True Crime books

[Ms Diddles]

I thought the above was a nice story.

You could check out their stock and support them if you see anything of interest....

[Yabs]

Not everyone’s cup of tea but If anyone enjoys true crime books about gangland ‘Judas Pig’ is very good.
I find a lot of books about British gangsters, the Krays etc seem to be full of exaggerated stories and hearsay.
Judas pig is different, it’s written by a gang member as an act of revenge against his ex gang.
It’s written as a novel with names changed yet everything in it happened.
It even names the culprits to several unsolved murders.
The mystery starts after you’ve read it when you find out who the real characters in the book are, including some famous people in the public eye who’s names have been changed.
Some are obvious some aren’t.

If anyone wanted to buy it, I would avoid reading Amazon reviews, which are very good but they are full of spoilers and people discussing who the real life characters are.
An original copy costs £100’s but the reprint is available for a few pound.

fascinating, but definitely not for the faint hearted.

[barnflatwyngarde]

Without doubt the best true crime book I have ever read is "Riddle of Birdhurst Rise" by Richard Whittington-Egan.

It's a wonderfully evocative account of the Croydon poisoning mystery of 1929.

You can get second hand hardbacks and paperbacks on Amazon at a reasonable price.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Without doubt the best true crime book I have ever read is "Riddle of Birdhurst Rise" by Richard Whittington-Egan.

It's a wonderfully evocative account of the Croydon poisoning mystery of 1929.

You can get second hand hardbacks and paperbacks on Amazon at a reasonable price.

Evocative is the right word Barn. That was one of the first true crime books I read. If I remember correctly it was from the same publisher as Don Rumbelow’s book on The Siege Of Sidney Street? Same style cover.

[Michael W Richards]

It's definitely worth a re-read!

As some fiction based on a real criminal case...just as a disclaimer Ms Diddles.

[Ms Diddles]

I've spent this weekend hunkered down in hiding from Storm Ciara.

To distract me from fretting about what possible damage could be occurring to my roof and garden I have been absorbed in (and thoroughly enjoying) "The Magnificent Spilsbury and the Case Of The Brides In The Bath" by Jane Robins.

An interesting and very readable account of the murders, interspersed with historical info regarding advances in forensic pathology and the role of the expert witness in court, all set against a backdrop of WW1.

Our old friend Walter Dew features too.

Would heartily recommend to anyone with an interest.

After seeing the recommendations in this thread, I recently read Rob House's Koz book and agree that it is well researched and head and shoulders above most other suspect books, so thanks very much for the tip, whoever suggested it...

[John Malcolm]

After seeing the recommendations in this thread, I recently read Rob House's Koz book and agree that it is well researched and head and shoulders above most other suspect books, so thanks very much for the tip, whoever suggested it...

This book had a huge influence on my perceptions of the "Polish Jew Theory". It's definitely not your typical "suspect" book. One of the few suspect-based books that positively should be in everyone's Ripper-related libraries.

[Al Bundy's Eyes]

The Invention of Murder: how the Victorians revelled in death and detection and created modern crime.

Judith Flanders

Well worth a read for anyone interested in Victorian crime, covers a load of cases and has great detail about the evolution of printed news and it's accessibility to the masses.

[Herlock Sholmes]

A couple of titles to add the recommendations.

The Damnation Of John Donellan by Elizabeth Cooke - an really good one that I read recently on an 18th century poisoning case.

The Apprentice Of Split Crow Lane by Jane Horsham - I’m reading this at the moment and it’s very good. It’s about a a child murder in the north east of England in the 19th century.