True Crime Audiobooks | Mystery, Thriller & Horror

Sins of Fathers: A Spectacular Break from a Dark Criminal Past

'Michael is living proof that love always has the power to bring you home.' Charlie Mackesy 'A cracking read. Really gets to the bottom of the madness of a man fighting his demons.' Ray Winstone 'His life may have had its ups and downs, but it is wonderful example of God's transforming power.' Nicky Gumbel, Vicar of HTB & pioneer of ALPHA 'Take it from me, Michael got up to some mischief. And to find some peace at the end of it all! You really need to hear this story.' Former London Crime Boss Growing up, Michael wanted nothing more than to follow in his dad's footsteps and join the family business. Aged 18, he did just that and entered into the glamourous, dangerous world of organised crime. Michael's father, a career criminal and contemporary of the infamous Krays, was a wayward role model. Soon Michael's criminal activities were funding a reckless lifestyle of drugs, sex, and violence. But the high couldn't last. In 1993 both men were arrested for their involvement in a £13-million smuggling operation. Michael was sentenced to twelve years, serving time in the same prison as his dad. Inside HMP Exeter, Michael found something he had never expected: answers. A chance encounter in the prison chapel led to an experience that would shake the foundations of his life. This is a true story of trauma and transformation, one man's search for redemption, and the struggle to become the father he never had.

Michael Emmett (Author), Michael Emmett (Narrator)

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Justice for Helen: As featured in The Mirror

Burying a child is every parent's nightmare. But Marie McCourt has spent over 30 years yearning to do just that. On 9 February 1988, Marie's 22-year-old daughter, Helen, left her office in Liverpool city centre and began her usual commute home. But she was never seen again. . . Within days, local pub landlord Ian Simms was charged with her murder. Despite Helen's body not being found, overwhelming DNA and circumstantial evidence at his trial secured his conviction, and he was sentenced to life. But Simms' refusal to disclose the whereabouts of Helen's body means that Marie and her family have never been able to have a grave at which they can lay flowers and pay their respects. For over 30 years, Marie has searched, in vain, for her daughter's body and campaigned tirelessly to prevent other families from facing the same horrifying fate, taking her fight to the houses of parliament. The resulting 'Helen's Law', ground-breaking legislation that recognises the distress caused to families of missing homicide victims, was passed in November 2020. This is the incredible story of a mother, devastated by the loss of her daughter, who found the strength and determination to change the law.

Marie Mccourt (Author), Sue Jenkins (Narrator)

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The Assassin's Accomplice

In The Assassin's Accomplice, historian Kate Clifford Larson tells the gripping story of Mary Surratt, a little-known conspirator in the plot to kill Abraham Lincoln, and the first woman ever to be executed by the federal government. A Confederate sympathizer, Surratt ran the boarding house where the conspirators met to plan Lincoln's assassination. Set against the backdrop of the Civil War, The Assassin's Accomplice tells the intricate story of the Lincoln conspiracy through the eyes of its only female participant, offering a fresh perspective on America's most famous murder. "A masterful recounting of the surprisingly wide and intricate conspiracy of Southern sympathizers who formed the murder plot, focusing on perhaps the most controversial figure in the story." -Minneapolis Star-Tribune "Larson captures brilliantly the atmosphere of Mary Surratt's trial in a crowded court room.... Her description of the drama of Mary's last hours, when she was broken by a death sentence that neither she nor her lawyers had believed possible, makes compelling reading." -Spectator (UK) "Historical reporting at its very best." -Larry Cox, King Features Syndicate "[A] spirited narrative... the tale itself could not be better told, nor could the cast of characters be brought more to life." -Publishers Weekly

Kate Clifford Larson (Author), Laural Merlington (Narrator)

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The Book of Matt: The Real Story of the Murder of Matthew Shepard

"Methamphetamine was a huge part of this case . . . It was a horrible murder driven by drugs." - Prosecutor Cal Rerucha, who convicted Matthew Shepard's killers On the night of October 6, 1998, twenty-one-year-old Matthew Shepard left a bar with two alleged "strangers," Aaron McKinney and Russell Henderson. Eighteen hours later, Matthew was found tied to a log fence on the outskirts of town, unconscious and barely alive. Overnight, a politically expedient myth took the place of important facts. By the time Matthew died a few days later, his name was synonymous with anti-gay hate. The Book of Matt, first published in 2013, demonstrated that the truth was in fact far more complicated - and daunting. Stephen Jimenez's account revealed primary documents that had been under seal, and gave voice to many with firsthand knowledge of the case who had not been heard from, including members of law enforcement. In his Introduction to this updated edition, journalist Andrew Sullivan writes: "No one wanted Steve Jimenez to report this story, let alone go back and back to Laramie, Wyoming, asking awkward questions, puzzling over strange discrepancies, re-interviewing sources, seeking a deeper, more complex truth about the ghastly killing than America, it turned out, was prepared to hear. It was worse than that, actually. Not only did no one want to hear more about it, but many were incensed that the case was being re-examined at all." As a gay man Jimenez felt an added moral imperative to tell the story of Matthew's murder honestly, and his reporting has been thoroughly corroborated. "I urge you to read [The Book of Matt] carefully and skeptically," Sullivan writes, "and to see better how life rarely fits into the neat boxes we want it to inhabit. That Matthew Shepard was a meth dealer and meth user says nothing that bad about him, and in no way mitigates the hideous brutality of the crime that killed him; instead it shows how vulnerable so many are to the drug's escapist lure and its astonishing capacity to heighten sexual pleasure so that it's the only thing you want to live for. Shepard was a victim twice over: of meth and of a fellow meth user."

Stephen Jimenez (Author), Paul Fleschner (Narrator)

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On the Trail of the Serpent: The Life and Crimes of Charles Sobhraj

Brought to you by Penguin. ***NOW THE SUBJECT OF A MAJOR TV SERIES *** DISCOVER THE INCREDIBLE TRUE CRIME STORY OF SERIAL KILLER, CHARLES SOBHRAJ, AND THE RACE TO BRING HIM TO JUSTICE Charles Sobhraj remains one of the world's great con men, and as a serial killer, the story of his life and capture endures as legend. Born in Vietnam to a Vietnamese mother and Indian father, Sobhraj grew up with a fluid sense of identity, moving to France before being imprisoned and stripped of his multiple nationalities. Driven to floating from country to country, continent to continent, he became the consummate con artist, stealing passports, smuggling drugs and guns across Asia, busting out of prisons and robbing wealthy associates. But as his situation grew more perilous he turned to murder, preying on Western tourists dropping out across the 1970s hippie route, leaving a trail of dead bodies and gruesome crime scenes in his wake. First published in 1979, but updated here to include new material, On the Trail of the Serpent draws its readers into the story of Sobhraj's life as told exclusively to journalists Richard Neville and Julie Clarke. Blurring the boundaries between true crime and novelisation, this remains the definitive book about Sobhraj - a riveting tale of sex, drugs, adventure and murder. © Julie Clarke 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

Julie Clarke, Richard Neville (Author), Homer Todiwala (Narrator)

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The Psychology of Notorious Serial Killers: The Intersection of Personality Theory and the Darkest M

The science of personality theory has advanced dramatically in recent years clearing the way for this useful and edifying speculation about the inner workings of horrific serial killers. Applying personality theory to more than a dozen of the most notorious serial killers in modern history, the mystery surrounding their crimes begins to unravel. What drives them to commit horrific crimes? How does sexual desire fit into their motivation? Why do some stop killing while others escalate? What are the different types of serial killers based on personality theory? Contains mature themes.

Todd Grande Phd, Todd Grande, Ph.D., Todd Grande, Phd (Author), Charles Constant (Narrator)

Audiobook

La parábola de Pablo

Biografía definitiva de Pablo Escobar. Con realismo y gran sentido narrativo compone los claroscuros de uno de los peores criminales de la historia. En La parábola de Pablo, Alonso Salazar presenta dimensiones íntimas, cuadros complejos, humanos y brutales del hombre que se convirtió en el mayor capo de la droga del mundo moderno y en un sanguinario que arrinconó a la sociedad en la que vivió con su imperio de poder, riqueza y delirio y su posterior caída . Este libro inspiró la famosa serie El patrón del mal, cuya aparición 2012 le dio un segundo aire al libro. Para la presente recuperación en Debate tendremos un prólogo de Andrés Parra, el actor que hizo de Escobar en la serie. Alonso Salazar es uno de los cronistas más lúcidos del país. No nacimos pa'semilla, Luis Carlos Galán, profeta en el desierto y No hubo fiesta. Crónicas de la revolución y la contrarrevolución, prueban su capacidad como periodista y su agudeza para abordar los temas más oscuros de la realidad nacional.

Alonso Salazar, Alonso Salazar Jaramillo (Author), Gustavo Dardés (Narrator)

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Early Graves: A True Story of Murder and Passion

Shocking true crime from the Edgar Award-winning author. 'Powerful . . . A frightening close-up of sociopathic personalities at their most deadly' (Vincent Bugliosi, author of Helter Skelter). Evil has a way of finding itself. How else could you explain the bond between Alvin and Judith Ann Neelley, who consecrated their marriage in blood? Before the killings started, they restricted themselves to simple mischief: prank calls, vandalism, firing guns at strangers' houses. Gradually their ambition grew, until one day at the Riverbend Mall in Rome, Georgia, they spotted Lisa Ann Millican. Three days after Lisa Ann disappeared, the thirteen-year-old girl was found shot and pumped full of liquid drain cleaner. In between her abduction and her death, she was subjected to innumerable horrors. And she was only the first to die. Drawing on police records and extensive interviews, Thomas H. Cook recounts the story of Judith Ann Neelley, who at nineteen became the youngest woman ever sentenced to death row.

Thomas H. Cook (Author), Kris Koscheski, TBD (Narrator)

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Aquí no es Miami

Las crónicas de Fernanda Melchor dan cuenta de la degradación humana en uno de sus aspectos más sórdidos. Lo que su libro hace es manifestar la ignominia en toda esta rudeza. En una época de límites borrosos entre la verdad y la mentira, el caos y el orden, el horror y la indolencia, la delincuencia organizada y el Estado, aparece Aquí no es Miami, un libro de relatos híbridos, aleación entre periodismo y literatura, que aborda lúcidamente las condiciones que germinaron el terror de la llamada Guerra contra el Narcotráfico en un estado especialmente golpeado por esta debacle como lo es Veracruz. Más allá de la intención de entregar un recuento de datos duros, Melchor nos ofrece historias sobre personas: víctimas y criminales, sí, pero sobre todo hombres y mujeres comunes entregados a la lucha por la supervivencia, con esa mirada suya honda y compasiva, pero cruda y directa, con la que es inevitable involucrarse y conmoverse. El Veracruz de Fernanda Melchor no es tanto un escenario sino un personaje en esta ola de violencia. La cercanía de la autora con las historias que narra, y un uso siempre arriesgado del lenguaje, son las mayores fortalezas de esta nueva edición revisitada que cuenta con una nueva crónica. Y aunque estos relatos se enmarcan en una temporalidad, son aún reflejo deun país cuyas arenas siguen siendo movedizas.

Fernanda Melchor (Author), Daniela Aedo (Narrator)

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Un sicario en cada hijo te dio: Niñas, niños y adolescentes en la delincuencia organizada

¿Qué decir si la infancia de una niña violada a los 6 años o la de un niño regalado por su madre a los 8 años derivan en asesinatos, secuestros o robos? ¿Entendemos por qué un joven menor de edad comanda una red de prostitución o por qué un muchacho tiene que decapitar a un hombre o incluso a otro niño? A través de testimonios escalofriantes y conmovedores, las autoras de este libro ofrecen explicaciones contundentes para entender por qué nuestros niños y niñas se vuelven criminales ante la indiferencia social, corrupción policiaca y la intolerancia del gobierno. Más aún se detalla la incompetencia de las autoridades, los vacíos legales y la incapacidad de las instituciones para ofrecer a estos adolescentes opciones para alejarse del delito, la drogadicción, las relaciones violentas o evitar la puerte por defender -o estar en contra- algún cártel. Un sicario en cada hijo te dio también ofrece alternativas para la reinserción escolar y laboral a las niñas, niños y adolescentes; expone casos de éxito y aviva una reflexión para mirar de frente la tragedia de estos seres humanos cuya infancia nos debe sacudir como sociedad para crear mayor conciencia de esta problemática que se da en todo México y así impulsar programas efectivos de orientación y acompañamiento para jóvenes en situación de riesgo.

Varios Autores (Author), Kyria Montoya (Narrator)

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Chasing the Squirrel: The Pursuit of Notorious Drug Smuggler Wally Thrasher

Nicknamed 'The Squirrel' for his elusiveness, Thrasher was a daredevil pilot who made millions flying marijuana and cocaine from South America into the US in the 70s and 80s. With his beautiful Portuguese-born wife, Olga, he lived in a mountain estate near Virginia's New River Valley. He owned oceanfront homes and yachts in Florida, spent weekends in the Caribbean, and laundered money in Las Vegas, where he partied with Frank Sinatra's entourage. The Feds were hot on his tail in 1984 when word came that he had died in a plane crash in Belize, his body burnt to ashes. But investigators soon learned the crash was staged and the death certificate fake. Meanwhile, Olga became a federal informant assisting the DEA in an audacious undercover sting to infiltrate the highest levels of his smuggling ring. Thirteen international traffickers were indicted, including Bolivian drug lord Roberto Suarez-Gomez, known as the world's 'King of Cocaine.' But Wally Thrasher was never caught. Authorities believe he has spent the past four decades living in some faraway tropical land. He was recently profiled on America's Most Wanted as US Marshals chased leads around the globe in his pursuit.

Ron Peterson Jr., Ron Peterson, Jr. (Author), Kyle Tait (Narrator)

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The Wolfpack: The Millennial Mobsters Who Brought Chaos and the Cartels to the Canadian Underworld

Joined by award-winning Mexican journalist Luis Nájera, leading organized-crime author Peter Edwards introduces a motley assortment of millennial bikers, gangsters and Mafia whose bloody trail of murders and schemes gone wrong led to the arrival in Canada of the world's most dangerous criminal organizations: the drug cartels of Mexico. A man watching the Euro Cup on a restaurant patio is shot dead on a busy Sunday afternoon in Toronto. Another dies in a sidewalk ambush just outside a bus-tling college campus. Two men in a Vancouver hotel lobby are gunned down in an attack that sends an American soccer star scrambling for cover. In Mexico, a Canadian is killed at a Nuevo Vallarta coffee shop, his death barely registering amidst the terrifying death tolls of President Calderón's war on drugs and the cartels' response; while a Montreal cop is beaten within an inch of his life in a Playa del Carmen nightclub. An infamous heckler from an NBA Toronto Raptors game turns up dead in a bullet-riddled car in a midtown lane-way. Throughout the 2010s, these and other disparate acts of violence entered the public awareness like iso-lated tragedies-but there was nothing isolated about them. In this masterly investigation, veteran journalists Peter Edwards and Luis Nájera introduce readers to the common cause of a near-decade of chaos. Meet the Wolfpack, millennial-aged gangsters from across the spectrum of Canada's underworld. Vying to fast-track their way into the criminal void left by the death of Montreal godfather Vito Rizzuto, the Wolfpack sought advantage in a steady supply of cocaine from El Chapo Guzmán's Sinaloa cartel, among the deadliest and most far-reaching of criminal organizations. The juniors had just stepped into the big leagues. This is the roiling landscape of The Wolfpack, a brilliant examination of a time of criminal disruption and rapid adaptation, when one gang's unchecked ambition unwittingly gave away the most hotly contested corner of the Canadian underworld without a fight. Brazen criminal disruptors or entitled upstarts looking to get rich without paying their dues--whatever you think of them, you will never forget the Wolfpack.

Luis Najera, Peter Edwards (Author), Juan Chioran, Luis Najera (Narrator)

Audiobook

True Crime Audiobooks in Mystery, Thriller & Horror