Stella Sands

A Novel

Wordhunter

In 1978, Rodney Alcala was a contestant on the "The Dating Game," one of America's most popular television shows at the time. Handsome, successful, and romantic, he was embraced by the audience—and chosen as the winner by the beautiful bachelorette. To viewers across the country, Rodney seemed like the answer to every woman's dreams. Until they learned the truth about his once and future crimes... Ten years before his TV appearance, Rodney was charged with the sexual assault and attempted murder of an eight-year-old girl. In the decades that followed, he would be accused of seven murders—and, as new DNA evidence continues to be uncovered, the list may grow. The case is so disturbing that it's been documented in several news outlets, from People magazine and USA Today to 48 Hours Mystery and Dr. Phil. The Dating Game Killer is the shocking true story about the dark and twisted man.

The True Story of a TV Dating Show, a Violent Sociopath, and a Series of Brutal Murders

The Dating Game Killer

Describes how Rodney Alcala, who appeared to be the perfect candidate on the television program "The Dating Game", had already been charged with attempted murder and would be accused of seven more murders in the coming years.

Maurice Sendak

A naughty little boy, sent to bed without his supper, sails to the land of the wild things where he becomes their king.

Where the Wild Things are

Forty-year-old William Coday lived the quiet life of a scholar. He spoke six languages and held degrees in history, literature, and library science. As a librarian in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, he was known to be unfailingly kind and helpful. But you can't always judge a book by its cover... When Coday failed to show up for work one day, a concerned colleague looked for him at his apartment...only to discover the body of Gloria Gomez. Coday's ex-girlfriend, Gomez had been bludgeoned to death with 144 blows by two hammers and a knife. Police at the scene had little doubt that Coday was the killer. But other, darker secrets from Coday's past had yet to come to light... In one of the most shocking crime cases and legal appeals in Florida history, an extraordinary courtroom battle began.What the jury did not know was that Coday, when he lived abroad, had beaten another ex-girlfriend to death; the courts there had deemed him insane. Who was William Coday: Mentally unstable? Or perfectly capable—and guilty—of murder in the first degree? Soon it would be up to prosecutors to prove who the real man was BEHIND THE MASK. Behind the Mask is a 2007 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

A True Story of Obsession and a Savage Genius

Behind the Mask

Describes how millionaire Bill McLaughlin fell victim to a beautiful gold digger and embezzler who, along with her former NFL linebacker boyfriend, stole from his business and then killed him for his life insurance policy.

The True Story of a Lonely Millionaire, a Gorgeous Younger Woman, and the Love Triangle that Ended in Murder

Wealthy Men Only

Wealthy Men Only Stella Sands Nanette Johnston's personal ad made it clear: "I know how to take care of my man if he knows how to take care of me." Newport Beach millionaire Bill MacLaughlin made the fatal mistake of responding. Within months, the gorgeous 28-year-old moved in with the middle-aged entrepreneur. Three years later, she began seeing another man on the side, a former NFL linebacker who took a job at a nearby nightclub. Three weeks later, MacLaughin would be dead. He was found lying on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood. Nannette had an alibi—and a million-dollar life insurance policy on the victim. Police discovered she'd embezzled a small fortune from MacLaughlin's business—but didn't have enough evidence to charge her with murder. For years, the crime went unsolved—until new evidence brought the golddigger and her boyfriend back to the courtoom—in a sordid case of lust, betrayal, greed, and murder...

Describes how Andrew Wamsley and his teenaged girlfriend, Chelsea Richardson, plotted to kill Andrew's parents, Rick and Suzanna Wamsley, who disapproved of Chelsea, and from whom Andrew would inherit two million dollars.

Stella Sands

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