Just a Kid from Park Street provides an informative, firsthand glimpse into the personal challenges following experiences of trauma and loss, shining a spotlight on the psychological, neurological, emotional, and sociological aftereffects only now coming to light in scientific and medical research.

Five torn-from-the-headlines true crime books from an Edgar Award–nominated author and “one of our best reporters” (John Leonard). Linda Wolfe delves deep into the crimes that defy explanation—and the twisted minds of those who commit them. In these five books, she combines masterful storytelling with brilliant psychological insight. Wasted: On an August night in 1986, Jennifer Levin left a Manhattan bar with Robert Chambers. The next morning, her strangled, battered body was found in Central Park. This New York Times Notable Book provides a “fascinating, horrifying, and heart-breaking” account of the so-called Preppie Murder, the crime that shocked a city and a nation (Ann Rule). The Professor and the Prostitute: The chilling case of a college professor who bludgeoned to death the prostitute he loved—plus eight other true crimes, including the bizarre story of the Marcus brothers, twin gynecologists, that inspired the David Cronenberg film Dead Ringers. Double Life: The riveting story of how the chief judge of the New York State Court of Appeals was brought down by his sexual obsession with a stunning socialite. The Murder of Dr. Chapman: Wolfe skillfully weaves court transcripts, love letters, and period recollections into an edge-of-your-seat historical thriller about a notorious crime of passion that rocked pre–Civil War America. Love Me to Death: Wolfe embarks on a search for the serial killer who murdered her friend in this “intriguing insider’s look into the convoluted mind of a killer” (The Plain Dealer).

James’s first annual captains’ training brings him out of North County and into Boston for what he thinks will be two days of wasted time. And his opinion is only solidified when the Foundation for Paranormal Studies springs a practical training session on them in the form of a scavenger hunt along the Boston area’s public transit lines. But when injuries occur along the line and the Foundation stops answering questions, James and his colleagues start to question if this is a simulation after all. Matters aren’t helped when a simple congratulations note sends James into an existential crisis, questioning everything about his life and career. But maybe he’s just overthinking when his focus needs to be on the task at hand. Is this training session an elaborate project set up by the Foundation for the captains’ benefit? Or is there something else going on? Park Street Station is Book 6 in the North County Paranormal Unit series!

Dan Rather of CBS News calls it "The Killing Fields of America," but little do they know about the dreams those kids had. Somehow I escaped the destruction these kids were about to get into, so I could tell my side of the story that ruined so many lives forever. I myself was blinded by the powers of darkness. We had a code and believed in death before dishonor. As I matured, I realized how there is no honor six feet under and how you're forgotten after a few decades behind bars, all because we lived by a code that was a lie. We tend to blame the man with the power to lock us up and throw away the key, but we forget who made a choice to follow that code that gave that man the power. As we sit in our cells wondering, "Why me? Why me?" I remember there is no honor in a lie. There is a way which seems right unto men, but at the end, it brings forth destruction. (Proverbs 16:25) There is an evil, which I have seen under the sun, and I lie heavily upon men. (Ecclesiastes 6:1) Nothing is truly learned until it is truly lived. (Deepak Chopra)

A kidnapping plan cribbed from a crime novel goes hilariously wrong for gang boss John Dortmunder—from the Edgar Award–winning author of Bank Shot. When his “friend” Andy Kelp has a plan, career criminal John Dortmunder knows that means trouble. Kelp’s schemes, no matter how well intentioned, tend to spiral quickly out of control. But this one, Kelp swears, is airtight. He read it in a book! The novel featured a kidnapping so brilliant there’s no way it wouldn’t work in real life. Though offended that his usual role as heist planner has been usurped, Dortmunder reluctantly agrees to the scheme. Unfortunately, they kidnap a kid smarter than all of them put together. What’s simple on the page turns complex and chaotic—and there’s no reference guide to help Dortmunder through the madness he’s signed on for. “[Westlake’s] most durable character. Whatever can go wrong in the man’s elaborate attempts at larceny invariably does, and in the most amusing and unexpected ways possible.” —Los Angeles Times “Westlake has no peer in the realm of comic mystery novelists.” —San Francisco Chronicle

Growing up in the 1950s was much different than present times, especially in a small Oregon town, where sawmills, plywood mills, and logging were almost exclusively the livelihood. I have tried to convey that atmosphere herein by telling of my growing up in such a place. It tells of some of my successes-and a lot of my failures in some cases embarrassing. My hope is that the readers will be able to relate to many of my situations and maybe even recognize some of the descriptions of my little town. I have written much of this tongue-in-cheek style, so try to employ a sense of humor reading it.

Delving into the everyday lives of real, everyday people, Walt Harrington skillfully draws the reader into an intimate relationship with the men and women profiled in this powerful collection of stories--people like V. I. Smith, a homicide detective; Deane Guy, a stock car racer; Jackie Jordan, a social worker in family services; and Sheri D'Amato, a girls' soccer coach. Originally appearing in the Washington Post Magazine, these stories, which capture a cross section of Americans, stand out in the field of journalism because of the unique way in which Walt Harrington uses unheralded, individual lives to elaborate on the great human issues of the day. In "Mothers and Daughters" three generations of women discuss how society affected the choices they made and who they became. "The Mystery of Goodness" follows a Harvard-educated lawyer who handles death-row cases for very little money because he feels the system is unfair to African Americans. In "To Have and Have Not" a young couple with two small children struggle to make ends meet. Harrington describes in detail the creation of a poem by Rita Dove, then United States Poet Laureate, in "The Shape of Her Dreaming." Harrington has adeptly combined sociology and journalism into beautiful prose. As "literary journalism," the stories employ scene, dialogue, and physical description within a narrative framework. At the same time, they also adhere to all the traditional journalistic standards of accuracy, fairness, and balance. As a result, At the Heart of It represents a subgenre that is rarely practiced and seldom understood even within the profession of journalism. All of these stories are snapshots, pieces of everyday life in America that are intended to be a mirror held to the lives of readers. These are not stories about which you can remain neutral; even the most casual readers will be moved by the glimpses Walt Harrington provides us of ourselves.