Since the arrival of the First Fleet, thousands of prisoners have escaped from prison, police stations, courts, prison vans and hospitals—even dentists’ chairs. They have driven, walked, pedalled, swum or sailed away from custody. Some have killed or been killed in the process; a few have gone overseas or escaped from foreign prisons, and a handful have remained at home, undetected. Gangland: The Great Escapes is filled with tall tales of crims—Ronald Ryan, Jockey Smith, Brenden Abbott, Julie Wright and Annie Davis, and many others—who have been recaptured in minutes and those who have stayed on the run.

Since the arrival of the First Fleet, thousands of prisoners have escaped from prison, police stations, courts, prison vans and hospitals--even dentists' chairs. They have driven, walked, pedalled, swum or sailed away from custody. Some have killed or been killed in the process; a few have gone overseas or escaped from foreign prisons, and a handful have remained at home, undetected. Gangland: The Great Escapes is filled with tall tales of crims--Ronald Ryan, Jockey Smith, Brenden Abbott, Julie Wright and Annie Davis, and many others--who have been recaptured in minutes and those who have stayed on the run.

Gangland Australia details the exploits of an unforgettable cast of villains, crooks and mobsters who have made up the criminal and gangland scene in Australia for over two centuries. In this fully updated and bestselling book, Britain's top true crime author James Morton and barrister and legal broadcaster Susanna Lobez track the rise and fall of Australia's talented contract killers, brothel keepers, club owners, robbers, bikers, standover men, conmen and drug dealers, and also examine the role of police, politicians and lawyers who have helped and hindered the growth of criminal empires. Vivid and explosive, Gangland Australia is compulsive reading.

Gangland Melbourne details the exploits of an unforgettable cast of villains, crooks and mobsters who have defined the criminal and gangland scene in Melbourne from the late 1800s to the present day. In this compelling book, Britain’s top true crime author James Morton and barrister and legal broadcaster Susanna Lobez track the rise and fall of Melbourne’s standover men, contract killers, robbers, brothel keepers and drug dealers, and also examine the role the police have played in both helping and hindering the growth of these criminal empires. In particular, Melbourne’s criminal past is explored through its famous villainous families, the Painters’ and Dockers’ union war of the 1970s and the more recent underworld gangland killings.Vivid and explosive, Gangland Melbourne is compulsive reading.

"Devious, daring, cunning ... but ultimately too greedy, too cocky. Gangland Oz: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow exposes the country's pantheon of crooks and criminals since the first convicts stepped ashore and got to work. Ten years on from the original bestselling Gangland Australia, top true-crime writer James Morton and barrister and broadcaster Susanna Lobez conspire again to track the rise and fall of Australia's talented contract killers, brothel keepers, robbers, bikers, standover merchants, conmen and drug dealers. They examine the role of police, politicians and lawyers who have aided and busted criminal empires and look at the recent rise of youth gangs, cyber crime, identity theft and sexploitation scams. Vivid and explosive, Gangland Oz: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow is compulsive reading."

The last volume in the best-selling series, Gangland North, South & West looks at crime in South and Western Australia, Northern Territory and Tasmania. In addition to contract killing, prostitution, robbery, illegal gambling and the stand-over game, in these regions there has been a healthy living to be made from gold, diamond and pearl thefts. Eastern criminals travel west, south and north to meet and do business, or battle with home-grown stalwarts such as Shiner Ryan, said to be able to open a lock with his hand behind his back; Spadger Bray, suspected of three murders and himself shot dead a decade later; blackmailing brothel madam Shirley Finn, executed on a Perth golf course, and many, many others. Gangland North, South & West is everything that makes life worth living in the underworld.

Mick Gatto. Gambler. Underworld veteran. Melbourne gangland survivor. Mick Gatto in his bestselling autobiography finally reveals the man behind the headlines. Gatto's unique positionandmdash;of knowing all the players in the Gangland Wars but not being involved in drug traffickingandmdash;gave him a remarkable perspective to watch the battles unfold. I, Mick Gatto is an extraordinary insight into a colourful and mysterious world that few even know exists.

Gangland Sydney details the exploits of an unforgettable cast of villains, crooks and mobsters who have defined the criminal and gangland scene in Sydney from the mid-1800s to the present day.In this compelling book, Britain’s top true crime author James Morton and barrister and legal broadcaster Susanna Lobez track the rise and fall of Sydney’s standover men, contract killers, robbers, brothel keepers, biker gangs and drug dealers, and also examine the role of police, politicians and lawyers who have helped and hindered the growth of these criminal empires.Vivid and explosive, Gangland Sydney is compulsive reading.

Money talks... And blonde bombshell Julie isn't afraid to ask for what she wants. With her mother locked up for murder, all Julie cares about is protecting her younger sister, Frankie. But penniless and alone on the streets of Liverpool, Julie realises that there’s only one sure fire way to make cash fast – the oldest trade. The men mean nothing to Julie, until she meets Ralph Goldstein, an ex-con who’ll do whatever it takes to make his way to top. And the only man Julie can trust. Separately, Ralph and Julie’s lives are filled with risk and danger. But when they meet, their blend of personality and ambition could be the best thing that ever happened ... or the worst. Will their pasts be their downfall, or will they make it big...together?A brilliantly dark and gritty story about one woman's fight for survival. Perfect for fans of Kimberley Chambers, Caz Finlay and Heather Atkinson. This book was previously published as Gold.

London, 1868: visiting Australian Aboriginal cricketer Charles Rose has died in Guy's Hospital. What happened next is shrouded in mystery. The only certainty is that Charles Rose's body did not go directly to a grave. Written with clarity and verve, and drawing on a rich array of material, Possessing the Dead explores the disturbing history of the cadaver trade in Scotland, England and Australia, where laws once gave certain officials possession of the dead, and no corpse lying in a workhouse, hospital, asylum or gaol was entirely safe from interference. With a rare blend of curiosity, delight in the unexpected and an eye for detail, award-winning historian Helen MacDonald brings to life this gruesome past to reveal the chicanery at play behind the procuring of bodies for dissections, autopsies and collections.