Products (195)

Scarlett Fergusson’s life is anything but perfect. Working as a waitress in a small town, she lives with her addicted father, his girlfriend, and her toddler. Scarlett dreams of a better life. When wealthy Hugh Cruz sweeps her off her feet, she’s ready to believe that her life has turned around. And when Hugh proposes, her fairytale ending suddenly seems possible. But Hugh isn’t the man she thinks he is. Cruel, controlling, and violent, he turns her fairytale into a nightmare. Scarlett can’t believe the woman she’s become. Just when things can’t get any worse for Scarlett, the unthinkable happens. Is it the end, or a new beginning? Unbroken is the tale of a woman’s fight for survival, and her quest to discover her own strength.

Mystery fiction has never been content to follow the rules. For more than 150 years, writers have reinvented the detective, overturned familiar formulas, devised impossible crimes, crossed genres, experimented with form, and found new ways to surprise readers who thought they knew what a mystery could be. In Uncommon Mysteries, Michael Cohen takes a curious tour through more than 150 noteworthy works by 125 authors, from Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens, and Anton Chekhov to Agatha Christie, Dashiell Hammett, Patricia Highsmith, Jorge Luis Borges, Louise Penny, and many others. Arranged chronologically and framed by lively introductions to each period, these brief, opinionated essays trace the changing shape of mystery fiction through the books that stood apart from their contemporaries. Along the way, Cohen explores whodunits, locked-room puzzles, hard-boiled detective stories, police procedurals, cozies, historical mysteries, literary experiments, thrillers, capers, and works that refuse to fit neatly anywhere. Some are classics. Some are overlooked. Some are ingenious, eccentric, flawed, or gloriously strange. All give readers another way to understand the possibilities of the genre. Written for mystery lovers who enjoy discovering unfamiliar titles, reconsidering old favorites, and wandering beyond the usual suspects, Uncommon Mysteries is a lively guide to the remarkable variety of crime and detective fiction, with occasional spoilers along the way.

Learn how to spot the signs of truth—and deception. Have you ever watched someone speak and thought, “Something feels off”? Whether you’re talking to a friend, watching a news interview, or trying to understand a high-profile case, this book gives you the tools to see what’s really going on.  In Uncover the Truth, Mike Ruggiero shares techniques he’s used throughout his 30-year career in law enforcement to evaluate body language and the way people speak. You’ll learn how small changes in posture, word choice, and even eye contact can reveal what someone might be hiding. This book is filled with real examples—from major cases in Mike’s career to stories in the public eye. Step by step, he explains how to look for clues that often go unnoticed and how to make sense of them. Whether you’re in law enforcement, work with people every day, or are simply curious about human behavior, these skills can help you better understand the world around you—and the people in it.

In 2007, agents of the New York State Petroleum, Alcohol, and Tobacco Bureau (PATB) seized over half a million dollars in untaxed alcohol, drugs, and guns. This takedown, the largest in New York history, led to 87 arrests, the recovery of an unprecedented quantity of cocaine, crack, and marijuana, and captured the attention of law enforcement agencies all around the world. Under Too Long is the story of the PATB undercover team that led this investigation, as seen through the eyes of “Billy the Liquor Guy.” Billy’s twelve-year odyssey into the world of undercover operations led him to dine in the homes of the “bad guys, ” buy bombs from a man in Yonkers, travel to Tunisia to find an informant, and be hired as a hit man. But his undercover life took an enormous toll on Billy and his family, almost destroying them both. The only thing he could rely upon to get him through were his confidence, his sense of humor, and his team. This story combines true life investigation, graphic behind-the-scenes scenarios, and a personal tale about what happens psychologically to an agent when he’s undercover too long. Under too Long is available in paperback, hardcover, and ebook editions. Paperback, 5.5x8.5, 311 pages ISBN: 978-1-947521-17-9

Stephanie Scott had never been happier. She was about to marry the man of her dreams and celebrate with all her family and friends. She had worked for hours to add personal touches to the special day. When her fiancé asked her to head out of town for a party she told him she had a few more things to tick off her to-do list. One was to head into Leeton High School, where she was a teacher, to finalise plans for her replacement while she was on her honeymoon. No one thought twice when Stephanie told them of her plans. No one could predict what would happen that fateful day. No one ever thought that evil could break the heart of a town and a nation. But a psychopath had been hiding in plain sight all along, waiting to make his move. After finishing university, Stephanie Scott moved to Leeton, New South Wales, to take a position as a teacher at the local high school. She and her fiancé were making plans to spend the rest of their lives in the quiet town. Stephanie was a beloved teacher, a source of encouragement and joy for everyone she met. A week before her wedding, she decided to spend a few hours preparing for her replacement while she was on her upcoming honeymoon. When her fiancé and family couldn’t find her later that day or the days following, no one really believed anything could have happened to their cherished friend and teacher. But someone knew where she was, and he would be the last person to see her alive. United in Grief tells the story of Stephanie Scott’s murder and how the town of Leeton and indeed the entire nation of Australia was affected by her disappearance, and the grief that followed such a tragic loss.

“Everybody knows who did it!” In the aftermath of a horrific murder of a mother in front of her four-year-old son, the entire close-knit community knew the murderer could only be one man. Several witnesses—including Eric, the boy left for dead—placed the murderer at the crime scene. But in Muncie, Indiana—also known as Little Chicago for its corruption, gambling, and attraction for criminal enterprise—during the late 1970s, nothing in the criminal justice system was that simple. After the county prosecutor declared the case “open and shut,” some very important people in town became nervous that if the murderer was convicted, he would start naming names and telling stories about the criminal activities in the area. After the prosecutor received a visit from the head of the local Teamsters union, suddenly there wasn’t enough evidence to proceed, and the suspect was set free, never to be prosecuted or held accountable. Forty years have passed, and Paula Garrett’s family, friends, and community have had to live every day knowing that a murderer is walking among them. To this day, the murderer is still being protected. Eric Garrett no longer expects justice. This murder is not unsolved, it is unprosecuted, and probably never will be. But the time has come to stop accepting the status quo. Unprosecuted: My Mother’s Murder and the Search for Accountability is the story of corruption, cover-ups, and a son’s frustration at knowing that the man who brutally murdered his mother and left him for dead may never be made to account for his crimes. "Mr. Garrett's tragic story is yet another reminder why we must demand criminal justice reform." --Tristin Engels, PsyD, Forensic Psychologist

In the frozen north, courage has a body count. DEA Agent Faith Nelson is supposed to be going home for Christmas. Her father is facing heart surgery in Oakland. Her mother needs her. And Faith needs distance from Minnesota, from the shooting that made her a reluctant hero, and from the nightmares that followed.  Then a cartel accountant stops cooperating with a federal grand jury when his college-age stepdaughter disappears. Faith is sent north to Duluth in the teeth of a winter storm, paired with a partner she does not trust and trapped in a case that keeps turning darker. The missing girl may not have been taken at all. Her roommate knows more than she is saying. A Mexican cartel executioner has entered Minnesota. And when the trail leads beyond Duluth toward the frozen north shore of Lake Superior, Faith finds herself alone, injured, and running out of time.  Up North is a crime thriller about violence, survival, and the terrible cost of doing the right thing when the cold is closing in and no one is coming fast enough. Praise for Up North “Northern Minnesota in winter is no place for the faint-hearted. Faith Nelson keeps relearning that lesson in Dave Case’s intense thriller, Up North. Case has brought decades of police experience to his writing, which gives his action scenes a welcome authenticity.” — Sara Paretski, author of the bestselling V.I. Warshawski series  and the soon to be released Bad Company

The true crime history the tourist brochures leave out! Las Vegas did not begin with neon. It began with dust, heat, money, hunger, and men willing to settle a problem with a gun. Before the megaresorts, before the showgirls, before the boxing matches, magic acts, celebrity residencies, and billion-dollar casinos, there were mining camps, saloons, railroad workers, ranchers, gamblers, gunmen, bootleggers, mobsters, and killers. As the city grew, the violence grew with it. In Vegas! Neon Lights and Body Bags, Bob Cyphers traces the darker history of Las Vegas year by year, following the murders, disappearances, cold cases, casino disasters, mob hits, desert body dumps, serial killers, celebrity crimes, and infamous tragedies that shaped the city behind the lights. From frontier hangings to Bugsy Siegel, from the murder of Tupac Shakur to the Route 91 Harvest massacre, from hotel rooms and cab stands to lonely desert roads, this is Las Vegas as most visitors never see it. The Strip shines bright. The desert keeps the record.

When seventeen-year-old Usaré García slips away from her high school dance, no one expects the night to end in murder. Her body is found across campus, and the investigation quickly reaches far beyond one student, one suspect, or one bad decision. Street gangs, racial tensions, hidden relationships, and old loyalties all begin to surface inside the school’s tightly wound world. Enrique Tavish is not a detective. He is a school administrator who knows the south side, understands the advantages of passing easily through white spaces, and has spent years trying to keep his own hungers and anger under control. But when Usaré’s death exposes a web of deception around students, staff, gangs, and police, Tavish cannot stay safely on the sidelines. His focus turns to Los Levantes, a street gang with cartel connections, but the deeper he pushes, the more dangerous the case becomes. Soon Tavish’s family is threatened, the police are questioning his methods, and justice begins to look less like a clean answer than a personal reckoning. Ways to Be Wicked is a dark crime thriller about murder, identity, temptation, and the dangerous line between conscience and revenge.

There are no werewolves in Texas... Right? Research wizard John Shaney launches his career as a grad student at University of Texas, Austin planning to investigate how chemistry can transform human lives for the better. One moonlit night downtown, however, Shaney discovers unexpected and more pleasurable mysteries surrounding one Lila May Wulfhardt and her well-heeled, eccentric family while crossing paths with something more ancient than love and money, something that also wants to change the lives of hapless locals. John Shaney’s world is about to become seriously weird and deadly dangerous, yet ultimately transformative. Werewolf, Texas is a gripping and vividly dark story of a blood-thirsty dynasty set on preserving their power. With Palladino’s unique voice, this grim love tale explores the not-so-secret dark world of the Wulfhardt family.

“The blues had a baby and they called it rock ‘n’ roll,” said the great Muddy Waters. But what was the firstborn? What was the first rock ‘n’ roll record? Using this question as their starting point, writer Jim Dawson and DJ Steve Propes nominate 50 recordings for that honor. Beginning with a 1944 Jazz at the Philharmonic recording, “Blues,” and ending with Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel,” What Was the First Rock ‘n’ Roll Record? Profiles some of the most important and influential recordings in rock’s history. For each nominee, Dawson and Propes provide chart positions, labels, recording information, and an explanation as to why it might qualify as the first. Lesser known milestones like “Open the Door, Richard” and “Rocket 88” appear here alongside acknowledged classics like “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” and “Rock Around the Clock,” and many forgotten artists are restored to their rightful place in rock’s pantheon. The result is a provocative and entertaining guide to the earliest days of rock ‘n’ roll. This 30th anniversary updated and revised edition brings to light new and surprising details about the songs, albums, and artists that are vying for the honor of being the first rock ‘n’ roll record.

In the summer of 2000, a small fire in a condo basement in Malden, Massachusetts, seemed like just another routine call. But behind the smoke was something far more disturbing—a violent scene with no victim in sight. Detective Lieutenant Bill Powers of the Massachusetts State Police and his team of seasoned investigators joined forces with local detectives to uncover what happened in that quiet building. As the team dug deeper, they faced a complex case without a body, a confession, or clear answers. Clues came slowly: strange behavior from a tenant, a missing person no one had reported, and a hidden crime scene soaked not only in water and gasoline—but in blood. With persistence and teamwork, they traced the path of a young woman, Kelly Hancock, a runaway who had vanished without a trace. This book follows every step of the investigation, from the moment firefighters broke down the door to the final verdict in a packed courtroom. Along the way, it reveals the work of detectives, prosecutors, forensic scientists, and everyday people who helped bring justice to a victim whose voice was almost lost. Told with care and clarity, When the Smoke Cleared isn’t just about solving a murder—it’s about what it takes to stand up for someone when no one else will.

1913. Veteran Jim Bishop takes a job with a motion picture company that is filming a movie based on a famous western gunfight. As the filming proceeds, Jim begins to wonder what really happened in Contention City, Arizona, those thirty-three years ago. 1880. In the actual Contention City, Sheriff Lon Dayton is contacted by the notorious Dutch Bascom regarding the territorial governor’s proclamation of amnesty for Bascom and his gang. Dayton has no choice but to walk the tightrope balancing the alleged intentions of the outlaws against the promises of the unscrupulous politicians and railroad men who claim to be in favor of the outlaw’s surrender. But are they really?

These information documents for each of the official Trade Mark of Quality releases includes the known details for each genuine TMQ title. This includes the TMQ catalogue number, artist, record title, track list, musicians, venue, recording date, master tape and record matrix info and the other particulars for each album.

Embark on a gripping 25-year journey delving into the author's investigation of insurance crimes in Miami, spotlighting Special Investigation Units (SIU) –an investigative world invisible to most, yet one for which we all pay. In YOU PAID FOR THIS, Richard Wickliffe takes the reader from routine burglaries to art theft on the high-seas, arson for profit, and even failed ritual sacrifices. He describes a variety of cases he encountered, including the Russian mob and organized crime, boat thefts linked to unconscionable human trafficking, sunken cars that conceal deadly secrets, and the pitfalls of faking one's death. The book culminates with the SIU's involvement in Miami's harrowing Pain & Gain double murder case, featuring kidnapping, extortion, and mutilation. With an informative yet witty tone, YOU PAID FOR THIS exposes the creative and chilling facets of insurance crimes, cautioning and advising readers on how to protect themselves from potential victimization in their own lives.