Murder Most Moscow

How a society defines crimes and prosecutes criminals illuminates its cultural values, social norms, and political expectations. In Murder Most Russian, Louise McReynolds draws on a fascinating series of murders and subsequent trials that took place in the wake of the 1864 legal reforms enacted by Tsar Alexander II. For the first time in Russian history, the accused were placed in the hands of juries of common citizens in courtrooms that were open to the press. Drawing on a wide array of sources, McReynolds reconstructs murders that gripped Russian society, from the case of Andrei Gilevich, who advertised for a personal secretary and beheaded the respondent as a way of perpetrating insurance fraud, to the beating death of Marianna Time at the hands of two young aristocrats who hoped to steal her diamond earrings. As McReynolds shows, newspapers covered such trials extensively, transforming the courtroom into the most public site in Russia for deliberation about legality and justice. To understand the cultural and social consequences of murder in late imperial Russia, she analyzes the discussions that arose among the emergent professional criminologists, defense attorneys, and expert forensic witnesses about what made a defendant’s behavior "criminal." She also deftly connects real criminal trials to the burgeoning literary genre of crime fiction and fruitfully compares the Russian case to examples of crimes both from Western Europe and the United States in this period. Murder Most Russian will appeal not only to readers interested in Russian culture and true crime but also to historians who study criminology, urbanization, the role of the social sciences in forging the modern state, evolving notions of the self and the psyche, the instability of gender norms, and sensationalism in the modern media.

The very words 'serial killer' are enough to strike fear into the heart of any normal person. While many of us are fascinated by this criminal breed and cannot resist the morbid need to learn more about them, we are also repulsed by the various atrocities and horrific acts that they are able to bring themselves to commit. Amongst the best known serial killers, not just in Russia but in the world, is the insanely evil Andrei Chikatilo, aka the Rostov Ripper. However, there were many other serial murderers in Russia that came before him and many that came after him - some were even inspired by him. In this book, you can learn more about some of the most evil serial killers in Russia and the unbelievably horrific acts that they committed, taking the lives of boys and girls, men and women, children and the elderly. Take Vasiliy Kulik for example - a serial killer from a wealthy background whose victim's ages ranged from just two through to seventy-five. Sergei Ryakhovsky was another killer that was not particularly bothered about age or gender, with his victims ranging from children through to old age pensioners. Another thing that is striking about many of these Russian serial killers is that many of them held down very respectable jobs before deciding to turn to murder as a new profession. For example, Mikhail Popkov was a police officer and was even involved in investigating some of the murders that he'd actually committed himself. Maxim Vladimirovich was an emergency doctor, who used his position to gain the trust of vulnerable patients so that he could rob and murder them. Anatoly Slivko ran his own children's club and Andre Chikatilo was a university graduate who had held down a number of teaching job. In this book we look at the cases and crimes of some of the most prolific serial killers in Russia - killers that have carried out crimes ranging from rape and sexual abuse through to murder, cannibalism and necrophilia. These are Russia's worst serial killers.

David Bevington demonstrates that the staging, criticism, and editing of Hamlet go hand in hand over the centuries to such a remarkable extent that the history of Hamlet can be seen as a kind of paradigm for the cultural history of the English-speaking world.

"The historical study of crime has become a rapidly expanding area of both social history and criminology during the past few decades. Indeed, the history of crime is more relevant than ever for scholars seeking to address contemporary issues in criminology and criminal justice, and for historians trying to understand the nature of crime and criminal justice in past societies. The Oxford Handbook of the History of Crime and Criminal Justice provides a systematic and comprehensive examination of recent developments across both fields. The aim is to further exchange between scholars working on crime and criminal justice from different disciplines. The chapters examine existing research, explain ongoing debates and controversies, and point to new areas of interest, covering topics such as crime in its social context, criminal law and courts, police and policing, and the rise of criminology as a field. This handbook also analyzes some of the most pressing criminological issues of our time, including drug trafficking, terrorism, and the intersections of gender, race, and class in the context of crime and punishment. The definitive volume on the history of crime, The Oxford Handbook of the History of Crime and Criminal Justice is an invaluable resource for students and scholars of criminology, criminal justice, and legal history"--Jacket.

The search for a missing artist draws Donald Langham and Ralph Ryland into London's criminal underworld with deadly consequences. London. April, 1957. Private investigator Donald Langham is approached by retired businessman Vernon Lombard to find his missing son, Christopher. But what appears to be a simple case of a missing artist becomes far more alarming when Langham realizes there's more to Christopher's disappearance than meets the eye, and then makes a terrible discovery. Meanwhile, Langham's business partner Ralph Ryland's search for a missing greyhound forces him to confront a shameful secret from his own past, with terrifying consequences. Can Langham navigate London's criminal underworld, fascism and deception to track down a killer and save Ralph's life?

Adventure set in 1991 during the time of the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Based on a real-life leader of the Russian Mafioso.

Provide your mystery fans with background information on their favorite writers and series characters, and use this as a guide for adding contemporary titles to your collections. This book examines 100 of today's top mystery novels and mystery authors hailing from countries such as the United States, Great Britain, France, Italy, South Africa, and Australia. Equally valuable to students writing research papers, readers craving new authors or more information about their favorite authors, and teachers seeking specific types of fiction to support curricula, 100 Most Popular Contemporary Mystery Authors: Biographical Sketches and Bibliographies provides revealing information about today's best mysteries and authors—without any "spoilers." Each of the accomplished writers included in this guide has established a broad audience and is recognized for work that is imaginative and innovative. The rising stars of 21st century mystery will also be included, as will authors who have won the Mystery Writers of America Grand Master Award.