True-crime bookchat – our favourite books

I am one of four authors who will be chatting about a terrific cross-section of non-fiction crime writing in a forthcoming online event. Join us!

I recently flagged up the true-crime bookchat I’m doing with three other author friends.

It’s a free Zoom Webinar on Thursday 13 June at 7pm.

Anyone who reads non-fiction crime books or is intrigued by true-crime podcasts is welcome to join us – just register here. The event is part of National Crime Reading Month.

One of the things I’m looking forward to is the diversity of books my co-panellists have selected to discuss.

Some I have read, some not, but I suspect I will buy one or two of the unreads after our chat.

Here’s a rundown of the titles we’ll talk about.

Crime historian Dr Angela Buckley has chosen:

• The Killer of Little Shepherds, by Douglas Starr – one of Angela’s all-time favourites, about the hunt for the French Ripper.

• The Five, by Hallie Rubenhold, groundbreaking book about the victims of the Whitechapel murderer.

• Murder by the Book, by Claire Harman, about the murder of Lord William Russell in 1840 by his valet, François Courvoisier.

Author and Jack the Ripper expert Sarah Bax Horton has chosen:

• The Hunt for the 60s’ Ripper by Robin Jarossi. A fascinating account of a chilling series of murders in a case that Scotland Yard failed to solve.

• No Ordinary Day by Matt Johnson with John Murray. Sarah did a webinar with Matt on the subject of their books for this year’s Crime Cymru Welsh writing festival, which gave her an insight into the quest for justice for murdered WPC Yvonne Fletcher.

• To Hunt a Killer by Julie Mackay and Robert Murphy. Sarah remembers the murder of Melanie Road from 1984, when she was also a teenage schoolgirl. Extraordinarily, the case was solved in a cold-case review launched in 2009.

Dan Smith, who writes about gangsters and cover-ups, selected: 

• The Profession of Violence: The Rise and Fall of the Kray Twins by John Pearson. Something of a classic study of East London’s violent gang leaders, disturbing but compelling.

• The Jigsaw Murders: The True Story of the Ruxton Killings and the Birth of Modern Forensics by Jeremy Craddock. A multiple murder case from the 1930s and an investigation that changed forensics.

• Midnight in Peking by Paul French. Another case from the 1930s – the teenage daughter of a British consul is murdered, war between China and Japan looms… Can a British detective, a Chinese detective and the father untangle the case?

And my selection is:

• Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann. Engrossing and politically important look at the chilling criminal conspiracy perpetrated against the Osage people in 1920s Oklahoma.

• Mapping Murder by David Canter. This book is not about a single case, but a delve into geographic profiling. It is written by Britain’s leading pioneer of criminal psychological profiling and packed with fascinating case studies.

• Manhunt: The Night Stalker by Colin Sutton. The dismayingly awful crimes of serial rapist Delroy Grant were ended when police efforts to catch him were reinvigorated by the author, Senior Investigating Officer Colin Sutton. Absolutely gripping.

It should be a lively discussion about some extraordinary cases. There will also be the chance to ask questions.

Hope you can join us.