Very interesting true crime cases. They were written without embellishments and were as fascinating as they were morbid.
I thank the publisher, author and Netgalley for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love a book filled with true crime stories!

Most of which I hadn’t heard which is fantastic since a big true crime junkie.

All the stories well were written and informative. This book is a must for any crime lovers.

A true crime fan is always in the hunt for a new and interesting collection of crime to explore so this one is certainly appealing. It doesn't really live up to expectations. It's quite bare bones. A basic presentation of simple facts with no depth or exploration. There's no examining those involved as people or in any context.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pen and Sword True Crime books from an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I personally find it harrowing that there are still so many cold cases unsolved. That so many families are sat at home wondering what has happened to their loves ones, or sadly as time goes on something going to their own graves never knowing the truth of what happened or in some cases where their loved ones body are.

This books explores various cases from 1951 to Present Day. I think there are 60 in total, which is probably only a fraction of those the author could have chosen. Some of which are quite famous and I have heard about, and others that were new to me. What I really like about this book it that it is broken into small digestible sections on each case. So that you are not overwhelmed with too much information, it keeps details and known facts to the point. It is also written in a way that is respectful to anyone who may still have family members living.

I really like that books like this exist as well as various television programs that are still aired showing cold cases, incase it jogs peoples memories of something they might have forgotten seeing or as new forensic techniques might bring a breakthrough in evidence. I hope some of the families in this book get the closure they deserve one day and justice is down. RIP to all those people who were victims in this book and thoughts to their families.

This is a must for any true crime fans!

This bumper book of unsolved murders is both chilling and intriguing.
The way the book is laid out makes it's so easy to read. Each story is short yet packed with information. All very well written.
It's intriguing how so many murder have gone unsolved, especially with techniques evolving every day. Whats shocking is in some cases how evidence has been misplaced or simply disappeared.
I've read this over a longer time than I would normally simply because Its was easy to pick up when you have a few short minutes to read and this is perfect as each story or a 2 to 4 pages long, not only that each story got me thinking and I didn't just want to move onto the next straight away.

Fantastic book and hopefully with bring closure to some of these victims murders.

Sixty cases of unsolved disappearances & murders from the UK, ranging from the 1950s until the present-day. From cases I have never heard of, to the more well-known ones such as the murder of Jill Dando, the chapters are fairly short with less than 10 pages per case which keeps things to the point & concentrates on the known facts.

It seems really weird to say that you enjoyed reading a book about unsolved murders, but it was a really interesting read. It was rather shocking that so many cases are still unsolved, some after 70+ years, & also sad to realise that many are unlikely to ever be solved now & if they are the relatives of the victim have already passed away & will never know the truth. I appreciated that the author signposted other books about some of the cases for further reading, & also included contact details/case numbers for the open cases in case anyone should have information. Overall it's a fascinating read & it's a must for any true crime reader. 4.5 stars (rounded up)

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Pen & Sword True Crime, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Unsolved Murders of the UK" by Phil Drake is a comprehensive examination of some of the most notorious and perplexing unsolved murder cases in the United Kingdom. In the book, Drake delves into the details of each case, exploring the evidence, suspects, and theories surrounding the crimes. From the infamous Jack the Ripper murders to more recent unsolved mysteries, Drake provides insight into the investigations and the enduring fascination with these cases. With its meticulous research and engaging narrative, "Unsolved Murders of the UK" offers readers a chilling glimpse into the dark side of British history

Unsolved murders of the UK by Phil Drake

Very well written. I have taken notes and screenshots from the book as there are some cases I am interested in reading more about. My heart goes out to the families still in the dark about the mysteries of the deaths of their loved ones. Barrymore will always be a legend in my eyes! Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

Cold cases are some of the hardest ones to read about. Knowing that a terrible crime has been committed, and no one has never been held to account. In this book, you are going to be introduced to 60 cold cases, beginning in the 1950s. While most of these may never be solved, sometimes time can open new leads, and loosen the tongues of those who were too afraid to talk before. With the advent of DNA, there are also new scientific ways of solving some of the oldest crimes.

While these are still listed as unsolved cold cases, hopefully in the near future, some of these will make the "closed" list.

These are short, introductory glances at the cases. Should a reader feel more inclined, they could most likely go online and search for more information.

This book recounts a series of some very sad and unfortunate events and if you like true crime, you’ll like this one even if, like me, you’re not the biggest fan of unsolved murders.

An interesting read with just enough information about each case to pique the interest and clues on where to read more should you wish to.

Though never a “nice” subject Phil Drake has certainly given all the facts in a way that you wish you knew how to help

From every corner of England there’s no place that murder hasn’t left a scar and in Unsolved Murders Of The UK, Phil drake tells us about the ones that don’t get solved. From the boys who were first put on a milk carton in the UK to an American mom in Bristol the play girl in the schoolgirl whose murders were linked together by DNA but never solved another woman set on fire for her partners unpaid drug debt and even a teenage boy who is murdered by drowning in the middle of a public pool full of people and many more there’s some really sad stories in here even one about a mom and her 18-year-old daughter who were attacked by a hammer on the 75th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth coronation and although the daughter lived her mom did not I never like calling these books interesting what I will say is it is definitely worth reading every murder victim needs their story told them in the spot there’s even stories about the police failures an innocent man who serve 16 years in children due to their neighborhood who didn’t get their face on the news as soon as they should have and many other said tails if you like reading True Crime then you should definitely give this one a gander some of the stories are hard to look away from and some are even harder to forget I want to thank Pen and Sword Press and Net alley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I really enjoyed dipping in out of this one, it continues 60 unsolved murders (cold cases) around England, and I was quiet surprised to find I had not come cross more then half the crimes written about in my many years of reading true crime books.

The chapters for each case are short but very informative and I like the fact the author ask if anyone who reads theses stories and has information that could them become solved cases to .com forward.

I recommend this highly to readers of true crime books.

In Unsolved Murder in the UK, Phil Drake crosses more modern decades to give voice to 60 unsolved murders in the British Isles. Each case is shortly summarized as if getting the spark notes versions. For those getting into true crime and want to wade into the disturbing natures of the genre, a gift to those that love the genre or those wanting a coffee table book for guests to look through, this book hits the spot. It is also admirable that Drake saw the need for more recent and even some unknown and forgotten cases to get the attention they deserve and give hope to maybe solving these crimes. It was interesting to see the progression in technology to solve crime as well as how crime has gotten more brazen even with those progressions. There were times that just a little more information on some cases could paint a better picture, but was happy to see that there were books recommended at the end of some chapters for further reading on the cases. Overall this book accomplishes what it has set out to do. No more, no less.

The author in this book included a list and description of some unsolved murders committed in the UK. Those who want to know more can search the internet for more detailed insight. Let's hope some perpetrators will be found and prosecuted. Recommended for fans of true crime books.

I received an eARC of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

overall I think this is a very solid book.

pros:
-well researched
-chronological order which I really enjoyed because you get to see how things have changed in crime over the years even if the crime hasn’t been solved
-very concise which helped keep most entries around 4 pages or so

cons:
-I very much learned that I hate reading about murders that haven’t been solved (very much not the authors fault)
-it read very slow paced

Thank you to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for the ARC.

I can’t believe I requested to read this book. Something that drives me insane is unsolved mysteries. It consumes me.
Apart from that, this book is extremely sad. The fact that the earlier unsolved murders might never be solved and that in some cases all the people who knew the person are now gone! That murder will never be solved, and if it somehow is, then everyone that will remember the person is gone. Extremely sad. But perhaps with this books, some of the newer cases will be solved.
It’s all about getting the information out, right? Incase someone saw something but didn’t realize it was important.
Hopefully someday every single one of the unsolved mysteries will be solved.

Great book. Very well written. I’m glad I got to read it.

An impressive collection of unsolved murders in the UK ranging from the 1950s to current times. There are about 60+ chapters and each chapter is a new case, out of all of these, the only one I had heard of was the Jill Dando story. Each case is presented using the known facts, so they are generally short chapters, often with a photo of the victim and/or the location they were last seen or found.

It was a bit disheartening of how many young children feature in in these pages - especially knowing that for many, not a suspect was not even identified.

This book would be a good addition for a murder mystery and true crime collections.

Thanks to Pen & Sword Publishers and Netgalley for an ARC of Unsolved Murders of the UK in exchange for an honest review.

Absolutely fantastic book. I normally watch documentaries about true crime cases, so this is the first book i have read about true crime, and i was pleasantly surprised. This book dives into unsolved murders in the UK, including cases which are both well known and those which went cold quickly and recived little media attention. The author describes the victim as they were in life, in such a respectable way and provides photographs of the victims throughout, which perfectly reminds the audience that the book is about finding justice for the victims. Each murder is briefly but thoroughly explained, including past and current potential suspects. The book is well written and easy to follow. Highly recommend this book and look forward to reading more from this author, perhaps even a book in the future covering some cases that are solved. Thank you for letting me review this!

Cold cases portray how justice has been deferred,denied,and ever elusive.
-Lack of evidence, e.g., no fingerprints, blood, or bodily fluids. This could be due to the disposal of remains away from the murder site. Or, the crime scene was not secured properly, leading to contamination.
-Lack of motive. Nothing was taken.
-Lack of body of the deceased. You can even have a confession, but without a body, you can not really prove a murder.
-Ineffective investigation due to strained resources, corruption, and incompetence.
-Stranger on stranger homicide.
-The victim was the victim of a potential serial killing.These are almost always strangers and the motivation known only to the killer.
- Victim's lifestyle, e.g., if they engaged in sex work or were involved in gang or drug related activities. Or if they are an itinerant worker or work night shifts.Young adults are assumed to be just going out.
-If DNA is present, it has to be matched against someone,provided they are present on the system.
-Transient nature of the killer e.g. truck driver, they're already miles away when the body is found.
-The sheer oddness or brutality of the crime.
The victims featured are Christine Butcher,Betty Alexander,Penelope Mogano,Oliver Bennett,Jean Townsend,Anne Theresa Noblett,Harold Hand,Carol Ann Stephens, Linda Smith,Maureen Dutton,Elsie Frost,Bernard Michael Oliver,Keith Lyon,Rita Ellis,Jacqueline Ansell-Lamb and Barbara Mayo,Amara de Vere Whelan,Wendy Sewell,Eve Stratford and Lynne Weedon,Enrico Sidoli,Joy Sweatman,Genette Tate,Carl Bridgewater,Bedgebury Forest Woman,Patricia Morris,John Greenwood and Gary Miller,Janice Weston,Shelley Morgan,Sandra Phillips,Linda Cook,Deborah Linsley,Inga Maria Hauser,Marie Wilks,Ricky Haywood,Ann Heron,Alan Leppard and Brenda Long,Penny Bell,Alexander Drummond,Bulic Forsythe,Paul Logan,Harry and Megan Tooze,Karen Hales,Julie Pacey,Tracey Mertens,Patrick Warren and David Spencer,Billie-Jo Jenkins,Kate Bushell,Jill Dando,Stuart Lubbock,Andrew Chubb,Paul Savage,Alistair Wilson,Richard Lancelyn Green,Claudia Lawrence,Alan Wood,Betty Brown,Gareth Williams,John-Paul Merrick,Christian Bagley,and Anthony Nicholls.