New Crime & Mystery Fiction Titles From Mainstream Press 07 July-Sept
File Updated: 15/04/2009
New Crime & Mystery Fiction Titles From Mainstream Press JULY-SEPT 07

New
T J English Havana Mob Gangster, Gamblers, Showgirls & Revolutionaries in 1950s Cuba Published September 2007 by Mainstream Press at £17.99 ISBN: 1845961927

Throughout the 1950s, as the Cuban people laboured under a violently repressive regime, the Mob-financed revelry in Havana never stopped. Tourists from around the world flooded in to gamble, go to the racetrack, see an elaborate floorshow at the Tropicana, hear some of the hottest music around and perhaps partake in the kinky sexual activities that flourished on the fringe of the most colourful and exciting nightlife scene of the twentieth century. It may have seemed like fun and games, but for the Havana Mob it was a deadly serious business. Led by Meyer Lansky and Lucky Luciano - and with the full compliance of President Fulgencio Batista - the Mob set out to create a financial empire that would rival the 'glory days' of Prohibition in the US. For a time, the plan seemed to be succeeding beyond their wildest dreams, but they were sowing the seeds of their own demise. Behind the scenes, Fidel Castro was building opposition to what he portrayed as the debauchery and corruption of capitalism run amok in Havana - the result was revolution. "The Havana Mob" captures a unique and exotic chapter not only in the history of organised crime but also in the history of the United States, and for the first time the story is told through interviews and the first-hand accounts of those who were actually there.

T.J. English is a noted journalist and screenwriter, and is the author of three previous books: Old Bones and Shallow Graves, The Westies and Born To Kill. He has written for numerous publications, including Esquire and Playboy, and his screenwriting credits include work on NYPD Blue and Homicide.

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Howard Ronnie & Fennell Tim Ronnie's Looking for Trouble Pbk published July 2007 by Mainstream Press at £9.99 ISBN: 1845962842


Ronnie Howard was a drug dealer, a hitman, a hustler, a bouncer, a thief and a conman. He was very nearly a pimp. Ronnie was also a copper whose undercover work led to some of the biggest drugs hauls the UK has ever seen. His infiltration of a paedophile network helped avert kidnap and murder while his work on the beat earned him a reputation as one of the UK's toughest policemen. No one was safe when Ronnie was around. Criminals feared him and so did his fellow officers. "Ronnie's Looking for Trouble" reveals the true story of one man's battle against crime and an increasingly corrupt law-enforcement service. It is the account of a man who was afraid of nothing and no one. For where there was trouble, there was glory. And Ronnie found plenty of both.

Ronnie Howard spent over 20 years in the police force, 15 of those undercover. He has a wall full of commendations and a backyard full of enemies. Ronnie has now resigned from the force and divides his time between England and France.
Tim Fennell is a journalist who has 15 years’ experience of writing and editing for consumer magazines. His work has appeared in many publications, including Arena, FHM, Esquire, Maxim, Marie Claire, Elle, Empire and Q. He has also worked as a freelance editorial consultant for the Radio Times and the Sunday Times amongst others.

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Graham Johnson The Devil: Britain's Most Feared Underworld Taxman Pbk published August 2007 by Mainstream Press at £8.99 ISBN: 1845961781


"The Devil" gives a true snapshot of organised crime in the UK today, revealing the hidden depth and breadth to which it has penetrated society and how it affects all our lives. Gangster Stephen French stole GBP20 million from Britain's biggest drug traffickers during his reign as the underworld's top narcotics 'taxman' - a new form of extortionist who kidnaps drug dealers and forces them to hand over a slice of their profits using torture and extreme violence. From Sicily to Istanbul, French was feared by those who claim to fear no one. He kidnapped and tortured some of the world's richest and most ruthless crime lords, using unspeakable acts of evil until they paid up. French's other claim to fame is that he was responsible for Curtis Warren's introduction to the world of crime, forcing him to carry out a burglary at the age of ten. Warren went on to become the wealthiest criminal in British history and French was his top enforcer. Now a legitimate businessman, French built up an empire worth GBP7.5 million at its height. Having turned his back on his former life, he is seeking to set the record straight.

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David Leslie Bible John's Secret Daughter Pbk published July 2007 by Mainstream Press at £9.99 ISBN: 1845962281


There was one partner the pretty young women who danced away the 1960s in Glasgow's Barrowlands were desperate to avoid: Bible John, so named because he quoted scripture to his victims. He was being hunted for three brutal unsolved sex murders, and each of his victims had been picked up after a night at the famous dance hall. Police were still investigating the first terrifying murder when Hannah Martin was raped on her way home from the Barrowlands. When Bible John struck twice more, Hannah confided to friends that his description matched that of her own attacker. The next shock came when Hannah discovered she was pregnant. Her distraught father banished her from the family home and forced her to give her child up for adoption. She would never see her daughter again, but in a bizarre twist three decades later, an investigation into the infamous World's End murder would result in Hannah's daughter discovering the identity of the mother she never knew. Tragically, the news came too late for them to be reunited but it set her on a course to uncover the shocking secrets of her mother's life. Did Hannah know Bible John? What did Hannah Martin reveal of her baby's father? How did she then become a member of a multimillion-pound drug-smuggling gang? Why, after expecting a huge bounty, did she die in poverty? The answers are all here in Bible John's "Secret Daughter".

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Gerry O'Carroll The Sheriff: A Detective's Story Pbk published September 2007 by Mainstream Press at £7.99 ISBN: 1845962648


Since Gerry O'Carroll joined Ireland's Garda in the early 1970s, there has been much bloodshed and plenty of controversy. As one of the force's most distinguished detective inspectors, he has seen his fair share of both. Following his first posting as an officer on the beat in Rathfarham, Co. Dublin, Gerry spent three decades investigating some of the country's most high-profile crimes and here he explains the motives behind them and reveals the confessions that led to convictions. The Kerry Babies case split the nation and Gerry was at the centre of the debate. In "The Sheriff", he shares his thoughts on the tragedy, along with his experiences as an officer at the height of the Troubles. Following his retirement from the force, Gerry has become a popular columnist with the Evening Herald and is in demand on radio and television for his views on crime. He most famously helped Jon Voight to prepare for his performance as an Irish policeman in John Boorman's "The General". The film was based on the life of Martin Cahill, a gangster vigorously pursued by Gerry. "The Sheriff" recounts Gerry's story from his Kerry upbringing as one of a family of fifteen children to his professional success as one of Ireland's most well-known policemen.

Gerry O’Carroll worked on over 80 murder cases in his 40 years in the force. His conviction rate is unprecedented and he has brought to justice some of Ireland’s most brutal gangsters.

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Mary Turner Thomson The Other Mrs Jordan: A True Story of Bigamy and Betrayal Pbk published September 2007 by Mainstream Press at £10.99 ISBN: 1845962877

See Review by Carol Anne Davis Author of Children Who Kill

'I am the other Mrs Jordan.' In April 2006, Mary Turner Thomson received a call that was to blow her life apart. The woman on the other end of the line calmly told her that she and Will Jordan, Mary's husband and the father of her two younger children, had been married for fourteen years and had five children together. The Other Mrs Jordan is the shocking true story of how one man manipulated an intelligent, independent woman, conning her out of GBP200,000 and leaving her to bring up the children he originally claimed he was physically incapable of fathering. It's a story that we all think could never happen to us, but before dismissing her as easily duped and desperate, read how this shameless conman has been doing the same thing to various other women for at least 26 years and how he concocted the most intricate of cover stories, claiming to be a CIA agent to explain his frequent mysterious absences. In what is a cautionary tale about the perils of online dating, this book exposes a life-shattering con by an expert charmer. It is also the story of Mary's fight to reclaim her life. How far would you go to help the man you love? How far would he go to deceive you?

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