Keith Skinner

Explore Britain’s dark criminal history through the fascinating objects that have been hidden away in the Crime Museum at Scotland Yard, a collection that, although world-famous, is so sensitive it is not open to public view. Each object tells its own story: the briefcase with a concealed syringe owned by the notorious Kray twins; the gun Ruth Ellis used to murder her lover David Blakely; a burnt-out computer from the Glasgow airport car bomb; a picture from the property of Dennis Nilsen of the grisly drain that was blocked with human body parts; and the gun that Edward Oxford fired at Queen Victoria that failed to assassinate her.Updated to feature new objects that have entered the collection since 2015, Scotland Yard’s History of Crime in 100 Objects is an absorbing, sometimes shocking and often disturbing journey through criminal history. Peer within to experience a unique insight into the crimes and criminals dealt with by Scotland Yard.

At the dawn of the Victorian age there was effectively no police detective force in Britain and detecting methods were rudimentary; by the end of Victoria’s reign the Criminal Investigation Department had been established and basic forensic tests were in use. This book explores the development of the professional detective during the nineteenth century, giving examples of the methods he used to track down criminals and to convict them of offences ranging from petty theft to brutal murder. It also explains the development of forensics, from fingerprinting to tests that could identify whether or not blood was human. Mysteries such as the Jack the Ripper murders are examined, as well as the work of famous sleuths like the ‘Prince of Detectives’ Jonathan Whicher – the real-life counterpart of the legendary Sherlock Holmes.

All the files on the greatest unsolved murder case in history, including Scotland Yard reports, witness statements, lost files and rare photographs.

This is the first publication of the 208 surviving letters, all allegedly from the killer with all the key letters reproduced for the first time in colour. It will allow the reader to solve the Ripper mystery by comparing handwriting.

Presenting conclusions garnered from a careful survey of all the documents associated with Jack the Ripper--including the gore-spattered letters written by the killer--the authors offers a thorough examination of the compelling serial murder case. Reprint.