The case of Major Armstrong, the celebrated Hay Poisoner, the only solicitor ever to hang, is one of those classic, old-fashioned English murders which hail from the heyday of courtroom drama when, with the hangman lurking in the pine-and-panel wings and the black cap an object of horrifyingly alarming currency rather than mere symbolism, the loser in 'the black dock's dreadful pen' lost all. It comes straight out of the pages of George Orwell's essayed nostalgia.
Fact is never more strange than fiction than when it comes to crime, and the crimes described here are so bizarre it's inconceivable that they could have been made up. In this all-new collection of truly unusual crimes, a sequel to the bestselling Mammoth Book of Bizarre Crimes, Odell and Donnelly tell the extraordinary stories of criminal acts far stranger than any fiction, including the murder of Italian fashion designer Gianni Versace by spree-killer Andrew Cunanan and the killing of intern Chandra Ann Levy, who had had an affair with US Representative Gary Condit, though he was cleared of any involvement in her murder. They reveal how Danilo Restivo was eventually convicted of the murder of Heather Barnett in England after the ritualistic placing of hair connected him to another murder in Italy. They tell the terrible story of the inexplicably brutal murder, over a number of days, of 15-year-old Kristy Bamu by his sister and her lover because they believed him to be practising 'witchcraft'. They also give a chilling account of the thirty-one-year-old mother-of-two, Joanna Dennehy, who killed three men. 'I started killing,' she said, 'to see if I was as cold as I thought I was. Then it got moreish and I got a taste for it.'
Focusing on the literary investigations surrounding Jack the Ripper, this groundbreaking study explores the evolution of theories and speculations about the infamous crimes. It delves into key phases of Ripper lore, highlighting how certain figures within Scotland Yard claimed to possess insider knowledge, often misleading the public. By tracing the historical context and the narratives that shaped public perception, the book offers a comprehensive look at the intersection of crime and literature in the Ripper case.
In the autumn of 1888 the streets of London were streets of terror. The cause -- a series of mysterious and apparently motiveless murders. Respectable citizens cowered behind shuttered windows and multi-locked doors. Ironically, however, it was not the respectable who were in danger. The victims were all drawn from the trade which necessity still compelled to haunt dark alleys and doorways at dead of night -- the prostitutes. Theories on the identity of the murderer have been many and various: that he was a fashionable doctor, even that he was a she - a midwife. Robin Odell has produced an absorbing factual reconstruction of all the crimes and a brilliant new theory, based on modern methods of detection, to solve the greatest mystery in British criminology. Most readers will accept his theory as the long-sought answer to a baffling real-life whodunit: as the most likely epitaph on a terror known as "Jack the Ripper in Fact & Fiction".
The development of forensic pathology in Britain is told here through the
lives of five outstanding medical pioneers. Spanning seventy years, their
careers and achievements marked major milestones in the development of legal
medicine, their work and innovation laying the foundations for modern crime
scene investigation (CSI).
The author, recognized for winning a gold medal from the New York Independent Publishers Association for RIPPEROLOGY, has a strong background in crime studies. He has shared his expertise through extensive lectures at various clubs and societies, showcasing his deep engagement with crime-related topics. His longstanding membership in Our Society, previously known as the Crimes Club, highlights his commitment to exploring and discussing criminal history and theory.
