The author of John Christie of Rillington Place has obviously carried out his research into the life of 'Reg' Christie of 10 Rillington Place. This is to be highly commended and arguably it is useful to have a factual book that extends beyond the big question i.e. was Evans guilty of murdering his wife Beryl, and his daughter Geraldine, or was it in fact Christie who committed these murders. The problem is as much as the author despises us all for concentrating on this episode, as an argument against capital punishment it is a critical one.

I have to say that whilst the content of the book was interesting, the tone was most off-putting with the author getting every more on his high horse regarding other writers and film-makers not faithfully sticking to the facts. This hectoring laughable descends into those writers of fiction such as Ruth Rendell for basing a novel around the case but using different characters. If this hadn't been right at the end, I think I would have given up reading entirely.

In conclusion, I actually agree with the author's stance (up to a point) on the Evans/Christie issue but the author's personality ended up overshadowing the book, and not in a good way.

‘Once again, I experienced that quiet peaceful thrill. I had no regrets’.

Well researched and unbiased. Which always makes for a decent true crime read.

A thoroughly interesting book. It delves into Christie’s life and provides a fuller picture than I had previously been aware of.
Well researched and informative.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

John Christie of Rillington Place is an annotated and comprehensive look at the facts and investigations surrounding the crimes in and around 10 Rillington Place in the 40s and 50s written and presented by Dr. Jonathan Oates. Originally published in 2012, this reformat and re-release due out 28th Feb 2021 from Pen & Sword is 224 pages and will be available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is a meticulously researched and annotated history of the occupants of 10 Rillington Place and their fate as well as the fate of the perpetrator(s) of the crimes which occurred there. It's presented in roughly chronological order starting with the family history of John Christie, through his early years, education, brushes with the law, marriage, and crimes. The author has a measured and factual tone throughout which actually helped me maintain some objectivity whilst reading descriptions of otherwise horrific crimes that would have had me running away if they were more explicit.

In addition to the meticulous research and writing, the book is comprehensively annotated with reference chapter notes and documents for further reading. There are also a number of historical photos and facsimiles reproduced from court and historical records which add depth and interest.

I found the author's writing style academic and a bit dry, but I appreciated very much that in contrast to many (most) true-crime offerings, the book was not lurid at all, and I never felt that the author was sensationalising any aspect of the history or the sad stories of the perpetrator(s) and victims.

The facts of the crimes are such that there is discussion of psychosocial and sexual dysfunction and illness, but there is no direct description or discussion which were inappropriate or gruesome (thankfully).

Four stars. Recommended for readers of history, local history, aberrant psychology, and allied subjects; readers of lurid explicit true-crime might not find much here which is titillating.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.