Under the Banner of Heaven

Sample

Dėvid Grann

Acclaimed New Yorker writer and author of the breakout debut bestseller The Lost City of Z, David Grann offers a collection of spellbinding narrative journalism. Whether he's reporting on the infiltration of the murderous Aryan Brotherhood into the U.S. prison system, tracking down a chameleon con artist in Europe, or riding in a cyclone- tossed skiff with a scientist hunting the elusive giant squid, David Grann revels in telling stories that explore the nature of obsession and that piece together true and unforgettable mysteries. Each of the dozen stories in this collection reveals a hidden and often dangerous world and, like Into Thin Air and The Orchid Thief, pivots around the gravitational pull of obsession and the captivating personalities of those caught in its grip. There is the world's foremost expert on Sherlock Holmes who is found dead in mysterious circumstances; an arson sleuth trying to prove that a man about to be executed is innocent; and sandhogs racing to complete the brutally dangerous job of building New York City's water tunnels before the old system collapses. Throughout, Grann's hypnotic accounts display the power--and often the willful perversity--of the human spirit. Compulsively readable, The Devil and Sherlock Holmes is a brilliant mosaic of ambition, madness, passion, and folly.From the Hardcover edition.

Sample

Juan Martinez

The prosecutor who convicted Jodi Arias for the killing of Travis Alexander, speaks for the first time about the sensational trial that captivated the nation.

Sample

Helen Sun

""Helen Sun details the meticulous methods used by the Chinese Communist Party to monitor China's Internet communication, particularly at Internet bars. At the same time, she also vividly describes the political energy and democratic discourse unleashed by the Internet, primarily among the younger generation. Internet Policy in China provides a vivid picture of momentous political and social changes under way in China today."--Merle Goldman, emerita, Boston University and research associate at Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies, Harvard University" ""A superb book that achieves its rich analysis of today's Chinese Internet cafes, politics, and policy by reaching deeply through state treatment of information, communication, and culture throughout its history. A necessary primer for understanding contemporary Chinese Internet developments."--Sandra Branan, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee" "Internet Policy in China: A Field Study of Internet Cafes examines the forces that have nurtured and frustrated the creation of an e-public sphere in China. In conjunction with this examination. Helen Sun considers the broader issue of the Internet's true nature: is it inherently decentralizing and democratic, or is it all too dependent on the larger political environment? After describing the Chinese media policymaking and regulatory system, Sun undertakes a revealing study of the country's Internet cafes, enriched by interviews with cafe operators--both legal and illegal--and visitors. The insights provided in these interviews paint a fascinating picture of the ever-changing game of China's Internet censorship."--Jacket.

Sample

Robert K. Tanenbaum and Peter S. Greenberg

In October, 1966, Charles Yukl, a mild-mannered piano teacher, brutally strangled and sexually abused a young secretary who was his student. In August, 1974, he killed again after being released 9 years early, despite pleas from himself and the victim's family. (Google Books)