They were the perfect couple—until one of them disappeared. A true crime account of greed and betrayal from the New York Times–bestselling author.In August 2001, forty-one-year-old Jana Carpenter Koklich, the only child of a former California state senator, went to an Eric Clapton concert with friends.She was never heard from again.Bruce Koklich painted himself as the grieving husband. He turned up on news broadcasts, tearfully pleading for his wife’s safe return. But something wasn’t right.First of all, there were inexplicable money problems that police traced back to some of Bruce Koklich’s shadier business dealings. Then there was the shadowy business partner who came out of the woodwork and the million-dollar insurance policy on Jana Carpenter Koklich’s life. Topping it all off were the supposedly grieving husband’s sleazy secret attempts to bed his eighteen-year-old niece while his wife was secretly missing!Eventually, those who had been close to Jana grew suspicious of the man she had married. And no one was more suspicious than her father, former State Senator Paul Carpenter. He was dying of cancer in Texas, but still found in his decaying body the strength for one last fight. It would be the fight of his life: Justice for Jana Carpenter Koklich.Finally, in late 2003, after Jana’s blood-stained car had been found, a California jury convicted Bruce Koklich for her murder and sentenced him to fifteen years to life in prison. Paul Carpenter did not live to see justice done.Please note: This ebook edition does not contain the photos found in the print edition.

The terrifying true story of the serial killer who built a torture chamber in his Philadelphia home.Serial killer Gary Heidnik’s name will live on in infamy, and his house in North Philadelphia is tainted with the memory of unbelievable horrors. Heidnik had dug a pit in his basement where he held young women captive for months—half-naked and chained. They had been tortured, starved, and repeatedly raped. But more grotesque discoveries lay in the kitchen: human limbs frozen, a torso burned to cinders, an empty pot suspiciously scorched . . . This is not a story for the faint-hearted. Cellar of Horror is a shocking true account of the self-proclaimed minister with a long history of mental illness, who preyed upon the susceptible in a bizarre plan to create his own “baby factory.” It is a macabre web spun around money, power, and religion, all leading toward a courtroom drama of legal tactics and shocking revelations.This eBook edition does not include photos.

In this “true story that reads like a novel,” the #1 New York Times–bestselling author reveals the facts behind a notorious Southern murder case (Library Journal).   When North Carolina farmer Stuart Taylor died after a sudden illness, his forty-six-year-old fiancée, Velma Barfield, was overcome with grief. Taylor’s family grieved with her—until the autopsy revealed traces of arsenic poisoning. Turned over to the authorities by her own son, Velma stunned her family with more revelations. This wasn’t the first time she had committed cold-blooded murder, and she would eventually be tried by the “world’s deadliest prosecutor” and sentenced to death.   This book probes Velma’s stark descent into madness, her prescription drug addiction, and her effort to turn her life around through Christianity. From her harrowing childhood to the crimes that incited a national debate over the death penalty, to the final moments of her execution, Velma Barfield’s life of crime and punishment, revenge and redemption, this is crime reporting at its most gripping and profound.   “A painfully intimate, moving story about the life and death of the only woman executed in the U.S. between 1962–1998 . . . With graceful writing and thorough reporting, it makes the reader look hard at something dark and sad in the human soul . . . Breathes new life into the true crime genre.” —The News & Observer   “Undertakes to answer the questions about the justice system and the motives that drive women to kill.” —The Washington Post Book World   “An extraordinary piece of writing . . . The most chilling description of a legal execution that we are ever likely to get.” —Citizen-Times   “Taut and engrossing on the nature of justice and the death penalty as well as on guilt and responsibility.” —Booklist

As seen on Investigation Discovery: the story of killer husband and father Robert Peernock from the New York Times–bestselling author of Impossible Odds.   Robert Peernock appeared to have the ideal life. Working as a pyrotechnics engineer and computer expert and coming home to his wife and daughter, Peernock projected the American dream. Even when he and his wife separated, it seemed amicable, just a small bump for the well-to-do family. But there was madness in his house: In private, Peernock was violent, subtly manipulative, and bordering on psychotic. But the horrifying details of his home life would only come to light after Peernock finally lost all control.   Peernock had come home, brutally beat both his wife and daughter, force fed them alcohol, and deliberately sent them to their death behind the wheel, staging it to look like a drunk driving accident. He didn’t foresee that his daughter would survive, and even with years of abuse, her attempted murder, and horrendous injuries, he never anticipated that she would speak so powerfully against him.   Throughout his trial, Peernock claimed a massive government conspiracy against him. He hired and fired lawyers multiple times, deadlocking juries and spinning a web of lies. New York Times–bestselling author Anthony Flacco chronicles the sensational trial and all the terror that preceded it, looking deep into the mind of a deranged killer whose American dream was a waking nightmare for those trapped within it.

A Murder. A Scandal. A Fight for Survival.Before dawn on September 13, 1920, a brutal murder shatters the quiet of the Pulchalski farmhouse in Southington, Ohio. Twelve-year-old Stanley is sent racing down a dusty country road, his mother’s desperate plea ringing in his ears—find the sheriff.What follows is a shocking scandal that grips the town and upends Stanley’s world. Torn from his home, he and his siblings are thrust into a notorious orphanage in Warren, Ohio, where survival means enduring cruelty—and finding the courage to escape. Against impossible odds, Stanley’s unbreakable devotion to his family drives him forward. But will he ever outrun the ghosts of his past?Based on true events, Heart of Steel is a riveting tale of resilience, love, and the enduring strength of the human spirit.Editorial ReviewsHeartfelt Story of Tragedy, Hardship, but most of all Love Heart of Steel is one of those books that leaves you an emotional mess after you turn the final page. This heartfelt story is written by the grandson of Stanley Puchalski/Miller and what a story it is. Kevin Miller pulls out all the stops and pulls no punches when telling it like it must have happened. Told with heartfelt love of siblings and their mother, he writes as if he were walking in their footsteps and we are walking with him. I was captivated by the detail and how he set each scene. Raw, gritty, and at times a bit bloody, I could not put it down until I reached the very last page. And on that last page, I had tears in my eyes. This is a book for the ages and it leaves one wondering just how many similar stories might be ferreted out if one were to just ask the right questions and look in the right closets. Read Heart of Steel – you won’t be disappointed. -The Author ShowIn this novel based on his family’s history, Miller writes about his grandfather in a dramatic, vivid manner and a shifting third-person perspective. The author offers readers a fast-paced, cinematic tale that covers Stanley’s travails—which include changing his last name to Miller at the age of 13 and working in a Chicago steel mill—rather than a sober, minutiae-filled biography. -Kirkus ReviewsOne day, author Kevin Miller discovered that his last name wasn’t Miller at all; it was Pulchalski. His grandfather, Stanley Pulchalski, changed his name in an attempt to reinvent himself after a family tragedy. Heart of Steel will take you back to the early morning hours of September 13, 1920, when events were set into motion that would reverberate into the present. At once a murder mystery, family drama, and sweeping romance, this book based on a true story is well worth the read. -Early Bird Books, MacKenzie StuartHeart of Steel is the true story of Stanley Miller and it is hard to find a more realistic tale that will touch you deeply. Kevin D. Miller has written of abuse, murder, prohibition, life on the farm, pain, suffering and joy with so much heart and feeling. I felt as though I was sharing a story with a friend and felt all of Stanley’s emotional ups and downs with him. I cried, I laughed, I worried and I couldn’t stop reading Heart of Steel because it is just a really good book. Heart of Steel covers so many genres and is good reading for the young, the old, male, and female – just about everyone should read this book. -Reader's Favorites Book Reviews, Trudi LoPretoThe organization of chapters is highly engaging to keep you reading on and on, eager for more details to unfold and new twists in Stanley’s life which we hope will lead him to eventual happiness. What results is an empowering narrative with very relatable characters and the full gamut of human emotions on display. Overall, Heart of Steel lives up to its strong, emotive title, and is certainly recommended for fans of historical family sagas and true-to-life tales of triumph over adversity. -Reader's Favorite Book Reviews, K.C. Finn

The true crime account of the infamous South Carolina mother who intentionally drowned her two sons—includes in-depth interviews with sources close to her.On October 25, 1994, a hysterical Susan Smith told police a tale that would strike terror in the hearts of mothers everywhere: An unidentified gunman had sped off with her two little boys, leaving her screaming on the side of the road.For more than a week, the people in the tiny town of Union, South Carolina, rallied around the young mother. They combed the woods and neighborhood parks for the missing children and prayed for their safe return, while FBI teams launched a massive manhunt.No one ever suspected that the pretty twenty-three-year-old who tearfully pleaded for her children in front of millions of TV viewers could be capable of such a heartless act . . . until she led police to the watery graves of her young sons.Join the shaken community’s journey of grappling with their sorrow, anger, and confusion. Sins of the Mother is more than a crime story; it’s an exploration of human frailty and the dark side of maternal love.