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  Moguls - The Lives and Times of...

  Michael Benson, Craig Singer

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  Groundbreaking pioneers of the Hollywood Dream Factory, Joseph and Nicholas Schenck may not have been household names like the Warner brothers or Louis B. Mayer, but they were infinitely more powerful, influential—and ruthless. A pair of Russian immigrants with giant ambitions, the Schencks turned their small nickelodeon business in New York's Bowery into a partnership with Loew's movie theaters and a controlling interest in three major studios: MGM, 20th Century Fox, and United Artists. They painted the silver screen silver, laid the foundations for the all-powerful studio system, and ruled a global movie empire from their Gatsby-sized mansions on the East and West coasts. The Schencks had become moguls.Their story is the stuff of legends—and their scandals are among the greatest stories Hollywood never told. This riveting, behind-the-scenes account reveals many surprising truths.From the earliest days of silent films and the swinging era of the Roaring Twenties, through the Golden Age of the studio system and the patriotic call of WWII, to the Red Scare paranoia of the McCarthy years, the history of the Schenck brothers is the story of Hollywood itself—and the enduring power of the American Dream. Moguls is a must-listen for film fans, history buffs, and anyone who loves the movies.

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  Detective - A Life Upholding the...

  Tom Connolly

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  Tom Connolly joined An Garda Síochána in 1955, following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. His early days on the force were spent in various villages and towns around Ireland, tracking petty thieves, raiding pubs and patrolling country roads on his bicycle. Back then, before the dawn of DNA profiling, policemen relied on local knowledge and intuition – as well as careful evidence-gathering and interrogation techniques – to make their cases.
  Over his forty-year career, Connolly rose to the rank of Detective Superintendent, working on high-profile thefts, assaults and murders with the National Technical Bureau.  
  This fascinating memoir offers an insight into the day-to-day work of the gardaí, and celebrates the courage and dedication of all those who risk their lives to keep us safe.

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  Ride the Razor's Edge - The...

  Carl W. Breihan

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  Follow the legendary adventures of two of the Wild West’s most notorious outlaws in this historical biography. Like their partners in crime Frank and Jesse James, the Younger Brothers have been glorified in the lore of the Wild West. Famous for their daring train and bank robberies, and immortalized in the film The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid, the Younger brothers—Cole, James, John, and Bob—came to symbolize the grit and cunning of the nineteenth century frontier. Ride the Razor’s Edge chronicles their adventures while placing them in their wider historical context.  From fighting in the Civil War alongside William Quantrill and his band of guerrillas to their famous raid in Lawrence, Kansas, to their first bank robbery in Liberty, Missouri, the Youngers became heroes of the people—and foes of their state. Using family archives, personal letters, and interviews with surviving family, author Carl W. Breihan presents an authoritative and captivating story from their days with the Confederacy to Cole’s and James’s years in a Minnesota prison, and Cole Younger's fight to adapt to life after his pardon.

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  The Pierre Hotel Affair - How...

  Daniel Simone, Nick Sacco

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  New York City, 1972: Bobby Comfort and Sammy "the Arab" Nalo were highly skilled jewel thieves who specialized in robbing luxury Manhattan hotels. (They once robbed Sophia Loren's suite, relieving the Italian actress of over $1 million in gems.) With the blessing of the Lucchese crime family, their next plot targeted the posh Pierre Hotel-host to kings and queens, presidents and aldermen, and the wealthiest of the wealthy.Attired in tuxedos and driven in a limousine, this band of thieves arrived at the Pierre and with perfect timing, they seized the security guards and, in systematically choreographed moves, they swiftly took the night staff-and several unfortunate guests who happened to be roaming around the lobby-as hostages.The deposit boxes inside the vault chamber are plundered and, after the intruders have held the Pierre under siege for almost two hours, the gentlemanly thieves depart in their limousine with a haul of $28 million. But then matters begin to deteriorate. Comfort, Nalo, and their partners begin to double and triple cross one another-two absconding to Europe with the bulk of the booty while three are murdered by their former associates.

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  Bodysnatchers - Digging Up the...

  Suzie Lennox

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  The grim history of England’s bodysnatching trade: “Lennox’s thorough exploration is riveting” (Naomi Clifford, author of The Disappearance of Maria Glenn).   From the string of murders committed by Burke and Hare, a pair of ghouls who are still the stuff of pop culture legend, to the lesser-known but equally gruesome grave-robbing exploits of Henry Gillies, William Patrick, and Joseph Grainger, here is the fascinating true chronicle of England’s “Resurrection Men.”   During the winter months of 1742–1832, selling fresh cadavers to anatomists up and down the country, all in aid of medical advancement, was the surest way to earn a living for desperate men. After all, anatomy schools would pay high prices for corpses to dissect—the fresher the better. And they asked no questions as to their origins. This resulted in the criminal underworld of the “Sack ‘em up Men” who left behind disinterred churchyards and burial grounds, and spread fear and horror throughout the United Kingdom.   In Bodysnatchers, Suzie Lennox unearths the truth behind the macabre tales, separating fact from folktale, and setting the record straight about Britain’s gruesome, often forgotten history.

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  Duped - Why Innocent People...

  Ph. D. Saul Kassin

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  “As you read this blurb, you know you would never confess to a crime you didn’t commit. Read this compelling study and you’ll change your mind. Dr. Kassin lays bare the dirty tricks used by police to make innocents confess. And he describes, convincingly, what should be done to stop them.”– John Grisham, #1 New York Times-bestselling authorWritten by the world's leading expert on false confessions, this landmark book reveals the psychology behind why innocent men, women, and children, intensely stressed and befuddled by the promises, threats, trickery, and deception of a police interrogation, are duped into confession, no matter how horrific the crime. Featuring riveting case studies, highly original research, work done in tandem with the Innocence Project, and quotes from individuals who confessed to crimes they did not commit, Duped tells the story of how this happens, how the system turns a blind eye, and how to make it stop.Why do people confess to crimes they did not commit? And, surely, those cases must be rare? In fact, it happens all the time—in police stations, workplaces, public schools, and the military. Psychologist Saul Kassin, the world’s leading expert on false confessions, explains how interrogators trick innocent people into confessing, and then how the criminal justice system deludes us into believing these confessions.Duped reveals how innocent men, women, and children, intensely stressed and befuddled by lawful weapons of psychological interrogation, are induced into confession, no matter how horrific the crime. By featuring riveting case studies, highly original research, work by the Innocence Project, and quotes from real-life exonerees, Kassin tells the story of how false confessions happen, and how they corrupt forensics, witnesses, and other evidence, force guilty pleas, and follow defendants for their entire lives— even after they are exonerated by DNA.Starting in the 1980’s, Dr. Kassin pioneered the scientific study of interrogations and confessions. Since then, he has been on the forefront of research and advocacy for those wrongfully convicted by police-induced false confessions. Examining famous cases like the Central Park jogger case and Amanda Knox case, as well as stories of ordinary innocent people trapped into confession, Dr. Kassin exposes just how widespread this problem is. Concluding with actionable solutions and proposals for legislative reform, Duped shows why the stigma of confession persists and how we can reform the criminal justice system to make it stop.

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