In the early hours of a cold February morning in 1891, the murdered body of Frances Coles was discovered beneath a railway arch in London's Swallow Gardens. The nature of her wounds, the weapon used to inflict them, and the murder site itself were clear indicators for many that London's most famous serial killer, Jack the Ripper, had returned. But just how does Whitechapel's notorious murderer fit in with the facts surrounding the case? Contentious then as it still is today, is it reasonable to assume Frances Coles' death proved to be the last in the Ripper's reign of terror? Or was he long gone from Whitechapel's streets by the time of her murder? There can be no doubting the facts surrounding the killing are just as mysterious as those that involved the murders of Polly Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catherine Eddowes, Mary Jane Kelly and, intriguingly, several others. All these women died in a similar fashion and their cases still sit in Whitechapel's unsolved murder files. However, unlike those that had gone before, in the case of Frances Coles there was a serious suspect. How involved was the suspect in the Frances Coles murder and did he have anything to do with any of the earlier murders carried out in Whitechapel? These questions have remained unanswered, until now. In The Return of The Ripper? Kevin Turton re-examines the facts behind the Coles murder case and the potential links with the unsolved Whitechapel murders of the 1880s.

When the Second World War was declared in September 1939, Northamptonshire was better prepared for the years that followed than it had been twenty-five years earlier. Lessons had been learned from the First World War, and people were far more aware of the impact modern warfare could have on their lives. Through film, press and radio, they were able to monitor the events in Europe in a way unprecedented by any previous generation, which led to a greater understanding of world politics and a realisation that the rise to power of Adolf Hitler would have predictable repercussions. So, when Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain addressed the nation after Germanys armies had invaded Poland, war, for many, had already become inevitable. But what exactly did this mean to the people of Northamptonshire, and how did they react to the threat of invasion? What were the consequences of the conflict on the Home Front? How did Northamptonshire's towns and villages function through six years of grinding warfare? These questions, and many others, are examined and answered in the pages of this book. This is the story of those who were there; the people who never accepted the possibility of defeat, who coped with rationing, blackouts, conscription and aerial bombardment, and then welcomed Londons evacuees and greeted the American Airforce with open-armed hospitality. Using military events as a background, this book relates Northamptonshires story, from the parts played in the war effort by the shoe industry, the Northamptonshire Regiment, the Home Guard, the ARP and to, of course, the people.

Foul Deeds & Suspicious Deaths in Leicester - True Crime BooksWithin the pages of this book are some of the most notorious and often baffling cases in Leicestershire's history. From the appalling double murder at Melton Mowbray in 1856, known locally as the Peppermint Billy murders, to the 1953 murderer Joseph Reynolds who killed because he wanted to know how it felt. This book explores the cases that dominated the headlines, not only across the city and surrounding county but also nationwide. These are the stories of those involved in Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths at a time when murder was a capital offence and guilt or innocence was proven without the benefit of modern forensic technique or DNA profiling. Included in this list are also some of those mysterious cases that will remain forever unsolved, as in the now famous case of Bella Wright. Known across the whole country as the green bicycle murder, it commanded public attention in 1919 because of the complex and puzzling nature of the crime and has continued to do so ever since. Just as many of the other cases re-examined here have done.

Britain has its fair share of unsolved murders. Crimes that have both fascinated and horrified in equal measure, with many as baffling today as they were when the stories first hit the headlines in the national press. Spanning 100 years between 1857-1957, this book re-examines thirteen of these murder cases and retells the stories that have endured and confounded both police and law courts alike. Each chapter provides an account of the circumstances surrounding the killing, of the people caught up in the subsequent investigation and the impact it had on some of their lives. It also explores the question of guilt and to whom it should, or should not, be attached. Each of these murders poses an undeniable truth; no-one was ever proven to have committed the killing despite, in some cases, accusing fingers being pointed, arrests being made and show trials taking place. Consequently, notoriety, deserved or otherwise, was often attached to both victim and accused. But was it ever merited? From the questionable court case surrounding Scotland's now famous Madeleine Smith, and the failed police investigation into Bradford's Jack the Ripper case of 1888, to the mysterious deaths of Caroline Luard and Florence Nightingale Shore at the start of the twentieth century, this book disturbs the dust, sifts the facts and poses the questions that mattered at the time of each murder. Did Harold Greenwood poison his wife in Kidwelly? Who was responsible for the Ripper-like killing of Emily Dimmock and Rose Harsent? Why did Evelyn Foster die on the moor near Otterburn in what became known as the Blazing car murder and who strangled Ann Noblett to death in 1957? These are just some of the cases examined and the stories behind them. Each and every one, no matter how appalling the crime, still deserving of justice.

An exploration of murders in Northamptonshire from 1852 to 1952. A chapter is devoted to each murder featured. Kevin Turton covers not only the events and subsequent investigation but also the trial of the killer and public reaction to the crime. Featuring many illustrations including newspaper cuttings, penny dreadfuls, and photographs of the crime scenes as they are today, this book is a comprehensive reference to the county's dark past.

A Grim Almanac of South Yorkshire is a collection of stories from the county's past, some bizarre, some fascinating, some macabre, but all equally absorbing. Revealed here are the dark corners of the county, where witches, body snatchers, highwaymen and murderers, in whatever guise, have stalked. Accompanying this cast of gruesome characters are old superstitions, omens, strange beliefs and long-forgotten remedies for all manner of ailments. Within the Almanac's pages we visit the dark side, plumb the depths of past despair and peer over the rim of that bottomless chasm where demons lurk, with only a candle's light to see by . . . metaphorically speaking of course. You are invited to take that journey, if you are brave enough, and meet some of the people that populated the past . . . while author Kevin Turton holds the candle at arm's length.