Random House New Releases - True Crime - Hoaxes & Deceptions

The Mark Inside by Amy Reading

2013-02-26T00:30:00-05:00

The Mark Inside A Perfect Swindle, a Cunning Revenge, and a Small History of the Big Con
Written by Amy Reading

Trade Paperback, 304 pages | Vintage | True Crime - Hoaxes & Deceptions; History - United States - 20th Century; Business & Economics - Investments & Securities | $15.95 | 978-0-307-47359-2 (0-307-47359-7)

In 1919, Texas rancher J. Frank Norfleet lost everything he had in a stock market swindle—twice. But instead of slinking home in shame, he turned the tables on the confidence men. Armed with a revolver and a suitcase full of disguises, Norfleet set out to capture the five men who had conned him, allowing himself to be ensnared in the con again and again to gather evidence on his enemies. Through the story of Norfleet’s ingenious reverse-swindle, Amy Reading reveals the fascinating mechanics behind the big con—an artful performance targeted to the most vulnerable points of human nature—and invites you into the crooked history of a nation on the hustle, constantly feeding the hunger and the hope of the mark inside.

Escape from Alcatraz by J. Campbell Bruce

2012-03-14T00:30:00-05:00

Escape from Alcatraz
Written by J. Campbell Bruce

eBook, 240 pages | Ten Speed Press | History - United States - State & Local - West (Ak, Ca, Co, Hi, Id, Mt, Nv, Ut, Wy); True Crime - Organized Crime; True Crime - Hoaxes & Deceptions | $10.99 | 978-0-307-81583-5 (0-307-81583-8)

In 1963, just weeks before the original publication of this book, the last prisoner was escorted off Devil’s Island and Alcatraz ceased to be a prison. Author J. Campbell Bruce chronicles in spellbinding detail the Rock’s transition from a Spanish fort to the maximum-security penitentiary that housed such infamous inmates as Robert Stroud, aka the Birdman of Alcatraz, and mobster Al “Scarface” Capone. The chapters describing the daring escape attempts by Frank Morris and two accomplices from this “inescapable” prison became the basis for the 1979 Clint Eastwood movie. Discover the intriguing and absorbing saga of Alcatraz, whose name is still synonymous with punitive isolation and deprivation, where America’s most violent and notorious prisoners resided in tortuous proximity to one of the world’s favorite cities.

The true-crime classic first published in 1963 is reissued in this special edition.

Includes archival photos of the prison and prison life.

This story will appeal to Bay Area locals and tourists alike.

Alcatraz hosts more than a million visitors each year.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

The Mark Inside by Amy Reading

2012-03-06T00:30:00-05:00

The Mark Inside A Perfect Swindle, a Cunning Revenge, and a Small History of the Big Con
Written by Amy Reading

Hardcover, 304 pages | Knopf | True Crime - Hoaxes & Deceptions; History - United States - 20th Century; Business & Economics - Investments & Securities | $26.95 | 978-0-307-27248-5 (0-307-27248-6)

In 1919, Texas rancher J. Frank Norfleet lost everything he had in a stock market swindle. He did what many other marks did—he went home, borrowed more money from his family, and returned for another round of swindling.

Only after he lost that second fortune did he reclaim control of his story. Instead of crawling back home in shame, he vowed to hunt down the five men who had conned him. Armed with a revolver and a suitcase full of disguises, Norfleet crisscrossed the country from Texas to Florida to California to Colorado, posing as a country hick and allowing himself to be ensnared by confidence men again and again to gather evidence on his enemies. Within four years, Frank Norfleet had become nationally famous for his quest to out-con the con men.

Through Norfleet’s ingenious reverse-swindle, Amy Reading reveals the mechanics behind the scenes of the big con—a piece of performance art targeted to the most vulnerable points of human nature. Reading shows how the big con has been woven throughout U.S. history. From the colonies to the railroads and the Chicago Board of Trade, America has always been a speculative enterprise, and bunco men and bankers alike have always understood that the common man was perfectly willing to engage in minor fraud to get a piece of the expanding stock market—a trait that made him infinitely gullible.

Amy Reading’s fascinating account of con artistry in America and Frank Norfleet’s wild caper invites you into the crooked history of a nation on the hustle, constantly feeding the hunger and the hope of the mark inside.

The Mark Inside by Amy Reading

2012-03-06T00:30:00-05:00

The Mark Inside A Perfect Swindle, a Cunning Revenge, and a Small History of the Big Con
Written by Amy Reading

eBook, 304 pages | Vintage | True Crime - Hoaxes & Deceptions; History - United States - 20th Century; Business & Economics - Investments & Securities | $11.99 | 978-0-307-95761-0 (0-307-95761-6)

The Mark Inside by Richard McGonagle

2012-03-06T00:30:00-05:00

The Mark Inside A Perfect Swindle, a Cunning Revenge, and a Small History of the Big Con
Written by Amy Reading
Read by Richard McGonagle

Unabridged Audiobook Download | Random House Audio | True Crime - Hoaxes & Deceptions; History - United States - 20th Century; Business & Economics - Investments & Securities | $22.50 | 978-0-307-98740-2 (0-307-98740-X)

Kingpin by Kevin Poulsen

2012-02-07T00:30:00-05:00

Kingpin How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground
Written by Kevin Poulsen

Trade Paperback, 288 pages | Broadway | Technology - History; True Crime - Hoaxes & Deceptions | $15.00 | 978-0-307-58869-2 (0-307-58869-6)

Former hacker Kevin Poulsen has, over the past decade, built a reputation as one of the top investigative reporters on the cybercrime beat. In Kingpin, he pours his unmatched access and expertise into book form for the first time, delivering a gripping cat-and-mouse narrative—and an unprecedented view into the twenty-first century’s signature form of organized crime.

The word spread through the hacking underground like some unstoppable new virus: Someone—some brilliant, audacious crook—had just staged a hostile takeover of an online criminal network that siphoned billions of dollars from the US economy.

The FBI rushed to launch an ambitious undercover operation aimed at tracking down this new kingpin; other agencies around the world deployed dozens of moles and double agents. Together, the cybercops lured numerous unsuspecting hackers into their clutches. . . . Yet at every turn, their main quarry displayed an uncanny ability to sniff out their snitches and see through their plots.

The culprit they sought was the most unlikely of criminals: a brilliant programmer with a hippie ethic and a supervillain’s double identity. As prominent “white-hat” hacker Max “Vision” Butler, he was a celebrity throughout the programming world, even serving as a consultant to the FBI. But as the black-hat “Iceman,” he found in the world of data theft an irresistible opportunity to test his outsized abilities. He infiltrated thousands of computers around the country, sucking down millions of credit card numbers at will. He effortlessly hacked his fellow hackers, stealing their ill-gotten gains from under their noses. Together with a smooth-talking con artist, he ran a massive real-world crime ring.

And for years, he did it all with seeming impunity, even as countless rivals ran afoul of police.

Yet as he watched the fraudsters around him squabble, their ranks riddled with infiltrators, their methods inefficient, he began to see in their dysfunction the ultimate challenge: He would stage his coup and fix what was broken, run things as they should be run—even if it meant painting a bull’s-eye on his forehead.

Through the story of this criminal’s remarkable rise, and of law enforcement’s quest to track him down, Kingpin lays bare the workings of a silent crime wave still affecting millions of Americans. In these pages, we are ushered into vast online-fraud supermarkets stocked with credit card numbers, counterfeit checks, hacked bank accounts, dead drops, and fake passports. We learn the workings of the numerous hacks—browser exploits, phishing attacks, Trojan horses, and much more—these fraudsters use to ply their trade, and trace the complex routes by which they turn stolen data into millions of dollars. And thanks to Poulsen’s remarkable access to both cops and criminals, we step inside the quiet, desperate arms race that law enforcement continues to fight with these scammers today.

Ultimately, Kingpin is a journey into an underworld of startling scope and power, one in which ordinary American teenagers work hand in hand with murderous Russian mobsters and where a simple Wi-Fi connection can unleash a torrent of gold worth millions.

From the Hardcover edition.

Kingpin by Kevin Poulsen

2011-02-22T00:30:00-05:00

Kingpin How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground
Written by Kevin Poulsen

eBook, 288 pages | Crown | Technology - History; True Crime - Hoaxes & Deceptions | $11.99 | 978-0-307-58870-8 (0-307-58870-X)

Escape from Alcatraz by J. Campbell Bruce

2005-04-01T00:30:00-05:00

Escape from Alcatraz
Written by J. Campbell Bruce

Trade Paperback, 240 pages | Ten Speed Press | History - United States - State & Local - West (Ak, Ca, Co, Hi, Id, Mt, Nv, Ut, Wy); True Crime - Organized Crime; True Crime - Hoaxes & Deceptions | $14.99 | 978-1-58008-678-3 (1-58008-678-0)

The true-crime classic first published in 1963 is reissued in this special edition.

Includes archival photos of the prison and prison life.

This story will appeal to Bay Area locals and tourists alike.

Alcatraz hosts more than a million visitors each year.

In Pursuit of Satan by Robert D. Hicks

2003-11-24T00:30:00-05:00

In Pursuit of Satan The Police and the Occult
Written by Robert D. Hicks

Trade Paperback, 420 pages | Prometheus Books | Religion - Demonology & Satanism; True Crime - Hoaxes & Deceptions; Body, Mind & Spirit - Occultism | $28.99 | 978-1-59102-219-0 (1-59102-219-3)

Random House New Releases - True Crime - Hoaxes & Deceptions

The Mark Inside by Amy Reading

The Mark Inside A Perfect Swindle, a Cunning Revenge, and a Small History of the Big ConWritten by Amy Reading

Escape from Alcatraz by J. Campbell Bruce

Escape from Alcatraz Written by J. Campbell Bruce

The Mark Inside by Amy Reading

The Mark Inside A Perfect Swindle, a Cunning Revenge, and a Small History of the Big ConWritten by Amy Reading

The Mark Inside by Amy Reading

The Mark Inside A Perfect Swindle, a Cunning Revenge, and a Small History of the Big ConWritten by Amy Reading

The Mark Inside by Richard McGonagle

The Mark Inside A Perfect Swindle, a Cunning Revenge, and a Small History of the Big ConWritten by Amy Reading Read by Richard McGonagle

Kingpin by Kevin Poulsen

Kingpin How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime UndergroundWritten by Kevin Poulsen

Kingpin by Kevin Poulsen

Kingpin How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime UndergroundWritten by Kevin Poulsen

Escape from Alcatraz by J. Campbell Bruce

Escape from Alcatraz Written by J. Campbell Bruce

In Pursuit of Satan by Robert D. Hicks

In Pursuit of Satan The Police and the OccultWritten by Robert D. Hicks

The Mark Inside A Perfect Swindle, a Cunning Revenge, and a Small History of the Big Con
Written by Amy Reading

Escape from Alcatraz
Written by J. Campbell Bruce

The Mark Inside A Perfect Swindle, a Cunning Revenge, and a Small History of the Big Con
Written by Amy Reading

The Mark Inside A Perfect Swindle, a Cunning Revenge, and a Small History of the Big Con
Written by Amy Reading

The Mark Inside A Perfect Swindle, a Cunning Revenge, and a Small History of the Big Con
Written by Amy Reading
Read by Richard McGonagle

Kingpin How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground
Written by Kevin Poulsen

Kingpin How One Hacker Took Over the Billion-Dollar Cybercrime Underground
Written by Kevin Poulsen

Escape from Alcatraz
Written by J. Campbell Bruce

In Pursuit of Satan The Police and the Occult
Written by Robert D. Hicks