Book recommendations.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Probably a safe bet, his book on Stalingrad was very good. He's got an accessible writing style.

I have a friend who’s into his WW2 history and he says that he’s a good writer on the subject.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Thanks, Herlock. That sounds interesting. Like the Bible says "seek and ye shall find."

Here is a link to it on amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Witchfinders-Seventeenth-Century-English-Malcolm-Gaskill/dp/0674025423/ref=sr_1_1?crid=131R5LIP3BSV4&keywords=witchfinders&qid=1670171750&sprefix=witchfinders%2Caps%2C225&sr=8-1

I also have a book on the Salem Witch Trials on my to read list.

https://www.amazon.com/A-Delusion-of-Satan-Frances-Hill-audiobook/dp/B00LAE0DTI/ref=sr_1_1?crid=5KDWBO55BEY1&keywords=a+delusion+of+satan+salem+witch+trials+book&qid=1670172105&sprefix=a+delusion%2Caps%2C101&sr=8-1

This looks really interesting as well. What is so amazing is that this was going on late in the 19th century.

https://www.amazon.com/Food-Dead-Trail-England-Vampires-ebook/dp/B09QWY5639/ref=sr_1_1?crid=BWP75U6OE7TN&keywords=Michael+Bell+new+england&qid=1670172202&s=audible&sprefix=michael+bell+new+england%2Caudible%2C79&sr=1-1

c.d.

I’ve read one book on the Salem trials c.d. and checking online I’m pretty sure that it was this one (I have some books in boxes that I can’t access to check plus I’ve given some away to create space) I remember it being a good one though.

Ive have this one on my ‘possible books to get’ list.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Witches-James-English-Witch-Hunts/dp/009954914X/ref=pd_lpo_2?pd_rd_w=r93xc&content-id=amzn1.sym.2d229339-2f42-4596-a90d-b81a4f52d6d3&pf_rd_p=2d229339-2f42-4596-a90d-b81a4f52d6d3&pf_rd_r=YZVYZ3ZZ59DSB88MX0R3&pd_rd_wg=12AEr&pd_rd_r=206f41b3-1714-4168-b089-2ba2e2b6c46e&pd_rd_i=009954914X&psc=1

[c.d.]

Probably a safe bet, his book on Stalingrad was very good. He's got an accessible writing style.

Yes, he has a number of books and they all seem to get good reviews.

c.d.

[Al Bundy's Eyes]

My next book is "D-Day: The Battle for Normandy" by Antony Beevor

https://www.amazon.com/D-Day-Battle-Normandy-Antony-Beevor/dp/0143118188/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2FRVLGC7SD5IV&keywords=beevor&qid=1670174449&sprefix=beevor%2Caps%2C499&sr=8-6

c.d.

Probably a safe bet, his book on Stalingrad was very good. He's got an accessible writing style.

[c.d.]

My next book is "D-Day: The Battle for Normandy" by Antony Beevor

https://www.amazon.com/D-Day-Battle-Normandy-Antony-Beevor/dp/0143118188/ref=sr_1_6?crid=2FRVLGC7SD5IV&keywords=beevor&qid=1670174449&sprefix=beevor%2Caps%2C499&sr=8-6

c.d.

[c.d.]

I’m going to recommend a book that I’m only half way through. It’s called Witchfinders by Malcolm Gaskill. Not surprisingly it’s about the Witchfinders of the Civil War era, notably Matthew Hopkins (of course) and John Stearne. This is a brilliantly written book that really evokes the atmosphere and paranoias of the time. A time when the supernatural (imps, and demons and witches) were an absolute reality to most people. At time when an unexplained illness or death could lead to an accusation and a trial. It reminded me a little of todays conspiracist paranoia and how it only takes one accusation against someone disliked. This is a cracker in my opinion.

The reason that I recommended it before I’d finished it was for UK readers. If you have a branch of The Works in your local town pop in and have a look. They’re on sale there. Worth £3 of anyone’s money.

Thanks, Herlock. That sounds interesting. Like the Bible says "seek and ye shall find."

Here is a link to it on amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Witchfinders-Seventeenth-Century-English-Malcolm-Gaskill/dp/0674025423/ref=sr_1_1?crid=131R5LIP3BSV4&keywords=witchfinders&qid=1670171750&sprefix=witchfinders%2Caps%2C225&sr=8-1

I also have a book on the Salem Witch Trials on my to read list.

https://www.amazon.com/A-Delusion-of-Satan-Frances-Hill-audiobook/dp/B00LAE0DTI/ref=sr_1_1?crid=5KDWBO55BEY1&keywords=a+delusion+of+satan+salem+witch+trials+book&qid=1670172105&sprefix=a+delusion%2Caps%2C101&sr=8-1

This looks really interesting as well. What is so amazing is that this was going on late in the 19th century.

https://www.amazon.com/Food-Dead-Trail-England-Vampires-ebook/dp/B09QWY5639/ref=sr_1_1?crid=BWP75U6OE7TN&keywords=Michael+Bell+new+england&qid=1670172202&s=audible&sprefix=michael+bell+new+england%2Caudible%2C79&sr=1-1

c.d.

[Herlock Sholmes]

I’ve just started this book which I picked up on the shelf in Waterstones. It’s started really well.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/We-Keep-Dead-Close-Harvard/dp/1785151991

[Herlock Sholmes]

I’m going to recommend a book that I’m only half way through. It’s called Witchfinders by Malcolm Gaskill. Not surprisingly it’s about the Witchfinders of the Civil War era, notably Matthew Hopkins (of course) and John Stearne. This is a brilliantly written book that really evokes the atmosphere and paranoias of the time. A time when the supernatural (imps, and demons and witches) were an absolute reality to most people. At time when an unexplained illness or death could lead to an accusation and a trial. It reminded me a little of todays conspiracist paranoia and how it only takes one accusation against someone disliked. This is a cracker in my opinion.

The reason that I recommended it before I’d finished it was for UK readers. If you have a branch of The Works in your local town pop in and have a look. They’re on sale there. Worth £3 of anyone’s money.

[Abby Normal]

I think Bittrolff is one LISK, though I don't think he's responsible for all the killings. Also, I would assume they moved their dumpsite as opposed to stopping the murders. Nobody in their right mind is going to dump another body there, that doesn't mean they stopped killing, that's all conjecture and/or wishful thinking. Then again, so is my opinion.

the killings and disapearances stopped after bittrolff was in prison. and there is no evidence that bodies were dumped anywhere else after they were discovered in and around gilgo beach. But After they discovered his first two victims cut up and stuffed in suitcase off the side of the highway, Bittrolff DID start dumping them somewhere else,in a more hidden location nearer to the beach.

And there might be a onesy or twosy in there that wast him, but the majority of victims were from the LISK, who was undoubtedly Bittrolff.

[bjgourley]

yes good book. I cant remember if they named him, but the LISK is JohnBittrolff, in prison for the murder and dismemberment of two sex workers just prior to the gilgo beach victims disapearances. He lived in manorville, LI (where several links to victims were found) and partial DNA was matched. He was a hunter and used a shed in his back yard where he cut up his game, and probably his victims too. The prosecutor in his case named him a suspect in the gilgo beach murders and the killings stopped after he was arrested and imprisoned for the afore mentioned crimes.

I think Bittrolff is one LISK, though I don't think he's responsible for all the killings. Also, I would assume they moved their dumpsite as opposed to stopping the murders. Nobody in their right mind is going to dump another body there, that doesn't mean they stopped killing, that's all conjecture and/or wishful thinking. Then again, so is my opinion.

[Abby Normal]

Halfway through Lost Girls (Gilgo beach et al) and Robert Anderson was right, great book, but so hard to follow the timeline.

yes good book. I cant remember if they named him, but the LISK is JohnBittrolff, in prison for the murder and dismemberment of two sex workers just prior to the gilgo beach victims disapearances. He lived in manorville, LI (where several links to victims were found) and partial DNA was matched. He was a hunter and used a shed in his back yard where he cut up his game, and probably his victims too. The prosecutor in his case named him a suspect in the gilgo beach murders and the killings stopped after he was arrested and imprisoned for the afore mentioned crimes.

[bjgourley]

Halfway through Lost Girls (Gilgo beach et al) and Robert Anderson was right, great book, but so hard to follow the timeline.

[Ms Diddles]

Hi Ms D,

Yes, who knows. Maybe in the case as a whole an element of truth is combined with an element of jumping on the bandwagon? Also there certainly was a culture in the fairly recent past where this kind of unacceptable behaviour was considered par for the course and ‘harmless.’ We’ll never know the full truth and any historical case is fraught with problems especially when it’s one persons word against another’s.

It's a tricky one, isn't it?

I have always disliked the old "there's no smoke without fire" saying, as that outlook has ruined many innocent peoples lives over the years.

You are of course quite correct in that such behaviour was deemed "harmless fun" during the era in question.

Well, it certainly was by the perpetrators and the institutions which enabled them. Less so by the victims of the unsolicited attention.

I'd say don't feel too bad for Harris if you think that there's a chance he's innocent of the charges.

He is at the very least an arse-grabber!!

[Herlock Sholmes]

Hi Herlock,

By sheer coincidence I was out at my friends house for dinner last night.

There was a woman there who told a story about Rolf Harris grabbing her bum when she was waitressing at an event in Henley on Thames aged 17.

She was completely credible and it would be fair to say that everyone who heard the story was 100% inclined to believe her.

Now, I get that in terms of evidence "some woman from the casebook forum met another woman who claimed to have been manhandled by Harris" is on a par with "a bloke down the pub told me..."!

Also she was not underage when the incident occurred, but I thought it was interesting in light of the discussion on here.

Sounds like there are some people who can attest to his "creepiness" after all.

Hi Ms D,

Yes, who knows. Maybe in the case as a whole an element of truth is combined with an element of jumping on the bandwagon? Also there certainly was a culture in the fairly recent past where this kind of unacceptable behaviour was considered par for the course and ‘harmless.’ We’ll never know the full truth and any historical case is fraught with problems especially when it’s one persons word against another’s.

[Ms Diddles]

A few years ago I went out for a drink with an old mate and a few others. One of the others was his brother who was a Solicitor and we got talking about crime. Someone mentioned Jimmy Savile and someone else mentioned the celebrities who had been arrested and found not guilty after lengthy periods (Cliff Richard, Paul Gambaccini, Jim Davidson, Jonathan King, Dave Lee Travis [apart from one trumped up charge]). Then the conversation got around to Rolf Harris. A couple of those present were quite vocal in their opinion which was the opinion expressed in all of the media. The solicitor though said “I wouldn’t be so quick to judge if I were you.” He then starting talking about ‘witch hunts’ after Savile and pointed out about the Carl Beech who spoke about being abused by a huge government level paedophile ring (which included murder) involving well known names like Leon Brittany and others. The guy was found to be a liar and he’s now serving a lengthy sentence. Anyway the solicitor said that he knew of quite a few people, intelligent, educated, legally-minded people, who had very serious doubts about Harris’s conviction after a virtual trial by media; especially in the wake of the undoubtedly guilty Savile.

After this I did a bit of checking up online, there’s a group campaigning for him, and found some extremely alarming facts. Not conspiracy stuff or wild imaginings or just a desperate family trying to salvage a reputation either. Proper, provable facts. Then a few days ago I saw an Ebook written by a former NZ police officer who was brought in for as an investigator on Harris’s 2nd and 3rd trial. It’s called Rolf Harris: The Defence teams Special Investigator reveals the truth behind the trials by William Merritt.

Miscarriage of justice cases get plenty of interest and traction but less so when alleged crimes of this type are involved because of our very natural revulsion but this book is worth reading. It might not be a ‘popular’ opinion but I do think that that Harris was probably the victim of a miscarriage of justice and was part of this witch hunt. A combination action of the ‘no win no fee’ offers and the guarantees of anonymity are real temptations and while all potential victims should be listened to with sympathy and fairness (something that certainly hasn’t always happened in the past especially in rape and sexual assault cases) it was made public at the time that possible victims “will be believed.” So an assumption of honesty?

He had three trials. In the first there were 4 complainants, Harris had no investigator working for him and so was completely reliant on police evidence and he was found guilty on all. In the second and third there were a total of 7 complainants, by this time he had his own investigators to look into the evidence thoroughly and he was found either not guilty or the jury could convict on all complaints. To add to this, at the first trial the very first complainant was the most serious because she was very young at the time of the alleged offence (8 years old rather than a teenager) so this set the tone for people’s opinion of Harris. They took this one to the Appeal Court and it was shown categorically that Harris had never met her and it was 100% proven that he’d never been at the venue that was claimed. The charge was thrown out on appeal. The doubts about the 3 remaining complainants just mount up.

With Savile you had so many people claiming over the years that everyone knew that he was ‘creepy.’ It was common knowledge. There’s just none of that with Harris. He had 2 affairs but one of the girls claimed that it began before she was 18 but the evidence doesn’t back this up. This is a worrying case and a book worth reading imo.

Hi Herlock,

By sheer coincidence I was out at my friends house for dinner last night.

There was a woman there who told a story about Rolf Harris grabbing her bum when she was waitressing at an event in Henley on Thames aged 17.

She was completely credible and it would be fair to say that everyone who heard the story was 100% inclined to believe her.

Now, I get that in terms of evidence "some woman from the casebook forum met another woman who claimed to have been manhandled by Harris" is on a par with "a bloke down the pub told me..."!

Also she was not underage when the incident occurred, but I thought it was interesting in light of the discussion on here.

Sounds like there are some people who can attest to his "creepiness" after all.