Tales from the Dead-house ― A Collection of Macabre True Crimes

Macabre crimes have long fascinated us, and our murky past ensures that we have no shortage of tales to chill and entertain in equal measure. From Jack the Ripper to John George Haigh, from Dr Crippen to Dr Shipman, history is riddled with examples of the darkest examples of human nature.

In this new book, ex-journalist and grand doyen of Ripperology Richard Whittington-Egan sheds some light, in his own inimitable way, on a collection of the most interesting cases to hit the headlines. He assesses the murderous brushwork of the painter William Hepper, examines the poisonous machinations of the widow of Windy Nook Mary Wilson, investigates events at the surgery of Dr Shipman and reports on the bizarre 'Ice Cream Gang' wars of Glasgow among many other dark and gripping cases.

Richard Whittington-Egan spent thirty years as a journalist with Associated Newspapers (Daily Mail) and is a well-respected true-crime writer. He has been pursuing the study of Jack the Ripper for longer than anyone else alive. As a boy, he talked to people who had lived through the Ripper's activities. He has also acted as a reader and adviser on crime books to Little, Brown and Penguin Books, and as a reviewer for The Times, the New York Times and the London Evening Standard among others. He lives in Great Malvern.