Book Recommendations

[Herlock Sholmes]

Well he obviously hot footed it to Bucks Row the next morning for a spot of prostitute murder then continued to do so until he was sent back to Broadmoor. Case closed surely?

I’d have thought so. Game over.

[Geddy2112]

I’d like to know what C. Sleight had done though. He was released on August 30th 1888 and was sent back to Broadmoor on November 24th 1888. All that Coleman adds is: “He had gone queer and had a man looking after him when Gardner and Wiggins went for him.”

Well he obviously hot footed it to Bucks Row the next morning for a spot of prostitute murder then continued to do so until he was sent back to Broadmoor. Case closed surely?

[Herlock Sholmes]

I just finished Inside Broadmoor: Secrets of the Criminally Insane - Revealed by the Chief Attendant by Kim Forester.

On the death of her grandmother the author’s family discovered in a garage a large back of papers, photographs and diaries that had belonged to the authors great, great grandfather Charles Bishop Coleman who had worked at Broadmoor from 1873 until 1912. He began as an Assistant Attendant before becoming an Attendant then Principal Assistant before finishing his career as Chief Attendant.

Coleman’s diary entries are short and to the point; little more than headings written in the third person but after each the author has researched the background of each patient and their stories and crimes. Some terrible tales as you would expect. There are two slightly longer sections on James Kelly and Thomas Cutbush but with no revelations, sadly. Coleman’s entry just states: “Thomas Cutbush came to Broadmoor, April 24th, 1891.” One more entry reads: “May 25th 1891 Cutbush to Block 1.” This was probably after he had punched patient the Rev’d Gilbert Cooper, although he had threatened to “rip up” staff.

This is a really interesting book with lots of great photographs, including the 1884 photograph of the Broadmoor band with Coleman far left on the back row and five men along is James Kelly. I only payed around £4 so it’s a bargain too.

- I’d like to know what C. Sleight had done though. He was released on August 30th 1888 and was sent back to Broadmoor on November 24th 1888. All that Coleman adds is: “He had gone queer and had a man looking after him when Gardner and Wiggins went for him.”

[c.d.]

Just finished West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge. Fiction but based on real events. The year is 1938. Two African giraffes are sent by boat across the Ocean to America to be transported to the San Diego Zoo in California. Caught in a deadly hurricane they somehow manage to survive the trip but one is badly injured. They now have to survive being taken all the way across an America which is still reeling from the effects of the Depression and the Dust Bowl and fears Hitler's rise to power in Germany. People are looking for any ray of sunshine and hope and the giraffes become a national story followed by millions who have no idea of the difficulty of the trip and what the giraffes have to endure. It is a simple story but beautifully told with incredible characters. Coming of age, first love, dark secrets and a desperation to tell the story while still alive. Really liked this one and highly recommend.

https://www.amazon.com/West-Giraffes...s%2C653&sr=8-1

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[Doctored Whatsit]

Hi Doc,

I don’t think there was any kind of issue with access. It does appear though that of the evidence presented the suggested two insulin overdose deaths are considered the strongest in favour of her guilt. Neither babies were prescribed insulin so an accidental overdose can definitely be ruled out. So much disagreement on a ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ verdict.

Yes, the alleged insulin overdose deaths seem to have been regarded as the strongest evidence of her guilt. However, as I understand it, that insulin was even administered has been disputed by some medical experts, the method of alleged overdosing is uncertain, and only assumed, and there is no tangible evidence that Letby ever did what may or may not have been done. The case is very confusing.

I remain bewildered by the fact that a nurse who couldn't possibly need to obtain insulin for any purpose, was apparently free to get it and use it without there being any evidence that she took it. Didn't the hospital have any control over what is going on? This case is a real mystery, and doubts will surely continue for years.

[Herlock Sholmes]

Hi Herlock,

There are numerous bewildering aspects to this case. Letby, for example, is alleged to have killed premature babies with insulin. Did the book explain how a nurse on a premature babies ward had access to insulin? She surely would never have been expected to use it, so I have no idea how could she be allowed to get hold of some? Access should surely have been restricted.

Hi Doc,

I don’t think there was any kind of issue with access. It does appear though that of the evidence presented the suggested two insulin overdose deaths are considered the strongest in favour of her guilt. Neither babies were prescribed insulin so an accidental overdose can definitely be ruled out. So much disagreement on a ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ verdict.

[Doctored Whatsit]

I took the plunge and have just finished reading Unmasking Lucy Letby by Jonathan Coffey and Judith Moritz and I first of all I have to say that I agree with Peter Hitchens when he called it “an excellent and open-minded study of the case.” The book is entirely agenda-free with the authors giving equal time and emphasis to the points for and against her guilt. It’s certainly an interesting read on a difficult and disturbing subject and the authors have done well in their efforts to explain the medical issues as clearly as possible for laymen readers. If only all true crime examinations were this free from bias.

Although they make it possible to ‘understand’ the medical points up to a point it’s still close to impossible for someone without serious medical knowledge (or even any medical knowledge at all, like myself) to come up with a meaningful opinion. Evans and Bohin gave their verdicts for the prosecution. Dr Mike Hall disputed many of their conclusions. The international panel disagreed with most of what Evans and Bohin had said and yet Hall disagrees with much of what the panel said. How can a genuine ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ be achieved with so much disputed evidence; evidence that was left to a jury of 12 laymen to decide on?

One of the big mysteries of the case is why, when the prosecution produced a raft of experts witnesses did the defence only call one witness - the hospital plumber! On the face of it this seems bizarre to put it mildly. They had numerous character witnesses ready and willing to testify and Dr Mike Hall (a highly respected academic neonatologist) was explaining the issues with the medical evidence but these issues were left to Letby’s Barrister to put to the court. No one doubts that Hall would have been an effective defence witness and he was expecting to testify but he was left on the subs bench. No one knows why?

One of the things that I find troubling is the human element of the case. Experts have dug deep into Lucy Letby’s background and found nothing remotely sinister and that seems strange to me although this can’t be taken as any kind of proof of innocence. Everything about Letby appears totally normal. It’s a doubt to add to the other real doubts that exist in this case but as well as the doubts there are certainly points that appear to count against her innocence.

The authors give this short summary on page 358: “If it’s unclear that she’s definitely guilty, it’s also far from clear that she’s innocent.”


How can anything be beyond reasonable doubt when some of the top experts around disagree on so much?

Is she innocent or guilty? I don’t know.

Are there doubts? Certainly.

IMO of course.

Hi Herlock,

There are numerous bewildering aspects to this case. Letby, for example, is alleged to have killed premature babies with insulin. Did the book explain how a nurse on a premature babies ward had access to insulin? She surely would never have been expected to use it, so I have no idea how could she be allowed to get hold of some? Access should surely have been restricted.

[Herlock Sholmes]

I took the plunge and have just finished reading Unmasking Lucy Letby by Jonathan Coffey and Judith Moritz and I first of all I have to say that I agree with Peter Hitchens when he called it “an excellent and open-minded study of the case.” The book is entirely agenda-free with the authors giving equal time and emphasis to the points for and against her guilt. It’s certainly an interesting read on a difficult and disturbing subject and the authors have done well in their efforts to explain the medical issues as clearly as possible for laymen readers. If only all true crime examinations were this free from bias.

Although they make it possible to ‘understand’ the medical points up to a point it’s still close to impossible for someone without serious medical knowledge (or even any medical knowledge at all, like myself) to come up with a meaningful opinion. Evans and Bohin gave their verdicts for the prosecution. Dr Mike Hall disputed many of their conclusions. The international panel disagreed with most of what Evans and Bohin had said and yet Hall disagrees with much of what the panel said. How can a genuine ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ be achieved with so much disputed evidence; evidence that was left to a jury of 12 laymen to decide on?

One of the big mysteries of the case is why, when the prosecution produced a raft of experts witnesses did the defence only call one witness - the hospital plumber! On the face of it this seems bizarre to put it mildly. They had numerous character witnesses ready and willing to testify and Dr Mike Hall (a highly respected academic neonatologist) was explaining the issues with the medical evidence but these issues were left to Letby’s Barrister to put to the court. No one doubts that Hall would have been an effective defence witness and he was expecting to testify but he was left on the subs bench. No one knows why?

One of the things that I find troubling is the human element of the case. Experts have dug deep into Lucy Letby’s background and found nothing remotely sinister and that seems strange to me although this can’t be taken as any kind of proof of innocence. Everything about Letby appears totally normal. It’s a doubt to add to the other real doubts that exist in this case but as well as the doubts there are certainly points that appear to count against her innocence.

The authors give this short summary on page 358: “If it’s unclear that she’s definitely guilty, it’s also far from clear that she’s innocent.”


How can anything be beyond reasonable doubt when some of the top experts around disagree on so much?

Is she innocent or guilty? I don’t know.

Are there doubts? Certainly.

IMO of course.

[Ms Diddles]

Helter Smelter?

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Hahaha! Nice one c.d.!

[c.d.]

Helter Smelter?

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[Ms Diddles]

I've recently finished Murderland by Caroline Fraser.

Could there be a link between the epidemic of serial killers in the Pacific Northwest in the 1970's and 80's and the stratospheric levels of lead and arsenic from smelters in that area?

She makes a very good case for it in this well written and extremely readable book.

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2025/jul/01/murderland-by-caroline-fraser-review-what-was-behind-the-1970s-serial-killer-epidemic?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Recommended

[c.d.]

Just finished The Measure by Nikki Erlick. Fiction with a very interesting plot. One morning everyone in the world over the age of 22 wakes to find a small, wooden box outside their door. The box has their name on it and in a language they can understand is an inscription that says "inside is the measure of your life." People are completely freaked out and no one knows what to do or where the boxes my have come from. Are they from God, the government, pranksters? Eventually curiosity gives way to fear and many people open them. In every case, their is a small string inside. Scientists conclude that the string lengths correspond to how long your life will be. Short stringers start to face prejudice. Fired from jobs. Dropped from health insurance plans. Couples with different length strings break up. And it all gets worse for short stringers. The book focuses on several different characters with different string lengths and how they deal with it.

The book does get a little hokey and preachy as you can imagine given the plot but I did enjoy it. It certainly does make you think about things you normally take for granted. So, a recommendation.

Over 38,000 reviews on amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Measure-Read-...s%2C283&sr=8-1

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[Herlock Sholmes]

I just finished a great book which I picked up from the Samuel Johnson Museum in Gough Square London recently. It’s called UPROAR: Satire, Scandal and Printmakers in Georgian London by Alice Loxton. I believe that this is her first book so I’ll be on the lookout for further ones. Her writing style can certainly never be called stuffy or dry but it never becomes anything less than fitting to the subject matter. She focuses, naturally, on three artists - Thomas Rowlandson, Isaac Cruickshank and James Gillray. I’m really interested in this period and Loxton writes about it with relish. It helps that I’m a big fan of the work of the three artists in question but apart from them there’s a great cast of characters and the story of political satire and its effects in Georgian England is fascinating. Politicians, Royalty, Society ladies…all were fair game.

Highly recommended.

[c.d.]

This is a good website for book recommendations and reviews. I think you need to join only if you want to post a review. Free to browse.

https://www.goodreads.com/?ref=nav_hom

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[c.d.]

Just finished Code Talker by Chester Nez. It is the first and only memoir by one of the original code talkers of World War II. American messages were being intercepted by the Japanese who were able to break any code that was devised up till then with devastating consequences. Navajo marines were tasked with coming up with a code based on the Navajo language. The Japanese were never able to break it and it contributed greatly to the American war efforts in the Pacific. The book starts with his life as a child on the reservation and Navajo customs and ways. He was sent to boarding school where he was given the English name Chester Nez and beaten for speaking Navajo. Although native Americans could not vote at the time he still chose to join the Marines and defend the country. Because of the code talkers ability to quickly send and translate messages it was necessary for them to be in the middle of some brutal battles in the Pacific. Nightmares and depression followed him home finally resulting in a healing ceremony from his tribe. He comes across as a man who simply tried to do his best in all circumstances but still was very proud of his Navajo heritage and what he and his fellow code talkers accomplished. Not a page turner but if you have any interest in the war in the Pacific I think you will find it interesting.

https://www.amazon.com/Code-Talker-M...9911698&sr=8-2

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