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Walking Wounded
by William McIlvanneyThese poignant short stories about the quiet yearnings of ordinary lives form &“a sad, brilliant, joyful tribute to the dreams that never make it&” (Sunday Express). From a recipient of a Whitbread Award, a Faber Memorial Prize, and other literary honors—who has been called &“one of Scotland's finest writers&” (Independent)—this is a collection of stories about the casualties of social and emotional struggle, the people who defy defeat with humor, resilience, and a persistent faith in their unfulfilled dreams. Whether widows or prisoners or argumentative elderly spouses, they are all the walking wounded—and they all have the power to inspire both laughter and empathy. &“As a stylist Mr. McIlvanney leaves most of the competition far behind.&” —The New York Times Book Review
The Crushing of Poland: Rare Photographs from Wartime Archives (Images of War)
by Ian Baxter"Hitlers decision to invade Poland in August 1939 triggered the start of the Second World War. It was also the first demonstration of Blitzkrieg tactics the ruthless use of armor, mobile infantry and air support. The brave Polish army, inadequately equipped and inferior in numbers, was overwhelmed by this awesome display of military power as well as being taken by surprise. Official German photographers accompanied the triumphant Nazi forces on their victorious advance which first seized the key part of Danzig and then Warsaw, all within one month. The Crushing of Poland captures the drama and raw aggression of the Campaign in photographs and full captions."
Alexander the Great: Conqueror, Commander, King (Casemate Short History)
by John Sadler Rosie SerdivilleAn overview of Alexander&’s life—from his early military exploits to the creation of his empire and the legacy left after his premature death. Alexander was perhaps the greatest conquering general in history. In a dozen years, Alexander took the whole of Asia Minor and Egypt, destroyed the once mighty Persian Empire, and pushed his army eastwards as far as the Indus. No one in history has equaled his achievement. Much of Alexander&’s success can be traced to the Macedonian phalanx, a close-ordered battle formation of sarissa-wielding infantry that proved itself a war-winning weapon. The army Alexander inherited from his father was the most powerful in Greece—highly disciplined, trained, and loyal only to the king. United in a single purpose, they fought as one. Cavalry was also of crucial importance in the Macedonian army as the driving force to attack the flanks of the enemy in battle. A talented commander able to anticipate how his opponent would think, Alexander understood how to commit his forces to devastating effect and was never defeated in battle. He also developed a corps of engineers that utilized catapults and siege towers against enemy fortifications. Alexander led from the front, fighting with his men, eating with them, refusing water when there was not enough, and his men would quite literally follow him to the ends of the (known) world. None of his successors were able to hold together the empire he had forged. Although he died an early death, his fame and glory persist to this day.
My Best And Last (Cal Cassidy Romantic Suspense)
by Jill Rice“So, tell me, Detective. Do you kiss all your murder suspects?” She has no alibi, plenty of motive, and there's DNA evidence linking her to the crime. In Jill Rice's romantic suspense, tenured psychology professor and best-selling author Caroline 'Cal' Cassidy becomes the prime suspect in the brutal murder of her ex-husband, Paul. Assigned to the case is Detective Daniel 'Danny' Chan. His suspicion of Cal is unwavering; he interrogates her, and the more she talks, the more he’s convinced she’s the killer. Meanwhile, Cal’s situation grows increasingly complex when she discovers her attorney's unexpected link to Chan—she's his ex-wife. Could there be a conspiracy against her? To complicate matters further, she discovers she has an irrational attraction to Detective Chan despite his obvious conviction that she’s guilty. Cal knows she’s innocent, but who harbors enough hatred to kill Paul and pin it squarely on her? And can she get Chan to believe her before the killer makes another deadly move?
Teenage Resistance Fighter: With the Maquisards in Occupied France
by Hubert Verneret&“A history book that reads like a novel, this testimony comes from one of the last living eyewitnesses&” of the Nazi occupation of France (Christiane Amanpour, CNN Chief International Correspondent). September 5, 1944 The Americans are approaching; we follow their progress impatiently on the radio, by intercepting messages reserved for the commandos. They cannot be beaten now. But it is up to us to do the impossible to speed up the progression of the bulk of their troops, to facilitate the advance of their spearhead, and, above all, to prevent the Germans from withdrawing to the Rhine in good order, with all their equipment. How many human lives will we manage to save? Hubert Verneret was a fourteen-year-old schoolboy in Burgundy when the Nazis invaded Poland and fifteen when France fell. A Boy Scout, he helped refugees and the gendarmerie, moved wounded soldiers, and dug out bodies after air raids. Throughout, he kept a diary recording his actions, thoughts, and feelings as French troops retreated and Germans arrived. In 1944, at nineteen, he decided to join the local maquis resistance fighters, operating from a hidden base in the forest. Though constantly in danger, he found himself frustrated, as he felt fated never to fight the Germans directly, never to take a prisoner. As the Allies approached, the maquisards worked to upset and weaken the retreating Germans to aid the Allied advance. Hubert details the joy with which the maquisards were welcomed in local villages when the fighting ended. Only as he listened to the speech given as the maquisards disbanded did he understand that his part in the war, while perhaps not heroic as that played by others, was still important in gaining the victory. Years later, Hubert interviewed local maquisards to understand more about maquis history; their words and excerpts from the diary of a local civilian during the German retreat provide context to Hubert&’s youthful testimony. This first English edition of Hubert&’s diary retains the original prefaces by Col. Buckmaster, chief of the French section of the SOE, and Col. d&’Escrienne, aide de camp to Gen. de Gaulle.
Immelmann: The Eagle of Lille (Vintage Aviation Library)
by Frantz ImmelmannA biography of one of Germany&’s pioneers in aerial combat: &“a great read&” (Internet Modeler). Max Immelmann was born in Dresden, the son of a container factory owner. When World War I started, Immelmann was recalled to active service, transferred to the Luftstreitkäfte, and sent for pilot training in November 1914. He was on his way to becoming a legendary flying ace. Initially stationed in northern France as a reconnaissance aviator, he was shot down by a French pilot but managed to land safely behind German lines. He was decorated with the Iron Cross, Second Class for preserving his aircraft. Later in 1915, he became one of the first German fighter pilots, quickly building an impressive score of victories as he became known as The Eagle of Lille, Der Adler von Lille. Known for the aerial combat maneuver that bears his name; for the use of a machine gun synchronized to fire forward through the propeller arc; and for his association with the Fokker Eindecker, Germany&’s first fighter aircraft, Immelmann was the first pilot to be awarded the Pour le Mérite, Germany&’s highest military honor—which became colloquially known as the &“Blue Max&” in the German Air Service. Along with Oswald Boelcke and other pilots, Immelmann was one of the main instigators of the Fokker Scourge, which inflicted heavy losses upon British and French aircrews during 1915. He was credited with fifteen victories—the final one coming on March 30, 1916. This Casemate edition of Max Immelmann&’s biography does not change a word from the original 1930 edition, but for the first time, reworks the original type and page layout to provide a beautiful and highly readable new treatment to this classic of aviation literature.
Chindit Affair: A Memoir of the War in Burma
by Frank BainesIn March 1944, some 2,200 battle trained men of 111 Brigade flew from India into northern Burma to land on improvised airstrips cleared from the jungle, They were part of General Orde Wingates Chindit force sent to fight the Japanese deep behind their lines. Five months later, 111 Brigade was down to 118 fit men eight British officers, a score of British soldiers and 90 Gurkhas. One of those eight officers was Frank Baines, and in Chindit Affair he tells, in vivid language and with shrewd insight, what happened.Frank commanded two platoons of young Gurkhas and was attached to 111 Brigade Headquarters, serving under John Masters, where he had a close-up view for most of the time. His account throws new light on the leadership of the Chindit campaign, but above all it is a soldiers story.All the horrors of jungle warfare are here bodies blood-sucked by leeches and corpses impaled by bamboo; Japanese soldiers reduced to eating human flesh; a court martial and execution; soldiers falling sick and dropping by the wayside, and being killed and wounded in action. He also captures the atmosphere of the jungle; its watercourses, trees, birds and the Kachin villagers simple way of life. No other account of the Chindit operations touches the same raw nerves, and none recreates so immediately the sensations of being there in the jungle and hills which devoured nearly all of them.ABOUT THE AUTHORBorn in 1915, the son of a prominent architect, Frank Baines ran away from school and went to sea on a Finnish four-masted grain sailing ship. He enlisted at the outbreak of the Second World War, trained as an artillery officer in India, saw action on the Northwest frontier before being seconded to 111 Brigade. After the war, he spent three years as a Hindu monk in a Himalayan monastery and he then moved to Calcutta where he set up a business repairing tea chests and started writing. Frank returned to England in 1956 and published four books, including Look Towards the Sea, a widely acclaimed account of his Cornish childhood. At the age of 62, still seeking adventure, he cycled back to India from his home in Coggershall, Essex. He died in 1987 leaving behind this unpublished memoir.
Ian Fleming's Secret War
by Craig CabellWhile his extravagant and glamorous lifestyle is well known, little has been published concerning Ian Fleming's contribution during the Second World War. In the very early days of the War, Fleming was earmarked by the Director of Naval Intelligence as his 'right hand man'. From the outset he was in the center of events, meeting with key political and military figures as well as those of exceptional intelligence, experience and courage. All this was to give him invaluable background when he came to write the Bond novels. The author has uncovered through official documentation, private papers and contacts the depth of Fleming's work in Naval Intelligence. Fascinating insights of those he worked with and details of covert trips to Europe and North Africa emerge. Fleming was closely associated with 30 Assault Unit, a crack team of Commandos who took the fight to the enemy. The book reveals both the history of 30 AU and Fleming's role.
Famous Character Dolls
by Susan BrewerPart of the popular Famous series, Famous Dolls celebrates dolls in film, TV, cartoons, books, comics and comic strips, as well as toys such as Hamble in Playschool. It also explores the world of celebrity dolls including stars such as Shirley Temple and Mae West, pop star dolls including Michael Jackson and Cher, and dolls representing royalty. Written by leading doll expert, Susan Brewer, the author of British Dolls in the 1950s and British Dolls in the 1960s, the book starts with a series of essays setting dolls in context and exploring their role in popular culture. The main part of the book is an impressive A-Z of famous dolls, with symbols to show in which field they became famous (e.g. cartoons, toys or comic strips). The stories behind each of the dolls are told, including the tragic tale of Raggedy Ann and how a little girl inspired one of the most iconic character dolls of all time. A must-buy book for everyone who has ever own or collected dolls or is interested in popular culture.Did you know? The author of Raggedy Ann, Johnny Gruelle, was a vehement anti-vaccination campaigner after his young daughter died when she was vaccinated at school without his consent Angela Rippon created the Victoria Plum doll series based on a plum tree in her garden Holly Hobbie is an author and illustrator who named the famous patchwork-wearing little girl after her. It became a popular doll in the 1970s
Convicting Britain’s Most Ruthless Criminals: Case Files for the Prosecution
by Vivien HollandSafely convicting criminals relies on finding the truth. But what is the truth and can we ever get the complete picture? Convicting Britain’s Most Ruthless Criminals is a collection of serious crime cases in modern Britain. It gives a detailed insight into the amassing of evidence for the prosecution and how the truth can be uncovered, given that there is always a piece of evidence missing, whether it is a hidden fortune, an elusive murder weapon or even an undiscovered body. Drawing on unique access to the case files and speeches of a leading crown prosecutor combined with expert witness information, these are fascinating stories of criminal acts, their perpetrators, and how they were brought to justice by putting together a jigsaw of evidence, much of which has never been revealed before, which includes ballistics, pathology, mobile phone records and CCTV analysis. Enough to get as close to the real truth as possible, given that the picture of each jigsaw is never completely revealed. There is the case of an appeal by woman who was convicted of killing her husband decades ago, a bungled robbery that ended up as murder, a staged gem heist only uncovered years later during a plea-bargaining exercise, a death in police custody, a serial killer who decided to confess, and a brothel keeper maintaining that he was simultaneously providing a community service whilst servicing the Greek national debt. The cases are intertwined with stories and anecdotes including the juror who ended up being convicted, how the gangland drugs scene became big business and why there is so much dressing up in court.
The Twisted Heart
by Rebecca GowersA tale of modern love and &“genuinely puzzling historical murder mystery&” combine in this &“fresh and clever and very funny&” novel (The Guardian, UK).Oxford graduate student Kitt Farr has always been most at home in the Old Bodleian Library, but even she needs a break from her research into Victorian Era violence. Taking a dance class seems like a bit of a stretch—until she meets a cute classmate, mysterious math lecturer Joe Leppard. Then, as Kitt and Joe find a budding romance between them, Kitt finds something sinister in the stacks: an unsolved murder in 1838 with an unsettling connection to the young Charles Dickens.Half a century before Jack the Ripper, a London prostitute known as The Countess was murdered in a way that eerily mirrors the events in Oliver Twist. Now Kitt and Joe are out to uncover how Dickens became tangled up with this horrendous crime.&“Gowers&’s writing is absolutely beautiful.&”—The Times, UK
The Battered Bastards of Bastogne: A Chronicle of the Defense of Bastogne December 19, 1944–January 17, 1945
by George Koskimaki&“Fleshes out in vivid detail the entire story of the Screaming Eagles&’ valiant struggle . . . This is must reading for any student of World War II history&” (Kepler&’s Military History).The Battered Bastards of Bastogne is the product of contributions by 530 soldiers who were on the ground or in the air over Bastogne. They lived and made this history, and much of it is told in their own words. The material contributed by these men of the 101st Airborne Division, the Armor, Tank Destroyer, Army Air Force , and others is tailored meticulously by the author and placed on the historical framework known to most students of the Battle of the Bulge. Pieces of a nearly 60-year-old jigsaw puzzle come together in this book, when memoirs from one soldier fit with those of another unit or group pursuing the battle from another nearby piece of terrain.
Commando: Memoirs of a Fighting Commando In World War Two
by John Durnford-SlaterExciting World War II action The exploits of Britain's wartime commandos Covers fighting in Norway, Italy, France and Germany John Durnford-Slater raised and trained the first Commando unit in 1940, became an outstanding leader of special operations and witnessed some of the most daring exploits of World War II. Commando is his remarkable story. 3 Commando sprang into being in 1940 in order to harry Axis forces in pinprick raids that were impossible for regular army units. In the summer of 1940 John Durnford-Slater led the men of 3 Commando in an exploratory operation on Guernsey. A raid on the Loften Islands, off Norway, followed in 1941 and, between 26 and 28 December 1941, the commandos launched their raid against Vaagso. 3 Commando took part in the raid on Dieppe and this was followed by operations in Sicily and Italy, France and, ultimately, Germany itself. The destruction wrought by the commandos was such that Hitler ordered all personnel captured in such raids executed. The commandos' spirit, however, remained undaunted and this is reflected in John Durnford-Slater's exciting and forthright memoirs. Now placed in context by David List's details of 3 Commando's operations, and David Buxton's notes on casualties and awards, this stirring book, long heralded as a classic, now makes its first appearance as a paperback. John Durnford-Slater was appointed 'to raise and command' 3 Commando in 1940. He was later responsible as Deputy Commander of the Special Service Group for all Commando companies taking part in the invasion of France.
Deadly Hall (Murder Room Ser.)
by John Dickson CarrHailed by Agatha Christie as &“the king of the art of misdirection,&” John Dickson Carr draws readers into a thrilling tale of a family&’s hunt for an inheritance hidden in a haunted New Orleans mansionBefore he became a commodore in the Confederate Navy, Serena Hobart&’s grandfather was a treasure hunter who combed the bottom of the sea in search of Spanish gold. In 1927, after her father dies, Serena wants nothing more than to be rid of Delys Hall, the commodore&’s rambling old New Orleans mansion, which has been nicknamed &“Deadly Hall&” because some pretty awful things have occurred there, including murder. When her relatives hear rumors that there may be gold hidden in the old house, they will stop at nothing to keep it in the family.Serena&’s childhood friend Jeff Caldwell senses that Serena is in danger and wants to protect her. But there are many dark corners in Deadly Hall, maybe even ghosts, and certainly relatives who can dream up a thousand ways to kill.
Cambrai: The Right Hook (Battleground Europe)
by Nigel CaveThis fully illustrated WWI battlefield guide provides essential historical context and visitor information for exploring this site on the Western Front. Located near the Belgian border, the French town of Cambrai was a vital supply point for the German forces along the Hindenburg Line. It is best known for the First Battle of Cambria, an epic tank battle which took place there in 1917. Although the British Expeditionary Force were successful in the first day of combat, the tables soon turned. As on other occasions throughout the War, the area changed hands many times. Illustrated with then and now pictures, this book presents a detailed overview of the battle from multiple perspectives. It then provides five walking tour itineraries taking readers through the La Vacquerie Battlefield, Bonavis Farm, Les Rues Vertes, Bapaume, and more.
Bomber Commander: A Biography of Wing Commander Donald Teale Saville DSO, DFC
by Francis Roy ChappellWing Commander Donald Teale Saville DSO, DFC joined the Royal Australian Air Force in 1927. From 1932 until 1939 he flew and tested private aircraft, was a flying instructor and then a Captain-pilot with Australian National Airways. In 1936, at the age of 36 years, he volunteered for the RAF whilst on holiday in England. Because of his age he was posted to the Ferry Pool Service and eventually became its Commanding Officer. In 1941 he dropped rank from Squadron Leader to Flight Lieutenant to join Bomber Command, and in December of that year joined No 458 RAAF Squadron flying Wellingtons as a Flight Commander. In 1942 he was appointed to command another Wellington squadron, No 104, at Kabrit in Egypt. He was awarded the DFC for daring operations whilst flying from Malta against enemy airfields and ports. In March 1943 he took command of No 218 Squadron at Downham Market flying somewhat elderly Short Stirlings and at a time of intolerable losses. In July 1943 he went missing on the first mass bombing raid on Hamburg. He made the supreme sacrifice by holding his burning aircraft steady while four of his crew escaped by parachute.He was known affectionately as 'The Mad Aussie' and was reputed to have flown 10,000 flying hours. He was fifteen or so years older than most of his aircrews and was probably the oldest pilot in Bomber Command. At the time of his loss he was in was on his third tour of operations.This is the story of a man who carried leadership by example and was renowned as an exceptionally skilled, daring and confident aviator.
Cookin': Hard Bop and Soul Jazz 1954-65
by Kenny MathiesonThe music journalist and author of Giant Steps offers a history of modern jazz evolutions pioneered by Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon and other greats.Following his earlier volume, Giant Steps, which gives readers a comprehensive overview of Bebop and free jazz from the mid-40s to the mid-60s, Kenny Mathieson now explores the later years of the modern jazz era in greater depth. In Cookin', Mathiesonexamines the birth and development of two of the most enduring and influential jazz styles of the post-war era: hard bop and its related offshoot, soul jazz. Hard bop was the most exciting jazz style of its day and remains at the core of the modern jazz mainstream even now. It drew on the twin poles of bebop and the blues for its foundation, spiced up with gospel, Latin and R&B influences. Mathieson looks at the founding fathers of the form, Art Blakey and Horace Silver, and goes on to trace the music through its peak decade. This updated edition of Cookin’ includes a new chapter devoted to saxophonist and composer Jackie McLean.“Mathieson’s descriptions of what they brought to the bandstand and the recording studio are fondly graphic, in well-chosen phrases… It is extremely readable.”—Jazz Review
Queen of Science: Personal Recollections of Mary Somerville (Canongate Classics #102)
by Mary SomervilleThe complete memoirs of the 19th century scientist, public intellectual, and first female member of the Royal Astronomical Society.Born in Jedburgh in 1780, Mary Fairfax was the daughter of a captain in Lord Nelson&’s navy. In common with most girls of her time and station, she received an education that prized gentility over ability. Nevertheless, she taught herself algebra in secret, and made her reputation in celestial mechanics with her 1831 translation of Laplace&’s Mécanique céleste as The Mechanism of the Heavens.A brilliant polymath with interests in art, literature and nature, Somerville&’s memoirs give a fascinating picture of her life and times from childhood in Burntisland to international recognition and retirement in Naples. She recounts memories of comets and eclipses, high society in London and Paris, Charles Babbage and his calculating engine, encounters with Sir Walter Scott and Fenimore Cooper, the Risorgimento in Italy and the eruption of Vesuvius.Selected by her daughter and first published in 1973, these are the memoirs of a remarkable woman who became one of the nineteenth century&’s most accomplished mathematicians and scientists. Oxford&’s Somerville College was named after her, and the present volume, re-edited by Dorothy McMillan, draws on manuscripts owned by the college, offering the first unexpurgated edition of these revelatory writings.
Armoured Guardsman: A War Diary, June 1944–April 1945
by Robert Boscowan&“A rare treat: a well-written account of what it was like to serve as a junior rank in the Brigade of Guards during the Second World War.&” —The Guards Magazine The outbreak of World War II brought many changes to Britain&’s Brigade of Guards. The dress-parade units had always maintained a full combat capacity and made a relatively easy transition into a new unit, the Guards Armoured Division. The Guards landed in Normandy on 26 June 1944 and steadily fought their way across northern Europe. Robert Boscawen was a tank commander in the 1st Coldstream Guards and had four tanks shot from under him. On the fourth occasion he was badly wounded and burned, making a difficult postwar recovery. The years after the war, however, also brought both business and political success, culminating in a twenty-three-year career in Parliament. Boscawen&’s account of Britain&’s elite at war is based on his wartime diaries. &“Tells the author&’s story in a most readable yet matter-of-fact way. It is one of the finest accounts of armoured warfare that I have ever read and I have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone who has not.&” —Tank Regiment Magazine
Axis of Evil: The War on Terror
by John Chisholm Gwyn Winfield Paul L. MoorcraftBy means of interviews with, and contributions from, prominent international figures, Axis of Freedom examines the dramatic world events which unfolded from 11 September 2001 to the end of occupation of Iraq in the summer of 2004. Many books have been written on the war on terror, but none include the personal views and opinions of so many top military and political leaders. The contributions are linked by a series of essays to form a compelling narrative of the new way of war. In their own words the key decision-makers such as Donald Rumsfeld, Richard Perle and Geoff Hoon talk about the strategic dilemmas. The military implementation of the political decisions are discussed by leaders such as the head of the US Air Force, the former British Chief of Defence Staff, Lord Guthrie, and the Royal Navy's First Sea Lord. Highly charged critiques by George Galloway MP are also included, as well as Iraq's deputy prime minister, Tariq Aziz, who was interviewed on the eve of the war. Senior foreign correspondents such as Channel Four's Lindsey Hilsum add their own frontline assessments. In addition, leading academic analysts such as Dr Paul Cornish put the political and military debates in context.
In Action with the S.A.S.: A Soldiers Odyssey from Dunkirk to Berlin (Reminiscence Ser.)
by Roy CloseA World War II memoir of a clerk who put down his pen and took up a weapon, rising through the ranks to become an elite Special Air Service soldier.Roy Close’s wartime experiences make breathtaking reading. Mobilized in 1939 he became part of the BEF and was fortunate to avoid death or captivity during the German blitzkrieg and escape through Dunkirk. Sent to North Africa, he joined the Paras and, from there, to the SAS. In 1944 he operated behind enemy lines with the Maquis in France, who were in open insurrection against the German occupiers. The scene then shifted to Holland and the advance through Germany. He witnessed Paris and Berlin in very early post-war years and was part of the Quadripartite Government of the former German capital.
The Honours
by Tim ClareThe award-winning poet and author of The Ice House offers &“a gorgeously entertaining fantasy novel set in Norfolk between the wars&” (The Guardian). Norfolk, 1935. World War II is looming in Great Britain and the sprawling country estate of Alderberen Hall is shadowed by suspicion and paranoia. Alderberen&’s newest resident, thirteen-year-old Delphine Venner, is determined to uncover the secrets of the Hall&’s elite and cultish Society for Perpetual Improvement, which has taken in her gullible mother and unstable father. As she explores the house and discovers the secret network of hidden passages that thread through the estate, Delphine unearths a world that is darker and more threatening than she ever imagined. With the help of head gamekeeper Mr. Garforth, Delphine must learn the bloody lessons of war and find the soldier within herself in time to battle the deadly forces amassing in the woods. &“Astutely brilliant. It is rare to find such a riveting, fantastical, adventure matched by such poetic flair. A rich, gripping delight.&” —Matt Haig &“Gorgeously gripping . . . the comparisons that most readily spring to mind are the wildly eccentric and benevolent imaginations of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett.&” —The Guardian
Thomas Quick: The Making of a Serial Killer
by Hannes RåstamThis journalist&’s revealing investigation into the notorious case of Sweden&’s most prolific serial killer reads like &“a real-life Scandinavian crime novel&” (The Observer, UK). In 1992, Thomas Quick confessed to the murder of an eleven-year-old boy who had been missing for twelve years. Over the next decade, Quick confessed to more than thirty unsolved murders, revealing that he had maimed, raped, and eaten the remains of his victims. In the years that followed, investigative journalist Hannes Råstam became obsessed with Quick&’s case. He studied the investigations in forensic detail. He scrutinized every interrogation, read and re-read the verdicts, watched the police re-enactments and tracked down the medical records and personal police logs—until finally he was faced with a horrifying uncertainty. In the spring of 2008, Råstam travelled to where Thomas Quick was serving a life sentence. He had one question for Sweden&’s most abominable serial killer. And the answer turned out to be far more terrifying than the man himself . . .&“Sweden&’s most suspenseful murder mystery may not be a fictional account from Stieg Larsson or Henning Mankell. It may end up being the true story of Thomas Quick.&” —The Wall Street Journal
The Member and the Radical (Canongate Classics #31)
by John GaltTwo novels by the 18th-century Scottish author that &“focus on the foibles and fumbles, the humor and waste of people . . . of political ambition&” (The National). Galt&’s two great political novels date from around the passing of the Reform Act of 1832. The Member has claims to be the first political novel in the English language and is a tour de force of wit, observation, and a devastating critique of political self-seekings. Its hero is a Scot, newly returned from India, who purchases a seat in a rotten borough. As a study of the corruption of the pre-reform parliament it is unsurpassed. The Radical is a study of narrow-minded, humor-less fanaticism. Galt&’s aim is to demonstrate the fragility of the existing order and the closeness of anarchy to the surface of society. This is the first republication of The Radical since its original edition. &“Galt has dropped from popular currency even more than Walter Scott, but he is an important novelist and warrants reappraisal and new reading.&”—The National
Monsters on the Loose: The True Story of Three Unsolved Murders in Prohibition Era San Diego
by Richard CarricoIn 1931, San Diego’s idyllic image as a beach town with peaceful suburbs concealed a harrowing reality: a series of unsolved crimes targeting women, fueling fear and vulnerability. MONSTERS ON THE LOOSE tells the tragic and true stories of three women murdered early that year: Virginia Brooks, Louise Teuber, and Hazel Bradshaw. Local law enforcement, out-of-town criminologists, and investigators from what would become the FBI pursued hundreds of leads. Statewide, newspapers covered every angle and clue and sometimes played a role in the investigations. Yet, the killer(s) were never identified and brought to justice. In MONSTERS ON THE LOOSE, award-winning author and historian Richard L. Carrico pieces fragments of evidence together for three cold cases, shedding light on a dark chapter in San Diego's history. More than ninety years after the murders, Carrico emerges as an advocate for the victims, meticulously reconstructing their stories. Immersed in dusty files, long-forgotten oral histories, and newly discovered investigation records, his primary objective remains unwavering: to seek justice for the three young women. With no witnesses to the crimes, the significance of circumstantial evidence and speculation, both then and now, became paramount. And he may have even solved one of the murders.