In Executed: But was James Hanratty Innocent? by Robert Harriman looks at the DNA evidence which 2002 in the Court of Appeal was used conclusively to declare James Hanratty as the infamous A6 Murder, it also gives details of Hanratty’s potential alibis for the said day.

I wanted to like this book but I couldn't, don't get me wrong it's a well written book, however in honesty it was hard to follow and to me this book does nothing to prove his innocence it just shows how he he could be innocent.

To be fair to the author he does make it clear at the start of the book that this is not going to be an easy read due to the scientific terminology.

The book left me with more questions then answers sadly.

With so many books and films on the subject alteady, I'M very glad this stood on its own. This is a complex case and gves a balanced view of the court of appeal and other information out there. The author justs wants it looked into and documents allowed into the public domain. It was very interesting but hard going at times as it contains a lot of dna techniques etc in any jurical system there will sadly it seems always be cases that remain unsolved and the possibility of innocent people convicted. This gave a chilling look into a high profile case that to this day seems full of holrsand highlights how the evolution of scientific techniques cant always provide the answer.
A 5 star read highly recommended woukf like to have sern more about the story as a whole.. Thanks to bet gallery publishet and author for my arc.

In 1961, Michael Gregsten and his girlfriend Valerie Storie were abducted and forced to drive to Deadman’s Hill, beside the A6, where Gregsten was shot dead and Storie was shot five times and raped. Later that year, James Hanratty was charged and found guilty of the offences and was subsequently hanged at Bedford Jail on 4th April 1962. Hanratty’s family continued to protest his innocence after his execution, determined to achieve a posthumous pardon. Hope came in 1997 when the Home Office referred the case to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, advances in DNA technology aiming to prove once and for all if Hanratty was truly guilty. In 2002, Court of Appeal judges stated that Hanratty’s guilt was proved “beyond doubt”.

In Executed: But was James Hanratty Innocent?, Robert Harriman looks at the DNA evidence in great detail and it is clear how much research he has done in order to convince the reader that there were flaws in the conclusion. The author does make it clear at the start of the book that this is not going to be an easy read due to the scientific terminology and this is definitely the case. I admit to, at times, finding the depth of discussion about DNA quite difficult to follow and found myself skimming through the text to where the conclusions were explained.

For me, the parts I enjoyed the most and found the most compelling were the details of Hanratty’s potential alibis which were, in my opinion, never seemingly explored properly by the police at the time. Harriman gives very plausible explanations for how some of these alibis may have been misinterpreted and how they could have completely altered the course of the investigation. There are also some interesting theories concerning the ‘evidence’ and how it was obtained.

Executed: But was James Hanratty Innocent? has definitely reignited my interest in this case.In 1961, Michael Gregsten and his girlfriend Valerie Storie were abducted and forced to drive to Deadman’s Hill, beside the A6, where Gregsten was shot dead and Storie was shot five times and raped. Later that year, James Hanratty was charged and found guilty of the offences and was subsequently hanged at Bedford Jail on 4th April 1962. Hanratty’s family continued to protest his innocence after his execution, determined to achieve a posthumous pardon. Hope came in 1997 when the Home Office referred the case to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, advances in DNA technology aiming to prove once and for all if Hanratty was truly guilty. In 2002, Court of Appeal judges stated that Hanratty’s guilt was proved “beyond doubt”.

In Executed: But was James Hanratty Innocent?, Robert Harriman looks at the DNA evidence in great detail and it is clear how much research he has done in order to convince the reader that there were flaws in the conclusion. The author does make it clear at the start of the book that this is not going to be an easy read due to the scientific terminology and this is definitely the case. I admit to, at times, finding the depth of discussion about DNA quite difficult to follow and found myself skimming through the text to where the conclusions were explained.

For me, the parts I enjoyed the most and found the most compelling were the details of Hanratty’s potential alibis which were, in my opinion, never seemingly explored properly by the police at the time. Harriman gives very plausible explanations for how some of these alibis may have been misinterpreted and how they could have completely altered the course of the investigation. There are also some interesting theories concerning the ‘evidence’ and how it was obtained.

Executed: But was James Hanratty Innocent? has definitely reignited my interest in this case.

Difficult read due to so detailed description but necessary to understand what went wrong. More questions than answers. A very well-researched and well-written book.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for this arc. This book was well written and it made me angry with the court system. I firmly believe James Hanratty was railroaded and more than likely the so called DNA evidence was contaminated by improper handling. Unfortunately Britain's judicial system will never admit to this. In my opinion he was murdered by his on country.