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The Brave Blue Line - 100 years of
Metropolitan Police Gallantry - by Dick Kirby. In our
opinion, this is simply the best book about police gallantry ever written,
and arguably the best book of any sort about gallantry awards.
The stories of each incident are of course gripping tales in themselves, but
Dick Kirby has researched and recounted the events not just from the
citations, but also from the background that led to the events, the
connections between criminal gangs that linked some stories, and the
previously unpublished details of incidents that result in the readers
finding themselves transported into the grip of the maelstrom.
The reader will never forget the details of the intervention of a dog
handler trying to rescue a female officer on decoy duty being attacked, nor
the comment of our Queen when presenting one officer with the George Cross.
The baby rescued from a rooftop has been interviewed many years later as an
adult, and gives his own perspective of having been the centre of a dramatic
rescue. This book is a welcome tribute to those many officers who have
shown exemplary courage in their efforts to protect London's public, and the
author has performed a great service to the public in ensuring that these
stories can be read by the public. It comes with our highest
possible recommendation. Pen & Sword. 193 pages and index
ISBN 9 781848 846524 £19.99
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The Chieftain - Victorian True crime through
the eyes of a Scotland Yard Detective by Chris Payne. This
is an account of the life of Detective Chief Inspector George Clarke who was
one of the early detectives, rising to be a senior detective at Scotland
Yard in a period which saw the rise of Irish terrorism, baby farming cases,
and Clarke's involvement in several high profile murder cases. Known
as 'The Chieftain', his career ended with retirement after being involved,
and acquitted in The Trial of the Detectives, a betting and corruption
scandal in 1877. His career therefore spans a really interesting
period of metropolitan Police history. More details from the author's
website .
Published by the History Press. £14.99 paperback
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The Ulster Tales - A Tribute to those who
served 1969 - 2000 is a collection of the stories of ten people who went
to Northern Ireland and did their impressive best to fulfil their various
roles for the greater good of the province amidst traumatic and dispiriting
community conflict, violence and terrorism, when the origins of individuals
were often seen as symbolic disqualifications for taking their good
intentions at face value. The stories clearly originate from the
people themselves and how they found the experience of venturing into
what could be a cauldron of conflict, and have been summarised by John
Wilsey, a former military senior officer. A journalist,
industrialist, undercover soldier, police officer, general, intelligence
officer, a widow and politician are included in these tales, which make a
fitting record of the courage, commitment and dedication of many fine people
who dedicated many years of their lives for the common good, and represent
those who should be recognised by history despite the realities of politics
having left them largely unthanked. £19.99
ISBN 9 781848 845244
Pen & Sword Books 180 pp hardback.
Amazon
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Scotland Yard's Ghost Squad - The Secret
Weapon against Post-War Crime. Another 'Dick Kirby Special'
that tells some wonderful stories about how Scotland Yard responded to
London's crime problems after World War Two. More than that, it
reflects the culture of policing, the personalities, and the trail from
Hymie the Gambler's information to the 96 year-old veteran whose hand on the
whisky bottle was as steady as his discretion. It is well
researched, not least in using the private memoirs lent by families of
stalwarts whose courage and dedication set the pace for central crime
fighting squads for many years to come. John Gosling was
to stay with the Squad from start to finish, for instance, and represented,
with great distinction, the tradition of straightforward, 'old-fashioned'
battling against crime and corruption in London. £12.99
Amazon ISBN 978 1 84884 4513
Pen & Sword Books 224 pages paperback |
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The Sweeney - The First 60 Years of Scotland
Yard's Flying Squad by Dick Kirby is a terrific book about one of the
squads at the Yard who really policed London at the sharp end, and protected
the public from the gangs of violent robbers and other criminals who would
otherwise have run riot in the capital. There are accounts of
the battle at Heathrow, the race track gangs, the great train robbery and
many other operations. Some criminals come quietly - but most of
those investigated by the Flying Squad certainly didn't. So the
discipline, courage and tenacity of this proud group of officers merits
their place in policing history. £19.99.
Amazon ISBN 978 1 84884 390 5
Pen & Sword Books. 215 pages hardback. |
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Hardcastle's Obsession by Graham Ison is
a fictional tale of a murder investigation set in the first World War, with
many authentic references to Scotland Yard and its personalities and
conditions of service that existed at that time.
A good plot with a surprising ending.
Amazon
ISBN 978 0 7278 8002 4 Severn House £18.99
183 pages hardback
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The Complete Jack the Ripper A to Z by Paul Begg,
Martin Fido and Keith Skinner is indeed the Ultimate Guide to the
Whitechapel Murders, and a most welcome revision of what is regarded as a
widely respected and authoritative reference work free from bias about
particular theories. A definite asset to anybody seeking
information about detailed aspects of the murders, and well illustrated
throughout its 580 pages (including index). ISBN
978-1-84454-797-5 published by John Blake £17.99
Amazon |
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The Guv'nors - Ten of Scotland Yard's
Greatest Detectives by Dick Kirby (208 pages) is a welcome book
featuring that select band of leaders of crime investigation in London who
pass the test of being regarded as detectives' detectives. In the
years before modern legislation and science started to regulate
investigations, these were men who occupied the commanding heights of
courage, leadership and shrewdness to win the fight against the criminals of
their day, and won hard-earned laurels as the builders of Scotland
Yard's world-wide reputation. The list includes Fred Wensley,
'Nutty' Sharpe, Peter Beveridge, Ted Greeno, Robert Fabian, John Capstick,
Ernest Millen, Tommy Butler, Ian Forbes and Bert Wickstead. ISBN
978 1 84563 135 2, published by Pen & Sword. £19.99
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Look out for our own book,
The Scotland Yard Files. Milestones in Crime Detection, published by The National Archives in August 2006. This book tells the story of how Scotland Yard's detective
branch was formed, the first cases involving identification parades,
fingerprints, ballistics evidence, Identikit, as well as the inside story of Dr
Crippen, Jack the Ripper and many other crimes, all based on the authentic
accounts from The National Archives where Scotland Yard's files are stored.
ISBN 1-903365-88-0. |
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We are not Manslaughterers - The Epsom Riot and the
murder of Station Sergeant Thomas Green by Martin Knight (286 pages) is
a thoroughly researched account of the murder in 1919 of Thomas Green by
Canadian soldiers who were awaiting transport back to Canada.
The author explains not only the incident itself, but also the background,
aftermath and undercurrents, thereby shedding light on what is a
controversial and intriguing part of police history. £12.99
ISBN 978-1-907183-14-0 www.tontobooks.co.uk
or through
Amazon
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The Road to Balcombe Street by Steven P
Moysey (285 pages) is a thorough description and analysis of the events
leading up to the Balcombe Street siege in London in December 1975.
It features a Foreword by Lord Imbert, who as a Detective Superintendent,
acted as a hostage negotiator. The book has clearly benefitted
from personal interviews given to the author by Lord Imbert, John Purnell,
and other police officers involved in the event. The
author also deals with the hostage negotiation from a specialist,
psychological interest in this aspect of sharp-end police work.
Published by the Haworth Press and available on-line through its own website
at
www.theroadtobalcombestreet.com |
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DNA Crime Investigations, by Stephen Wade (187
pages) is a good account of interesting cases in which DNA has been
involved. It starts with an explanation about DNA and its more recent
developments, the historic cases such as Robert Melias and Colin Pitchfork,
and then runs through 18 other cases, some of which were concluded in 2009.
ISBN 978 1 84563 105 5 £19.99 Published
by Pen and Sword |
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Unsolved London Murders - The 1940s and 1950s by
Jonathan Oates (168 pages) contains 19 chapters, firstly dealing with the
police and criminal underworld of London in the 1940s and 1950s, and then
one case per chapter of an unsolved murder. Some of these are
contentious for other reasons (eg Who killed Beryl and Geraldine Evans at
Rillington Place in 1949?), and the last chapter deals with whether the
murder of Elizabeth Figg in 1959 might have been the work of 'Jack the
Stripper'. Includes a good number of street scenes photographed by the
author.
ISBN 978 1 84563 102 4 £16.99
Published by Pen and Sword |
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Great Hoaxers, Artful Fakers & Cheating Charlatans
by Nigel Blundell & Sue Blackhall (222 pages), recounts, in 32 chapters,
various hoaxers, including the false tale of survival of the attack in New
York on 9 September 1901, through to forgeries such as the Adolf Hitler
diaries. ISBN 978 1 844680 63 4
£19.99 Published by
Pen and Sword
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Miscarriages of Justice - Famous London Cases by
John J Eddleston (153 pages) sets out the details of nine cases, involving
12 people, eight of whom were executed. Five of the 12 have
since been pardoned. Cases such as Arthur Devereux, Steinie
Morrison, Frederick Henry Seddon, Timothy Evans and Derek Bentley are
included. Some of these have consumed many volumes of written
material arguing for or against the verdict reached on the day, and readers
will no doubt experience a range of opinions about each chapter in this
heroically concise book. ISBN 978 1 84563 096 6
£12.99 (paperback) Published by
Pen and Sword
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And for Jack the Ripper enthusiasts, Jack the Ripper -
Scotland Yard Investigates by Stewart P Evans and Donald Rumbelow is a
collaboration between two ex-police officers who have studied the case since
1960, including a photograph of the police officer who came closest to
catching the Whitechapel Murderer red-handed, an analysis of important
evidence, an analysis of whether there was a police solution to the murders,
and a history of the London police including the social unrest of the time.
Published by Sutton ISBN 9 7807 5094 4228 7.
Through bookshops, or
on-line
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The first of the National Archives Crime Archive
series was published in June 2007 with the title
Jack the Ripper by Val Horsler, a writer on historical and heritage
themes. The book's 108 pages contain extracts from the original
police reports, illustrations, an account of the Whitechapel murders and
some of the theories, past and present about the killings. ISBN
978-1-905615-14-8 priced £7.99 from publisher's The National Archives -
http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/bookshop/
More titles in the Crime Archive series include -
Burke & Hare by Alanna Knight; Dr Crippen by Katherine Watson;
John Christie by Edward Marston; Mrs Maybrick by
Victoria Blake; and Ruth Ellis, also by Victoria Blake.
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Villains is a page-turning no-holds-barred account
of underworld deals, blaggings, fit-ups and hair-raising stories from
policing London in the 60s and 70s, written by Dick Kirby in a style that is
not for the faint-hearted. Published by Robinson, 2008 ISBN
978-1-84529-569-1 or
on-line.
You're Nicked is an
insider view of the operations of the Flying Squad from the 1960s on to the
1990s, including details of an operation with the Serious Crime Squad told
for the first time, a fraudster who had it in his power to bankrupt a small
European country, and some frank, amusing and hairy incidents in the
colourful career of former Detective Sergeant Dick Kirby.
The book is well-structured, has a very thoughtful
Foreword by John O'Connor and good continuity between the chapters.
Many of the stories have nice introductions, and then, as you read the
stories themselves, you can really hear Dick Kirby the raconteur relating
what happened, complete with punch lines, and feel yourself in the same room
with the people in the story.
Published by Robinson ISBN 978-1-84529-463-2 or
on-line |
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Crime Scene
Investigator - Gripping True
Stories of Forensic Detection
by Paul Millen. Paul Millen started his career in the
Metropolitan Police Forensic Science Laboratory, and then became a
well-respected Scenes of Crime Officer working in London's East End and
later on the Flying Squad where at one stage he worked with Dick Kirby
(above). There are some excellent stories of forensic crime
investigation, but also an account of how he left the Met and developed a
forensic crime facility for Surrey Police.
Publisher: Robinson ISBN 978-1-84529-663-6 or
on-line |
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