Until the early twentieth century, printed invitations to executions issued by lawmen were a vital part of the ritual of death concluding a criminal proceeding in the United States. In this study, Gordon Morris Bakken invites readers to an understanding of the death penalty in America with a collection of essays that trace the history and politics of this highly charged moral, legal, and cultural issue. Bakken has solicited essays from historians, political scientists, and lawyers to ensure a broad treatment of the evolution of American cultural attitudes about crime and capital punishment. Part one of this extensive analysis focuses on politics, legal history, multicultural issues, and the international aspects of the death penalty. Part two offers a regional analysis with essays that put death penalty issues into a geographic and cultural context. Part three focuses on specific states with emphasis on the need to understand capital punishment in terms of state law development, particularly because states determine on whom the death penalty will be imposed. Part four examines the various means of death, from hanging to lethal injection, in state law case studies. And finally, part five focuses on the portrayal of capital punishment in popular culture.

"A fascinating book . . . a must-read for all who want to deepen their relationship with life and living . . . I regard this work as an important resource, one-of-a-kind in its genre, and a refreshing wellspring of pragmatic wisdom." -Andrew Weil, M.D., best-selling author of Spontaneous Healing, Healthy Aging, and Fast Food, Good Food "A great book . . . an important work by two amazing teachers . . . a kind of a 'Jewish Book of the Dead, ' like the Egyptian and Tibetan 'Book of the Dead' . . . It blends the mystical with the pragmatic . . . a guiding lamp illuminating our path at every moment." -David Carson, co-author of the best-selling Medicine Cards and Crossing into Medicine Country "Maron and Winkler take the inexplicable, give it meaning, and return it again to delicious mystery . . . They metamorphose complex concepts into song whose rhythm and melody become nearly hypnotic . . . They give us new ways of seeing that excite and incite to new ways of living. And dying." -Anna Redsand

An Invitation to Death is the gripping story of a serial killer set in contemporary India. Darius Irani, a hyper-intelligent young man, goes on a murderous spree, targeting young, beautiful, urban women, who fall prey to his easy charm, sense of humour and innate madness. Strangely, he does not rape his victims, but the brutalisation is savage-like, indicating a deep hatred for women. The killer manages to evade the cops every single time. As the inevitable cat and mouse game plays out – with a great deal of blood spilling along the way, and climaxing in a devastating reality – the journey reveals the depravity of the human mind, and the way politicians, police and media deal with hard crime in this country.

Ruth Tamari's interview project invites adults over 21 to share their thoughts about aging, dying and death. Speaking about these taboo topics with a rare openness and honesty, participants share their beliefs, fears, and wisdom. When her own dad became ill Ruth felt overwhelmed and unprepared, and was surprised to realize how the interviewees had given her the courage and strength she needed for what she was about to experience. The Invitation weaves Ruth's experiences and the interviewees' personal stories in a compelling way that will engage and absorb you. A special chapter includes the interview questions and creative ways to explore them yourself.

DEATH BY INVITATION is Book #15 in the #1 Bestselling Caribbean Murder series, which begins with DEATH BY HONEYMOON (Book #1)—a free download! It is also a stand-alone novel. In DEATH BY INVITATION, Mattheus finally proposes to Cindy. They arrive at their hotel in St. Thomas to prepare for their wedding—and are shocked to discover another bride’s bachelorette party, in their hotel, gets out of control, and goes terribly wrong. Cindy and Mattheus find themselves drawn into a case of sudden tragedy, one they cannot ignore. As they delve deeper into island and into the dark, dangerous world of male dancers, they find themselves thrown into a maze where a killer stalks right before them, and nothing is what it seems.

Unique among Western democracies in refusing to eradicate the death penalty, the United States has attempted instead to reform and rationalize state death penalty practices through federal constitutional law. Courting Death traces the unusual and distinctive history of top-down judicial regulation of capital punishment under the Constitution and its unanticipated consequences for our time. In the 1960s and 1970s, in the face of widespread abolition of the death penalty around the world, provisions for capital punishment that had long fallen under the purview of the states were challenged in federal courts. The U.S. Supreme Court intervened in two landmark decisions, first by constitutionally invalidating the death penalty in Furman v. Georgia (1972) on the grounds that it was capricious and discriminatory, followed four years later by restoring it in Gregg v. Georgia (1976). Since then, by neither retaining capital punishment in unfettered form nor abolishing it outright, the Supreme Court has created a complex regulatory apparatus that has brought executions in many states to a halt, while also failing to address the problems that led the Court to intervene in the first place. While execution chambers remain active in several states, constitutional regulation has contributed to the death penalty’s new fragility. In the next decade or two, Carol Steiker and Jordan Steiker argue, the fate of the American death penalty is likely to be sealed by this failed judicial experiment. Courting Death illuminates both the promise and pitfalls of constitutional regulation of contentious social issues.

Death, Dying, and the Time Traveler is a collection of short stories. These stories are told by the Time Traveler, who is sent to Earth from another universe. The Time Traveler was genetically created to be Caucasian. As he grows up, his makeup has gradually changed and he has become a man of color. When Madonna, the commander-in-chief of the high council of Alexis, the planet that sent the Time Traveler to Earth, returns years later and transports the Time Traveler aboard his space vessel, he is baffled by these unbelievable stories. During his journey through life on Earth, the Time Traveler was always confronted with death and dying. He has experienced the depths of human sufferance, and there are no great stories of glory to be told. The Time Traveler questions man's existence on Earth and explores three temptations that have led to his failure here. Madonna and his council must decide the fate of the Time Traveler. Will he return to Earth and fulfill his destiny or return to Alexis with Madonna? These are the Time Traveler's thrilling stories of the past, chilling stories of the present, and shocking stories of the future.

'Frances Brody has made it to the top rank of crime writers' Daily Mail 'Brody's writing is like her central character Kate Shackleton: witty, acerbic and very, very perceptive' Ann Cleeves A murder most foul When the landlord of a Yorkshire tavern is killed in plain sight, Freda Simonson, the only witness to the crime, becomes plagued with guilt, believing the wrong man has been convicted. Following her death, it seems that the truth will never be uncovered in the peaceful village of Langcliffe . . . A village of secrets But it just so happens that Freda's nephew is courting the renowned amateur sleuth Kate Shackleton, who decides to holiday in Langcliffe with her indomitable teenage niece, Harriet. When Harriet strikes up a friendship with a local girl whose young brother is missing, the search leads Kate to uncover another suspicious death, not to mention an illicit affair. The case of a lifetime It soon becomes clear to her that nothing in Langcliffe is quite as it appears, and with a murderer on the loose and an ever-growing roster of suspects, this isn't the holiday Kate was expecting . . . Whether you've read the whole series, or are discovering the Kate Shackleton mysteries for the first time, this is the perfect page-turner for fans of Agatha Christie, Ann Granger and Jacqueline Winspear. Praise for the Kate Shackleton mysteries: 'Kate Shackleton is a splendid heroine' Ann Granger 'Delightful' People's Friend 'Kate Shackleton joins Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs in a subgroup of young, female amateur detectives matured by their wartime experiences. They make excellent heroines' Literary Review 'I really adore this series and Kate is such a strong, level-headed character' Woman's Way 'Brody's excellent mystery splendidly captures the conflicts and attitudes of the time with well-developed characters' RT Book Reviews