Capital Crimes: Seven Centuries of London Life and Murder - Hardcover

Decharne, Max

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1847945902 ISBN 13: 9781847945907

Publisher: Random House UK, 2013

Synopsis

The story of crime and punishment in London is told via accounts of murders from medieval times to the abolition of hanging—a unique history of the city and its underbelly An essential read for all devotees of London and of crime, this book features vivid recreations of a series of murders, stretching from the killing of Roger Legett, a notorious "questmonger," during the Peasants' Revolt in 1381, through to the hanging of Styllou Christofi in 1954. Some of the murderers, such as the political assassin John Bellingham, are still remembered. Others, including the 18th-century highwayman John Davis, are largely forgotten. But all their lives and fates have much to tell readers—about London's changing underworld, about the slow evolution of policing in the city, and about the sometimes strange workings of the law. Above all, they provide a fascinating sideways view of London over the centuries, from the crime-ridden alleyways of the Georgian capital to the supposedly respectable suburbs of Finchley, where the notorious "baby-farmers" Amelia Sach and Annie Walters operated at the beginning of the 20th century.

About this title

About the Author:

Max Décharné is a musician—a former member of Gallon Drunk, now the singer with The Flaming Stars—and the author of Hardboiled Hollywood and Straight from the Fridge, Dad. He has been a regular contributor to Mojo magazine since 1998, and also writes for a variety of other publications.

Review:

"Fully illustrated with contemporary engravings and colour photos it's a fascinating, sideways view of London's real underground." Choice magazine

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House UK
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1847945902
• ISBN 13: 9781847945907
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 402