A wretched roster of wrongdoings fills this volume of the Hideous History series (4 titles), part of Bearport's new Roar! imprint for high-low readers. It casts a wide net to gather many of history's most infamous criminals d the gruesome punishments many faced to excitingly designed double-page spreads sure to hook the morbidly inclined. Pirate Ching Shih, Jack the Ripper, Bonnie and Clyde, and Guy Fawkes are a few of the most dangerous mentioned here, but readers will also be fascinated by entries on con man Victor Lustig, real-life-Sherlock Edmond Locard, and the Salem Witch Trials. A few popular (but very painful) punishments are also described. The drama is abundant and the facts kept deliberately light in the short paragraphs of text. A high-octane history that will hold kids' attention.