Detective Jewels Polten is one of the best at tracking down murderers, but something beyond her experience came to Edmond, Oklahoma. When the serial killer reaches out in a cryptic letter, it reveals a government conspiracy at the highest level. Will she be able to stop an Army experiment gone rogue?

"The kidnapping of Jeanine Nicarico from her quiet suburban home in Naperville, Illinois, and her brutal slaying sparked a public demand for justice. But as events unfolded in the authorities' long battle to execute Cruz and bring the other men to justice, evidence emerged that the defendants were innocent - and that the death penalty process in America was deeply flawed. This case began a chain reaction that led to a moratorium on the death penalty in Illinois and the clearing out of death row when George Ryan, then governor of Illinois, granted clemency to all those awaiting execution.".

Vivid and intriguing, Murder Maps plots the nineteenth century’s most dramatic murders from around the world onto meticulous diagrams and period maps, and recounts the brilliant detective work that solved the cases. Elegant period maps and compelling crime analysis illuminate this disquieting volume, which reexamines the most captivating and intriguing homicides of the nineteenth century. Organized geographically, the elements of each murder—from the prior movements of both killer and victim to the eventual location of the body—are meticulously replotted using archival maps and bespoke plans, taking readers on a perilous journey around the murder hot spots of the world. From the “French Ripper,” Joseph Vacher, who roamed the French countryside brutally mutilating and murdering at least eleven people, to H. H. Holmes and his “Murder Castle” in Chicago, crime expert Dr. Drew Gray recounts the details of each case. His forensic examination uncovers both the horrifying details of the crimes themselves and the ingenious detective work that led to the capture of the murderers. Throughout the book, Gray highlights the development of police methods and technology, from the introduction of the police whistle to the standardization of the mug shot to the use of fingerprinting and radiotelegraphy in apprehending criminals. Vividly recreating over one hundred individual murder cases through historic maps, photographs, newspaper excerpts, court papers, and police reports, Murder Maps is perfect for everyone interested in criminal history, forensics, or the macabre.

Understand History's Most Enigmatic Serial Killer In December of 1968, a serial killer began orchestrating a campaign of terror in the San Francisco Bay Area. Not satisfied with the simple act of murder, he taunted law enforcement and the public by writing letters to local newspapers. Through often cryptic and bizarre content-including four ciphers, three of which have never been solved-the psychopath played a twisted game. Reporters dubbed the man the "Cipher Killer," but the murderer chose a different name for himself: the Zodiac. Eventually, he would claim to have murdered thirty-seven. Law enforcement, however, could only account for five. In 1971, authenticated communications with the Zodiac ceased. The elusive fugitive resurfaced briefly three years later, sending a small number of communiqués, before disappearing for good. What started out with shocking abruptness slowly dissolved into mysterious uncertainty. To this day, the Zodiac's true identity remains one of the twentieth century's greatest mysteries... In Volume 1 of The Zodiac Revisited, Michael reviews the facts of the case, building a foundation for the analysis that follows in Volumes 2 and 3.

On December 28, 1959, 16 year old Maryann Mitchell from the Manayunk neighborhood of Philadelphia went missing. Three days later he body was found in the Montgomery County suburb of Lafayette Hill, PA. On September 1,1960 Elmo Smith was found guilty of her murder. On April 2, 1962 Smith became the last man to be executed by electrocution in the State of Pennsylvania. Did Smith commit the heinous crime? Or, was Elmo Smith made to fit the crime?

This highly anticipated follow up to Playbook to a Murder probes even deeper into the murders of Steve McNair and Sahel Kazemi on July 4th, 2009. If you ever questioned what truly took place inside that small condominium on 2nd Ave in Nashville, TN, then Incomplete Pass is a must read. Find out who knew who and who had the most to gain from the death of Steve McNair.

Vivid and intriguing, Murder Maps USA plots the most remarkable American homicides between the Civil War and WWII onto maps and plans, alongside haunting crime scene photographs and compelling expert analysis. The most sensational and intriguing murders from across the United States are reexamined in this disquieting volume, which introduces readers to the most lethal killers from every state. Uncovering homicides from a seminal period of American criminal history, this compendium covers from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of WWII, the era that saw the first murderer convicted using fingerprints and the birth of the FBI laboratory. Every murder case is accompanied by a contemporary map or bespoke floorplan on which the precise movements of both killer and victim are meticulously plotted, revealing the vital components of each crime. The gruesome scene is completed with early mugshots and unnerving crime scene photographs, bringing to life blood-soaked Wild West bars, inner city ganglands, and the deadly plots behind famous assassinations. The killers featured range from the black widow Belle Gunness, who lured numerous victims to her Illinois farm, to Cleveland’s “Mad Butcher,” and from the infamous Texan bank robbers Bonnie and Clyde to the devious Petrillo cousins in Philadelphia and their contract killing service. Crime expert Adam Selzer illuminates the details of each case, recounting the shocking details of the crimes themselves, and the ingenious detective work and breakthrough forensics that solved them. His bloodthirsty tour of America’s criminal underworld uncovers the ruthless scheming of murderers both infamous and little-known, providing a hair-raising anthology that will appeal to anyone with a taste for murder.

Starting in the 1950s, Americans eagerly built the planet’s largest public work: the 42,795-mile National System of Interstate and Defense Highways. Before the concrete was dry on the new roads, however, a specter began haunting them—the highway killer. He went by many names: the “Hitcher,” the “Freeway Killer,” the “Killer on the Road,” the “I-5 Strangler,” and the “Beltway Sniper.” Some of these criminals were imagined, but many were real. The nation’s murder rate shot up as its expressways were built. America became more violent and more mobile at the same time. Killer on the Road tells the entwined stories of America’s highways and its highway killers. There’s the hot-rodding juvenile delinquent who led the National Guard on a multistate manhunt; the wannabe highway patrolman who murdered hitchhiking coeds; the record promoter who preyed on “ghetto kids” in a city reshaped by freeways; the nondescript married man who stalked the interstates seeking women with car trouble; and the trucker who delivered death with his cargo. Thudding away behind these grisly crime sprees is the story of the interstates—how they were sold, how they were built, how they reshaped the nation, and how we came to equate them with violence. Through the stories of highway killers, we see how the “killer on the road,” like the train robber, the gangster, and the mobster, entered the cast of American outlaws, and how the freeway—conceived as a road to utopia—came to be feared as a highway to hell.

Dig deep into the unsolved murder of Jackie English and join the hunt for a serial killer Fifty years ago, a serial killer prowled the quiet city of London, Ontario, marking it as his hunting grounds. As young women and boys were abducted, raped, and murdered, residents of the area held their loved ones closer and closer, terrified of the monster — or monsters — stalking the streets. Homicide detective Dennis Alsop began hunting the killer in the 1960s, and he didn’t stop searching until his death 40 years later. For decades, detectives, actual and armchair, and the victims’ families and friends continued to ask questions: Who was the Forest City Killer? Was there more than one person, or did a depraved individual commit all of these crimes on his own? Combing through the files Detective Alsop left behind, researcher Vanessa Brown reopens the cases, revealing previously unpublished witness statements, details of evidence, and astonishing revelations. And through her investigation, Vanessa posits the unthinkable: is it possible that the Forest City Killer is still alive and, like the notorious Golden State Killer, a simple DNA test could bring him to justice?

Gille de Rais has been described as one of the most horrific serial killer of the Middle Ages or was he? Revisiting Gilles de Rais crimes. La Roche-Bernard, France. September, 1438 Peronne Loessart knew that she should feel honored, both for herself and on her young son's behalf. But she was still in a state of unease bordering on fear. The Baron de Rais and his entourage were in her town, stopping at the hotel of Jean Colin, which was in the immediate neighborhood of Madame Loessart's home. One of the Baron's men, a man named Poitou, had spied her ten-year-old son and approached her about engaging the boy as his page. Young Loessart often drew such attention. He was an uncommonly beautiful child, with golden hair and expressive blue eyes. But this was the first time that he had come to the notice of a potential patron. Poitou, whose real name was Etienne Corrillaut, went to Madame Loessart and offered her four pounds for the boy's services, with an added bonus of one hundred sous for a new dress. He also promised to continue the child's education at a prestigious institution. Although distressed at the thought of being parted from her son, Madame Loessart finally agreed. She knew that he had limited opportunities for advancement in La Roche-Bernard. Poitou also gave her his word that the boy would be well provided for. She believed it. Gilles de Rais was the Marshal of France, a great man who had helped Jeanne d'Arc bring about the victory at Orleans. A regal escort preceded him wherever he went and trumpeters announced his presence at each destination. His ostentatious display of wealth and pageantry turned heads and inspired both awe and adoration. Now her son would have the chance to benefit from such glory. A pony was purchased from the hotel owner for the boy to ride, and the Baron's entourage left for his castle at Machecoul the following day. There was probably a tearful goodbye, accompanied by promises to send messages and see each other soon. Despite the excellent opportunity she appeared to be giving her son, Madame Loessart remained anxious. Perhaps separation anxiety was taking hold. Maybe the rumors that had been circulating lately now seemed more plausible. Whatever the reason, she suddenly ran after the departing party. One of the Baron's servants intercepted the distraught woman and held her back, reminding her that a bargain had been struck. Gilles de Rais did not respond to her pleas. Instead, he spoke to the servant restraining her. "He (the child) is well chosen. He is as beautiful as an angel." Finally Madame Loessart calmed down, and the Baron's party resumed its journey. Two years passed. The Baron's servants passed through the village once during that time, although young Loessart was not with them. On demanding news of her son, the men informed her that the boy was either at Tiffauges or Pouzauges. The truth was that he was long dead. Scroll back up and grab your copy today!