Mystery & mayhem

Armed with shovels and crowbars, thieves throughout history have unearthed graves out of greed, hunger, and curiosity, recounts little-known stories of body snatchers and crooks of the crypt, from Jamestown, Virginia, to Sipan, Peru.

Details five true stories of pirates and shipwrecks, from the escape of Daniel Collins to the exploits of Barbarossa.

Recounts the history of five blowups that continued to rattle the world long after the smoke had cleared and embers cooled. From a mountaintop in Indonesia to an oil well in the Gulf of Mexico, the explosions explored here caused widespread peril and destruction.

Tells the tale of five of history's most critical contagions and the havoc these diseases wreaked across the globe, including the bubonic plague, yellow fever, smallpox, Spanish influenza, and AIDS.

Looks at grave robbing and body snatching throughout history.

". . . recounts the history of five blowups that continued to rattle the world long after the smoke had cleared."--Back cover.

Relates the stories of five daring escapes from history.

Contains true stories of people who vanished without a trace--Virginia Dare, Amelia Earhart, Anastasia Romanov, Percy Fawcett, and Solomon Northup--examined against the backdrop of their historical circumstances.

Presents five tales of theft, including D.B. Cooper's airplane heist, the Great Train Robbery, and queen of crime Fredericka "Marm" Mandelbaum.