Some thought it stood for ‘Military Reconnaissance Force’, others ‘Mobile Reconnaissance Force’. Many people thought it didn’t exist at all..

For decades there has been argument in the media and amongst politicians about the possible existence and extent of a shoot-to-kill policy in Northern Ireland.

MRF Shadow Troop

confirms there was such an agenda in the early, chaotic days of British military intervention across the Irish Sea. But amongst the mountain of speculation there is little of any accuracy or authority relating to this period.

The speculation about the unit’s name and mission only added to the uncertainty amongst their targets: members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army, the IRA, the provos. Simon Cursey was recruited into the Military Reaction Force — the unit’s true name — in 1972. This book is his personal account of his time with the group and in it he reveals the truth about their operations — the briefings, missions, political wrangling, and government-sanctioned law-bending.

With documents and photographs to corroborate all his revelations,

MRF Shadow Troop

is a fascinating, exciting but above all accurate historical text about the pioneers of counter-terrorism.

Simon Cursey

joined the British Army at the age of 15, direct from school. By the time he was 19, he was an NCO in an infantry unit and travelled to Canada, Africa and most of Europe. When he was 21, he was singled out, selected and trained for a covert, undercover, counter-terrorist unit; the long-denied Military Reaction Force (MRF) which was a short lived British Military Intelligence counter-terrorist unit, formed in the most dramatic period of The Troubles in Northern Ireland, from 1971 to 1974. Influenced by friends, Simon decided to write this book because of the years of lies and misinformation surrounding the MRF and its activities, also to honour the brave men he had the pleasure to work alongside. After his time in the MRF and a few difficult years adjusting back into uniform, Simon decided to leave the British Army to follow other interests and now lives in a peaceful Alpine village in Italy.

Edgar Award Finalist: The true story of a serial killer who terrorized a midwestern town in the era of free love—by the coauthor of

The French Connection.

In 1967, during the time of peace, free love, and hitchhiking, nineteen-year-old Mary Terese Fleszar was last seen alive walking home to her apartment in Ypsilanti, Michigan. One month later, her naked body—stabbed over thirty times and missing both feet and a forearm—was discovered, partially buried, on an abandoned farm. A year later, the body of twenty-year-old Joan Schell was found, similarly violated. Southeastern Michigan was terrorized by something it had never experienced before: a serial killer. Over the next two years, five more bodies were uncovered around Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Michigan. All the victims were tortured and mutilated. All were female students.   After multiple failed investigations, a chance sighting finally led to a suspect. On the surface, John Norman Collins was an all-American boy—a fraternity member studying elementary education at Eastern Michigan University. But Collins wasn’t all that he seemed. His female friends described him as aggressive and short tempered. And in August 1970, Collins, the “Ypsilanti Ripper,” was arrested, found guilty, and sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole.   Written by the coauthor of

The French Connection

,

The Michigan Murders

delivers a harrowing depiction of the savage murders that tormented a small midwestern town.  

“A meticulously researched, brilliantly detailed, and above all riveting account of Dr. H. H. Holmes, a nineteenth-century serial killer.” —Caleb Carr,

New York Times

–bestselling author

The heinous bloodlust of Dr. H. H. Holmes is notorious—but only Harold Schechter’s

Depraved

tells the complete story of the killer whose evil acts of torture and murder flourished within miles of the Chicago World’s Fair. “Destined to be a true crime classic” (

Flint Journal

, MI), this authoritative account chronicles the methods and madness of a monster who slipped easily into a bright, affluent Midwestern suburb, where no one suspected the dapper, charming Holmes—who alternately posed as doctor, druggist, and inventor to snare his prey—was the architect of a labyrinthine “Castle of Horrors.” Holmes admitted to twenty-seven murders by the time his madhouse of trapdoors, asphyxiation devices, body chutes, and acid vats was exposed. The seminal profile of a homegrown madman in the era of Jack the Ripper,

Depraved

is also a mesmerizing tale of true detection long before the age of technological wizardry.

“

Depraved

demonstrates that sadistic psychopaths are not a modern-day phenomenon

 . . .

Gruesome, awesome, compelling reporting.” —Ann Rule, #1

New York Times

–bestselling author

“I unhesitatingly recommend [

Depraved

]

 . . .

to round out your understanding of the true depth, meaning, and perversity of [this] uniquely American brand of mayhem.” —

The Boston Book Review

“An acerbic period sketch and a readable tale of pure Gothic horror straight from the heartland of America.” —

Kirkus Reviews

“Schechter has done a masterful job of reconstructing Holmes’s killing spree and detailing the detective work that led to his apprehension.” —

Publishers Weekly

In her late twenties, Cait Flanders found herself stuck in the consumerism cycle that grips so many of us: earn more, buy more, want more, rinse, repeat. Even after she worked her way out of nearly $30,000 of consumer debt, her old habits took hold again. When she realized that nothing she was doing or buying was making her happy—only keeping her from meeting her goals—she decided to set herself a challenge: she would not shop for an entire year.

The Year of Less documents Cait’s life for twelve months during which she bought only consumables: groceries, toiletries, gas for her car. Along the way, she challenged herself to consume less of many other things besides shopping. She decluttered her apartment and got rid of 70 percent of her belongings; learned how to fix things rather than throw them away; researched the zero waste movement; and completed a television ban. At every stage, she learned that the less she consumed, the more fulfilled she felt.

The challenge became a lifeline when, in the course of the year, Cait found herself in situations that turned her life upside down. In the face of hardship, she realized why she had always turned to shopping, alcohol, and food—and what it had cost her. Unable to reach for any of her usual vices, she changed habits she’d spent years perfecting and discovered what truly mattered to her.

Blending Cait’s compelling story with inspiring insight and practical guidance, The Year of Less will leave you questioning what you’re holding on to in your own life—and, quite possibly, lead you to find your own path of less.