Paul Donnelley – författare

Fact is never more strange than fiction than when it comes to crime, and the crimes described here are so bizarre it''s inconceivable that they could have been made up. In this all-new collection of truly unusual crimes, a sequel to the bestselling Mammoth Book of Bizarre Crimes, Odell and Donnelley tell the extraordinary stories of criminal acts far stranger than any fiction, including the murder of Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace by spree-killer Andrew Cunanan and the killing of intern Chandra Ann Levy, who had had an affair with US Representative Gary Condit, though he was cleared of any involvement in her murder.They reveal how Danilo Restivo was eventually convicted of the murder of Heather Barnett in England after the ritualistic placing of hair connected him to another murder in Italy. They tell the terrible story of the inexplicably brutal murder, over a number of days, of 15-year-old Kristy Bamu by his sister and her lover because they believed him to be practising ''witchcraft''. They also give a chilling account of the thirty-one-year-old mother-of-two, Joanna Dennehy, who killed three men. ''I started killing,'' she said, ''to see if I was as cold as I thought I was. Then it got moreish and I got a taste for it.''

Fade to Black chronicles the lives and deaths of more than 1500 movie personalities. Included are not just the big stars but a wealth of important characters from the history of film.

Some achieved world fame or great power. Some were consigned to obscurity after one scandal too many. Others hid dark secrets that would only emerge after their deaths. In the biggest edition yet, Paul Donnelley has once again added almost 200 new entries and revised numerous existing ones. Many entries now include the wealth of the star at the time of death which makes it fascinating reading.

Amongst the names in this updated, enlarged edition are Marlon Brando, Bob Hope, President Ronald Reagan, Gregory Peck, Janet Leigh, Christopher Reeve plus a host of stars from the 'Golden Age of Hollywood' whose work is being rediscovered on satellite television and DVDs.

For better or worse they are all here, the villains and the heroes side by side, all made equal at last by the final Fade to Black.