Showing titles in Con Artists, Hoaxes & Deceptions

In MrBallen Presents: Where Nightmares Live, John Allen, known popularly as “MrBallen,” is back with another heart-stopping collection of strange and mysterious stories exploring terrors that lie just beyond our comprehension. From skin-melting encounters in Brazil to a bus full of malevolent ghosts in Taipei, to a bell ringing deep in the Arizona wilderness, MrBallen’s spine-chilling tales—four of which are exclusive to this graphic novel—span multiple centuries and expose bizarre, terrifying, and utterly unforgettable experiences of the unnatural world.

"All the stars eventually fall from the sky above the Ramsey home in Boulder, all except the Black Star...." 21 years after JonBenét Ramsey case has gone cold, is there anything we can salvage from the ashes of one little girl’s life? Black Star Over Bethlehem targets the 2007-2008 timeline in the Ramsey archive, but delves in laser-sharp detail into many other areas of the case, including the lights inside the Ramsey residence on the night of the murder, the origin of the duct tape, theories around Asperger's syndrome, the polygraph narrative, the bogus DNA narrative and many hitherto ...

Two years after the Watts Family Murders, how much of what we know to be the truth isn’t the truth? What new information has come through the ether in recent months? What has the new Netflix documentary revealed that we didn’t already know? In POST TRUTH, the 100th True Crime Rocket Science [TCRS] title, the world’s most prolific true crime author Nick van der Leek demonstrates how much we still don’t know in the Watts case. In the final chapter of the SILVER FOX trilogy the author provides a sly twist in a tale that has spanned 12 TCRS books to date. The result may shock or leave ...

No bond is more sacred than the one between a mother and child. And no figure is more sympathetic than a mother whose child faces a life-threatening illness. But what if the mother is the reason for the illness? What if the sympathy is the point? With help from some of the top MBP experts in the world, Dunlop and Weber uncover the complex maze of psychological, systemic, and cultural issues that compound MBP and offer solutions for how we might find our way out.

On a spring day in 1926, Aimee Semple McPherson wandered into the Pacific Ocean and vanished. Weeks later she reappeared in the desert, claiming to have been kidnapped. A national media frenzy and months of investigation ensued. Who was this woman? America’s most famous evangelist, McPherson was a sophisticated marketer who used spectacle, storytelling, and the newest technology—including her own radio station—to bring God’s message to the masses.

Florida Man strikes again — and again — and again! From flying alligators to sword fights at laundromats, this outrageous collection brings you 25 unbelievable short stories inspired by real headlines. Dive into a world where the bizarre is everyday news, and chaos lurks around every corner. Logan Carter’s hilarious, jaw-dropping tales capture the spirit of Florida's most infamous characters, blending truth, madness, and a whole lot of gator. Buckle up. It’s going to be a wild ride. Florida Man strikes again — and again — and again! From flying alligators to sword fights at ...

Unfamiliar with the JonBenét Ramsey case? This book is your essential guide. Delve into the heart of this tragic mystery and uncover the truth behind the headlines. Explore the often-misunderstood DNA evidence, dissect alibis that fall apart under scrutiny, and unravel the complexities of handwriting analysis. Prepare for a shocking revelation as we reveal a startling connection between someone within the Ramseys' inner circle and the chilling ransom note. This isn't just another rehash of the same old theories. This book offers a fresh perspective, shedding light on the Ramseys' innocence...

It’s a chilling reality that homicide investigators know all too well: The last face most murder victims see is not that of a stranger, but of someone familiar. Whether only an acquaintance or a trusted intimate, such killers share a common trait that triggers the downward spiral toward death for someone close to them: They are masters at hiding who they really are. Their clever masks let them appear safe, kind, and truthful. They are anything but - and almost no one can detect the murderous impulses buried deep in their psyches.

As a string of high-profile jewel thefts went unsolved during the Swinging Sixties, the press dubbed the elusive thief the King of Diamonds. Like Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief, the King was so bold that he tip-toed into the homes of millionaires while they were home, hiding in their closets and daring to smoke while they were sleeping. Rena Pederson, then a young reporter with UPI, started following the elusive thief while she managed the night desk. With gymnastic skill, he climbed trees and crawled across rooftops to take jewels from heiresses, oil kings, corporate CEOs.

For over half a century, Banco Popular was one of the most profitable banks in the world—until one day, in 2017, when the Spanish bank suddenly collapsed overnight. When investigative journalist Gareth Gore was dispatched to report on the story, he expected to find yet another case of unbridled capitalist ambition gone wrong. Instead, he uncovered decades of deception that hid one of the most brazen cases of corporate pillaging in history, perpetrated by a group of men sworn to celibacy and self-flagellation who had secretly controlled Popular and abused their positions there.

Now a number-one international best seller, Billion Dollar Whale is "an epic tale of white-collar crime on a global scale" (Publishers Weekly), revealing how a young social climber from Malaysia pulled off one of the biggest heists in history. In 2009, a chubby, mild-mannered graduate of the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business named Jho Low set in motion a fraud of unprecedented gall and magnitude—one that would come to symbolize the next great threat to the global financial system.

Why was Laci Peterson murdered? When was Laci Peterson murdered? How exactly did Scott Peterson dump her body without anyone seeing him? Even after the landmark court case, the prosecution and the jury couldn’t say exactly what happened, when or how, so what did happen? Scott Peterson was convicted of first-degree, premeditated double murder. Trawling through the extended backstory of this fifteen year old case, the author finds obscure pieces to a familiar puzzle and contextualises all the available information: court records, interviews, media reports, police reports, evidence, court ...

Questions remain around the mysterious death and disappearance of 11-year-old Gannon Stauch. What really happened? Where did the crime happen? Why? What was the murder weapon? How was the poor child's body disposed of not once, but twice? Taking on one of his trickiest assignments yet, true crimes’ most prolific star investigates 36-year-old Letecia Stauch, the stepmother of the boy that disappeared from Colorado Springs on January 27th, 2020. "The 32-page Stauch Affidavit provides clues to the tangled web of Letecia's heart, and mind. But it also reveals her exact movements immediately ...

Many listened to the Dirty John podcast, which introduced the world to John Meehan, a dangerous serial predator who infiltrates the life of Debra Newell and ultimately dies at the hand of her daughter, Terra.

In an explosive Audible Original investigative series, executive produced by James Patterson, veteran journalist and New York Times best-selling author Vicky Ward chronicles her 19-year quest to uncover what - or who - is behind Jeffrey Epstein’s wealth, influence, and criminality.

Known for deep dives into true crime, extremist ideologies and fringe subcultures, journalist Leah Sottile turns her investigative eye toward American New Age culture. Today, tarot cards, astrology and crystals are everywhere—from Instagram and TikTok, to upscale boutiques and pricey wellness retreats. Sottile investigates how the recent surge of interest in New Age ideas speaks to a culture that is woven into the very fabric of America, and how self-professed gurus like Love Has Won's Mother God and the mysterious channeler Ramtha have built devout followings because of it.

From the Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters behind the 2018 bombshell New York Times exposé of then-President Trump’s finances, an explosive investigation into the history of Donald Trump’s wealth, revealing how exactly one of the country’s biggest business failures lied his way into the White House.

Some betrayals end friendships. Others end lives. Inside these chilling true cases, loyalty is shattered, trust is weaponized—and the consequences are fatal. From trusted friends who turned into cold-blooded killers to lovers who plotted each other’s downfall, True Crime: Betrayal uncovers twenty chilling stories where loyalty shattered and blood was spilled. Each case dives into the raw human emotions of greed, jealousy, obsession, and vengeance—showing that sometimes the most dangerous enemy is the one you trust the most. Inside, you’ll encounter: ✔ Secret affairs that ended in ...

In the early days of photography, in the death-strewn wake of the Civil War, one man seized America's imagination. A "spirit photographer", William Mumler took portrait photographs that featured the ghostly presence of a lost loved one alongside the living subject. Mumler was a sensation. Peter Manseau brilliantly captures a nation wracked with grief and hungry for proof of the existence of ghosts and for contact with their dead husbands and sons. It took a circus-like trial of Mumler on fraud charges to expose a fault line of doubt and manipulation.

In CIA Rogues and the Killing of the Kennedys, Patrick Nolan fearlessly investigates the CIA’s involvement in the assassinations of President John F. Kennedy and Senator Robert F. Kennedy - why the brothers needed to die and how rogue intelligence agents orchestrated history’s most infamous conspiracy. Nolan furthers the research of leading scholars who agree that there remain serious unanswered questions regarding the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy.