Assassinations are, by their nature, more shocking than most murders, affecting the lives of thousands, sometimes millions, of people. Even if the victim inspires passionate hatred, the act itself must be carried out with the sort of detachment usually associated with the professional hitman. And yet, as this book reveals, most assassinations are not the outcome of minutely planned actions, although rarely can they be dismissed as merely a fanatic pulling a trigger, wielding a knife or planting a bomb. In Cold-Blooded Killings, Charlotte Greig explores the most notorious cases of assassination in our history, looking in depth at the killers, their motives and the impact the deaths of the victims had on society. She investigates the controversies that have inevitably arisen where the killer's motive has been unclear or their ability to organize such a crime unaided has been questionable. In addition, this book also examines notable failed attempts on the lives of the famous including Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, Andy Warhol and Pope John Paul II. What led to these attempts? Why did they fail? And, most interestingly of all, what would have happened if they had succeeded? Cold-Blooded Killings allows you to re-live the drama, horror and bloody aftermath of assassinations that aimed to change the course of history.