Curse of Great Train Robbery


Book Description

The story of the Great Train Robbery of 1963 according to the latest research and how it adversely affected the lives of all thos involved.




Great Train Robbery Confidential


Book Description

In 1981, Detective Inspector Satchwell was the officer in charge of the case against Train Robber Tom Wisbey and twenty others. The case involved massive thefts from mail trains – similar to the Great Train Robbery of 1963 where £2.6 million was taken and only £400,000 ever recovered. Thirty years later their paths crossed again and an unlikely partnership was formed, with the aim of revealing the truth about the Great Train Robbery. This book reassesses the known facts about one of the most infamous crimes in modern history from the uniquely qualified insight of an experienced railway detective, presenting new theories alongside compelling evidence and correcting the widely accepted lies and half-truths surrounding this story.




Ronnie Biggs - The Inside Story


Book Description

Ronnie Biggs: The Inside Story, written by two of Ronnie Biggs's closest friends and most ardent supporters, delivers exactly what it says on the label, giving a very personal, unique and yet disturbing insight into the mind and subsequent treatment by the judicial and penal systems of the man that became a legendary household name for his role in one of Britain's most notorious crimes, the Great Train Robbery of 1963, and his subsequent life on the run upon his escape from prison in 1965. Raising pointed questions and dispelling many myths, the story makes one wonder who is the greater criminal: the carpenter that played a bit part in an unarmed robbery 45 years ago, who has remained incarcerated since his return to the UK in 2001 despite the fact that he is now a frail, wheelchair-bound 79-year-old grandfather who is no threat to society, is fed via a tube to his stomach and can only communicate by pointing to letters on a laminated sheet; or the justice and prison systems that have allowed him to rot in jail for so long. One thing’s for sure, although Ronnie Biggs’s body is letting him down after a series of strokes and other illnesses, his legal team, campaign supporters, underworld friends and devoted family certainly aren’t, and neither is his own fighting spirit or his humanity in the face of inhumanity. All he wants now is to be able to die a free man rather than suffer “a slow crucifixion on the Home Office cross”, and once all the facts have been digested one can only be moved to ask: “How could anyone deny him that?”




A Cursed Inheritance


Book Description

'A beguiling author who interweaves past and present' The Times The brutal massacre of the Harford family at Potwoolstan Hall in 1985 shocked the country and passed into local folklore. Now, twenty years later, a journalist researching the case has been murdered and the horror is reawakened. DI Wesley Peterson is drawn into the dark history of Potwoolstan Hall as he begins to investigate the murder. The sixteenth-century hall, which is now a New Age healing centre, is reputed to be cursed because of the crimes of its builder and it seems that this inheritance of evil lives on. As more people start to die in violent circumstances, DI Wesley Peterson is faced with his most disturbing case yet. Whether you've read the whole series, or are discovering Kate Ellis's DI Wesley Peterson novels for the first time, this is the perfect, gripping mystery if you love reading Elly Griffiths and Ann Cleeves.




Gold


Book Description

From the award-winning author of Diamond: A blazing exploration of the human love affair with gold that “combines the engaging style of a travel narrative with sharp-eyed journalistic exposé” (Publishers Weekly, starred review). In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the price of gold skyrocketed—in three years more than doubling from $800 an ounce to $1900. This massive spike drove an unprecedented global gold-mining and exploration boom, much bigger than the gold rush of the 1800s. In Gold, acclaimed author Matthew Hart takes you on an unforgettable journey around the world and through history to tell the extraordinary story of how gold became the world’s most precious commodity. Beginning with a page-turning report from the crime-ridden inferno of the world’s deepest mine, Hart traveled around the world to the sites of the hottest action in gold today, from the biggest new mine in China, to the highly secretive London gold exchange, and the lair of the world’s most powerful gold trader in Geneva, Switzerland. He profiles the leaders of the gold market today, the nature of the current boom, and the likely prospects for the future. From the earliest civilizations, when gold was an icon of sacred and kingly power, Hart tracks its evolution, through conquest, murder, and international mayhem, into the speculative casino-chip that the metal has become. He ends by telling the story of the massive flows of gold that have occurred in the wake of the financial crisis and what the world’s leading experts are saying about the profound changes underway in the gold market and the prospects for the future. “Compelling, stylish, and impressively researched” (The Boston Globe), Gold is a wonderful historical odyssey with important implications for today’s global economy.




The Men Who Robbed The Great Train Robbers


Book Description

A fictional retelling of the story behind the great train robbery, providing a sinister portrayal of the loyalties and fear operating within criminal and police circles in the sixties. If you thought the great train robbers were unlucky to get caught, you don’t know half the story... In the early hours of the 8th August 1963, several men hold up a GPO mail train in rural Buckinghamshire. Two and a half million pounds (equivalent to over £45 million today) is snatched from under the noses of the GPO, the police and the establishment. This creates a gang of heroes who the public fall in love with; some of whom, like Ronnie Biggs, become a part of British folklore. But behind the bravado lays a darker story; one of greed, betrayal, and both thieves and police turning on each other. Eddie Maloney, an IRA fundraiser, and Tommy Lavery, a northern crime boss, know who the robbers are and where they live, because they hired them for the job. The men traditionally seen as ‘Robin Hoods’ were set up and all, with the exception of Biggs, are brought to justice – unsurprising, given that Maloney and Lavery reach deep inside the investigating Flying Squad. There is a reason that most of the money from the robbery was never recovered – the two men at the top systematically robbed and cheated the men who did the dirty work. In the aftermath, will there be honour between the two masterminds of the operation – the two men who were never caught? There have been some attempts to catalogue the story of the great train robbery in the past, almost all from a factual perspective, looking at both the thieves and police. This fictionalised account adds a fascinating twist to the story and will appeal to lovers of thrillers – especially crime thrillers – and those interested in true crime.




Too Clever for His Own Good


Book Description

Within the space of three days, two men are found brutally murdered. Their only connection is that they were both involved in the same cricket match. But the complete lack of evidence left at both crime scenes leaves Detective Inspector Steve Hardcastle in a quandary. Is he searching for one killer or two? The few lines of enquiry he and his team are able to follow up quickly lead them down a succession of blind alleys and Hardcastle comes under increasing pressure from his senior officers to make an arrest. And when a third man who was also involved in the match suddenly disappears without a trace, Hardcastle knows that it is only a matter of time before he is taken off the case. With his career prospects disappearing with each dead end, he is left with just one last throw of the dice.




The Autobiography of a Thief


Book Description

On the 8th August 1963 a gang of 15 men stopped a mail train in Buckinghamshire and proceeded to steal sacks of money worth £2.6 million. It was the biggest heist ever carried out in the UK and frontpage news around the world. The mastermind behind this most audacious crime of the twentieth century was Bruce Reynolds. Perhaps the last of the 'gentlemen villains'; Reynolds epitomised that particular breed of sharply dressed, post-war criminals who mixed with royalty and movie stars, and never carried a gun. They thrived on adventure and glamour, and the Great Train Robbery was their last ride. From his childhood and early forays into crime, to planning the robbery and his life on the run, and finally his capture, prison years and growing old with the gang - this is a true crime classic. Widely regarded as a one of the finest memoirs of a life of crime, Autobiography of a Thief is essential listening for anyone interested in true crime. Narrated by his son, Nick Reynolds, who grew up on the run with his father.




Dangerous People, Dangerous Place


Book Description

After spending nearly three decades in prison for murder, and having used his time inside to educate himself and gain a degree, Norman Parker emerged to become a bestselling author with his Parkhurst Tales books, which reveal the secret world of Britain's toughest jails. He went on to become a journalist for several newspapers and magazines, and this book collects his most incredible stories from around the world. Always on the lookout for adventure, Norman had by turns been in search of the most notorious criminals, the most extreme gangs, and the most dangerous organizations at large in the world today. From the inner sanctum of the IRA, to meeting the most notorious killers, to gaining entry to the darkest secrets of the Colombian drug empires and the Guerrilla forces operating within them, Norman has fearlessly accepted journalistic assignments that many would shy away from. The result is a fascinating document of intrigue, violence, and corruption both at home and abroad, told with the insight of a man who has fraternized with some of the toughest criminals in the UK during his years behind bars. Written with compelling frankness and intelligence, this is a must read for anyone intrigued by the truth about the most fearsome people and places on earth.




No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason


Book Description

"A cracking tale" – Duncan Campbell, investigative journalist and author of Underworld "A revelation" – Professor Sue Black, author of All That Remains and Written in Bone "Required reading for professional and amateur criminologists" – Gerald Seymour, bestselling author of Harry's Game "Highly recommended" – Howard Sounes, author of Fred & Rose "A gripping read" – Patricia Wiltshire, author of Traces: The memoir of a forensic scientist and criminal investigator "This book is a must-read" – David Wilson, Professor Emeritus of Criminology *** What is it about crime that we find so fascinating, even if at the same time the details are repugnant? Why exactly do we immerse ourselves in true crime podcasts and TV shows? Has this appetite for gore shifted over the years? And what role does the crime reporter play in all of this? In this compelling book, Martin Brunt draws on the most shocking and harrowing stories he's covered over the past thirty years to document the life of a crime reporter and assess the public obsession with crime that his reporting caters for. He also considers the wider relationship between the press and the police, the impact of social media and the question of why some crimes are ignored while others grip the nation. Featuring many undisclosed details on some of the biggest cases Brunt has covered, from the 'Diamond Wheezers' to Fred and Rose West, this blend of storytelling and analysis is not only a riveting overview of the nature of crime reporting but a reflection on the purpose of the profession in the first place.