Dark Descent: Diving and the Deadly Allure of the Empress of Ireland

Two years after Titanic came another ship disaster of equal magnitude "The most comprehensive and impressive account of the investigation of a shipwreck I've ever read. Kevin McMurray has revealed the secrets of the Empress of Ireland in a spellbinding read." --Clive Cussler, bestselling author of Night Probe! On May 29, 1914, after a collision in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, the Empress of Ireland sank in minutes, taking 1,012 passengers and crew to their deaths. The disaster shocked the world but then was forgotten with the torpedoing of the Lusitania and the engulfing cataclysm of World War I. Now, in Dark Descent, acclaimed author and diver Kevin McMurray revives the story of this forgotten maritime catastrophe. Dark Descent takes readers down into the frigid depths to explore the controversies of the ship's fatal night and the many attempts to salvage her contents, from the first hardhat diver sent down to recover loved ones to today's "adrenaline junkies" who risk--and often lose--their lives in pursuit of the perfect descent.

History

McMurray, Kevin F.

Americas

International Marine/McGraw-Hill

"Dark Descent makes the reader a vicarious participant in what is a very extreme sport."—Philadelphia Inquirer 
On May 29, 1914, the passenger liner Empress of Ireland was struck by the freighter Storstad and sank in fifteen minutes, taking more than 1,000 victims with her. It remains one of the largest losses of life ever in a maritime accident. 
At more than a hundred feet deep in the frigid Gulf of St. Lawrence, diving the Empress is like trying to navigate an unfamiliar sixty-story building lying on its side at a forty-five-degree angle, in pitch blackness with only a flashlight. In Dark Descent, Kevin McMurray takes us deep into the bowels of the lost ship, first to relive her tragic death and then to join the divers who have probed the wreck's secrets. It's an adventure from which some divers don't return. 
"Impressively researched. . . . For those who love the lure of the deep water and the mysteries of shipwrecks, this specialized history will be a pleasure."—Publishers Weekly 
"Kevin has a remarkable knack of adding life and realism. A great job."—R. W. Hamilton, Chairman of the Board, Divers Alert Network

International Marine

Carl and Sarah Collier feared their cold and wild granddaughter, Holly. But when they forbade Holly from spending time with her 16-year-old female lover, Sandy, they set in motion a horrifying plot... Holly and Sandy asked around for a gun. They made a to-do list, and they told their friends what their plans were. Then, on a summer night in Georgia, they unleashed an ambush. The scene they left behind would stun hardened investigators... Carl and Sarah Collier died under a horrifying melee of 45 stab wounds. Suddenly, a frantic manhunt was on for the two runaway lesbian teen killers. And by the time the police caught them, the truth began to emerge: of an out-of-control girl, her lover, and the evil they had planned every step of the way...

If You Really Loved Me

Biographies & Memoirs

True Crime

St. Martin's True Crime

Early one November morning, Kara Borden, a pretty fourteen year old, was caught by her parents as she snuck into their Lancaster County, Pennsylvania home. She confessed to spending the night with eighteen-year-old David Ludwig, and her parents—evangelicals who had home-schooled their daughter—were beside themselves with anger. They summoned David to talk immediately. But David arrived to the house with another plan in mind…Two hours later, police arrived at the Borden residence to find that Mr. and Mrs. Borden had been shot dead—and David and Kara were nowhere to be found. Was Kara a hostage? Or an accomplice? A manhunt began that would end hundreds of miles away in a highly televised speed chase. The two lovers were eventually captured… and one would spend a life behind bars. This is the true story of a crime set in a closely-guarded world of fundamentalist belief, and the tale of a God-fearing teenager whose DESIRE TURNED DEADLY. 
With 8 pages of startling photos!

Desire Turned Deadly: The True Story of a Beautiful Girl, Her Teenage Sweetheart, and the Love that Ended in Murder

St. Martin's Paperbacks

Their neighbors were Bill and Hillary Clinton. Their home was Chappaqua, the upscale New York suburb famous for its tranquility—until one dark night, when a brutal murder shattered the community. Driving home with his wife Peggy, Carlos Perez-Olivo claimed he was forced off the road by another vehicle. Entering the couple’s SUV, the other driver allegedly shot and killed Peggy during a struggle. Then, while wrestling with the assailant, Carlos took a bullet in the abdomen.
But disturbing facts about Carlos began to surface: He’d sent flowers to his mistress two days before Peggy’s murder. He’d been recently disbarred as a criminal defense attorney. And now, he stood to inherit Peggy’s life insurance policies. With each revelation, more questions were raised: Was Carlos an innocent victim? A scheming accomplice? Or a cold-blooded killer? This is what really happened…

One Dark Night: A True Story of Deceit, Desire, and Murder in a Peaceful Town

The author describes his diving expeditions to the wreck of the Andrea Doria and profiles the extreme scuba divers who push themselves beyond the limits of recreational divers to reach this ultimate deepwater wreck challenge.

Deep Descent: Adventure and Death Diving the Andrea Doria

Historical

Atria

On a foggy July evening in 1956, the Italian cruise liner Andrea Doria, bound for New York, was struck broadside by another vessel. In eleven hours, she would sink nearly 250 feet to the murky Atlantic Ocean floor. Thanks to a daring rescue operation, only 51 of more than 1,700 people died in the tragedy. But the Andrea Doria is still taking lives. Considered the Mt. Everest of diving, the Andrea Doria is the ultimate deepwater wreck challenge. Over the years, a small but fanatical group of extreme scuba divers have investigated the Andrea Doria, pushing themselves to the very limits of human endurance to explore her - and not all have returned. Diver Kevin McMurray takes you inside this elite club with a hard, honest look at those who go deeper, farther, and closer to the edge than others would ever dream. Deep Descent is the riveting true story of the human spirit overcoming human frailty and of fearsome, mortal risks traded for a hard-core adrenaline rush. Chronicling these adventures in his page-turning narrative and in dozens of dramatic photos, McMurray draws us deeper into the cold heart of the unforgiving sea, giving us a powerful vision of a place to which few will ever have the skills - or the courage - to go.

As boys, Robert and Andrew Kissel competed and excelled. As men, they made millions--Robert in the Asian markets and Andrew in real estate. But a darkness was chasing the brothers down. In November 2003, Robert was murdered in his posh Hong Kong apartment. Two-and-a-half years later, Andrew was found stabbed to death in his Greenwich, Connecticut mansion.Nancy Kissel was charged with murdering her husband Robert, after serving him a milkshake laced with sedatives and then beating him to death with a blunt object. But what happened to Andrew? His marriage was failing, and he faced prison for real estate fraud. Was his death a murder--or suicide? A Family Cursed tells the riveting true story of the different paths the Kissel brothers took toward the same fate.

A Family Cursed: The Kissell Dynasty, a Gilded Fortune, and Two Brutal Murders

BRILLIANCE AUDIO ^

This book take readers donw into the frigid depths to explore the controversies of the Empress of Ireland's fatal night and the many attempts to salvage her contents.

Dark Descent: Diving And The Deadly Allure Of The Empress Of Ireland

Self-Help

Amer Media Intl - McGraw Hill audio

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by McMurray, Kevin F.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by McMurray, Kevin F.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by McMurray, Kevin F.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Dark Descent: Diving and the Deadly Allure of the Empress of Ireland

Dark Descent: Diving and the Deadly Allure of the Empress of Ireland

If You Really Loved Me

Desire Turned Deadly: The True Story of a Beautiful Girl, Her Teenage Sweetheart, and the Love that Ended in Murder

One Dark Night: A True Story of Deceit, Desire, and Murder in a Peaceful Town

Deep Descent: Adventure and Death Diving the Andrea Doria

Deep Descent: Adventure and Death Diving the Andrea Doria

A Family Cursed: The Kissell Dynasty, a Gilded Fortune, and Two Brutal Murders

Dark Descent: Diving And The Deadly Allure Of The Empress Of Ireland