I am not a fan of ‘true crime’ stories and this book sat unread on my bedside cabinet for many weeks.
However, once I started reading it, I was hooked and continued to the end.
This book is written by a knowledgeable lawyer and accomplished journalist, Kate Morgan. She describes the development of the legislation for the crime of murder over the last millennium by telling the reader the facts about key landmark cases and why the law at that time needed amending. I learned so much about cases that have occurred during my lifetime (TheYorkshire Ripper, Hillsborough, Aberfan, Dennis Nielsen etc).I now understand why convictions and acquittals have occurred, or not,despite public opinion and common sense as reported at the time.
This book is a must for anybody considering a career in law and I would recommend it to anybody else who is interested in current affairs. I will certainly read my crime and police procedural fiction with more awareness of the legalities in future.
However, once I started reading it, I was hooked and continued to the end.
This book is written by a knowledgeable lawyer and accomplished journalist, Kate Morgan. She describes the development of the legislation for the crime of murder over the last millennium by telling the reader the facts about key landmark cases and why the law at that time needed amending. I learned so much about cases that have occurred during my lifetime (TheYorkshire Ripper, Hillsborough, Aberfan, Dennis Nielsen etc).I now understand why convictions and acquittals have occurred, or not,despite public opinion and common sense as reported at the time.
This book is a must for anybody considering a career in law and I would recommend it to anybody else who is interested in current affairs. I will certainly read my crime and police procedural fiction with more awareness of the legalities in future.