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      • Trusted Partner
        November 2021

        Femicide

        Violence against women

        by Julia Cruschwitz, Carolin Haentjes

        In Germany, 132 women were murdered by their (ex-)partners over the past year, according to police statistics. An attempted murder happened every other day – the real figure is in all probability much higher. Julia Cruschwitz and Carolin Haentjes unveil their book on femicides in Germany with research from interviews with academics, criminologists, police officers, social workers, lawyers, survivors, witnesses and relatives and their analysis of scientific reports. Their work highlights how the issue of femicides affects the whole of society, but there are sensible ways to protect women more effectively from male violence. All we must do is take steps to follow these.

      • Business, Economics & Law

        Public Opinion and the Penalty for Murder

        Report of the Homicide Review Advisory Group On the Mandatory Sentence of Life Imprisonment for Murder

        by Homicide Review Advisory Group (HOMRAG) (Author)

        The Homicide Review Advisory Group (HomRAG) was set up in 2004 to run alongside the work of the Law Commission which was reviewing aspects of the Law on murder. This multidisciplinary group was convened on the initiative of Sir Louis Blom-Cooper QC and Professor Terence Morris; and was initially chaired by the late Very Reverend Colin Slee, Dean of Southwark and now by Sir Louis. In essence, the group is concerned with promoting a just Law of murder. As part of this aim and in view of developments in Parliament in late-2011 and continuing into 2012 concerning sentencing and the use of mandatory sentences in particular, HomRAG has published its first report for consideration by Law-makers and other interested parties. Harking back to the abolition of capital punishment, the group argue that the mandatory life sentence for murder is both unjust and outdated; a compromise arrived at in the 1960s in order to ensure that abolition of the death penalty made its way through both Houses of Parliament. Neither it nor the present system of tariff-setting allow for sentences which match the seriousness of individual crimes, so that, e.g. a single 'mercy killing' attracts the same penalty as that for a murder which is part of a course of serial killings. Further, the indefinite and misleading nature of the life sentence - which may or may not involve a life spent in prison - is both unjust and incomprehensible to even better-informed lay people. Building on modern research which shows that the public and public opinion are nowadays by no means averse to such a change, the report urges that the time has come for a move to fixed sentences for murder as with any other individual crime so that the exact circumstances of offences can be properly reflected by the courts.

      • July 2021

        The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream

        The Hunt for a Victorian Era Serial Killer

        by Dean Jobb

        “When a doctor does go wrong, he is the first of criminals, he has the nerve and he has the knowledge,” Sherlock Holmes observed. At the time the words of the fictional detective appeared in The Strand Magazine, a real-life Canadian doctor was murdering women in London’s downtrodden Lambeth neighbourhood. Dr. Thomas Cream had been a suspect in two deaths in Canada, and killed four people in Chicago before arriving in London in 1891 and using pills laced with strychnine to kill prostitutes. The "Lambeth Poisoner" became one of the most prolific serial killers in history.   Dean Jobb reveals how bungled investigations, corrupt officials, and failed prosecutions allowed Cream to evade detection and kill again. Alongside an inside account of Scotland Yard’s desperate search for a brazen killer, Jobb explores how the morality and hypocrisy of the Victorian era enabled Cream to poison the vulnerable and desperate women who had turned tohim for help.

      • Fiction
        September 2020

        El bosque de los cuatro vientos

        by Maria Oruña

        THE FOREST OF THE FOUR WINDS Jon Bécquer is an anthropologist whose job is to locate and uncover lost historical objects. In an old monastery in Ourense he begins to investigate the curious disappearance of centuries-old relics which are part of The Legend of Nine Rings. So, when the corpse of a man in a Benedictine habit worn two centuries before unexpectedly appears, Bécquer and sergeant Xocas will venture deep into the legendary forests of Galicia in search of an explanation. As they move back in time, they will come across a singular story of doctor Vallejo and his daughter Marina, who, at the beginning of the 19th century travelled from Valladolid to the former Principality of Galicia to dedicate themselves to monastic life. There they will witness the fall of the Church after centuries in power and the final demise of the Anciene Régime, brought about by political upheaval and the Enlightenment. Interested in medicine and botany but not allowed to study, Marina will break the rules of knowledge, love and liberty that will change forever the course of life of the future generations.

      • Fiction
        February 2020

        El último verano de Silvia Blanch

        by Lorena Franco

        THE LAST SUMMER OF SILVIA BLANCH / A forbidden love always entails lying. A crime always leaves traces. The last person to see Silvia Blanch – disappeared without trace in the summer of 2017 – is now dead.  Alex, a young journalist is sent for a weekend to a village in the Montseny mountains where Silvia lived, to talk with her family and to write a commemorative article a year after the disappearance. She becomes so involved in the case that she decides to spend the summer in the village to find out really what happened. However, she realizes soon enough that her presence annoys the inhabitants of the village, especially Silvia’s cousin, Jan, with whom she falls in love despite the disturbing secrets he hides.

      • Crime & mystery
        October 2011

        Desperate Housedogs

        by Sparkle Abbey

        When Caro Lamont, former psychologist turned pet therapist makes a house call to help Kevin Blackstone with his two misbehaving German Shepherd dogs, she expects frantic dogs, she expects a frantic dog owner, she even expects frantic neighbors. What she doesn’t expect is that two hours later the police will find Kevin dead, his dogs impounded; and that as the last person to see Kevin alive (well, except for the killer) she is suddenly a person of interest, at least according to Homicide Detective Judd Malone. Sparkle Abbey is the pseudonym of two mystery authors (Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter). They are friends and neighbors as well as co-writers of the Pampered Pets Mystery Series. The pen name was created by combining the names of their rescue pets - Sparkle (Mary Lee’s cat) and Abbey (Anita’s dog). They reside in central Iowa, but if they could write anywhere, you would find them on the beach with their laptops and depending on the time of day either an iced tea or a margarita.) Visit the authors at www.SparkleAbbey.com

      • Murder Jealousy

        by Melih Esen Cengiz

        It is the year 2008. The queen of the empire where the sun never sets visits Turkey. The Istanbul Police Department is on full alert. Amongst all the commotion, a scent from centuries ago spreads from Fatih through the streets of ancient Istanbul, drowning in ordinary everyday life; a sharp scent of the rot of victims who, perhaps, never saw the faces of their murderers. The hubristic and proud shadows of empresses, sultans and queens surround the city…Now the nightmares shatter the captain of the Homicide Division Selim’s peace. The unfortunate souls of the victims, whose killers he tries to find, harass him day and night. Will history open its doors to the passionate policeman of Pierre Loti Hill and unearth the perpetrators, or leave him to the tormenting prayers of the victims’ wretched souls?The story of heaven and hell, fantasies and truth!Set in the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Abdülaziz, 1950s Istanbul, and recent times, Murder Jealousy is a crime fiction by Melih Esen Cengiz with a surprising ending to astonish readers…

      • Biography & True Stories
        November 2014

        Murder Chronicles

        A Collection of Chilling True Crime Tales

        by R. Barri Flowers

        From award winning criminologist R. Barri Flowers and the bestselling author of The Sex Slave Murders 1 & 2, Serial Killer Couples, and Murder of the Banker’s Daughter comes Murder Chronicles, a gripping collection of true crime tales.   The collection includes ten compelling stories of murder, madness, and mayhem that span more than a century of American history and homicidal criminality that will keep you reading from beginning to end.   1. Murder at the Pencil Factory: The Killing of Mary Phagan - 100 Years Later, the brutal murder of a young girl turn locals into vigilantes out for justice.   2. The "Gold Special" Train Robbery: Deadly Crimes of the D'Autremont Brothers, a daring train robbery by a trio of brother bandits goes wrong and turns deadly.   3. Murder of the Banker's Daughter: The Killing of Marion Parker, a brazen abduction of a schoolgirl turns tragic as authorities hunt for the killer.   4. Mass Murder in the Sky: The Bombing of Flight 629, a mother’s Christmas gift turns deadly, exploding in an airliner above Denver, with a domestic terrorist on loose.   5. The Amityville Massacre: The DeFeo Family's Nightmare, family is shot to death by a killer too close to home. Inspiration for The Amityville Horror movies.   6. The Pickaxe Killers: Karla Faye Tucker & Daniel Garrett, pair of killers seek revenge and pay the price themselves.   7. Murderous Tandem: James Gregory Marlow and Cynthia Coffman, two killers pick off victims one by one till brought to justice.   8. Murder in Mission Hill: The Disturbing Tale of Carol Stuart & Charles Stuart, a wife’s murder draws national attention with an unlikely killer on the loose.   9. Murder in Bellevue: The Killing of Alan and Diane Johnson, in a case of parricide, a teenage girl’s obsession turns deadly.   10. Murder of a Star Quarterback: The Tragic Tale of Steve McNair & Sahel Kazemi, adultery, jealousy, fame, and fortune turn deadly for a well-known ex-football great.   Bonus material includes excerpts from bestselling true crime books by R. Barri Flowers, The Sex Slave Murders and Serial Killer Couples.

      • Fiction
        February 2021

        Especie /2

        by Susana Martín Gijón

        SPECIES /   Sevilla. The last days of  summer. It is a peaceful time in the offices  of the Judicial Police Brigade in Seville and the Homicide Team can relax after the latest surge in the numbers of deaths in the city. But it does not last long. One scorching morning Seville wakes up to three murders perpetrated in the streets, each one more wicked and scary. But the modus operandi is totally different  in each of them and inspector Camino Vargas is completely perplexed .  Only until she finds the connecting thread between them and then the case takes a most horrifying direction: the murderer imitates the methods of killing animals in the all-powerful meat industry. If in Progenie the underlying theme was maternity and the still prevailing social impositions for women, in Especie  the authoress puts the spotlight  on the world of industrial production farms and on the way we treat animals. Do we have the right to torture them from the moment they are born just for the pleasure of eating them? Is this what the murderer wants to tell us? Inspector Camino and her team, working against time, go to slaughterhouses, farms and animal sanctuaries while  the whole country is terrified  by the crimes committed in the Andalusian capital.   A fast-paced novel with twists and turns where nothing will be as it seems.

      • Den Tavse Enke

        THE SILENT WIDOW

        by Sara Blædel

        LOUISE RICK IS back at work as head of the newly created National Homicide Unit, after a long leave from the force, and her first case is the murder of a female restaurateur. Local police have very few clues but when Louise launches a thorough search of the inn where the victim lived, they find something that in no way fits into the murder case they are facing. Against her will, Louise has to reach out to Eik Nordstrøm from the Search Department. The two have not seen each other since they parted ways on a beach in Thailand, when their relationship ended. Now she needs his help. HER LONG TIME friend, journalist Camilla Lind, starts following the story as well. She finds information about a young man who died half a year earlier, information that Louise and the police know nothing about, which will have a huge effect for the people involved. Louise and Camilla both become deeply involved in the case, and when they eventually find themselves in a difficult and vulnerable situation, they realize the strength of being in it together.

      • April 2013

        Murderous Requiem

        Out of Print

        by Jamie Fessenden, Brooke Albrecht

        Jeremy Spencer never imagined the occult order he and his boyfriend, Bowyn, started as a joke in college would become an international organization with hundreds of followers. Now a professor with expertise in Renaissance music, Jeremy finds himself drawn back into the world of free love and ceremonial magick he’d left behind, and the old jealousies and hurt that separated him from Bowyn eight years ago seem almost insignificant.Then Jeremy begins to wonder if the centuries-old score he’s been asked to transcribe hides something sinister. With each stanza, local birds flock to the old mansion, a mysterious fog descends upon the grounds, and bats swarm the temple dome. During a séance, the group receives a cryptic warning from the spirit realm. And as the music’s performance draws nearer, Jeremy realizes it may hold the key to incredible power—power somebody is willing to kill for. ;

      • Crime & mystery
        July 2012

        Murder in Honolulu

        A Skye Delaney Mystery

        by R. Barri Flowers

        Murder in Honolulu is an island mystery novel set in Hawaii and the first book in a bestselling crime series. Skye Delaney is a private investigator, security consultant, and ex-cop who lives in Waikiki. When her ex-husband and former prosecutor turned businessman, Carter Delaney, asks her to find out if his new wife Darlene is having an affair, Skye reluctantly agrees to take the case. Little does she know that it will turn out to be far more than infidelity. Skye confirms that Darlene is not only having an affair but also doing drugs. But before Skye can tell this to Carter, she finds him dead in her Jacuzzi bathtub with an apparent suicide note stuffed in his mouth. Did he really take his own life with so much to live for? Or was Carter murdered?   The one thing she knows for sure is that her German Shepherd Ollie bit an intruder who happened to have AB negative blood. As did Carter. Coincidence? Skye’s current love interest is Ridge Larsen, a homicide detective for the Honolulu Police Department, who also happens to be assigned to this case once it becomes official that Carter Delaney was murdered. As Skye continues to get deeper and deeper into the investigation of Carter’s death, it becomes apparent to her that it her ex had many secrets and just as many enemies, making him a marked man. These included working for the Honolulu Prosecuting Attorney as a consultant on a case involving a crime syndicate, being a gambling addict, and being in debt to a loan shark. While the bodies continue to pile up, Skye puts her neck on the line to find out the truth and nail a ruthless killer who has targeted her for death; even as she tries to maintain her professional objectivity and balance it with her private and romantic life. "Infidelity and murder in paradise lead to a one of a kind case for PI Skye McKenzie Delaney, and an enjoyable ride for the reader.... A story that will grip you to the end." -- John Lutz Edgar Award winner and bestselling mystery author "An exquisitely rich and masterfully constructed mystery.... A savvy, smooth, and sumptuous read that's as hot as Waikiki beach sand." --Jon Land, bestselling thriller author   "Intriguing mystery in a tropical paradise with a dynamic PI. A compelling, intriguing read." -- Allen Wyler, mystery author

      • Mystery
        2014

        Cash Kills

        An Angelina Bonaparte Mystery

        by Nanci Rathbun

        When her office mate, accountant Susan Neh, brings Angelina Bonaparte a client named Adriana Johnson, the PI wonders how she can help this bedraggled young woman.   Adriana’s parents, immigrants from the former Yugoslavia, were murdered only a week earlier, in a robbery at their small hardware store. Now she has discovered that, despite living like the working poor, they were actually quite wealthy––with numerous large bank accounts located around the world.  Adriana is suspicious about her newfound status and hires Angie to discover the nature of her deceased parents’ wealth.  When Angie arrives to interview with the parents’ attorney, Herman Petrovitch, he is missing, but his secretary Dragana is there––lying dead on the office floor, with her head blown off.  Homicide detective––and Angie’s own boyfriend––Ted Wukowski, cautions her against getting involved in the murder investigation.  Of course, Angie pays little heed to his warning. Angie realizes immediately that Adriana’s concerns about her parents’ money are probably well- founded and, even worse, that the young woman may be in great danger herself.   She secures the assistance of her father’s rotund attorney, Bart Matthews, who quickly arranges for protection for Angie’s young client, while Angie begins to look into Adriana’s parents’ background.  In their family home, she discovers some strange artifacts in the attic, along with what appear to be Serbian military uniforms and an ethnic wedding dress.  Her investigation soon leads her to suspect a connection between Adriana’s parents, Attorney Petrovitch, and the Bosnian War of the 1980s.  How or why are they linked? Angie doesn’t know, but she’s as determined to find out as others are determined to prevent her from doing so.  So she’d better watch her back, because someone knows about the money in those bank accounts and they don’t intend to let Adriana inherit it.

      • Biography & True Stories
        May 2011

        The Sex Slave Murders

        The True Story of Serial Killers Gerald & Charlene Gallego

        by R. Barri Flowers

        The Sex Slave Murders is an international bestselling true crime book.   A marriage made in hell... Barely five feet tall, sweet and innocent looking, Charlene Gallego used all of her charms to beguile pretty teenage girls and young women into the back of a van, where her lethal husband, Gerald, lay waiting. A killer couple bound together by secrets, lies, and sex slave fantasies... Married multiple times and still in his early thirties, Gerald Gallego found the perfect companion in Charlene. Over a grisly period of twenty-six months, their bloody and brutal rampage of kidnapping, rape, and murder spanned three states and claimed eleven lives. In this much more frightening than fiction tale of domination, depraved lust, substance abuse, violence, and murder, award winning, bestselling criminologist R. Barri Flowers tells the whole story of a couple's twisted relationship, their ghastly crimes and ability to elude the law, how they were finally captured, and the two riveting trials that ultimately pitted wife against husband with the stakes higher than either once imagined in their murderous bond.   "Selected as one of Suspense Magazine's Best of 2011 books." -- John Raab, CEO/Publisher, Suspense Magazine   "A gripping account of the murders committed by husband-and-wife serial killers Gerald and Charlene Gallego. Top true crime author and criminologist R. Barri Flowers provides his keen insight and expertise into what made these killing partners tick. Flowers knows his stuff. Compelling reading." -- Gary C. King, author of Blood Lust

      • Fiction
        November 2012

        Dark Streets of Whitechapel

        A Jack the Ripper Mystery

        by R. Barri Flowers

        Modern day criminologist and Ripperologist and bestselling author R. Barri Flowers delivers a heart-pounding historical thriller in Dark Streets of Whitechapel, featuring arguably the most infamous and elusive murderer of them all--19th century serial killer Jack the Ripper.   In 1888 in New York City, the search for a killer of prostitutes comes to an end with the capture of Doctor Jack Lewiston, a respected surgeon and madman. But before he can go to trial, Jack escapes from custody and flees the country to London, England.   Brought out of retirement to track him down is ex-NYC homicide detective-criminologist Henry Marboro. In charge of the original investigation into the “Ripper Murders,” Henry lost his objectivity when his younger sister was one of Jack’s victims. Ultimately his obsession to find the killer cost him his career, his wife, and some time in a hospital for alcohol treatment.   Now on a renewed mission, Henry must find Jack Lewiston and bring him back to America--dead or alive--hopefully before more prostitutes become the victims of the serial killer.   In the process, Henry develops an attraction for a mysterious and beautiful American nurse, Loraine Broderick, who lives in London. Unfortunately, Jack also has his sights set on her as a target of his madness in addition to ladies of the night streetwalking in Whitechapel in London’s East End.     “It gets no better than this! R. Barri Flowers has written another thriller guaranteed to hold onto its readers! It was so gripping that I forgot to breathe a couple of times!” -- Huntress Reviews   “A compelling and powerful account of Jack the Ripper.... Flowers has captured the sights and sounds of New York City and London’s East End in 1888.... The action is fast paced; the suspense building to a peak to the finale.” -- MysteryAbout.com

      • Fiction
        February 2017

        ANA

        by Roberto Santiago

        Ana Tramel: With A for attorney. With A for addicted to alcohol, pills and sex. And with A for anaesthetized (to emotions, adjectives, and sycophants). In this story absolutely everything revolves around her, the protagonist, narrator and dynamo of the plot. In her forties, she’s about to experience a journey to the dark side of the gambling world, and to come up against an international corporation that deals in thousands of millions and has hundreds of lawyers on their payroll. Said with the utmost humility: from this moment on, we are all AnaTramel. In ANA nothing is what it seems. Not one of the characters is exactly a saint. And as Patricia Highsmith said of one of her stories ‘they are going to see a woman do what no male protagonist in literature of the past forty years would dare: behave with compassion, heroism and expose her body and soul to humiliation’.

      • Criminal law & procedure

        Fine Lines and Distinctions

        Murder, Manslaughter and the UnLawful Taking of Human Life

        by Terrence Morris (Author), Louis Blom-Cooper (Author)

        Written by two of the UK’s leading experts on the Law of homicide. Contains new information and analysis. Suggests a radical new solution to the ‘mess’ which English homicide Law has become. In this powerful account, the authors show that—from Sir Edward Coke’s classic common Law definition of murder, through political fixes, poorly thought-out compromises and misguided legislative or Executive tinkering—the English Law of homicide is in ‘a mess’. Even the most adept legal minds are faced with what has been described in Parliament as ‘fine lines and distinctions’. What must juries make of messy Laws and how can anyone have confidence in criminal justice if Laws affecting some of the most serious offences in the criminal calendar are deeply fLawed? To make matters worse, the entire subject of homicide in England and Wales is further distorted by the existence of the mandatory life sentence for murder. Building on unrivalled knowledge, extensive research, close practical observation and incisive analysis, Professor Terence Morris and Sir Louis Blom-Cooper QC trace the development of the Law of homicide from early times to the present day. They counter and dismantle specious arguments for preserving the status quo and point out that only root and branch reform of the basis of liability for homicide and its sentencing regime will serve to restore justice, fairness and political probity. Professor Terence Morris and Sir Louis Blom-Cooper QC are two of the UK’s leading experts on the Law of homicide, having studied developments together for over 50 years. This has led them to recognise the extent of disquiet, especially following ‘particularly troubling cases’ and to conclude that the Law of homicide in England and Wales is ‘an unsatisfactory Law enveloped in a political fix’. Their suggestion of a replacement single offence of criminal homicide coupled with abolition of the mandatory life sentence for murder in favour of discretion at the sentencing stage demands close study by judges, Lawyers, legislators, academics, penal reformers and anyone who senses that something is seriously amiss. 'This is no dry legal tome. The authors present their case in a bracing, persuasive and highly readable way... This is an important and stimulating work that should engage not just the legal practitioner, politician or Law student but anyone concerned with our justice system or puzzled by the conduct and outcome of a murder trial': guardian.co.uk 'Fine Lines and Distinctions prompted me to pay more attention to and reflect further on those who have killed. Though its primary focus is the Law - specifically a potentially significant improvement to the Law - I also warmly recommend it to anyone interested in lifers': Independent Monitor 'This timely, provocative and certainly topical book puts forward a closely argued and well supported case for encouraging "a root and branch reform of the Law of homicide" ... [and] provides ample evidence and ammunition to those who would agree that such a reform should be put in place as a matter of urgency': by Phillip Taylor MBE and Elizabeth Taylor of Richmond Green Chambers.

      • Crime & criminology
        April 2012

        Deterrence and the Death Penalty

        by Daniel S. Nagin and John V. Pepper, editors; Committee on Deterrence and the Death Penalty; Committee on Law and Justice; Division on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education; National Research Council

        Many studies during the past few decades have sought to determine whether the death penalty has any deterrent effect on homicide rates. Researchers have reached widely varying, even contradictory, conclusions. Some studies have concluded that the threat of capital punishment deters murders, saving large numbers of lives; other studies have concluded that executions actually increase homicides; still others, that executions have no effect on murder rates. Commentary among researchers, advocates, and policymakers on the scientific validity of the findings has sometimes been acrimonious. Against this backdrop, the National Research Council report Deterrence and the Death Penalty assesses whether the available evidence provides a scientific basis for answering questions of if and how the death penalty affects homicide rates. This new report from the Committee on Law and Justice concludes that research to date on the effect of capital punishment on homicide rates is not useful in determining whether the death penalty increases, decreases, or has no effect on these rates. The key question is whether capital punishment is less or more effective as a deterrent than alternative punishments, such as a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Yet none of the research that has been done accounted for the possible effect of noncapital punishments on homicide rates. The report recommends new avenues of research that may provide broader insight into any deterrent effects from both capital and noncapital punishments.

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