In the latest Museum Mystery from the New York Times bestselling author of Razing the Dead, a suspicious death has Nell Pratt down in the dumps… Nell Pratt, president of the Pennsylvania Antiquarian Society, has something to smile about thanks to a generous donation from a major Philadelphia developer who’s willing to help update their museum. But renovations have barely begun when a man is struck by a car in front of the building and killed. The victim is a construction worker who found a curious metal object while excavating an old privy in the museum’s basement. Nell thinks the death is somehow connected to the Society, and her suspicions are confirmed when an antiques expert reveals a link between the objects from the cellar and a fellow staff member’s family. Now Nell must unearth a mystery with ties to the past and the present. Because when someone is willing to kill over scrap metal, there’s no telling what they’ll do next…

Privy to Murder Shay O’Hanlon never knew the Minnesota Renaissance Festival was such a strange and bawdy event until JT Bordeaux—her badge-wearing, medieval-loving girlfriend—drags her along for a visit. The sixteenth-century faire is full of thrilling jousts, feisty wenches, and pickle vendors showing off their tasty tonsil ticklers, but Shay is distracted by the call of her full bladder. While trying to rein in her newest dog’s overactive nose, she finds a dead body with a pickle stuffed in his mouth. A real dead body. In the privy. And before Shay can shout “Huzzah!” JT is arrested for being the porta-potty body’s murderer. Together with her quirky crew of caper-solving pals, Shay must scramble for clues to free JT from the clink . . . and her troubled past.

The fifth edition of this highly praised study charts and explains the progress that continues to be made towards the goal of worldwide abolition of the death penalty. The majority of nations have now abolished the death penalty and the number of executions has dropped in almost all countries where abolition has not yet taken place. Emphasising the impact of international human rights principles and evidence of abuse, the authors examine how this has fuelled challenges to the death penalty and they analyse and appraise the likely obstacles, political and cultural, to further abolition. They discuss the cruel realities of the death penalty and the failure of international standards always to ensure fair trials and to avoid arbitrariness, discrimination and conviction of the innocent: all violations of the right to life. They provide further evidence of the lack of a general deterrent effect; shed new light on the influence and limits of public opinion; and argue that substituting for the death penalty life imprisonment without parole raises many similar human rights concerns. This edition provides a strong intellectual and evidential basis for regarding capital punishment as undeniably cruel, inhuman and degrading. Widely relied upon and fully updated to reflect the current state of affairs worldwide, this is an invaluable resource for all those who study the death penalty and work towards its removal as an international goal.

A string of murders cuts close to home for the Victorian courtesan and professional sleuth in this mystery thriller set in 19th century London. London, 1863: Little Margaret Lovejoy is found brutally murdered in the outhouse at her family’s estate. A few days later, a man is cut down in a similar manner on the doorstep of Heloise Chancey’s prestigious address. But the courtesan detective has other troubles to attend to. Heloise’s maid, Amah Li Leen, has just discovered that events from her past have resurfaced to threaten her present life. Once again, Heloise is caught in a maelstrom of murder and deceit that threatens to dismantle her carefully crafted existence. But she has always been adept at deceiving the dishonest. Pursuing two investigations at once, Heloise is about to demonstrate just how skilled she truly is.

In this volume, Swedish human rights activist and political figure, Hans Göran Franck, examines the administration of the death penalty from a historical perspective. The author's opinions are based on his lifelong work and devotion to abolishing the 'barbaric punishment'. Building upon previously unpublished material and considerable detail drawn from Franck's personal experiences, it focuses on both the progressive developments within European countries and institutions over several decades, and the frustratingly retrograde situation that prevails in the United States. The author dedicated this book to those facing a sentence of death. During the course of his work, the author traveled to numerous countries and met many condemned men and women. Publication of this important volume, which comes a few years after Hans Göran Franck's untimely passing, coincides with a major development to which he contributed, the adoption of Protocol No. 13 to the European Convention on Human Rights, which abolishes capital punishment in both wartime and peacetime. William A. Schabas a law professor who specializes in the subject of capital punishment, has ensured that the manuscript is up to date, and contributed the introductory chapter.