Explains the history of torture, including the Inquisition and the witch hunts in Europe, and the efforts of Amnesty International to secure the banning of torture worldwide. Torture-the deliberate infliction of pain upon the human body-is condemned by most civilized countries as an inexcusable crime, but it is still practiced in many parts of the modern world. For over 3,000 years, it was regarded as acceptable and formed a part of most legal codes...

"The pilgrims and merchants who first came to America from Europe professed an intention to create a society free of the barbarism of Old World tyranny and New World savagery. But over the centuries Americans have turned to torture during moments of crisis at home and abroad and have debated its legitimacy in defense of law and order. From the Indian wars to Civil War POW prisons and early penitentiaries, from "the third degree" in police stations...

Fifteen years ago, Paulina Escobar had her life shattered when she was taken prisoner and tortured by a sadistic doctor. Now, through a chance encounter, she may have found the man responsible for her nightmares and tonight he's going to pay. But how far will she go to get even? And how can she be sure, after so many years, that she has found the right man?

""War porn," n. Videos, images, and narratives featuring graphic violence, often brought back from combat zones, viewed voyeuristically or for emotional gratification. Such media are often presented and circulated without context, though they may be used as evidence of war crimes. War porn is also, in Roy Scranton's searing debut novel, a metaphor for the experience of war in the age of the War on Terror, the fracturing and fragmentation of perspective,...

Sixteen-year-old Linus Weems, a street person since leaving his wealthy father's home, is kidnapped and taken to an underground bunker where he is soon joined by five others, ranging in age from nine to seventy, who are alternately cared for and tortured by their unseen captor.

"The conclusion to the Cat and Mouse Duet ... The Diamond. Death walks alongside me, but the reaper is no match for me. I'm trapped in a world full of monsters dressed as men, and those who aren't as they seem. They won't keep me forever. I no longer recognize the person I've become, and I'm fighting to find my way back to the beast who hunts me in the night ... The Hunter. I was born a predator, with ruthlessness ingrained in my bones. When what's...

"Fred Daniels, a Black man, is picked up by the police after a brutal double murder and tortured until he confesses to a crime he did not commit. After signing a confession, he escapes from custody and flees into the city's sewer system. Includes his companion essay, "Memories of My Grandmother""--

Describes the author's upbringing by fanatic parents, who raised her in isolation through traumatic disciplinary exercises designed to eliminate weakness, and recounts how she eventually escaped with the help of an outsider. Maude Julien's parents were fanatics who believed it was their sacred duty to turn her into the ultimate survivor--raising her in isolation, tyrannizing her childhood and subjecting her to endless drills designed to "eliminate...

College friends Paxton and Josh are lured by a fellow traveler to what's described as a nirvana for American backpackers: a particular hostel in an out-of-the-way Slovakian town stocked with Eastern European women. The two friends arrive and are soon easily pair off with exotic beauties Natalya and Svetlana. Initially distracted by the good time they're having, Paxton and Josh, quickly find themselves trapped in an increasingly sinister situation...

Ghost Beach: Jerry's thrilled by the prospect of exploring the dark, spooky old cave he discovered down by the beach- until he discovers what lives within! The barking ghost: Cooper Holmes is scared of just about everything. But this time Cooper is not just scared of his own shadow. Be careful what you wish for: Samantha has found someone who will grant her three wishes. A night in Terror Tower: Sue and Eddie are out sightseeing at the infamous Terror...