sacramento boarding house, an elderly woman served homemade meals, offered warm smiles—and buried bodies in her garden. Dorothea Puente appeared to be the perfect landlord: nurturing, soft-spoken, and devoted to caring for the elderly and disabled. But behind her grandmotherly façade lurked a manipulative killer who preyed on society’s most vulnerable for money, power, and control. For years, she murdered her tenants, forged their signatures, and continued cashing their Social Security checks—all while the system turned a blind eye. Death House...

I’m Seymour…Parakeet Detective. My owner, Sharon, and I are on the Sasquatch watch! The creature stalking quiet Mountain Springs is nosy and newsworthy. We’ll find out more than we bargained for. This monster may hold the key to my human existence in a bird body. But I’ve got to survive to find out. Jump in with Sharon and Seymour for a cozy mystery with a paranormal twist.

It seemed as if no matter what she did or where she ran, it was only to find herself facing another disastrous situation. Actually, she’d mostly walked. It had been a long, intense, and harrowing trip…definitely not her idea of a fun vacation. But from the very beginning, she’d felt certain that if she could just get to her little house in Burlington she’d be safe. She thought she was so smart. She was wrong. She was also unbelievably tired. And now, standing at the front door of her home in the small town by the river, the one place where she should be safe, it turned out that ...

Something horrifically sinister lurks in the town of Mountain Springs… Sharon Triplett’s life-change was to retreat to the majestic mountains, settle into her inherited family home with her two kids, plucky pet parakeet, Seymour, and try to recover from the tragic death of her husband, a hotshot, undercover, city detective. It was an elegant plan. It should have worked. But then, astoundingly, Seymour, began eerily communicating to her in her dead husband’s voice and Sharon’s life was flipped upside down. Sharon’s been keeping it all hush-hush. Impressive, considering she also has...

'What do you know about the boy?' Dad asked. 'He plays cricket for India,' my uncle replied, as if this mere fact was a clincher. The announcement did not make any noticeable impression on my father and Geeta Didi, because, like me, they did not follow cricket. 'I've seen him play,' announced my...

Atlas Obscura says this lushly illustrated New York Times bestselling guide to dozens of dangerous, eerie, and infamous locations is the perfect gift for "those who believe the world is still full of mysteries to investigate." Pick up the acclaimed Atlas of Cursed Places and visit the world's...

#1 New York Times bestselling author Patricia Cornwell returns with the remarkable twenty-fourth thriller in her popular high-stakes series starring medical examiner Dr. Kay Scarpetta. In the quiet of twilight, on an early autumn day, twenty-six-year-old Elisa Vandersteel is killed while riding...

Emma made it out of Hub Two, but now she’s faced with the next set of Trials. And this time, they will "involve" combat. Whatever that’s supposed to mean. Thankfully, she’s not going in alone. Instead, she’ll be facing the Trials together with her little gang of misfits. At least maybe they’ll keep her from taking any more stupid risks, right? After all, there are still many unanswered questions about the Realm of Crystals. All they have to go by is sparse information provided by the mysterious AIs linked to their eye-crystals. But can those really be trusted?

Ranked Top 10 "Best Lit Mags of 2023" by Chill Subs Synopsis: Carefully curated stories from our monthly magazine to create a themed short story book about the philosophy and ethics of crimes and their punishments. Perfect for classrooms and book clubs, each story is 1,500-7,000 words and comes with five suggested discussion questions. Idle Horns: A horned demon of hell born to eternally torture the damned walks off the job. Community Of Peers: A foreigner wanders into a remote village just before a convicted criminal is about to be punished and is asked to throw the first stone. Form Seven...

A fascinating collection of intriguing and unusual classic murder stories by some of the masters of mystery and crime writing.

Having lived off the grid in an isolated Montana cabin since he was a baby, Ward Jones is thrust into civilization at age thirty when his parents die in an accident. Deciding to travel, Ward hops on a bus and winds up in Coffeyville, Kansas where he soon discovers that without a high school diploma or marketable skills, finding a job is impossible. All Ward knows is hunting and survival skills. When frustration overtakes him, Ward decides to hunt, rob and kill drug pushers in nearby Tulsa, Oklahoma. Will this new hobby as a human predator pan out well? ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Donald W. ...

Stephen Jackley was a young British geography student with Asperger's syndrome. When the global financial crisis hit in 2007, he became obsessed with the idea of Robin Hood. With no prior experience, he resolved to become a bank robber. He would steal from the rich and give to the poor. Against all likelihood, his plan actually worked. Jackley used disguise, elaborate escape routes and replica pistols to successfully hold up a string of banks, making away with thousands of pounds.

In this set of four short stories, the perennial struggle to catch the bad guys gets the supernatural treatment. Like holding a murder trial in a twilight zone, anything can happen—but in the end, justice will be served. In “Judge and Jury,” a violent gang tries to make its own rules. But out West, a kangaroo court is the only law, and this time, there’s a ghost in attendance. He knows the truth about their terrible crimes, and he won’t stop until someone pays for it. Capital punishment gets a vengeful twist in “The Wheel,” as the victim’s family gets involved in choosing ...