Non-Fiction & True Crime

February 4, 2012

Hill, Steven Warren. SILVER SCREAM: 40 Classic Horror Movies Volume Two 1941-1951. Telos Publishing Ltd. June '11. $28.95. "From folk tales of the Devil buying souls in New Hampshire to an ambulatory alien vegetable terrorizing the crew of a remote scientific outpost, fantasy and horror film has explored every facet of human (and not so human) nature. From the earliest days of cinema, visions of blood thirsty vampires, musty mummies, fanged wolf men, cat people, weird women and bolt-necked patchwork monstrosities have stalked, stomped, crept and lurched their way across popular consciousness. Journey with us as we continue our exploration of the most memorable scares of the silver screen. We explore the development of forty key films, with detailed analysis and biographies of all those involved in their creation from the writers and directors through composers, cast and technical crew. Revisit the days when the names of Karloff, Chaney Jr, Lugosi and Atwill ruled the shadows on the screen, and when the myths and legends of iconic monsters were created, developed, and became established in popular culture (here are some related resources). Come with us back to the time of the Silver Scream..."

McKinney, Joe. FLESH EATERS. Pinnacle Books pbo. April '11. $6.99. "They Rise... Out of the flooded streets of Houston, they emerge from plague-ridden waters. Dead. Rotting. Hungry. And as human survivors scramble to their rooftops for safety, the zombie hordes circle like sharks. The ultimate killing machines. They Feed... Houston is quarantined to halt the spread of the zombie plague. Anyone trying to escape is shot on sight - living and dead. Emergency Ops sergeant Eleanor Norton has her work cut out for her. Salvaging boats and gathering explosives, Eleanor and her team struggle to maintain order. But when civilization finally breaks down, the feeding frenzy begins. They Multiply... Biting, gnawing, feasting - but always craving more - the flesheaters increase their ranks every hour. With doomsday looming, Eleanor must focus on the people she loves - her husband and daughter - and a band of other survivors adrift in zombie-infested waters. If she can't bring them into the quarantine zone, they're all dead meat." Kindle Edition. $5.95.

TRUE CRIME

Benson, Michael. A KILLER'S TOUCH. Pinnacle Books pbo. October '11. $6.99. "A PRETTY YOUNG WOMAN... Denise Amber Lee was a 21-year-old happily married mother of two little boys. She had her whole life ahead of her...until an intruder broke into her Florida home. Within a few short hours, she was savagely terrorized, murdered, and buried naked in a shallow grave near a desolate swamp. A DEPRAVED KILLER... Michael King, a 38-year-old out-of-work plumber, was a ticking time bomb. For years, neighbors called the police on King, complaining that, among other things, he'd thrown battery acid in their pool and slashed their tires. Denise's fate was far worse. In a horrifying act of cruelty, Kind bound her with duct tape, raped her repeatedly, then shot her dead. A TRAGIC FAILURE... Incredibly, Denise managed to call 911 twice during her abduction. Eyewitnesses and her distraught husband also called, but a slow, inefficient system tragically failed her. King was sentenced to death. But for Denise and her loving family, it was too late. Includes 16 pages of Shocking Photos."

Benson, Michael. WATCH MOMMY DIE. Pinnacle Books pbo. May '11. $6.99. "IN THE HANDS OF A SADIST... First, he bound and beat his girlfriend, a 43-year-old librarian. Then he went after her teenaged daughter - warning her, 'Scream and I will kill you both' - before knocking her unconscious. When the teenager awoke, he proceeded to rape her. And in a final horrifying act of depravity, he forced the girl to watch as he slit her mother's throat. But the killing didn't stop there... IN THE CROSSHAIRS OF A KILLER... Stephen Stanko was described as 'a perfect gentleman' who 'seemed so pleasant...and so normal.' But behind Stanko's mild-mannered appearance, round spectacles, and quiet intelligence was a coldblooded ex-convict who kept a grisly scrapbook on serial killers - and convinced everyone he was a nice guy - until he killed and killed again. A well-orchestrated manhunt caught up with Stanko, who tried to get away with his crimes by pleading insanity. But the jury saw through his ruse and the ruthless killer was sentenced to death. Case Seen on 48 Hours. Includes 16 Pages of Shocking Photos." Kindle Edition. $4.76.

DeStefano, Anthonyl. MOB KILLER: The Bloody Rampage of Charles Carneglia, Mafia Hit Man. Pinnacle Books pbo. June '11. $6.99. "A CRAZED KILLER... He dissolved the bodies of some of his victims in acid and poured them down the sewer. He hung grisly souvenirs on nails in his junkyard. LA COSTRA NOSTRA... Charles Carneglia was a stone-cold killer who fell in with the bloodthirsty John Gotti crew. As the infamous crime family rose to power with their murderous trail of sex, jealousy, greed, and revenge, Carneglia rose with them. MAFIA MADNESS AND MURDER... This is the horrifying story of a misfit who fit perfectly into the New York mafia. In a harrowing journey inside a ruthless criminal underworld, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Anthony M. DeStefano chronicles one man's life in a world of depraved acts of violence and the horrors that went with being a member of the Gambino family. Includes 16 Pages of Shocking Photos."

Lasseter, Don. DEADLY DECEIT. Pinnacle Books pbo. April '11. $6.99. "GUNNED DOWN. After years of hard work, Brian and Jeannie Legg has earned a well deserved life of leisure in their picture-perfect Phoenix mansion. Until their troubled son showed up with a need for cash - and a thirst for murder... TWO BODIES. David Legg was an obsessive control freak and an army deserter. After fathering an illegitimate child, he wooed and wed a trusting young woman - only to destroy his marriage with lies and infidelities. But his deceptions were far from over... A SAVAGE SON. In June of 1996, Jeannie and Brian were found shot to death, their bodies sitting next to each other on their living room loveseat. Jeannie's expensive ring and the couple's credit cards were missing. Meanwhile, David, the prime suspect, was living it up in Hawaii with his fifteen-year-old girlfriend, draining his dead parents' savings through ATMs. After a long and costly chase this remorseless killer faced a jury of his peers in 2000, and was locked behind bars for life. 16 pages of shocking photographs." Kindle Edition. $5.95.

Mustafa, Susan D. & Israel, Sue. DISMEMBERED. Pinnacle Books pbo. July '11. $6.99. "'She had beautiful legs. I wanted to keep those legs.' One by one, investigators found the women's bodies. Each one carefully posed. Each one brutally mutilated. An arm here. A leg there. A breast, nipples, a tattoo. The killer was cutting his victims to pieces... 'At that point, I pretty much went for the head.' For ten years in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the killings went on. Women of slight stature were hunted down, bludgeoned and strangled. And what the killer did with their bodies in the privacy of his car, his home, his kitchen, and his shower - was beyond anything police could imagine. 'I was pure evil.' When investigators finally caught mild-mannered, Star Trek fan Sean Vincent Gillis, he couldn't wait to tell his story. In the presence of shocked veteran detectives, Sean told them every detail of his killings, everything he did with the bodies.... And he smiled the whole time... Includes 16 pages of shocking photographs. Warning: Contains Graphic Details."

Phelps, M. William. TOO YOUNG TO KILL. Pinnacle Books pbo. August '11. $7.99. "KILLING HER WASN'T ENOUGH... Sixteen-year-old Adrianne Reynolds couldn't unravel the twisted tangles of jealousy and domination complicating her new life in East Moline, Illinois. What began as a fresh start after a troubled home life in Texas ended with Adrianne's body charred, stuffed into garbage bags, and scattered. It seemed the work of hardened criminals, but the truth was far more astonishing: her own 'best friends' choked Adrianne to death and cut her up. Now, master crime writer M. William Phelps recounts this horrific saga of teen lust and violence in every gripping detail. Includes 16 pages of photos."

Rother, Caitlin. POISONED LOVE. Kensington Press. December '11. $6.99. "BED OF ROSES. Kristin Rossum was a California golden girl - beautiful, smart, successful. Her marriage to soft-spoken, devoted Greg de Villers seemed to him like a fairy tale come true. But this blond beauty's sweet smile masked a wicked side. Kristin had a taste for drugs and an eye for other men. When her husband was found dead in their bedroom surrounded by rose petals, she told a tale about his medication use and suicidal impulses. But a darker story would emerge. One in which she starred as a cold-blooded murderer... This new updated edition provides sensational revelations about Kristin Rossum's claim of innocence, including a recent appeals court decision that may reopen the case to new investigations and media attention. Case seen on Inside Edition, Good Morning America, and 48 Hours. Includes Dramatic Photos."

Scott, Robert. THE LAST TIME WE SAW HER. Pinnacle Books pbo. January '12. $6.99. "DEEPLY LOVED, SADLY MISSED. Blonde, 19-year-old Brooke Wilberger was raised in a close-knit religious family. On a summer morning in Oregon, while cleaning lampposts at an apartment complex managed by her sister, Brooke vanished. One moment she was there, the next moment all that was left were her flip-flops and the echo of her scream. Her family suffered five long years to learn that their worst fears were true. Brooke's life had been snatched brutally away by Joel Courtney, a serial predator who said he hadn't meant to kill her. But the stories of other women made it clear that Courtney was pure evil... Includes dramatic photos."

Scott, Robert. SHATTERED INNOCENCE. Pinnacle Books pbo. September '11. $7.99. "THE CASE THAT SHOCKED THE WORLD. In 1991, an 11 years-old girl was abducted in broad daylight. Eighteen years later, a policewoman at UC Berkeley confronted a deranged man accompanied by two young girls. During questioning the next day the girls' mother blurted: 'I am Jaycee Lee Dugard.' Her companion was identified as Phillip Craig Garrido - a convicted drug user, rapist and sexual predator. An astonishing story was about to unfold... THE EVIL THAT NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED. Now, award-winning author Robert Scott brings to light previously unrevealed information about Garrido's criminal past and manipulation of the legal system. With police and psychologist testimony, this book shows how Garrido managed to get out of a 50-year prison sentence - to shatter the innocence of Jaycee Lee Dugard forever... Includes 16 pages of photos."

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