Scotland Yard

A History of the London Police Force's Most Infamous Murder Cases

Simon Read

• Publisher: Pegasus Books
• Year: 2024
• eBook ISBN:
  9781639366408
• Edition: 0

A riveting true-crime history of London's first modern police force as told through its most notorious murder cases. The idea of "Scotland Yard" is steeped in atmospheric stories of foggy London streets, murder by lamplight, and fiendish killers pursued by gentleman detectives. From its establishment in 1829 through the eve of World War II, Scotland Yard—the world's first modern, professional, and centrally organized police force—set new standards for policing and investigating. Scotland Yard advanced ground-breaking use of forensics—from fingerprints to ballistics to evidence collection—made the first attempt at criminal profiling, and captivated the public on both sides of the Atlantic with feats of detective work that rivaled any fictional interpretation. Based on official case files, contemporary newspaper reporting, trial transcripts, and the first-hand accounts of the detectives on the beat, Scotland Yard tells the tales of some of history's most notorious murders—with cases that proved to be landmarks in the field of criminal inquiry.

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication
• Epigraph
• Prologue: The Yard
• Chapter 1: The Unhallowed
• Chapter 2: Severed
• Chapter 3: Unsolved
• Chapter 4: Detective Days
• Chapter 5: A Murder in the Manor
• Chapter 6: A Zealous Effort
• Chapter 7: A Death in Duddlewick
• Chapter 8: Martyr and Monster
• Chapter 9: The Trial of the Detectives
• Chapter 10: Human Wickedness
• Chapter 11: ‘From Hell’
• Chapter 12: Dr Death
• Chapter 13: The Murder Squad
• Chapter 14: Chasing Crippen
• Chapter 15: The Brides in the Bath
• Chapter 16: War Crimes
• Chapter 17: The Crumbles
• Chapter 18: In the Trunk
• Chapter 19: Point-Blank
• Epilogue: Fingerprints from Yesteryear
• Acknowledgements
• About the Author
• References
• Bibliography
• Index
• Copyright