Contained within the pages of this book are the stories behind some of the most notorious murders in Lancashire's history. The cases covered here record the county's most fascinating but least known crimes, as well as famous murders that gripped not just Lancashire but the whole nation. From Liverpool's Florence Maybrick (was she really guilty of poisoning her hypochondriac husband with arsenic and was he indeed Jack the Ripper?) to late Victorian Bury's disturbing 'Body in the Wardrobe' case; from the infamous Drs Ruxton and Clements, who saw off five wives between them, to Blackpool's Louisa Merrifield, whose loose tongue was undoubtedly her downfall, this is a collection of the county's most dramatic and interesting criminal cases Alan Hayhurst has been uncovering evidence about the county's historic murders for more than forty years. In writing this book he has visited all of the murder sites, consulted original documents and contemporary reports, and spoken to those who has personal memories of the cases concerned. Lancashire Murders is a unique re-examination of the darker side of the county's past.

Staffordshire Murders brings together murderous tales that shocked not only the county but made headline news throughout the nation. They include the poisonous Dr Palmer, murder on the canal, a tale of infanticide, the body in the gasometer, the chauffeur's revenge, murder on Cannock Chase and much more. Alan Hayhurst has spent many hours visiting the scenes detailed in this book, as well as researching original documents and talking to people who have meories of the individual crimes. His well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to all who are interested in the shady side of Staffordshire's history.

Discover the captivating treasures buried in the British Library's archives. Largely inaccessible to the public until now, these enduring classics were written in the golden age of detective fiction. "...this crime is conditioned by the place. To understand the one you've got to study the other." The Garths had farmed their fertile acres for generations, and fine land it was with the towering hills of the Lake Country on the far horizon. Here hot-tempered Robert Garth, still hale and hearty at eighty-two, ruled Garthmere Hall with a rod of iron. Until, that is, old Garth was found dead—'dead as mutton'—in the trampled mud of the ancient outhouse. Glowering clouds gather over the dramatic dales and fells as seasoned investigator Chief Inspector Macdonald arrives in the north country. Awaiting him are the reticent Garths and their guarded neighbors of the Lune Valley; and a battle of wits to unearth their murderous secrets. E.C.R Lorac was a prolific writer who penned over forty bestselling mystery books over the course of her career. First published in 1944, Fell Murder is a tightly-paced mystery with authentic depictions of its breathtaking locales and Second World War setting. Rife with detail and suspenseful historical crime, this novel earns its place among the classic British mysteries. This edition also includes the rare E.C.R. Lorac short story 'The Live Wire'. Other books in the British Library Crime Classics: Death in Fancy Dress The Body in the Dumb River It Walks by Night Measure of Malice Surfeit of Suspects Death Has Deep Roots The Notting Hill Mystery

Derbyshire Murders brings together fifteen of the county's most extraordinary and shocking cases. The crimes covered made not just local but in some cases national headlines. For this fascinating, illustrated collection, Martin Baggoley has returned to original sources - including police interviews, trial transcripts and contemporary newspaper reports - to rebuild each story from scratch. Cases include a murder and robbery committed in 1842 in Stanley, and the murder of a police constable in Derby in 1879. Although the killer was sentenced to death, he was reprieved after it was revealed how the jury had reached their decision: they drew lots and tossed a coin. Also included are cases from Belper, Chesterfield, Bonsall, Glossop and Ilkeston. This unique re-examination of the darker side of Derbyshire's past is sure to appeal to all those interested in the shady side of the county's history.

Contained within the pages of this book are the stories behind some of the most notorious murders in the history of Greater Manchester. They include the case of cat burglar Charlie Peace, who killed 20-year-old PC Nicolas Cock in Seymour Grove, and only confessed after he had been sentenced to death for another murder; the sad tale of William Robert Taylor, whose young daughter was killed in a boiler explosion and who, later, desperate and in debt, murdered his landlord as well as his three remaining children; Jack Jackson, who escaped from Strangeways Gaol by killing a prison warder while mending a gas pipe for the prison matron; and the death of Police Sergeant Charles Brett, who stuck bravely to his post despite an armed attack on his prison van by the 'Manchester Martyrs.'

Murder in Lancashire provides a fascinating insight into policing in the north of England in the 1970s

Some of the gruesome cases in this book are better known than others, such as the inexplicable shooting of his wife and two daughters by Lock Ah Tam in 1926 and the Gorse Hall murder in 1909, which still excites aficionados of true crime and those who like a good unsolved mystery. Others are less well known, including the mysterious murder of Mary Malpas in 1835 and the crime of Frederick George Wood in Bramhall in 1922, a classic example of the pointless murder, for little or no reward, while few outside the town have ever heard the tale of the 'Congleton Cannibal.' All manner of murder and mystery is featured here, and this book is sure to be a must-read for true crime enthusiasts everywhere.

In this follow-up to Lancashire Murders, Alan Hayhurst brings together more murderous tales that shocked not only the county but made headline news throughout the nation. They include the case of Oldham nurse Elizabeth Berry, who poisoned her own daughter for the insurance money in 1887; Margaret Walber, who beat her husband to death in Liverpool in 1893; John Smith, the young Home-Guardsman who shot his ex-girlfriend in broad daylight at Whitworth in 1941; and Norman Green, who was hanged for the murder of two young boys in Wigan in the 1950s, but may have been responsible for a third death as well. Alan Hayhurst's well-illustrated and enthralling text will appeal to everyone interested in the shady side of Lancashire's history.

This book features fifty-six Victorian murder cases from the files of the Illustrated Police News.

This book uses detailed case studies as a way of exemplifying and exploring more general questions of socio-cultural responses to murder and their explanation, and also incorporates a valuable historical perspective to this issue. It is a seeks accessible account of the subject for people coming to it for the first time.