Showing titles in Con Artists, Hoaxes & Deceptions

Shortly after John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Lincoln, he was tracked down and shot by authorities - that's what was officially reported, anyway. Lawyer Finis L. Bates, however, decided to set the record straight when he reported that in 1870 his acquaintance "John St. Helen" revealed himself to be none other than Booth living under an alter ego. Bates' version of the story is this: a hushed-up escape led Booth to 38 years of secret identities and an eventual suicide in an Oklahoma hotel. In this historical text, Bates unpacks the surprising truth about this infamous assassin.

It is often difficult to comprehend what makes a person kill. But when they kill and then commit further acts of depravity on their victim, it gives a whole new meaning to wrongdoing. In volume three of the True Crime Stories, we examine murderers who have all displayed the same gut-churning, wicked twist - each of them ate their victims. Each of these violent killers is examined in detail, including their backgrounds, the crimes they committed, and how they were brought to justice.

In partnership with Texas Monthly, Francesca Mari's "The Talented Mr. Khater" is now available as an audio download, where the length and timeliness of a podcast meets the high-quality production of a full-length audio program. The layered story of "The Talented Mr. Khater" begins with Callie...

Are you fascinated by the unknown? Don’t trust the mass media? Have you seen a UFO? If you want to learn more about the mysteries of the universe, you’ll most likely start with our very own “earthly” conspiracy theories. This audiobook is purposely crafted to give you an eye-opening experience and encourage you to change your perspective. You’ll also discover what Area 51 is - and why “ufologists” are so fascinated with this secretive facility.

The harrowing true story of a high-school senior, her parents, her secret online relationship with a handsome, manipulative stranger, and her well-laid plan to leave home and country to marry a man in Kosovo she thought she loved. The Baldwins were a strong, tight-knit family living in Texas...

When it comes to cold-blooded murder, nobody who is a part of civilized society can stand the thought that someone out there would actually get away with such horrendous crimes. We all want these wayward criminals to be caught and held accountable for their actions. This book demonstrates the lengths that some have gone to and the depths that they have plumbed just to make sure that the long arm of the law finally reached the barbaric perpetrators of unspeakable deeds and brought them to justice.

Want the real story behind history’s great Conspiracies? Uncover the truth today! Get hold of more theories from this book! Now on its third Edition! Have you ever wondered about popular conspiracy theories? Ever wonder if some of them are true or not? Want go deeper and find out the truth for yourself? Conspiracy Theories - The Most Famous Conspiracies Including: The New World Order, False Flags, Government Cover-Ups, CIA, & FBI will give you all the juicy details on the greatest conspiracy theories from history and present day.

The ultimate collection of Australia's craziest cons and mad schemes from a master storyteller. Australia is the birthplace and setting of some of the wildest, craziest and least-likely-to-succeed cons and rorts in history. From the cleverest double-crosses to the most unlikely and maddest schemes, master storyteller Jim Haynes reminds us that we've never been shy of pulling a trick or two.

Missing people are far more common than you might think. Every year, around the world, hundreds of thousands of people vanish into thin air. Usually, they have simply been involved in a freak accident that has led to their death. Sometimes, they vanish on purpose and don't wish to be found. On very rare occasions, there is violence at play and the person has been deliberately removed from the public or even killed. In this audiobook, we will be examining the various circumstances in which people happen to vanish.

From Benjamin Franklin's newspaper hoax that faked the death of his rival to Abbie Hoffman's attempt to levitate the Pentagon - pranksters, hoaxers, and con artists have caused confusion, disorder, and laughter in Western society for centuries. Profiling the most notorious mischief-makers from the 1600s to the present day, Pranksters explores how "pranks" are part of a long tradition of speaking truth to power and social critique.

People go missing every day. According to newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal, this figure could be as high as 8 million people every single year. While some people are quickly found or return home of their own accord, others simply vanish into the night. Families are left wondering where their loved ones have gone while the police desperately try to put together any clues they come across. While a good number of people make it home safe and sound, others are never seen again.

Get inside and conquer the world of cons. The world can be a deceptive place. There are individuals out there who will do anything to gain something regardless of who they hurt or who they have to deceive. Unfortunately, this practice is only becoming more of the norm.

All his life, journalist Walter Shapiro assumed that the outlandish stories about his great-uncle Freeman were exaggerated family lore; some cockamamie Jewish revenge fantasies dreamt up to entertain the kids and venerate their larger-than-life relative. Only when he started researching Freeman Bernstein's life did he realize that his family was actually holding back.

Aaron Iturra was just 18 years old when he was found dead in his bedroom in Eugene, Oregon. Soon, the quiet community would be rocked and shocked by who was behind the killing: Mary Louise Thompson, also known as Gang Mom. An anti-gang activist, she was a modern day deadly Fagin, running her own gang of juveniles who preyed on the unsuspecting city.

Die Geschichte beginnt damit, dass ein mittelloser Kunstmaler sich als cleverer, aber ungebildeter Militaria Händler ausgibt und jahrelang einem reichen, jedoch eher einfältigen Sammler alles mögliche verkauft - und sei es auch noch so absurd. Er treibt das Spiel mit den von ihm gefälschten Kriegs-Devotionalien immer weiter - bis zur verwegenen Idee, ein Tagebuch Adolf Hitlers an den Mann zu bringen. Damit erhält die Geschichte eine unfassbare Wendung - unfassbar listig, unfassbar absurd, unfassbar komisch...

A rash of burglaries in the small town of Lark Point, California has a domino effect on a group of local residents; eight lives bound together by honor, betrayal and love. Tangled like Music rushes through the small town like a whirlwind and creates changes that none could have anticipated. Love, mystery, deception, murder, and relationships intertwine to tell the story of redemption and the unraveling of life's tangles. It's a recipe for a song.

Novelist Clifford Irving's "autobiography" of Howard Hughes was the literary hoax of our time. This no-holds-barred confession by the author was first published in Great Britain in 1997, where it became a best seller. But no American publisher would touch it until now. Why? The answer is implicit in this ultimate caper story of daring, treachery, and corruption.

Gabbi loves her wine almost as much as she loves her men. But being the attention whore that she is, she couldn't hang in there when her marriage needed mending; instead she ran to an old high school sweetheart, making up stories that her husband abused her so all would feel sorry for her. When friends would confront Gabbi with their disbelief of Travis' abusiveness, she would say that he put on a good act. Gabbi got what she wanted - for a while.

In this audiobook, we hope to examine the sheer range of cases which have enthralled the interested, and distressed those involved for many years. Some of these cases became national stories while others remain private tragedies. In the cases of missing persons, trying to find an explanation is almost as difficult as trying to find the person themselves. So join us on this journey and discover just how morbidly fascinating and compelling the cases of the missing can become.

When Tim Bowden went back to Tasmania to explore his state of origin for the first time in many years, he was reminded of his adolescent assertion that "Tasmania is the testicle of Australia, suffusing the mainland with strength and vigour. What a pity there is only one of them".