New Releases by Carol Ann Lee

Soon to be an ITV drama starring Lucy Boynton, A Cruel Love is the definitive story of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be executed in Britain. Previously published as A Fine Day for a Hanging. ''A forensically researched book that casts a haunting new light on the last woman to be hanged in Britain.'' —DAILY MAIL In 1955, former nightclub manageress Ruth Ellis shot her lover, David Blakely, dead. A two-day trial followed, but despite huge public outcry, she was found guilty and sentenced to death. At 28, Ruth became the last woman executed in Britain, her hanging one of the most notorious under prolific hangman Albert Pierrepoint. Carol Ann Lee examines the facts behind the headlines surrounding this infamous case, which many believe led to the dismantling of the death penalty a decade later. Drawing on interviews and in-depth research into the full range of sources, she reveals the woman behind the crime. Previously published as A Fine Day for a Hanging, this is the acclaimed biography that inspired the ITV drama, A Cruel Love – a portrait of 1950s club life in all its seedy glamour, and a tragic true tale of murder, class, love and betrayal. ''Wonderful . . . it will become the standard reference on Ruth Ellis'' Stewart P. Evans, crime historian

On 20 August 1612, ten people from Pendle were executed before a vast crowd at Lancaster''s Gallows Hill. The condemned and their associates had endured six months of accusations, imprisonment and torture; their treatment was such that one of the group died in Lancaster Castle''s dungeons, while awaiting trial. Today, a thriving tourism industry exists in and around Pendle, the former home of the so-called witches, yet virtually everything we know about the case originates from a single source: Thomas Potts'' Wonderfull Discoverie of Witches, hurriedly published in 1613 and distinctly skewed in favour of the prosecution. Until now... Sunday Times bestselling author Carol Ann Lee brings an entirely fresh perspective to the story by approaching it as true crime. Having worked in the genre for more than a decade, her research leads to revelatory discoveries, transforming our knowledge of those shadowy figures behind ill-famed names, and the terrible events that befell them. After four centuries of superstition and surmise, the two central, warring families - each headed by a fiercely independent widow working as ''cunning women'' - emerge fully formed, as the book uncovers the reality of their lives and their alleged crimes before exploring the trial and executions. Along the way, we uncover the truth behind some of the story''s most enduring mysteries: the legend of Malkin Tower and the final resting place of the Pendle witches. This is a ground-breaking book that will take the reader on a spellbinding journey into the dark heart of England''s largest and most notorious witch trial.

For three days Billy Hughes played psychological games with Gill Moran and her family, while secretly murdering them one by one. Blizzards hampered the police manhunt, but they learned where the dangerous criminal was hiding and closed in on the cottage. A desperate car chase ensued, ending with a shoot-out and the killer''s death. There was just one survivor. The plot for a great crime novel? No, it all actually happened in January 1977. The Pottery Cottage Murders is a gripping, fast-paced account of a criminal case that reads like fiction but is terrifyingly true. What took place at a family home on the Derbyshire moors in 1977 made the name Pottery Cottage synonymous with horror: an address briefly as infamous as 112 Ocean Avenue in the US town of Amityville, where a young man had murdered his entire family three years earlier, and the home of married killers Fred and Rosemary West on Cromwell Street in Gloucester. Afterwards, the determination of sole survivor Gill Moran to prevent any written or dramatic accounts of the case saw ''Pottery Cottage'' largely vanish from public consciousness, yet those events changed British history. Now in her eighties, Gill has finally given permission for her story to be told - by the former Chief Inspector who saved her life over forty years before.

In Somebody''s Mother, Somebody''s Daughter, Carol Ann Lee tells, for the first time, the stories of those women who came into Sutcliffe''s murderous orbit, restoring their individuality to them and giving a voice to their families, including the twenty-three children whom he left motherless.

The Sunday Times bestseller and the definitive story behind the ITV factual drama White House Farm, about the horrific killings that took place in 1985. On 7 August 1985, Nevill and June Bamber, their daughter Sheila and her two young sons Nicholas and Daniel were discovered shot to death at White House Farm in Essex. The murder weapon was found on Sheila''s body, a bible lay at her side. All the windows and doors of the farmhouse were secure, and the Bambers'' son, 24-year-old Jeremy, had alerted police after apparently receiving a phone call from his father, who told him Sheila had ''gone berserk'' with the gun. It seemed a straightforward case of murder-suicide, but a dramatic turn of events was to disprove the police''s theory. In October 1986, Jeremy Bamber was convicted of killing his entire family in order to inherit his parents'' substantial estates. He has always maintained his innocence. Drawing on interviews and correspondence with many of those closely connected to the events – including Jeremy Bamber – and a wealth of previously unpublished documentation, Carol Ann Lee brings astonishing clarity to a complex and emotive case. She describes the years of rising tension in the family that culminated in the murders, and provides clear insight into the background of each individual and their relationships within the family unit. Scrupulously fair in its analysis, The Murders at White House Farm is an absorbing portrait of a family, a time and a place, and a gripping account of one of Britain''s most notorious crimes.

NOW A MAJOR TV SERIES, A CRUEL LOVE, STARRING LUCY BOYNTON - COMING SOON TO ITV. Ruth Ellis was hanged for the murder of her lover, despite huge public outcry, and became the last woman to be executed in Britain. Against the backdrop of the glamorous 1950s club scene, this is the real Ruth Ellis story: a tragic true tale of murder, class, love and betrayal. "A forensically researched book that casts a haunting new light on the last woman to be hanged in Britain" Daily Mail In 1955, former nightclub manageress Ruth Ellis shot dead her lover, David Blakely. Following a trial that lasted less than two days, she was found guilty and sentenced to death. She became the last woman to be hanged in Britain, and her execution is the most notorious of hangman Albert Pierrepoint''s ''duties''. Despite Ruth''s infamy, the story of her life has never been fully told. Often wilfully misinterpreted, the reality behind the headlines was buried by an avalanche of hearsay. But now, through new interviews and comprehensive research into previously unpublished sources, Carol Ann Lee examines the facts without agenda or sensation. A portrait of the era and an evocation of 1950s club life in all its seedy glamour, A Fine Day for a Hanging sets Ruth''s gripping story firmly in its historical context in order to tell the truth about both her timeless crime and a punishment that was very much of its time.

The chief prosecution witness in the Moors Murders trial gives his account of the case after more than four decades of silence Despite standing as chief prosecution witness in the Moors Murders trial, David Smith was vilified by the public due to the accusations thrown at him by Myra Hindley and Ian Brady about his involvement in their crimes. Hindley''s later confession that she and Brady had lied in an attempt to reduce their sentences did little to diminish the slurs against his name. For over four decades, Smith was asked by writers and film-makers to tell his story. Apart from a handful of brief interviews, he always refused. Carol Ann Lee met Smith during her research for One of Your Own, her critically acclaimed biography of Hindley, following which he finally agreed to reveal all. In Evil Relations (previously published as Witness), interviews, archival research and, most significantly, David Smith''s own vivid memoir are fused to create an unforgettable, often harrowing account of his life before, during and after the Moors Murders. David Smith lived in rural Ireland with his wife prior to his death in May 2012. He is survived by four children and several grandchildren. Carol Ann Lee is an acclaimed biographer and has written extensively on the Holocaust. Her most recent publication, One of Your Own, focused on the life and death of Myra Hindley.

''Infamous, I have become disowned, but I am one of your own'' - Myra Hindley, from her unpublished autobiography On 15 November 2002, Myra Hindley, Britainâe(tm)s most notorious murderess, died in prison, one of the rare women whose crimes were deemed so indefensible that âe~lifeâe(tm) really did mean âe~lifeâe(tm). But who was the woman behind the headlines? How could a seemingly normal girl grow up to commit such terrible acts? Her defenders claim she fell under Ian Bradyâe(tm)s spell, but is this the truth? Was her insistence that she had changed, that she felt deep remorse and had reverted to the Catholicism of her childhood genuine or a calculating bid to win parole? One of Your Own explores these questions and many others, drawing on a wide range of resources, including Hindleyâe(tm)s own unseen writings, hundreds of recently released prison files, fresh interviews and extensive new research. Compellingly well written, this is the first in-depth study of Hindley and the challenging, definitive biography of Britainâe(tm)s âe~most-hated womanâe(tm).

A heartbreaking and powerful story of personal demons and the hard journey back from an abyss of betrayal in the aftermath of World War I Journalist Alex Dyer made his name covering the bloody horrors of the European trenches. Yet even after the Great War is over, he cannot shake the guilt he feels for not serving on the front lines like his dearest childhood friend, Ted Eden. Worse still, Alex cannot put to rest the emotions that gnaw at him from the inside: his feelings for Clare, Ted''s wife—a woman they both have loved more than life itself. A masterful debut novel from the acclaimed author of The Hidden Life of Otto Frank, Carol Ann Lee''s Winter of the World combines fascinating historical detail and color with breathtaking invention. Recalling the fire of the battlefield and the nightmare of the trenches, it brilliantly evokes a volatile time when life was frozen in the present tense and looking forward was the only thing more painful than looking back.

Anne Frank''s diary changed how the world saw the Holocaust—this book will change how you see Anne Frank. Beginning with Otto Frank''s idyllic childhood, follow the family''s journey from its proud German roots through life under Nazi occupation to their horrifying concentration camp experiences. Interspersed with their story are personal accounts of survivors, excerpts from the other victims'' journals, and black-and-white photos. A perfect blend of historical information and emotional narratives, this book makes an excellent companion to the diary, offering an indepth look at the life of Anne Frank, and an intimate history of the young people who experienced the Holocaust.

When Jacqueline met Anne on her way home from school in the 1940s, the two girls formed an instant friendship. But with every day came an increasing sense of fear, especially as the Nazis took over Amsterdam. Despite the impending war, the friendship between Anne Frank and Jacqueline van Maarsen would never be broken, even when Anne was forced into hiding. In this beautiful memoir, Jacqueline remembers Anne, their friendship, and the chilling Holocaust experience of barely escaping deportation by the Nazis, helplessly watching friends and family disappear, and starting her life again after the war. Through Jacqueline''s memories and black-and-white photos, Anne Frank will come to life and continue to be remembered. "[A] fascinating account of Anne, her family, and her friends before she went into hiding . . . This absorbing book vividly portrays life in occupied Amsterdam and throws interesting sidelights on Anne Frank''s story."—Booklist

In this definitive new biography, Carol Ann Lee provides the answer to one of the most heartbreaking questions of modern times: Who betrayed Anne Frank and her family to the Nazis? Probing this startling act of treachery, Lee brings to light never before documented information about Otto Frank and the individual who would claim responsibility -- revealing a terrifying relationship that lasted until the day Frank died. Based upon impeccable research into rare archives and filled with excerpts from the secret journal that Frank kept from the day of his liberation until his return to the Secret Annex in 1945, this landmark biography at last brings into focus the life of a little-understood man -- whose story illuminates some of the most harrowing and memorable events of the last century.

This remarkable biography, written especially for young readers, chronicles Anne''s life from her earliest days. of rare photos of Anne from infancy to adolescence.

Anne Frank''s ''Diary of a Young Girl'' is the most widely read work of non-fiction after the bible. Yet, there has never been an in-depth biography of the teenage writer who perished in the concentration camp of Bergen-Belsen. Here, Carol Ann Lee vividly recreates Anne''s short life. Having exclusive access to a number of unpublished documents, she has captured Anne''s complex and evolving character.

Ana Frank es sin duda el personaje histórico que más ha contribuido a mantener vivo el triste recuerdo del holocausto nazi. Tras largos años de investigación la autora nos ofrece esta biografía documentada en los testimonios de los familiares supervivientes y en abundante material inédito, e ilustrada con fotografías.