This was a very informative and interesting read, but the writing was sloppy and the timeline was at times very out of order and hard to keep up with. It was not my favorite true crime book, but it did provide insight into the murders that was new to me.

Chris Cook's The Moors Murderers is the rare case of a true crime book which relies too heavy on the facts and not enough on the heart. The result is a meticulously researched and clearly written account of the horrific Moors Murders that is missing the vital component of the author's point of view and critical analysis.

Following the lives of murderers Ian Brady and Myra Hindley from their childhoods to their murder trial, Cook writes an extremely detailed story. I don't think there is anyone who could question Cook's ability to synthesize and write a coherent narrative. His research is in depth and I felt like I was learning all the facts I needed to know throughout the case. It is the strongest part of this book. However, there is the occasional stumble where Cook will introduce needless facts which never come back around to matter. For instance, Cook mentions how much the couple hated some Jamaican neighbors. This never becomes necessary to the story, and we are already well aware of their racism in their avowed love of Hitler.

Unfortunately, Cook's adept handling of the facts drowns out his own voice as an author. The text can often read like a police report which loses the nuance and feelings of those involved. Admittedly, such as when talking about the families of the victims, no editorial is needed. However, large portions of the book lack the analysis which would connect many dots. Brady and Hindley grew up in atrocious family environments. The links between these events and later actions is never made. Mental health science has come a long way since these murders and it is a missing ingredient in this story.

Ultimately, anyone who wants a detailed account of the Moors murders will not be disappointed. There was a missed opportunity for this to be much more.

(This book was provided as an advance copy from Netgalley and Pen & Sword. The full review is posted to HistoryNerdsUnited.com.)

We all think we know all there is to know about this disgusting pair, and yet so many of us are still so intrigued to work out how people can behave like this. This definitely revealed more information than I had known before and the photos included make this more real than ever.
Quite a few times I had to put the book down. as the information was so disturbing it was hard to digest. This really isn't for the faint hearted.
The timeline did flit around quite a bit which didnt make it the easiest to read,

So well researched and a fascinating insightful look into the moor murderers. In this book, many artefacts become public for the first time, including photographs from Ian Brady’s ‘Tartan album’, police interviews and witness statements, which shed vital new light on Brady, Hindley and the dangerous cocktail their union became.

I’ve grown up knowing about the Moors Murderers. However, never really in great detail.
Chris Cook the author has really put a lot of work and research into this book. We learn about their early lives. How they got together. More importantly how they committed their crimes. The book contains many unseen photographs and interview transcripts with the police.
If child murder really upsets you then put the book down. I have always been ok with true crime. However, the subject matter is tough. I broke the book into sections read over many days.
To begin with I wondered if Myra was led by Ian. Violence was a big thing in their relationship. Now days I’m sure some women would use that in trial.
By the end of the book all the evidence is presented to you. The reader can then make their own minds up about Brady and Hindley..
many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to see an arc

The Moors Murderers tells the true story of Ian Brady and Myra Hindley's vicious murders of five young children. The way that this book is laid out feels choppy in a way. The author details their lives from when they were young and all the way through the murders. It includes photos and real interviews with people who knew them both. I would've liked it more if I didn't feel as if the writing was choppy and if it flowed a little better.

Thank you NetGalley and Pen & Sword for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This wasn’t what I was expecting it to be; the formatting was different but it was insightful and interesting.

There's not a lot to say about Ian Brady and Myra Hindley that people don't already know about. I don't know why, but I'm always intrigued when I see a new book or tv show about this vile evil couple/They were also deluded, believing they were committing the perfect murders. There is new information and photographs that were taken by these evil monsters. The dreadful killings and burying of their victims should never have happened. I hope they both rot in hell.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #PenAndSword and the author #ChrisCook for my ARC of #TheMoorsMurders in exchange for an honest review.

I hesitate to say I really enjoyed this book because any book about the Moors Murders is extremely difficult reading. However, this one was extremely well written with great attention to detail allowing all the facts to be told from the point of view of the families as well as a glimpse into the mindset of the killers with diary excerpts and letters..
This was meticulously researched with much supporting evidence presented including numerous photographs, and I would say it is probably the best book I have read on the subject. Utterly heartbreaking, the ruthlessness and depravity of both Brady and Hindley is unbelievable. The facts about Hindley's sister Maureen and her husband David, who reported them to the police were so interesting, they were vilified for associating with Hindley and Brady but if it wasn't for them coming forward there would have been even more deaths.
Fascinating and compelling read.

Interesting enough, but if you've read other books on the Moors Murders, it isn't much of anything new. Still a decent read.

I don’t think there are many who won’t have heard of the names Myra Hindley and Ian Brady.

Having read a lot over the years about The Moors Murderers, I wasn’t expecting to find out anything new, I was wrong.

There are many unseen photos and details regarding their interviews regarding the murders. There were times I felt quite ill reading what those two did to their victims.

It is a harrowing read but you can’t expect anything else where those two are concerned.

The victims must never be forgotten.
Pauline Reade
John Kilbride
Keith Bennett
Lesley Ann Downey
Edward Evans

There is nothing to state that this is an unedited copy. I must point out that there are many mistakes that need correcting in this book.

My thanks to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for my copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was sort of on board with this book up until the point where a picture of Lesley Ann Downey's torture is featured. By then I could not continue. It shocked and disgusted me so deeply, I could not get over it. Those pictures were taking during the torture of a child by her torturers right before her death. They should, in my opinion, never be seen by anyone. There's no reason at all to feature them in this book. It's just disgusting.

The evil murders committed by Ian Brady and Myra Hindley in the 1960s have horrified and fascinated the British public ever since. The couple remain, rightly, amongst the most hated people ever lived.

Chris Cook's new book gives an insight into their early lives and the murders themselves. The book includes previously-unseen pictures and is very well researched. The sensitive material is presented well, being sure to remain interesting to the reader without sensationalising it.

This is a must for readers who enjoy true-crime.

Thanks to Chris Cook, NetGalley, and Pen & Sword for this copy.

Such an interesting case. Very rage inducing due to who the victims were. If you can handle child murder definitely give this book a read.

I received an ARC of, The Moors Murders, by Chris Cook. This is a well written book on a gruesome subject. How people can be depraved, evil, cruel, and disgusting among other things to children. Brady and Myra are the worst serial killers.

With thanks to Pen & Sword True Crime and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The subject matter is undoubtedly not for everyone, but for anyone with an interest in the Moors Murders (or true crime in general) this is a fantastic read. I had previously read at least one other book on the case, but the level of detail that this author goes into on both the backgrounds of the serial killing couple and how their reign of terror unfolded is extraordinary. The inclusion of the many (at least for me) previously unseen images of the victims, crime scenes, mugshots and moors scenes was also fascinating and really brought the story to life. The book ends rather abruptly with a very quick summary of the trial, but the author is planning a second book to explore the story of the trial as well as the subsequent lives of the killers.

It would seem wrong to call a book telling such a tragic story as this enjoyable, but for me the author does a good job of telling the story in a way that is respectful of the victims, while leaving the reader in no doubt as to the depravity of Hindley and Brady.

One of my favourite things about reading true crime novels is looking at the pictures. I loved analyzing all of the photos, it really brought the story to life.

A well-researched and well-written account.

Over the years I've heard about Ian Brady and Myra Hindley over and over again. I've seen TV documentaries about the Moors Murderers, but this is the first time I've read a book on these terrible crimes.

The book starts right from when they were born. Encompasses all of their lives, not just the murders. An in-depth examination-includes comments from people who knew them at school for example, how they were at the time. Many black and white photos are included, some of them not released before.

It's interesting learning about their lives, what could be triggers etc. But when you read this, and realise what monsters they were, I don't think there can ever be any excuse for crimes so terribly chilling as these. Inexplicable why any girlfriend would ever agree to things like this. You'd think she'd run a mile. How could she stay together with him and participate in these crimes with him, when he's done such awful things to her? Or did he? Was she making that up? Did he make her go along with the murders, would he have killed her otherwise?

All these grisly events happened quite near to where I live. There are lots of details in here I didn't know. I didn't know that much about the case at all really. And chilling to think how terrifyingly close they came to where I live.

Despite the difficult subject matter, it's easy to read, detailed, yet not long-winded. Becomes a really gripping read.


What makes us want to read something as shocking and gruesome as this? Why are some people so bad, and don't seem to have any conscience, not a care for others? It's fascinating how the different pieces come together, and they are eventually caught.


A must read for fans of true crime books. One of the most well-known cases, and here is a very well-researched and well-written account.

I knew a lot about these two (Myra and Ian) because I've been reading a lot of true crime and doing some research myself about the infamous serial killers during the old times. Still, this book had a lot of information and insights that I appreciated. The writing, however, was not that good. It felt like a written draft and it jumps from one memory/story to another and then back again and it felt like just a copy and paste from the interviews and news. I found myself skimming through some pages that are quite redundant and unnecessary.

Still, it's a good read with lots of information you wouldn't find in those documentaries and other books written about The Moors Murders.

This book is definitely not for the faint of heart, though I figure if you were the faint of heart, you wouldn't be picking up a book recounting the origins and crimes of Ian Brady and Myra Hindley.

Overall, a harrowing read, albeit slow and very dry. I would rate this an additional star if the writing had been a bit better. The copy provided by NetGalley reads like a textbook and could use another round of editing (I assume this is an early copy).

The amount of research and first-hand accounts that make up this book on Brady and Hindley's lives is staggering, and is truly what pushes each page forward. The descriptions of each crime and each body are extremely detailed and there were a few times when I was worried I'd get nightmares.

I found Hindley to be the more fascinating of the pair to read about simply because her first-hand accounts contrast so severely to her actions and the way others recounted her behavior. I'm still not entirely sure if any of what she said was the truth, or perhaps it's a truth of which she's convinced herself. Brady was very clearly a psychopath from the get-go, and about as textbook as a psychopath can get.

If you're interested in true crime and frightening yourself, add this one to your shelves.