"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.

Make no mistake: Our founding fathers were more bandanas-and-muscles than powdered-wigs-and-tea. As a prisoner of war, Andrew Jackson walked several miles barefoot across state lines while suffering from smallpox and a serious head wound received when he refused to polish the boots of the soldiers who had taken him captive. He was thirteen years old. A few decades later, he became the first popularly elected president and served the nation, pausing briefly only to beat a would-be assassin with a cane to within an inch of his life. Theodore Roosevelt had asthma, was blind in one eye, survived multiple gunshot wounds, had only one regret (that there were no wars to fight under his presidency), and was the first U.S. president to win the Medal of Honor, which he did after he died. Faced with the choice, George Washington actually preferred the sound of bullets whizzing by his head in battle over the sound of silence. And now these men—these hallowed leaders of the free world—want to kick your ass. Plenty of historians can tell you which president had the most effective economic strategies, and which president helped shape our current political parties, but can any of them tell you what to do if you encounter Chester A. Arthur in a bare-knuckled boxing fight? This book will teach you how to be better, stronger, faster, and more deadly than the most powerful (and craziest) men in history. You’re welcome.

2016 marked the birth of the post-truth era. Sophistry and spin have coloured politics since the dawn of time, but two shock events - the Brexit vote and Donald Trump's elevation to US President - heralded a departure into murkier territory. From Trump denying video evidence of his own words, to the infamous Leave claims of £350 million for the NHS, politics has rarely seen so many stretching the truth with such impunity. Bullshit gets you noticed. Bullshit makes you rich. Bullshit can even pave your way to the Oval Office. This is bigger than fake news and bigger than social media. It's about the slow rise of a political, media and online infrastructure that has devalued truth. This is the story of bullshit: what's being spread, who's spreading it, why it works - and what we can do to tackle it.

Classic Courtney Summers with a brand new look and exclusive bonus material! This ebook edition of Cracked Up to Be includes updated text, an afterword from the author and a discussion guide. The high price of perfection is one 'Perfect' Parker Fadley always believed she was willing to pay until the events of a party during junior year fractures the lives of her family and friends. Something terrible has happened and only Parker knows it's her fault. If being a perfect daughter, student, friend and girlfriend couldn't keep her from making an unforgivable mistake, Parker hopes becoming a perfect mess will at least keep her loved ones from discovering the truth. But when the arrival of a curious new student and the unexpected return of an old enemy threaten her tenuous grip on control, Parker must decide just how far she'll go to keep her secret from surfacing. Also available from Courtney Summers: I'M THE GIRL, the new "brutally captivating" (Publishers Weekly, starred review) queer thriller based loosely on The Epstein case.

A Liverpool boy from the same cohort as John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison, Peter Sissons was destined for great things. Then he was caught on the wrong side of rebel lines during the Nigerian Civil War and shot through both legs his blossoming career as a war reporter came abruptly to an end. But another door was about to open, and Sissons went on to guide a generation through every momentous event of the last forty-five years. Surprisingly funny, dramatic and often poignant, When One Door Closes is the bestselling story of Britain's most distinguished newsreader and reveals what he really thinks about the state of the British media, global affairs, Climategate and the workings of the BBC.

This year, London's elected mayor and assembly turn twenty. But has London's mayoralty lived up to the expectations that were set for it? Have its three mayors been able to get to grips with the city's challenges? How have they responded to crises in the past – and what does the future hold? This important new book marks the twentieth anniversary of London's mayor and assembly and investigates the relative successes and challenges of the mayoralty to date, before asking what comes next for London. It combines analysis by experts with reflections from those closely involved in setting up, running and working with the Greater London Authority, alongside those who have held the position of Mayor of London themselves.