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Nature vs Nurture
A serial killer is someone that has killed more than three people in a repeated fashion and their characteristics are typically anti-social behaviour, psychopathic, narcissistic, paranoid and often very good at hiding these qualities from others.
Most famous UK killer, Jack the Ripper, 1880s, real name unknown.
Most famous USA Killer, Ted Bundy, 1970s.
Most prolific UK Killer, Harold Shipman, estimated 250 deaths.
Most prolific USA Killer, Charles Cullen, estimated 400 deaths.
It is believed that there may be 50 serial killers at large at any one time.
Rhona Smith wanted to set a record and not be caught. Her goal was 500 victims.
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Jack the Ripper and the Whitechapel Murders
Between April and November of 1888, a shadow descended upon the streets of London’s East End. Night workers – predominantly prostitutes – were targeted in a brutal series of murders. Of the dozen reported killings, six bore the chilling signature of a single murderer, who would later become infamously known as Jack the Ripper. This enigmatic killer left a macabre calling card: surgically excising organs from his victims.
Despite numerous theories and alleged familial ties proposed over the decades, the true identity of Jack the Ripper remains elusive. Modern forensics and passionate amateur sleuths have pursued the mystery, but the waters are muddied with myths and hearsay. Can we ever claim to be related to someone whose identity is unknown?
The Ripper’s reign of terror may have been brief, yet its impact lingers on. Copycat killers have emerged over the years, attempting to emulate Jack’s nefarious deeds, but none have matched the intrigue surrounding the original Ripper. Whether this phantom killer was a transient or a local, their identity – and whether they fled England or met their end within its borders – remains one of history’s most compelling enigmas.
Delve into this book and decide for yourself: after journeying through its pages, do you think you’ve come closer to uncovering the truth about Jack the Ripper?
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The Big One
In just eight days, every secret you've ever kept could be laid bare for the world to see. This is the chilling promise made by the shadowy group known as ‘The Horrible Siliconettes.’
Enter Flake, a prominent data-dystopian YouTuber and social media critic known for his prank videos. Now, he’s the NSA’s top suspect, accused of orchestrating what they deem a terrorist act. But to Flake, it’s a wake-up call for society.
As the world grapples with the looming threat, Flake finds himself drawn to Leeza, a bright-eyed Silicon Valley insider who believes in the power of social media to do good. Their budding romance is set against the backdrop of a society on the brink of chaos. Together, they ignite a viral social media campaign challenging Big Tech’s ethics, drawing both admiration and adversaries.
As users abandon social media platforms and stock markets waver, the impending data dump – dubbed ‘The Big One’ in Silicon Valley circles – threatens to dismantle lives, topple corporate giants, and even destabilize governments.
Amidst this whirlwind, Flake and Leeza’s relationship is put to a test as they get pulled into a web of corporate intrigue and political machinations. As the stakes rise, they quickly realize they’re in over their heads, facing dire consequences.
“Just because you are paranoid don’t mean they’re not after you,” Kurt Cobain screamed at us in ‘Territorial Pissings’. In a world where secrets are currency, how much are you willing to pay?
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Leeway
In the serene enclave of County Cork, the unsolved murder of Father Kevin Leeway casts a lingering shadow. Three years on, the case has gone cold, but the priest’s brother, Tom, remains undeterred in seeking justice. Teaming up with his detective friend Jack, who once navigated the murky trails of the case, Tom reignites the quest for truth. But as they delve deeper, Jack fears the perilous path could entangle them in a web of danger once more. Leeway weaves a tale of unyielding resolve and eerie secrets in a village where the past holds a sinister whisper.
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When Ripples Collide
When Ripples Collide is a poignant tale of resilience, chronicling the lives of three formidable young women who defy the odds stacked against them. Cast into the protective arms of child services from troubled childhoods, the novel and its sequel explore their relentless fight for acknowledgment amidst covert biases. Battling the stigma of being raised in care and poverty, they wield an indomitable belief in themselves and a steadfast determination to shed the labels that society has imposed on them.
This narrative weaves a rich tapestry of harrowing and complex journeys laden with unexpected twists. The trio confronts danger head-on, from aiding Rosie’s flight from a contemporary enslavement ring to lending their wits and bravery to The Entity, a clandestine organization devoted to repatriating treasures looted by the Nazis. Amidst their endeavours, they navigate a labyrinth of crass political machinations and duplicity, a system designed to guard the interests of an elite few.
Their quest for autonomy is a trial by fire, a crucible that forges their identities and moral resolve. As they surmount each obstacle, the chains of their former ‘victim’ status dissolve, allowing them to emerge not as products of their past but as architects of their destiny. When Ripples Collide is an ode to their journey towards recognition and empowerment, proving that their value is defined by their own merits and not by their beginnings.
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I Must Remember
Lawyer Mitch Galichin finds himself a fugitive after he blows the whistle on a human trafficking ring operated by the vory-v-zakone in Leningrad. His life in peril, Mitch navigates the landscapes of Eastern Canada, drawing readers into the vivid places and intriguing characters he encounters along the way.
The story oscillates between the Canadian backdrop and the stark contrasts of Siberia, where Mitch’s young daughter, Anja, and his ex-wife reside. Adding to the complexity, Mitch’s father, Sergei, endures the harsh realities of a Siberian labour camp. In this narrative, appearances are deceiving, and the truth is layered.
Haunted by the ghosts of his past, Mitch perceives threats at every turn. As time progresses, his fear gradually diminishes, giving way to a struggle to reclaim his true identity. Complicating matters, a new romance emerges, bringing with it the haunting realities of human trafficking. Faced with this dilemma, Mitch grapples with the choice to intervene or turn away.
This novel transcends the grim realities of human trafficking, balancing the gravity with moments of levity. Set against the backdrop of the Soviet Union’s disintegration, it delivers a potent social message woven into a compelling storyline. While it follows Josie Mounsey’s previous novel, The Weak Against the Strong, this gripping narrative stands on its own as a suspenseful and emotionally charged drama.
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Beyond Redemption
When a wealthy German businessman mysteriously disappears without a trace and the Police discover the mutilated body of a wanted Bosnian war criminal, awkward questions are going to be asked. Awkward for who? Awkward for me, that’s who. And that, my friend, is just the tip of the iceberg. I never intended that my life would be a complicated one, but complicated it has turned out to be.
After his release from prison, for a murder he did not commit, Stephen Caldwell worked hard to get his life back on track. It may appear that he is now a successful entrepreneur with a comfortable life, surrounded by family and friends but, beneath the charade lurks a world of lies, deception, criminality and intrigue. Stephen is plagued by his conscience and those who will stop at nothing to take what’s his, conspiring to drag him back to a time and a place where he no longer wants to be. The time has come when too many people know the truth and Stephen can feel that the walls are closing in.
One way or another, he needs to escape from the life which he has made, but can he?
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Lost Without a Trace
Our hero, Jack, is a daring WWII fighter pilot shot down behind enemy lines over Germany. Reported missing in action and presumed dead, Jack defies the odds and survives as a prisoner of war. Fed false reports about England’s defeat, he spends three gut-wrenching years believing his country has fallen.
Finally liberated, Jack returns home to find his world irrevocably changed. His beloved mother and infant son are missing, displaced after surviving the Blitz. Consumed by loss, Jack embarks on an unrelenting search across war-torn England to find the family fate so cruelly ripped away from him.
Fate intervenes when a chance encounter provides Jack the first glimmer of hope for a bittersweet reunion. Will he find his family in time before they are lost in the fog of war?
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Failure of Light
In his country, the Republic of Bakassi, the lights keep going out. Many people are starving. Even government workers have a difficult time making ends meet. Henry Alade, a salesman for the oil ministry, is one of the lucky ones. The problem? Fraudulent oil mafia, an energy crisis, failing dollars’ revenue created by an oil glut, U.S. SHALE oil production, Caliphate rebel fighters, Fire Warriors of the oil-rich delta, and an upcoming election already turning fraudulent. Henry knows the delta region is the key. What little is happening for its people will come to an end if a certain pretentious messiah, the retired, cruel and nepotistic General Kokumo, is elected. Henry realizes the monster is too powerful. The corruption is too much. All the people in his country, from the wealthy to the poor, are being tricked into feeding this monster. And if Henry isn’t careful, he’s going to be right in the middle of the country’s rapid downward spiral.
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The Masked Ball
Having relocated to Perth, cancer surgeon Aresh Mehta is preparing to settle down in life. Travelling with him is an unsigned painting that he came across – and kept – more than a decade earlier. Haunted by the violent scene it depicts, Aresh decides that the time has come for him to find out who painted it and if it has any value.
Local art experts cannot pinpoint the artist and choose instead to focus on a distinctive work of art, painted in miniature, and shown hanging on the wall of the plush suburban study in which the violence has been set. The search into the origins of this small painting uncovers deep familial connections stretching from London to Melbourne and on to Sydney.
And, as the investigation into the crime portrayed in Aresh’s painting advances, people determined to prevent the shocking truth from emerging are alerted, holding nothing back to avoid being exposed.
The Masked Ball is a story about the abiding strength of our attachment to the paintings we possess and to the stories that lie beneath their making.
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Straw, Blood and Bones
When a body is discovered in a remote fenland field, D.I. Ray Keane finds himself embroiled in a murder investigation that exposes the dark underbelly of the local farming community and a dangerous web of drugs and greed.
As Ray and his team piece clues together, the case grows complicated when trusted allies show how easily money corrupts. But gains an unexpected champion in a seasoned new Superintendent who lends critical support during pivotal raids.
Faced with stunned witnesses and suspects alike as the tense investigation reaches its climax, Ray rediscovers his team’s impressive mettle just when he needs it most.
Meanwhile, as Ray’s personal life continues warming, he ponders the notion of an actual holiday for the first time in ages. But duty calls as the cunning D.I. puts his indelible talents to work solving this gruesome mystery plaguing the fenlands, where a killer believed evasion was just a shallow ditch away.
“Another intriguing case for D.I. Keane to solve … A gruesome discovery in a Fenland field has to be investigated in D.I. Keane’s inimitable style …”
– Carole, a reader.£3.50 -
The Daisy Chain
The psychological onslaught of torment enveloped her in a veil of darkness as the same mind-bending scenes play on a relentless loop every time she closes her eyes. The secrets Cassandra Matthews has been forced to keep are suffocating the very life blood out of her, leaving her utterly incapacitated. Alone with her despair, lost in the bleakness of helplessness, and invisible to those around her, she is unable to function effectively. Exasperated at feeling like a pinball being propelled back and forth, desperate for someone to listen, she threatens to confess all that she knows just to quieten the demons within.
Like a starter pistol commencing a race, Cassandra Matthews’ warnings shift the gears into place, igniting a ‘survival of the fittest’ mode and stimulating her assailant’s drastic actions. They may think they have covered their tracks, but a face at the window holds the truth and will stop at nothing to ensure they pay, tenfold. The sins of the guilty may quieten their ears and allow them to sleep in blissful ignorance, but the puppet master is biding his time, planning his retribution.
Through the unpredictable and intricate web woven from their deceit, he will cast his net to inflict upon them a destructive path of human suffering they never knew existed. The stranger in the shadows will decide upon the time, the place, and the punishment; then, there will be no mercy.
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