I picked up this book a few times and still haven’t worked my way through it. I was intrigued as I don’t know much about this serial killer and wanted to know more and understand the history and biography of this man and his victims. What fell short was a lack of engaging dialogue… a little too factual and not really storytelling (which is what I was expecting).
However, I can’t fault the research that has clearly gone into creating this book and the author has made every effort to obtain and reference every detail and fact-check.
I’m not sure if it’s writing style or the subject but I just can’t continue

In my honest opinion, Pen & Sword is at it’s best with their selection of true crime books. I appreciate them a lot because most authors have a tendency to tread the same roads that have been used for decades, whereas Pen & Sword like to go at these topics from fresh perspectives. I, truthfully, am not too knowledgeable about this case, but I am aware that it’s a fairly significant case in UK history spanning film and TV adaptations due to it’s “popularity” or infamy, rather. Whenever something like that starts to happen, you can guarantee that the truth in the history can start to veer into mythology as with any noteworthy American serial killer. In this book, Dr. Jonathan Oates tries to strip away the media circus that erupted due to Christie’s arrest and the fascination the media had with the legal procedures themselves. He tries to look at the man himself, giving a nuanced, well-researched biography on a man that had many opportunities to get on the right path, but let his dark past lead him astray.

“Sixty years ago, the discovery of bodies at 10 Rillington Place in Notting Hill, London, led to one of the most sensational, shocking and controversial serial murder cases in British criminal history – the case of John Christie. Much has been written about the Christie killings and the fate of Timothy Evans who was executed for murders Christie later confessed to – the story still provokes strong feeling and speculation.

But most of the books on the case have been compiled without the benefit of all the sources that are open to researchers, and they tend to focus on Evans in an attempt to clear him of guilt. And many simply repeat what has been said before. Accounts neglect Christie’s early life and crimes and the lives of his victims, and even witness statements about the Christies have been overlooked. So a painstaking, scholarly reassessment of the evidence – and of Christie’s life – is overdue, and that is what Jonathan Oates provides in this gripping biography of a serial killer.”

John Christie was an unfortunate individual. It seemed that most of what drove him to his murderous tendencies started in his youth. The author talks about his possible Oedipus complex, the fact that he loved his mother and hated his father to such a degree it warped his ability to have relationships with women. When he was “of age” to have relationships with girls, it seemed that he was singled out as being slow and being “less endowed” than other boys by a girl he liked, something that was spread around school – it seems this perhaps led to his feelings against women and his need to be with the prostitutes that he would eventually start killing. It’s sad how “messed up” someone can become when their minds are so malleable and weak as that of an adolescent, and it seems Christie was definitely not able to handle a normal life.

All-in-all, I liked this book despite not knowing much about this case. The author does a good job of trying to figure out exactly why Christie did what he did, and how he was able to live with himself when an innocent man was hanged for something he did. A lifelong habitual liar and coward, Christie tried to manipulate others until the very end, and it eventually cost him his life.

A really interesting and well researched story about one of the most notorious crimes that isn't focused on too much. I really enjoyed the writing style!

This is a factual account of the serial murderer John Reginald Halliday Christie. This covers his life, his crimes and also examines whether he committed the Evans murders or not which many think should be added to the number of murders for which he was convicted.

It was really interesting, gave a large amount of detail. The author displays in detail Christie and his role or not in the Evans murders. This also gives a good account of any fiction and other non-fiction books about the man. This is worth buying for a good, factual account.

This book provides interesting details, compelling insight, and unbiased analysis of Christie's background, personality, and motivations before, during, and after he was discovered to be a serial murderer. It is apparent a lot of research and referencing of newly available source materials was performed by the author to give us a deep dive into the facts of Christie's life and the series of murders he committed. This is followed up with a great presentation of the court case which resulted in his sentence of death by hanging.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy of this book to read prior to publication. The impressions expressed here are my own honest opinions written voluntarily.

I was sent a free ebook copy of this book from NetGalley in return for a honest review

I didn’t finish this book. I got to around 35% and was too bored to go any further. I thought it would be an interesting read based on what I know of the case, but the way this is written is incredibly unengaging.

The first few chapters outline the life of Christie, his wife then later on the Evans’. These segments are so longwinded - is it really necessary to tell us about their grandfathers? It has no bearing on the murders. The writing style also makes this into almost a list of people and places, which in turn makes it hard to follow.

Some of the ‘analysis’ given is also inappropriate. There is much made of Christie signing up to serve in WW1 instead of waiting to be enlisted - why did he do that? I imagine, like many others, he wanted to do his bit in the war and felt it might be an adventure. The tone of this and everything mentioned in relation to Christie is presented as if it gives us some great insight into a killers mind - it doesn’t. Most of Christie’s actions outside the murders are common to many people.

Overall I wouldn’t recommend this book. It was slow and unengaging. It could have been so much better.

Continuing our theme of criminal biographies, ‘John Christie of Rillington Place’ by DR Jonathan Oatesis a fascinating insight into the mind and life of the 1950s London based serial killer, and one that is entertaining, macabre, and eerily familiar. This account of John Christie’s life is unlike any other book of the killer that we have read.

Previous true crime books, films, and podcasts tend to concentrate on murders that Christie was never actually charged for and tend to focus largely on his murderous modus operandi. This book differs from others in giving an unbiased historical fact-based account of his life, before the murders. The book gives a factual insight into John Christie’s childhood, sporadic career choices, relationships with the opposite sex, and even his raging hypochondria, which I’d never read about before.

Having previously read’ Inside 10 Rillington Place’ which is a familial account of Beryl Evan’s murder, I was convinced that John Christie had killed Beryl and her daughter, Geraldine. However, having read this book, I doubt this is the case now, and that is what makes a good true crime book.

We all read, listen, and watch true crime content that is subjective or objective, dependent on the creator’s intention. It is rare then (bizarrely) to find content that gives biographical, or even autobiographical (The History Of A Drowning Boy by Dennis Nilsen ) insight into the mind of a serial killer, and this is a fine example of that rare true crime commodity.

For those unfamiliar with the case of John Christie, I would avoid any other films, or books involved with the case and start with this one. It will give any true crime enthusiast good grounding to delve into the case further. Dr Jonathan Oates is a London historian and is academic, however, his narrative is accessible and easy to read. The writer presents the facts, timelines, relating characters, and case notes without sounding pretentious, and on that basis, we read it in a matter of days!

John Christie of 10 Rillington Place was an informative read. The information was delivered in a concise manner, and as I've been researching the Rillington Place murders I appreciated the extra notes and opinions the author provided.

I do think the book was a little drier towards the end when it was talking about the latter murders and the court case. The beginning was very readable when it was talking about Christie's early life and his time in the army.

I got a lot out of this one, so I'm glad I read it!

I found this book interesting. It seemed well researched and unbiased, but at times it was also a bit clinical. It wasn't a book that I wanted to run back to every time I had a free moment, but it was a book that made me more interested in John Christie and Rillington Place.

I thought that this was a great book and it gave a great overview of John Christie and his crimes at 10 Rillington Place, a place made infamous due to his activities at the location.

I thought that the book was well researched and you could see the attention to detail that the author put in to the work. They had clearly done a lot of background work.

I thought it was an easy book to read and the later chapters for me were the most interesting. It has a great layout and flow with the chapters being broken down to keep the biography concise too.

The trial and execution of Timothy Evans who took the rap for one, if not two, of Christie’s crimes was one of the main catalysts for changing the legislation on capital punishments in the UK so that was an interesting angle in the book too.

It is 4 stars from me for this one, I thought it was a well written book, it had plenty of detail and even though the subject matter is not an easy in places I did enjoy the book and I thought it was a great true crime biography – highly recommended

Something I really liked about this book is that the author points out from the beginning that any account of Christie’s life, when recounted by Christie himself, should be taken with skepticism. All too often, killers’ information about their lives are treated as statements of fact without being substantiated. Wherever possible, as others have noted, the author uses multiple sources to determine authenticity.

This book is a biography of a serial killer John Christine. The book starts out by talking about his life growing up. Then it explains the crime he committee and tries to explain why he murdered people.

I love true crime and am familiar with this case which has always fascinated me.

I found the writing style very hard to get into and enjoy. The author draws on actual testimony in trials, police interviews and other facts. Paints a picture of John Christie before he became a serial killer.

Whilst the book has good content it just doesn’t flow. It reads more like a sort of novel in a way. Unlike other true crime books this just didn’t hook me and I really struggled persisting with it.

It’s a shame as good content is there and the author has done extensive research, however some of it lacked timeline clarity and seemed disjointed. It seemed the author had some bias towards Evans guilt also.

Frustratingly, the writing style and the way it flowed when reading just didn’t work for me. It was a bumpy ride. Really disappointed. I’d hoped for a cracking read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a review copy. All reviews are my own opinions and completely unbiased.

Sixty years ago, the discovery of bodies at 10 Rillington Place in Notting Hill, London, led to one of the most sensational, shocking and controversial serial murder cases in British criminal history the case of John Christie. Much has been written about the Christie killings and the fate of Timothy Evans who was executed for murders Christie later confessed to the story still provokes strong feeling and speculation. However, most of the books on the case have been compiled without the benefit of all the sources that are open to researchers, and they tend to focus on Evans in an attempt to clear him of guilt.

The majority of true crime lovers will already know about 10 Rillington Place. Despite this being a true-crime book, it does need a trigger warning due to the nature of the book. The book is very well researched, it does feel slow-paced in some places which is not the fault of the author but the situation he is writing about. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Overal - 3.5/5.

Several books have been written about the murders committed by John Christie, but this one was written to set down a complete record of all events and to correct what the author believes are errors in the previous books. Christie is a very unpleasant man, not surprisingly, so any book about him will be tough sledding. Oates' style is a bit dry, giving chronological descriptions of the lives of all persons involved even indirectly in the Rillington Place murders and of their interactions with each other At the end of the book a large section is devoted to critiquing others authors' telling of the story, citing their errors of fact or interpretation.
Some people love books about certain criminal cases that tell every detail because they are evaluating what they believe to be the true facts about what occurred. That sort of reader will love this book if these cases are of particular interest to them. The general mystery/true crime reader may want a bit more color and suspense.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. John Christie murdered several people many many years ago. I liked getting more insight into what made John Tick. What made him do the things he did. This book was both engaging and well written.

A scholarly work, this book revisits past evidence and provides an excellent and thorough analysis as to Christie’s guilt or innocence. The theory around Evans’ own guilt is also explored, also backed up by careful analysis of the evidence. A must for true crime fans who like to understand the ins and outs of evidence and criminal justice processes.

I couldn't wait to dig into this one! I was unfamiliar with John Christie, so I was really looking forward to reading about a case I knew absolutely nothing about. Oates's account of Christie's life and crimes is comprehensive and meticulously researched, including information not contained in previous works on this Jekyll and Hyde of Rillington Place.

It's important to note that this is a biography and not a work of true crime in the traditional sense. The facts of the crimes are present (less the lurid details), but there is little discussion of the investigation into the crimes. Rather, Oates attempts to paint a portrait of the man himself - his unassuming (if somewhat odd) public persona and the murderous, seemingly indifferent alter ego who was thrilled at having "embarked on the career [he] had chosen for [himself], the career of murder." Oates also addresses the controversy surrounding Christie's involvement in the deaths of two people, for which another man was convicted and ultimately hanged.

The interview materials following Christie's arrest and conviction, the murderer in his own words, make for some of the most interesting reading in the book. Oates concludes with a discussion of various other accounts of Christie's exploits, including print and film versions detailing the events at Rillington Place.

As a bookseller, I believe the intense detail and presentation of this work make it a niche read within the true crime genre. While some hard core enthusiasts will enjoy this, it may not appeal to the average consumer of true crime reads.

If you are a Brit and a true crime lover, you will almost certainly know about 10 Rillington Place. Beware; the subject matter of this book is by necessity extremely depressing. The times and milieu in which John Reginald Christie committed his crimes are marked by poverty, squalor and deprivation, that goes not only for his victims but also the murderer himself. This book also very competently sets out the biographical details of all these terribly sad people, and the background to the murders, the trial, the statements taken from Christie and witnesses, the evidence presented against him and finally the brief details of his execution. The author takes a very clear but controversial stance on the case of Timothy John Evans, concluding that Evans himself and Christie was the murderer of his wife and child.

There is much clarity here but little spark, though given how murky this case is, that is hardly surprising,

This book was probably the best book about John Christie to date. I have read many true crime books over the years and many only mention Christie in passing, highlighting his crimes and capture with a lot of claims. This book tries to weed out the things that are embellished or flat out untrue. Very good book.