A serial killer stalks the streets of London in this “top-notch debut thriller”—the first Jack Caffery novel from the acclaimed author of Gone (Kirkus Reviews). In his first case as lead investigator with London’s murder squad, Det. Inspector Jack Caffery is called on to investigate the murder of a young woman whose body has been discovered near the Millennium Dome in Greenwich, southeast London. Mutilated beyond recognition, the victim is soon joined by four others discovered in the same area—all female and all ritualistically murdered. And when the postmortem examination reveals a gruesome signature connecting the victims, Caffery realizes exactly what he’s dealing with—a dangerous serial killer. A finalist for the Edgar Award, Birdman explores the darkest reaches of the human mind and introduces a fascinating detective to the world of British crime fiction. “Treading the grisly path blazed by Thomas Harris in 1981 with Red Dragon, promising newcomer Hayder crafts a blood-curdlingly creepy debut thriller.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review “A deftly plotted assault on the nerves . . . Birdman preys on the reader’s expectations expertly, and Hayder handles her story’s complicated time scheme with enviable assurance. Graphic, disturbing, splendidly readable.” —Kirkus Reviews

A collection of poems and illustrations from one of Britain's dangerous category 'A' prisoners, Charles Bronson, formerly Michael Peterson. The poetry indicts the anachronistic penal system for what Bronson says they did to him.

A genius? A scientist? A sociopath? Known to millions as the "Birdman" of Alcatraz, was he the earnest, warm-hearted "bird doctor" and writer of two books, as portrayed by Burt Lancaster in the 1962 film? Or was he a far more flamboyant and diabolical double-murderer, whose event-filled, tragicomic life converted a 12-year conviction into a 54-year death sentence? Meticulously researched, with never-before-published prison reports and Stroud's own writings, with quotes from prisoners, officers, psychologists and avian pathologists, Birdman explodes the myths surrounding Robert Stroud.--From publisher description.

In a northern English town, Lizzie, despite her own grief over the death of her mother, tries to distract her grief-stricken father by helping him enter and prepare for the Great Human Bird Competition.

Alexander Ross was a Canadian ornithologist, medical doctor and naturalist...and so much more. As a young man in Belleville, in the years before the American Civil War, Alexander was introduced in his parents' home to slaves who had made their way to freedom through the underground railroad. From that moment on, he dedicated his life to helping slaves escape north to freedom. He travelled to the American south using his interest in local bird populations and his reputation as a naturalist to gain access to the plantation slaves. Once he was in touch with them, he passed along information about the escape routes and the safe houses. Several times his activities brought him to the attention of American authorities.

"Thure Kumlien was a Swedish American settler who studied birds and plants in the forests, swamps, and prairies near Lake Koshkonong, Wisconsin, from the mid- to late 1800s. Though he never became as famous as John Muir, Increase Lapham, or Aldo Leopold, he was similar to these naturalists in that he possessed an unparalleled knowledge of (and respect for) the natural world in this part of Wisconsin. He made an indelible impression on many, including the Wisconsin writers Walter Havighurst, Lorine Neidecker, and Sterling North. Born to a wealthy family in Skaraborg, Sweden, in 1819, Kumlein was well educated and allowed free-rein to pursue his first love: collecting bird, plant, and mammal specimens. As a young man, he attended Uppsala University (where Carl Linneas taught), studied with the great botanist Professor Elias Fries, and traveled to the Baltic Islands to collect birds and plants. He and his wife, Christine, were some of the first Swedes to emigrate to Wisconsin, settling near Lake Koshkonong in 1843. After arriving in Wisconsin, Thure's reputation quietly spread as a man who knew about the natural world. In the years before and during the Civil War, he sent specimens such as bird skins, eggs, and nests, to museums and collectors in Europe and the Eastern United States, including the Smithsonian. He later taught languages and science at nearby Albion Academy, including to his young neighbor and friend, Edward Lee Greene, who went on to become a prominent botanist. Kumlien worked for the young University of Wisconsin preparing natural history exhibits for the university and normal schools. Later, he was hired as the first curator and third employee of the new Milwaukee Public Museum"--