"This book examines many examples of how the community has responded when the justice system is perceived to fail."--Book jacket.

Drugs are being stolen from the Police evidence locker and sold on the street. These same drugs are killing the users. When Internal Affairs detective Gary Drake's brother becomes one of the victims, Drake is even more determined to find the person responsible. Will his search for justice destroy the love he has finally found or will he administer his own brand of vigilante justice?

This account of nineteenth-century Missouri vigilantes is “a first rate adventure story [and] an extremely valuable study of the roots of violence in America” (Gary Paulsen, Newbery Medal–winning author of Hatchet). In the 1880s, the Ozark hills around Taney County, Missouri, echoed with the sound of Winchester rifles. Men were lynched from tree limbs by masked night riders. Bundles of switches were tossed on the porches of “loose” men and women as a grim warning to reform or leave the area. This action-filled saga of the notorious eight-year career of the vigilantes is the most comprehensive account of the Bald Knobber era. It traces the roots of the group in the region’s border struggles during the Civil War, and examines the organization of anti-Bald Knobbers which sprang up to oppose them. Giant Nat Kinney founded the Bald Knobbers, and led them in their violent campaign for law and order. Andrew Coggburn wrote satirical songs to infuriate Kinney and the others. Seventeen-year-old Billy Walker murdered an innocent family and was hanged by the beleaguered authorities. Five opponents of the Bald Knobbers vowed to kill Nat Kinney, and played cards to decide who would do the deed. This book, with photos and illustrations, provides “the most accurate accounting to date of this vigilante group” (Springfield (MO) News-Leader). “Has the sweep and drama of a major novel, with the power and authority of historical truth.” —Loren D. Estleman, Shamus Award-winning author of Monkey in the Middle “Meticulously detailed and carefully constructed . . . fills a gap in the recorded history of Missouri.” —The Kansas City Star

Four close, quirky friends become vigilantes to purge their city of criminal chaos and political corruption. In Book I the team in blue took on a vile gang of criminals and won. But that only dented the local underworld, which was put on notice. Now our heroes have to seriously step up to take on sinister forces, darker and stronger than before, in their mission to save The City. New faces are introduced, supporting characters assume significant roles, and the team's MO begins to shift. And then there's their personal side. Will Les achieve her life ambition? Will Jay finally see the light? And Chardonnay - dear Chardonnay - will she grasp the glimmer of fulfilment that looms before her? And what about team leader Rex, the perfect imperfect man? What haunts him? And who is he to coolly put his teammates in danger? Especially now that they're dating? Join the LGBT Superheroes as they strive to prove that their whole is far greater than the sum of its parts. While, of course, wearing skin-tight cobalt blue outfits accessorized with matching gloves, masks and capes. THE LGBT SUPERHEROES! Book II is written to read like a fun, farcical movie on the page - full of action, drama, romance, humor, endearing main characters, a cool supporting cast, and engaging story lines. Diversity, acceptance and prejudice weave threads throughout, and the reader is reminded that life can be an exhilarating ride. This warm action novel is written for an accepting audience by an LGBT ally. You have permission to feel good. Own THE LGBT SUPERHEROES! BOOK II today! Everyone deserves their very own superheroes.

Ever since the exposure of the Kitten Killer of Hangshou captured the imagination of online communities world-wide, vigilantism and digilantism has come to the fore as an emerging and poignant issue. In their book Introducing Vigilant Audiences Daniel Trottier and colleagues (and contributors) have produced an excellent and throughtful ‘must read’ for all who are studying vigilantism, or just interested in it. Prof. David Wall, University of Leeds This is a collection of cutting edge and thoughtful case studies of global digital vigilantism that advances this emerging and increasingly important field in useful and intriguing ways. Prof. Michael Pfeifer, City University of New York This ground-breaking collection of essays examines the scope and consequences of digital vigilantism – a phenomenon emerging on a global scale, which sees digital audiences using social platforms to shape social and political life. Longstanding forms of moral scrutiny and justice seeking are disseminated through our contemporary media landscape, and researchers are increasingly recognising the significance of societal impacts effected by digital media. The authors engage with a range of cross-disciplinary perspectives in order to explore the actions of a vigilant digital audience – denunciation, shaming, doxing – and to consider the role of the press and other public figures in supporting or contesting these activities. In turn, the volume illuminates several tensions underlying these justice seeking activities – from their capacity to reproduce categorical forms of discrimination, to the diverse motivations of the wider audiences who participate in vigilant denunciations. This timely volume presents thoughtful case studies drawn both from high-profile Anglo-American contexts, and from developments in regions that have received less coverage in English-language scholarship. It is distinctive in its focus on the contested boundary between policing and entertainment, and on the various contexts in which the desire to seek retribution converges with the desire to consume entertainment. Introducing Vigilant Audiences will be of great value to researchers and students of sociology, politics, criminology, critical security studies, and media and communication. It will be of further interest to those who wish to understand recent cases of citizen-led justice seeking in their global context.

What are the social and political consequences of poor state governance and low state legitimacy? Under what conditions does lynching – lethal, extralegal group violence to punish offenses to the community – become an acceptable practice? We argue lynching emerges when neither the state nor its challengers have a monopoly over legitimate authority. When authority is contested or ambiguous, mass punishment for transgressions can emerge that is public, brutal, and requires broad participation. Using new cross-national data, we demonstrate lynching is a persistent problem in dozens of countries over the last four decades. Drawing on original survey and interview data from Haiti and South Africa, we show how lynching emerges and becomes accepted. Specifically, support for lynching most likely occurs in one of three conditions: when states fail to provide governance, when non-state actors provide social services, or when neighbors must rely on self-help.