A tavern mistress in 1777 unravels a puzzle that involves stolen diplomatic letters, spies and avaricious traitors, while trying to find the killer of an overnight guest.

As acclaimed psychological researcher and author David Buss writes, "People are mesmerized by murder. It commands our attention like no other human phenomenon, and those touched by its ugly tendrils never forget." Though we may like to believe that murderers are pathological misfits and hardened criminals, the vast majority of murders are committed by people who, until the day they kill, would seem to be perfectly normal. David Buss's pioneering work has made major national news in the past, and this provocative book is sure to generate a storm of attention. The Murderer Next Door is a riveting look into the dark underworld of the human psyche—an astonishing exploration of when and why we kill and what might push any one of us over the edge. A leader in the innovative field of evolutionary psychology, Buss conducted an unprecedented set of studies investigating the underlying motives and circumstances of murders, from the bizarre outlier cases of serial killers to those of the friendly next-door neighbor who one day kills his wife. Reporting on findings that are often startling and counterintuitive—the younger woman involved in a love triangle is at a high risk of being killed—he puts forth a bold new general theory of homicide, arguing that the human psyche has evolved specialized adaptations whose function is to kill. Taking readers through the surprising twists and turns of the evolutionary logic of murder, he explains exactly when each of us is most at risk, both of being murdered and of becoming a murderer. His findings about the high-risk situations alone will be news making. Featuring gripping storytelling about specific murder cases—including a never used FBI file of more than 400,000 murders and a highly detailed study of 400 murders conducted by Buss in collaboration with a forensic psychiatrist, and a pioneering investigation of homicidal fantasies in which Buss found that 91 percent of men and 84 percent of women have had at least one such vivid fantasy—The Murderer Next Door will be necessary reading for those who have been fascinated by books on profiling, lovers of true crime and murder mysteries, as well as readers intrigued by the inner workings of the human mind.

The enormous explosion of crime fiction over the last decade means that more people are looking for a good mystery than ever before. This dictionary of fictional detectives helps readers learn about the series in which their favorite detectives are featured. Included are alphabetically arranged entries on roughly 150 fictional detectives, which provide information about the works in which the detective appears, the locales in which the detective operates, the detective's investigative methods, and other important information. Helpful bibliographical citations direct the reader to other interesting works. The volume closes with a selected, general bibliography; various appendices; and an extensive index. The enormous explosion of crime fiction over the last decade means that more people are looking for a good mystery than ever before. Many of the most popular mystery books appear in series, and these series feature carefully developed detectives.

Mrs. Murphy digs into Virginia history—and gets her paws on a killer. The most popular citizen of Virginia has been dead for nearly 170 years. That hasn't stopped the good people of tiny Crozet, Virginia, from taking pride in every aspect of Thomas Jefferson's life. But when an archaeological dig of the slave quarters at Jefferson's home, Monticello, uncovers a shocking secret, emotions in Crozet run high—dangerously high. The stunning discovery at Monticello hints a hidden passions and age-old scandals. As postmistress Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen and some of Crozet's Very Best People try to learn the identity of a centuries-old skeleton—and the reason behind the murder—Harry's tiger cat, Mrs. Murphy, and her canine and feline friends attempt to sniff out a modern-day killer. Mrs. Murphy and corgi Tee Tucker will stick their paws into the darker mysteries of human nature to solve murders old and new—before curiosity can kill the cat—and Harry Haristeen.

SEVEN ABOMINATIONS WITH A WRENCH interprets and comments on PROVERBS 6:16-19. The Biblical Book itself begins, “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, King of Israel.” Verse Sixteen reads, “There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him.” The things begin with “haughty eyes,” and conclude with, “one who sows discord in a family.” The other five abominations are: “a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that hurry to run to evil, (and) a lying witness who testifies falsely.” Jesus introduced his own parallel list of seven defilements. They closely match Solomon’s abominations. However, Jesus dealt more with the wrench the abominations causes, than the abomination itself. SEVEN ABOMINATIONS WITH A WRENCH analyzes the abominations from a Biblical/ theological perspective. The Book attaches a list of “Discussion Questions.”

He is the law - and you better believe it! Judge, jury and executioner, Judge Dredd is the brutal comic book cop policing the chaotic future urban jungle of Mega-City One, created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra and launching in the pages of 2000 AD in 1977. But what began as a sci-fi action comic quickly evolved into a searing satire on hardline, militarised policing and ‘law and order’ politics, its endless inventiveness and ironic humour acting as a prophetic warning about our world today - and with important lessons for our future. Blending comic book history with contemporary radical theories on policing, I Am The Law takes key Dredd stories from the last 45 years and demonstrates how they provide a unique wake up call about our gradual, and not so gradual, slide towards authoritarian policing. From the politicisation of policing to ‘zero tolerance’, from violent suppression of protest to the rise of the surveillance state, I Am The Law examines how a comic book warned us about the chilling endgame of today's 'law and order' politics.

Emmett Till, a fourteen-year-old black youth from the South Side of Chicago traveled to Money, Mississippi for a summer vacation. It was 1955; racial tensions were extremely reprehensible in the South. During his visit the youth became embroiled in a wolf-whistle incident with a white woman, which led to his brutal murder. The atrocity of Emmett Till’s lynch/murder set off a chain reaction that emerged as the vanguard event which catapulted one of the most extensive civil rights movements in U.S. History.

"When a Child Has Been Murdered: Ways You Can Help the Grieving Parents" is a concise, easy- to-read guide that begins with a general discussion of the types of grief that result from death and non-death losses. Then, using statements made by parents whose children were murdered, it discusses the specifics of murdered-child grief including: the complex emotions felt by the grieving parents, how the necessity of interacting with the criminal justice system can alter and enhance these emotions, short- and long-term methods these parents employ to work through the grieving process and to reconstruct their shattered lives, and how anyone who comes in contact with the parents can help them survive their grief.

Why is nonviolent civil disobedience (divine disobedience) an imperative for bringing about disarmament? What is the connection between faith, nonviolence, and resistance? How does one prepare for nonviolent acts of resistance? How does one respond to the charges brought in court? How does one view and cope with the consequences of imprisonment? How have some people nonviolently responded to U.S. intervention in Iraq and Central America and in war-torn countries like Bosnia? What are the main tenets of U.S. nuclear and foreign policy in the post-Cold War era? What is the human cost of weapons production? What does it mean to live in a national security state? What are some of the challenges faced by people in the U.S. who are concerned about justice and peace? The primary goal of this revised edition of Swords into Plowshares is to provide some initial answers to these and related questions. Contributors to this edition include: Bob Aldridge, Daniel and Philip Berrigan, Samuel H. Day Jr., Jim and Shelly Douglass, Elizabeth McAlister, Molly Rush, and a host of other activists.