The Alphabet Killer

• A ten year old girl is found brutally murdered outside the small blue-collar city of Rochester, New York, and obsessed police detective Megan Paige (Eliza Dushku of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and DOLLHOUSE) suffers a mental breakdown while trying to solve the crime. But when the child-killings resume two years later, Megan s return to the investigation also brings back her own horrific hallucination

Between 1971 and 1973, three young girls, ages ten to eleven, were found sexually assaulted and slain near Rochester, New York. The girls all had double initials for their first and last names and were found dead in suburbs with names in which the first letter co-ordinated with the girls' initials. Two prime suspects later committed suicide. A third suspect, Kenneth Bianchi, went to California where he went on to become one of the infamous Hillside Stranglers, but to this day he insists he had nothi! ng to do with the so-called Double Initial, or Alphabet, murders. The crimes remain unsolved, but interest in the case was re-energised with the release of a fictionalised motion picture loosely based on the murders. This factual account, the first book fully devoted to the case, explores the crime and the ongoing investigation.Between 1971 and 1973, three young girls, ages ten to eleven, were found sexually assaulted and slain near Rochester, New York. The girls all had double initials for their first and last names and were found dead in suburbs with names in which the first letter co-ordinated with the girls' initials. Two prime suspects later committed suicide. A third suspect, Kenneth Bianchi, went to California where he went on to become one of the infamous Hillside Stranglers, but to this day he insists he had nothing to do with the so-called Double Initial, or Alphabet, murders. The crimes remain unsolved, but interest in the case was re-energised with the release o! f a fictionalised motion picture loosely based on the murders.! This fa ctual account, the first book fully devoted to the case, explores the crime and the ongoing investigation.Between 1971 and 1973, three young girls, ages ten to eleven, were found sexually assaulted and slain near Rochester, New York. The girls all had double initials for their first and last names and were found dead in suburbs with names in which the first letter co-ordinated with the girls' initials. Two prime suspects later committed suicide. A third suspect, Kenneth Bianchi, went to California where he went on to become one of the infamous Hillside Stranglers, but to this day he insists he had nothing to do with the so-called Double Initial, or Alphabet, murders. The crimes remain unsolved, but interest in the case was re-energised with the release of a fictionalised motion picture loosely based on the murders. This factual account, the first book fully devoted to the case, explores the crime and the ongoing investigation.A ten year old girl is found brutally murdered ou! tside the small blue-collar city of Rochester, New York, and obsessed police detective Megan Paige (Eliza Dushku of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and DOLLHOUSE) suffers a mental breakdown while trying to solve the crime. But when the child-killings resume two years later, Megan’s return to the investigation also brings back her own horrific hallucinations.  Even if she can prove a ‘double initial’ connection to the slayings, will she hang onto her sanity long enough to catch a psychopath? Cary Elwes (SAW), Michael Ironside (STARSHIP TROOPERS), Bill Moseley (THE DEVIL’S REJECTS), Carl Lumbly (ALIAS) and Academy Award® winner Timothy Hutton co-star in this chilling thriller directed by Rob Schmidt.In the spirit of suspense films and television shows that focus on the sleuth’s attempt to make something out of senseless violence, Alphabet Killer is less about the murders it details than about the detective,! Megan Paige (Eliza Dushku of Buffy the Vampire Slayer), who suffers mentally for studying brutality. Though opening scenes show young girls slayed at various wooded Rochester, New York crime scenes, the film quickly digresses into Megan’s stressed relationship with her co-detective lover, Kenneth Shine (Cary Elwes), who watches her obsession with the case spiral out of control. As murders continue, Megan gets psychic leads and is haunted by the ghosts of the wrongly deceased, but cannot solve the case. Megan’s diagnosis as a schizophrenic complicates matters greatly, and elevates the film into deeper story, especially when one senses, through subtle filmic clues, the creepiness of Megan’s therapist, Richard Ledge (Timothy Hutton). Some silly, dramatized enactments of mental illness on Dushku’s part do not help convince the viewer through fine acting, though one may be willing to look past this in hopes for pending potential spookiness. And the conundrum posed by Megan in her therapy group is engaging: manic peop! le do often excel due to intuition, yet it is their ability to experience the world differently that gets them into trouble. Although the ghosts hallucinations are unconvincing, and Dushku probably could have used more research before she took the role, Alphabet Killer captivates because it shows how convoluted layers of reality can confuse even the sharpest detective. The disturbing thing about Alphabet Killer is not the film itself but the idea behind it: that the majority of what we know and trust is illusory, and that truth is discovered best through madness. --Trinie Dalton

Stills from The Alphabet Killer (Click for larger image)

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Saturday, March 10, 2012

Family Tree Maker Deluxe 2012

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• Family-history software--quickly and easily start your family tree
• Enhance family tree with charts, reports, photos, audio, video, and more
• Sync desktop and online Ancestry.com trees together with TreeSync
• View timelines and interactive maps; create keepsakes, charts, and reports
• Family History Toolkit and 3-month membership to Ancestry.com included

Whether you’re a seasoned pro, or just starting your search, Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker gives you more exciting ways to discover your family history than any other Genealogy software. Rich storytelling tools enable you to add photos, documents and videos right to your tree.

! Family Tree Maker Deluxe 2012 At a Glance... Discover your family history and preserve it for generations to come Includes three months of access* to Ancestry.com, the world's largest online family history resource--locate ancestors in over 5 billion immigration, marriage, military, census records and more Sync desktop and online Ancestry.com trees together with TreeSync, then keep your tree up-to-date from wherever you are Enhance family tree with charts, reports, photos, audio, video, and more View family history timelines and interactive maps The Companion Guide to Family Tree Maker--learn to develop your family tree and personalize it quickly and easily Family History Toolkit DVD--six invaluable reference books to help you with your research

Family Tree Maker 2012 Deluxe

Family Tree Maker Lets You Easily...

• Organize your family story privately and conveniently on your PC
• Build your family tree as! Ancestry.com searches 5 billion historical records, including! immigra tion, marriage and census data
• Get started quickly with an enhanced, easy-to-use interface
• NEW! Update and share your tree from any Internet connection with TreeSync
• IMPROVED! Create Smart Stories automatically with improved content generation and editing options
• IMPROVED! Build your tree more easily with upgraded help topics and video tutorials
• NEW! View combined families, including step families and adoptees, at a glance
• IMPROVED! Print more informative family trees by including generation labels and text boxes

Discover Your Family Story

Family Tree Maker 2012 Deluxe makes it easy to discover your family history. With a three-month membership to Ancestry.com included, you'll have FREE access to 5 billion U.S. historical records, photos, news stories and other family trees. Collaborate with the largest, most active family history community in the world.

Helpful hints--just click the green-leaf icons. View larger.

Follow the Hints

Just enter what you know into your family tree. Hints (green leaf icons) will soon appear, linking you to historical records and trees that might hold answers about your ancestors.

Easily sync desktop and online
Ancestry.com trees.

NEW: TreeSync

Sync desktop and online Ancestry.com trees Keep your tree up-to-date wherever you are

Build your tree using Family Tree Maker and upload it to Ancestry.com. Whether you're working online or on your desktop, you ca! n always keep your trees in sync with just the click of a butt! on. (Eve n update your tree using our FREE iPhone and iPad app!**) Share your tree with other family members and choose who can view and update it.

1959 Military Record

Preserve Your Discoveries

Save To Your Desktop

Family Tree Maker saves information you discover on Ancestry.com to your family tree, complete with an electronic copy of the original record.

Create Smart Stories by simply dragging text and photos to the page--the story automatically updates. View larger.

IMPROVED: SmartStories

Write Smar! t Stories in two easy steps using improved page designs and templates. Each time you edit your tree, Smart Stories updates automatically.

Store photos and more right inside Family Tree Maker. View larger.

Download FREE Ancestry app from iTunes for updating and sharing your tree on the go.
View larger.

View and share charts an! d reports (improved).

Choose from hundreds of chart options and add images. Then print at home--or professionally.

Create books, birthday calendars and reports using professionally designed templates.

Manage Photos and More

Store photos, audio and video files, electronic records and more right inside Family Tree Maker. Easy-to-use tools help you to manage them faster than ever before.

Try Ancestry's iPhone & iPad app**

Download the FREE Ancestry app from iTunes. Then easily update and share your tree on the go.

IMPROVED: Charts & Reports

View and share yo! ur tree from different perspectives--by location, migration path, family name, birthdays and more.

We Make It Easy For You

This version of Ancestry.com Family Tree Maker includes helpful extras. If you need help, view the NEW video tutorials, reference the Quick Start Guide or call our live U.S.-based customer support.

3 Months of Free Access to Ancestry.com

Access over 5 billion U.S. records on the largest family history website.

The Companion Guide to Family Tree Maker

Learn Family Tree Maker's most popular features with quick lessons that make research fast and fun.

The Family History Toolkit

Access six invaluable family-history reference books--volumes of information that can help you with your research--compiled on one DVD.

*U.S. membership term begins upon Family Tree Maker registration and activation of Ancestry.com subscription. A valid credit card is required to begin your Ances! try.com membership though you won't be billed unless you let y! our subs cription automatically renew when the free 3 months has ended.
**Requires software download from iTunes