Slade

The Gory Stories Behind The Murder Ballads Cheerfully vulgar, revelling in gore, and always with an eye on the main chance, murder ballads are tabloid newspapers set to music, carrying word of the latest ‘orrible murders to an insatiable public. Victims are bludgeoned, stabbed or shot in every verse and killers often hanged, but the songs themselves never die. Instead, they mutate – morphing to suit local place names as they criss cross the Atlantic and continue to fascinate each generation’s biggest musical stars. Paul Slade traces this fascinating genre’s history through eight of its greatest songs. Stagger Lee’s “biographers” alone include Duke Ellington, James Brown, Bob Dylan, Dr John, The Clash and Nick Cave. No two tell his story in quite the same way. Covering eight classic murder ballads, including “Knoxville Girl”, “Tom Dooley” and “Frankie & Johnny”, Slade investigates the real-life murder which inspired each song and traces its musical development down the decades. Billy Bragg, The Bad Seeds’ Mick Harvey, Laura Cantrell, Rennie Sparks of The Handsome Family and a host of other leading musicians add their own insights.

“A Grade A thriller . . . twisted, near-omnipotent villains, brutal violence, sharp plot twists, solid (and enthralling) historical research.” —The Vancouver Sun Canadian Mountie Robert DeClercq and his Special X team are facing down a stolen mummy with a trail of corpses in its wake. The question is: Is this the work of one killer? Or is it some sort of diabolical conspiracy? DeClercq’s investigation leads him to a local porn king who specializes in snuff videos and a fresh trail of mutilated female bodies being dumped around the Gulf Islands. But just when DeClercq narrows in on the criminality behind these abominable murders, an old enemy returns. Not only is Mephisto determined to destroy DeClercq once and for all, but this megalomaniac won’t stop until he puts all of humanity at the brink of Death’s Door. . . . “There are psycho thrillers and there are psycho thrillers, and the ones to watch are those by Michael Slade. This high-powered mystery stars a psycho so heinous that you might want to take a deep breath before starting this baffling case. [Death’s Door is] a story to be read with caution.” —Ottawa Citizen “There isn’t a precedent for the barbaric brilliance of a Slade novel. With its well-researched, candid ventures into the most deranged of sick psyches, Death’s Door is a witches’ brew of intense intellectualism, police procedure, and white-knuckle, wince-inducing gore.” —Rue Morgue “Slade has finely honed his skills . . . You’ll be up all night reading it and, before you finally sleep, you’ll check under the bed.” —The Vancouver Sun/DESC

My name is Slade Merrick and I'm a sex addict . . . I've been told it's a problem. I see it as a passion... something I'm good at. And who stops something that they're good at? They want me to seek help. Don't judge my lifestyle. You're no better than me. Just admit it, you like to have sex too. Sex is what I do best; my own personal high, so I embrace it instead of being ashamed. When I'm not fu*king, I'm slinging drinks at Walk of Shame or stripping my way into your bed, another thing I'm good at. Every woman's darkest fantasy brought to life. So, am I stopping? Hell no. Sex is beautiful, raw and erotic and I get off knowing I can have it with anyone I want . . . with the exception of her. Aspen. She walks into the club swaying those hips, instantly drawing my dick to attention. She's pure perfection. That is, until she opens that mouth, drawing me in, and for the first time in forever, I want something more than sex. I want her, and she hates it. Things get dirty. Dirty is what I like... it's how I live. But she's playing a game she can never win. . .

WINNER OF THE MAINE LITERARY AWARD FOR NON FICTION NATIONAL BESTSELLER A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR ONE OF JANET MASLIN’S MUST-READ BOOKS OF THE SUMMER A NEW YORK TIMES EDITOR'S CHOICE ONE OF OUTSIDE MAGAZINE’S BEST BOOKS OF THE SUMMER ONE OF AMAZON'S BEST NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE YEAR SO FAR “A powerful and affecting story, beautifully handled by Slade, a journalist who clearly knows ships and the sea.”—Douglas Preston, New York Times Book Review “A Perfect Storm for a new generation.” —Ben Mezrich, bestselling author of The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook On October 1, 2015, Hurricane Joaquin barreled into the Bermuda Triangle and swallowed the container ship El Faro whole, resulting in the worst American shipping disaster in thirty-five years. No one could fathom how a vessel equipped with satellite communications, a sophisticated navigation system, and cutting-edge weather forecasting could suddenly vanish—until now. Relying on hundreds of exclusive interviews with family members and maritime experts, as well as the words of the crew members themselves—whose conversations were captured by the ship’s data recorder—journalist Rachel Slade unravels the mystery of the sinking of El Faro. As she recounts the final twenty-four hours onboard, Slade vividly depicts the officers’ anguish and fear as they struggled to carry out Captain Michael Davidson’s increasingly bizarre commands, which, they knew, would steer them straight into the eye of the storm. Taking a hard look at America's aging merchant marine fleet, Slade also reveals the truth about modern shipping—a cut-throat industry plagued by razor-thin profits and ever more violent hurricanes fueled by global warming. A richly reported account of a singular tragedy, Into the Raging Sea takes us into the heart of an age-old American industry, casting new light on the hardworking men and women who paid the ultimate price in the name of profit.

“First rate, compelling, nerve-tingling. A novel of sex, death, and the macabre. Extraordinarily vivid. A thinking man’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” —The Vancouver Sun The first in a series of crime thrillers featuring the Special X team of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police—world-weary cops hardened enough to deal with the most heinous of crimes. A serial killer is loose on the streets of Vancouver. A sadist preying on women, leaving a trail of decapitated corpses—and a totem pole displaying the grisly head of his latest victim. If this killer is hoping to rile former Royal Mountie Robert DeClercq, he certainly made his mark. Lured out of retirement, DeClercq tirelessly tracks the psychopath across two continents. But as DeClercq gets closer to understanding complex motivations of a criminally insane killer, he’s more certain than ever he’s about to confront the ultimate evil. A revised and expanded version of the original Headhunter, which was first published in 1984. “Michael Slade’s books are blood-chilling, spine-tingling, gut-wrenching, stomach-churning, and a much closer look at the inside of a maniac’s brain than most people would find comfortable—but always riveting.” —Diana Gabaldon, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of the Outlander series “A real chiller! The most gruesome I have ever read.” —Robert Bloch, author of Psycho “A novel so terrifying it will haunt your dreams for weeks.” —Book of the Month Club Magazine “Headhunter stunned me! It’s really good!” —Alice Cooper “Crime writer Michael Slade is the real deal! As a trial lawyer, Slade knows psycho killers, sex predators, and their horrific crimes inside out.” —RCMP Staff Sergeant Christine Wozney (ret.), CO of the Violent Crime Linkage Analysis team (West Coast) “[The 1984 edition of] Headhunter enthralled me with its hardboiled realism and noir horror. Now, a third of a century later, the reimagined story is no less exciting or frightening. The dark shadows in a Michael Slade novel make you want to keep your back against the alley wall.” —Det. Insp. Kim Rossmo (VPD ret.)

Spectrelike and sinewy, dressed in a grey cape and top hat, with a bone-white face and the eyes of a madman, The Ghoul crawls from the London sewers to kill bloodily, perversely, inexplicably In Vancouver, the horror-rock group Ghoul cavorts onstage, its act a bizarre and violent front for sinister skulduggery. Is there a connection between London's orgy of killings and Vancouver's underworld sleaze? The answer lies in the dark obsessions and twisted fantasies of an old Rhode Island family whose tainted past will not lie quiet in its grave …

Slade were the most iconic group of the 1970s glam rock era. Although the original quartet - Dave Hill, Noddy Holder, Jim Lea and Don Powell - ceased working as a unit in the nineties, memories of the group remain strong, thanks mainly to their remarkable, enduring, festive single, 'Merry Xmas Everybody'. But there is so much more to the band than just that one record. Whatever Happened To Slade? is the first serious biography of the group in over three decades. It details the complete story of this singular band, as well as the personal histories of the four individuals who combined to turn Slade into a genuine phenomenon. Whatever Happened To Slade? charts their emergence from the 1960s beat boom, their initial successes, their epoch-making glam heyday, the group's attempts to crack America, Slade In Flame, their bleak, retrospectively adored film, their re-emergence as hard rocking heavyweights, through to their final dissolution and post-Slade careers. Drawing on hours of new interviews and meticulous research, with a foreword by Bob Geldof and an afterword by Jim Moir, Whatever Happened To Slade? reassesses a band that won hearts and perforated eardrums across four incident-filled, bittersweet decades.

BRANDT/SLADES LAW 02

After what felt like a lifetime alone, Slade Dawson fell in love and married, forsaking his true mate. A century has passed since his wife’s death. Slade has now dedicated himself to his duty as head enforcer for the White River Wolves. Until he catches her scent; the scent of the one truly meant to be his. Waking up in pain and fear, Gypsy Layne remembers nothing of her past. She doesn’t remember the family she lost, the sister who suffered with her, or the last several months she spent imprisoned by a Colombian drug lord while fighting daily to survive. All she has left now is a feeling of hopelessness. Will Slade be strong enough to make amends with his past and help the one he was meant to love? As she struggles to remember, will Gypsy be able to overcome the hell she has been through? Will an unforeseen danger that stalks them both, keep them from each other? Dawn Sullivan’s RARE Series and White River Wolves Series are intertwined, and meant to be read in the following order: Nico’s Heart (RARE) Phoenix’s Fate (RARE) Josie’s Miracle (White River Wolves) Trace’s Temptation (RARE) Slade’s Desire (White River Wolves) Saving Storm (RARE) Angel’s Destiny (RARE) Janie’s Salvation (White River Wolves) Sable's Fire (White River Wolves)

Memories flooded Slade Logan at first glimpse of Lisa Gray. More than two years ago she'd shared his bed, but deeply guarded guilt had made it impossible for him to share his life. So Lisa left…though not alone. She'd taken with her a precious part of him…and borne their baby. A brush with tragedy told Lisa that her child needed his father…even if Slade could never need her. And when Slade demanded they marry, she knew it was for their son's benefit. But something in her husband's rough-hewn features changed when he looked at her and their little boy. Could Slade make room in his haunted heart for two?