The Library

The Hanged Man

Mike Richards

Ronald Joseph Ryan was hanged in Melbourne on 3 February 1967, following his conviction for the shooting murder of a prison warder during a daring escape from the maximum-security Pentridge prison thirteen months before. The decision of the Victorian government in December 1966 to proceed with Ryan's death sentence sparked immediate media condemnation and angry political protests, and put the Liberal premier, Sir Henry Bolte, under siege for the duration of the case. State governments around the country moved to abolish the death penalty in the 1970s and 1980s, and Ronald Ryan became the last man to be hanged in Australia. Today, many years later, the Ryan case still prompts spirited debate about the guilty finding against Ryan, the merits of capital punishment, and the politics behind his execution. But who was Ronald Ryan, and how did he come to be the focus of such dramatic political events? Drawing on previously unpublished documents and personal accounts — including details of Ryan's childhood and his early turn to crime — this book reveals the truth about Ryan's guilt. It also goes behind the scenes to tell for the first time of the life-long anguish of the judge who pronounced the death sentence, the inner workings of the secret cabinet meeting that decided Ryan's fate, and the dramatic political process that resulted in the rejection of eleventh-hour appeals to save Ryan. Mike Richards first became involved in the case as the leader of student protests against Ryan's execution. Now he has written a masterly, compelling account that retrieves the individual and the drama at the centre of the most divisive capital case in Australia's history. Through the depth of its original research and the persuasiveness of its insights, Mike Richards' award-winning biography of Ronald Ryan provides a definitive account of the life and death of the man whose execution stopped a nation.

Among the lowest of the dead

David von Drehle

From the cavernous halls of justice to the desolate cells on death row, from the brutal crimes of the convicted to the unbearable anguish of the victims, prizewinning journalist David Von Drehle takes us, as never before, into the harrowing world of the ultimate punishment. Here are the lawyers, on both sides, who dedicate their lives to saving or ending the lives of the accused. Here are the judges who pass the sentences and the politicians who pass the buck. And here are the inmates, staring at their walls and looking death in the face. A work of profound insight and stark vision, AMONG THE LOWEST OF THE DEAD sheds a revelatory light on this deepest, darkest realm. Acclaimed as one of the most powerful books ever written about crime and punishment in America, it is certain to shock both you . . . and the system. "BITTERLY HONEST . . . [Von Drehle ] frames the legal issues well and vividly evokes both the tense calm of the courtroom and the cramped, fetid gloom of prison cells." --The New York Times Book Review

The Skeleton Crew

Deborah Halber

The Skeleton Crew provides an entree into the gritty and tumultuous world of Sherlock Holmes-wannabes who race to beat out law enforcement -- and one another -- at matching missing persons with unidentified remains. In America today, upwards of forty thousand people are dead and unaccounted for. These murder, suicide, and accident victims, separated from their names, are being adopted by the bizarre online world of amateur sleuths. It's DIY CSI by ordinary citizens equipped only with laptops and a knack for puzzles.

For the Love of Julie

Ann Ming

In this incredible and moving memoir, a mother tells of her fight for justice to convict her daughter's murderer for a crime that he thought could never be punished. When her 22-year-old daughter, Julie, went missing in the night, Ann Ming was certain she had been murdered. Liaising with the police, looking after Julie's beloved three-year-old son, Ann waited desperately for news. Three months later she found her child's decomposing body behind a bath panel. A violent local man, Billy Dunlop, was tried for her murder but a series of blunders allowed him to walk free. Knowing he could not be tried again under the law of Double Jeopardy, he callously bragged about his 'perfect crime'. But Dunlop had not reckoned on Ann Ming! This is the extraordinary story of a fight for justice which she never gave up. A moving account of courage and determination, showing how much a mother's love can achieve.

When Satan Wore A Cross

Fred Rosen

In 1980 in Toledo, Ohio—on one of the holiest days of the church calendar—the body of a nun was discovered in the sacristy of a hospital chapel. Seventy-one-year-old Sister Margaret Ann had been strangled and stabbed, her corpse arranged in a shameful and stomach-churning pose. But the police's most likely suspect was inexplicably released and the investigation was quietly buried. Despite damning evidence, Father Gerald Robinson went free.Twenty-three years later the priest's name resurfaced in connection with a bizarre case of satanic ritual and abuse. It prompted investigators to exhume the remains of the slain nun in search of the proof left behind that would indelibly mark Father Robinson as Sister Margaret Ann's killer: the sign of the Devil.When Satan Wore a Cross is a shocking true story of official cover-ups, madness, murder and lies—and of an unholy human monster who disguised himself in holy garb.

The Icepick Surgeon

Sam Kean

Science is a force for good in the world--at least usually. But sometimes, when obsession gets the better of scientists, they twist a noble pursuit into something sinister. Under this spell, knowledge isn't everything, it's the only thing--no matter the cost. Bestselling author Sam Kean tells the true story of what happens when unfettered ambition pushes otherwise rational men and women to cross the line in the name of science, trampling ethical boundaries and often committing crimes in the process. The Icepick Surgeon masterfully guides the reader across two thousand years of history, beginning with Cleopatra's dark deeds in ancient Egypt. The book reveals the origins of much of modern science in the transatlantic slave trade of the 1700s, as well as Thomas Edison's mercenary support of the electric chair and the warped logic of the spies who infiltrated the Manhattan Project. But the sins of science aren't all safely buried in the past. Many of them, Kean reminds us, still affect us today. We can draw direct lines from the medical abuses of Tuskegee and Nazi Germany to current vaccine hesitancy, and connect icepick lobotomies from the 1950s to the contemporary failings of mental-health care. Kean even takes us into the future, when advanced computers and genetic engineering could unleash whole new sways to do one another wrong. Unflinching, and exhilarating to the last page, The Icepick Surgeon fuses the drama of scientific discovery with the illicit thrill of a true-crime tale. With his trademark wti and precision, Kean shows that, while science has done more good than harm in the world, rogue scientists do exist, and when we sacrifice morals for progress, we often end up with neither. --

The last victim

Jason Moss

The twisted, but fascinating, mind of a serial killer is revealed with terrifying consequences in this astonishing and shocking exploration. with 20 b&w photos.

Ghost of the innocent man

Benjamin Rachlin

"When the final gavel clapped in a rural southern courtroom in the summer of 1988, Willie J. Grimes, a gentle spirit with no record of violence, was shocked and devastated to be convicted of first-degree rape and sentenced to life imprisonment. Here is the story of this everyman and his extraordinary quarter-century-long journey to freedom, told in breathtaking and sympathetic detail, from the botched evidence and suspect testimony that led to his incarceration to the tireless efforts to prove his innocence and the identity of the true perpetrator. These were spearheaded by his relentless champion, Christine Mumma, a cofounder of North Carolina's Innocence Inquiry Commission. That commission-unprecedented at its inception in 2006-remains a model organization unlike any other in the country, and one now responsible for a growing number of exonerations."--

Thief-Taker Hangings

Aaron Skirboll

"In the early 1700s, lawlessness ruled England, and highwaymen, thieves, and prostitutes thrived. When notorious burglar Jack Sheppard finally met the hangman, street singers warbled ballads about the housebreaker whom no prison could hold. Before his execution, he told his story to a writer in the crowd. Daniel Defoe had done hard time himself for sedition and bankruptcy and saw how prison corrupted the poor. They came out thieves, but he came out a journalist. Six months later, Defoe covered another death at the hanging tree. Jonathan Wild had all but invented the double-cross. He cultivated thieves and then betrayed them for his reward and their executions. Jack Sheppard hadn't taken orders from this self-proclaimed "thief-taker general," and the two-faced bounty hunter took it personally, helping to bring the burglar's life to an end. But Wild's duplicity soon came to light, and he became the most despised man in the land. When he swung, a mob hurled rocks, rotten food, and even dead animals at him. Defoe once again got the scoop, and tabloid journalism had begun"-- "Chronicles the invention of scandal journalism by Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe"--

Blood aces

Doug J. Swanson

"The astonishing story of Benny Binion-a rip-roaring saga of murder, money, and the making of Las Vegas. Benny Binion was many things: a cowboy, a pioneering casino owner, a gangster, a killer, and founder of the hugely successful World Series of Poker. Blood Aces tells the story of Binion's crucial role in shaping modern Las Vegas. From a Texas backwater, Binion rose to prominence on a combination of vision, determination, and brutal expediency. His formula was simple: run a good business, cultivate the big boys, kill your enemies, and own the cops. Through a mix of cold-bloodedness, native intelligence, folksiness, and philanthropy, Binion became one of the most revered figures in the history of gambling, and his showmanship, shrewdness, and violence would come to dominate the Vegas scene. Veteran journalist Doug J. Swanson uses once-secret government documents and dogged reporting to show how Binion destroyed his rivals and outsmarted his adversaries-including J. Edgar Hoover. As fast paced as any thriller, Blood Aces tells a story that is unmatched in the annals of American criminal justice, a vital yet untold piece of this country's history"--

In broad daylight

Harry N. MacLean

On July 10, 1981, Ken Rex McElroy was shot to death on the main street of Skidmore, Missouri. Forty-five townspeople watched. His wife, sitting next to him in the truck, identified the gunman. In spite of three grand jury investigations and an FBI probe, no indictments were ever issued, no trial held and the town of Skidmore has protected the killer with silence ever since.--[book jacket].

Ghosts from the nursery

Robin Karr-Morse, Meredith S. Wiley

As the nation becomes alarmed by reports in the media of the growing wave of violent children, Ghosts from the Nursery presents startling new evidence that links aggressive and violent behavior to the effects of abuse and neglect on the infant brain. While violent behavior has typically been traced to adolescence, this book points to the cradle as the genesis of this problem. In clear and accessible prose, Karr-Morse and Wiley integrate narratives of real children, and interviews from death row, with compelling new research on psychological and physiological brain development. Ghosts from the Nursery demonstrates that positive infant care stimulates the brain's capacity for intelligence, trust, and empathy, while trauma, abuse, and neglect during the first two years of life can lead to the permanent suppression of these important protective capacities. By unveiling previously unseen vulnerabilities and opportunities present in infancy, Ghosts from the Nursery creates a convincing case for a revolution in our beliefs about how to begin to stem the violence currently overwhelming the nation.

Moral Panic

Phillip Jenkins

It is commonly acknowledged that sexual abuse of children is a grave and pervasive problem and that child molesters are predators who compulsively repeat their crimes and have little hope of cure. Yet as recently as twenty years ago many experts viewed the problem as a far less serious one, declaring that molestation was very rare and that molesters were merely confused individuals unlikely to repeat their offenses. Over the past century, opinion has fluctuated between these radically different perspectives. This timely book traces shifting social responses to adult sexual contacts with children, whether this involves molestation by strangers or incestuous acts by family members. The book explores how and why concern about the sexual offender has fluctuated in North America since the late nineteenth century.

Jesus Freaks

Don Lattin

In the tradition of Jon Krakauer's Under the Banner of Heaven, Don Lattin's Jesus Freaks is the story of a shocking pilgrimage of revenge that left two people dead and shed new light on The Family International, one of the most controversial religious movements to emerge from the spiritual turmoil of the sixties and seventies.Some say The Family International—previously known as the Children of God—began with the best intentions. But their sexual and spiritual excesses soon forced them to go underground and follow a dark and dangerous path. Their charismatic leader, David "Moses" Berg, preached a radical critique of the piety and hypocrisy of mainstream Christianity. But Berg's message quickly devolved into its own web of lies. He lusted for power and unlimited access to female members of his flock—including young girls and teenagers—and became a drunken tyrant, setting up re-indoctrination camps around the world for rebellious teenagers under his control.Thousands of children raised in The Family would defect and try to live normal lives, but the prophet's heir apparent, Ricky "Davidito" Rodriguez, was unable to either bear the excesses of the cult or fit into normal society. Sexually and emotionally abused as a child, Ricky left the fold and began a crusade to destroy the only family he ever knew, including a plot to kill his own mother.Veteran journalist Don Lattin has written a powerful, engrossing book about this uniquely American tragedy. Jesus Freaks is a cautionary tale for those who fail to question the prophesies and proclamations of anyone who claims to speak for God.

The killing of Julia Wallace

Jonathan Goodman, Jonathan Goodman

On 20 January 1931, Mrs Julia Wallace was brutally battered to death in the parlour of her home in Anfield, Liverpool. In April of that year, William Herbert Wallace, Julia's husband, was found guilty of her seemingly motiveless murder and sentenced to death by hanging. Yet on 19 May 1931, the sentence was overturned at the Court of Appeal. Since that day, the question of who killed Julia Wallace has remained unanswered. Now, John Gannon has undertaken painstaking research of all relevant records, including the police and legal files. Building on the work of prior investigators of this famous and fiendishly intriguing case, Gannon is able to present a fresh analysis, offering new evidence, revealing answers and convincing proofs. A compelling examination of what transpired leading up to, during and following the night of the gruesome murder, The Killing of Julia Wallace is the bloody, tragic and shocking story of what happened, who did it, and why.

Good Kids, Bad City

Kyle Swenson

Documents the true story of one of the longest wrongful imprisonment cases in U.S. history, detailing how three African-American men were incarcerated for nearly four decades before a questionable witness recanted his testimony.

Deadly kin

Robert W., III Newsom, William Trotter

He knifed her mother, poisoned her children and shot her father, but Susie Newsom Lynch still loved Cousin Fritz. Eight pages of photos accompany this bizarre true account of a first-cousin romance that left nine people dead.

City of light, city of poison

Holly Tucker

Nicolas de La Reynie, appointed by Louis XIV as the first police chief of Paris, pursues criminals through the labyrinthine neighborhoods of the city, unearths a tightly knit cabal of poisoners, witches, and renegade priests, and discovers that the distance between the quiet backstabbing world of the king's court and the criminal underground is disturbingly short. As he continues his investigations, La Reynie suspects that Louis's mistresses are involved in many of the nefarious plots he has uncovered, and he must decide just how far he will go to protect his king. Tucker has crafted a gripping true-crime tale of deception and murder based on thousands of pages of court transcripts and La Reynie's notebooks, letters, and diaries.