The year is 1778, the ship is the 18-gun HMS Sparrow, England's finest sloop of war, and the Captain is Richard Bolitho, sailing his command into the fury of battle. The American Revolution has turned the Atlantic coast into a refuge for privateers and marauding French warships, and it is up to young Bolitho to fight the colonial rebels, to stave off the treachery of a beautiful woman, and to overcome the dangerous incompetence of a senior officer before it is too late. Views: 9
Fred Rosen follows a killer's trail back in time 2 decades to discover how a monster slipped through the legal system When police in Tampa, Florida, arrested Larry Singleton in 1997 for brutally murdering prostitute Roxanne Hayes, they soon realized it wasn't the man's first violent attack. Back in 1978 he had gained notoriety as "the Mad Chopper" for raping and cutting off the arms of 15-year-old Mary Vincent on a patch of desolate, sun-scorched land 5 miles off the highway near Modesto, California. When Singleton was let out of prison on supervised parole after serving only 8 years for his crimes, no community in California would accept him. He eventually moved back to his home in Florida, where he killed Hayes nearly 20 years after his original crime. But his first victim, Vincent, had survived, walking nearly a mile to get help after the assault, and testified against him at his trial for murdering Hayes. Views: 8
MORE THAN 20 MILLION COPIES OF ANN RULE'S BOOKS IN PRINT!In this unnerving collection drawn from her personal crime files, "America's best true-crime writer" (Kirkus Reviews) Ann Rule brilliantly dissects the convoluted love affairs that all too often end in violence. Expertly analyzing a shocking, headline-making case, Rule unmasks the deadly motives inside a seemingly idyllic marriage: a beautiful young wife, a rising star in America's top-ranked computer corporation, and a prosperous husband, the scion of a family building business. With an adorable son and a gorgeous home, the couple seemed to have it all. But a furtive evil permeated their days and nights, dragging them into a murky world of drugs, sordid sex, and con operations. In this realm, one of them would prove to be a virtual innocent, the other a manipulator with no conscience. Sudden, violent death brought their charade of a fairy-tale romance to a tragic end -- with a brutal crime that might never have come to light were it not for the stubborn detectives and prosecutors whose fight for justice spanned an entire decade. Empty Promises recounts several other cases where the search for love brought only lies and betrayal -- a cautionary primer, perhaps, for those who trust too much too soon. Powerful because they strike so close to home, the cases in Empty Promises will leave readers shaken by the realities of love gone terribly -- and fatally -- wrong.From BooklistAlthough the former police officer and FBI consultant is best known for full-length true-crime books, she is also a prolific writer of shorter articles, publishing more than a thousand of them over the past three decades. Many of her shorter pieces have been collected in the ongoing Crime Files series, of which this is volume seven. The ten pieces included here, some of them going back more than 25 years, tell the story of a man whose possessiveness allegedly led him to murder; of unrequited love that led to madness; of a couple of genuinely (almost comically) incompetent femme fatales; of a man who killed for the thrill of it; and other fascinating, unsettling tales. Rule brings the same respect for detail to her short work that is evident in the book-length accounts. She is able to look beyond "just the facts" and penetrate to the heart of the matter, to identify not only the who and the what, but the all-important why. The shortest article here is deeper, and tells us more about the nature of crime, than a whole stack of full-length books written by less talented competitors. Among the very small group of top-notch true-crime writers (Lawrence Schiller, Jack Olsen, and Joe McGinniss, when he gets it right), Rule just may be the best of the bunch. David PittCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedReviewThe undisputed master crime writer of the Eighties and Nineties John Saul Devastatingly accurate insight NEW YORK TIMES Views: 8
The author of eight New York Times bestsellers, Ann Rule first won nationwide acclaim with The Stranger Beside Me, about serial killer Ted Bundy. Her Crime Files volumes, based on fascinating case histories, have assured her reputation as our premier chronicler of crime. Now the former Seattle policewoman brings us the horrific account of a charismatic man adored by beautiful and brilliant women who always gave him what he wanted...sex, money, their very lives....When attorney Cheryl Keeton's brutally bludgeoned body was found in her van in the fast lane of an Oregon freeway, her husband, Brad Cunningham, was the likely suspect. But there was no solid evidence linking him to the crime. He married again, for the fifth time, and his stunning new wife, a physician named Sara, adopted his three sons. They all settled down to family life on a luxurious estate. But gradually, their marriage became a nightmare....In this gripping account of Cheryl's murder, Ann... Views: 8
When in 1798 Richard Bolitho hoists his broad pendant as commodore of a small squadron and prepares to re-enter the Mediterranean he is soon made aware of his responsibility. There are rumours of a massive French armada and of the latest type of artillery - and Bolitho's orders are to seek out the enemy and to discover the intentions of his growing force.Without any British bases in the Mediterranean, and unable to show favour to old friends, Bolitho is well aware that there are others within his ships who are no less dangerous than the enemy - and during the weeks and months in which the squadron faces the hazards of the weather and French broadsides alike, Bolitho knows that far more than his own future is at stake. A fleet, even a nation, could depend on his decisions and, when he places his squadron between the Nile and the power of France, he must accept the price of the challenge. Views: 8
October 1789, and war clouds thunder over Europe when Richard Bolitho steers the Tempest into the perilous waters of the Great South Sea. To protect vulnerable English shipping lanes from her seagoing enemies, he must face the hazards of fickle winds, pirates, and savage islanders. Views: 7
Captain Adam Bolitho, of the 74-gun Athena, sails to the West Indies as flag-captain to Vice-Admiral Sir Graham Bethune, who had been a friend of Adam's uncle, Richard. In the torrid waters of the Caribbean, they take on a renegade foe that knows no honor, offers no quarter, and traffics in human life. Views: 6
A thrilling World War One adventure from the author of the Nicholas Everard naval thrillersIt is October 1918 and Germany is suing for peace. All U-boats have been ordered home from patrol. Among them is U81, commanded by Otto von Mettendorff: young, dynamic, and infatuated with a girl who works near Wilhelmshaven, the port U81 is now returning to. Unfortunately, U81 is holed by a destroyer on its way home. Meanwhile in London, Anne Laurie, a young war widow employed in the Intelligence Division of the Royal Navy, learns of Otto's death. It jolts memories of a pre-war weekend in Berlin in the summer of 1913; the genesis of a compulsive story of two magnetic people torn apart by global conflict... Stark Realities is a grippingly authentic First World War adventure, ideal for fans of Alexander Kent, Julian Stockwin and C. S. Forester. Views: 5
