Bloody London: Shocking Tales from London’s Gruesome Past and Present

by Declan McHugh

Where did the real Jack the Ripper live?  Which pub in London has been used more than any other by serial killers picking up their victims?  Where was the capital's Gladiators’ Arena?  Where in London did Anders Breivik, the Norwegian mass murderer, live as a child? Jack The Ripper (and 15 other London serial killers!), the Krays, Aleister Crowley, Ruth Ellis, Doctor John Dee, Sach and Walters the baby farmers – all these characters and more are covered in Bloody London, a unique and terrifying walk through the dark, gore-drenched streets of the capital. A must-have for fans of crime, horror, the supernatural and the simply bizarre, Bloody London will also show • Sites of executions and unsolved murders • London’s creepiest cemeteries • Where famous horror authors lived and worked • Where the Plague originated • A haunted church and many other locations… London’s dark and shocking secrets are laid bare in this compendium of true stories. We dare you to look inside…

Genres: Nonfiction, History, London, True Crime, British Literature

176 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2012

About the author

Declan came to London from Northern Ireland in 1981, and has lived here ever since.

He wrote 'Bloody London' in 2012; It has sold over 8,700 copies to date (October 2021), and currently has 103 5-star reviews on Amazon.

Declan has an unhealthily huge amount of knowledge about world serial killers, some of which he channels into his 'Serial Killers: The Blood & Tears Walk' which takes place three times a week in London.

Declan sells signed copies of his 'Bloody London' book at the end of that tour. Signed copies are only available in this way because Declan thinks it's a bit cheap and impersonal to pre-sign tons of copies and litter bookshops with them.

A few years someone bought the book and said "Declan, can you make the dedication: 'To Michael, you sick bastard'".

Declan said: "No problem" and wrote the dedication....

Fortunately Declan's serial killer knowledge is counterbalanced by a healthy interest in William Shakespeare:

Declan only reads non-fiction books on serial killers, true crime, William Shakespeare, and London, plus books on website design (cue mirthless laugh), content marketing and website promotion.

Declan thinks Steely Dan are the best group ever...

Reviews

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is part travel book, part history of London. It focusses on the weird, the horrific and the macabre. It makes for a different guide to the capital and is full of handy tips and directions as well as facts on what happened in that area.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to Come

[Soylent Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book after taking the author's walking tour in London, which I also highly recommend! Lots of great information with recommendations about where to go for each section, as well as convenient maps to get there. Declan McHugh is a master storyteller both in-person and in print!

[Caitriona H · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been a Londoner for barely 6 months and still find the city a complicated beast, so I try to fit in some exploring around the everyday. These guides are intended for hardcore fans and tourists AND people who don’t always take the time to look more closely at their home.

I was initially slightly wary of these books. I’m a big wimp so real murder stories didn’t appeal, and although I enjoyed the Jubilee celebrations I am rather a leftie, which somewhat conflicts with being a royalist. However, I used these books to look up walks in my local area (they’re handily organised into North/ South/ East/ West sections) and I found the beautifully illustrated maps easy to follow. These and the covers (I particularly enjoy the plague/EastEnders mash up of Bloody London)were designed by the very talented graphic artist Amy Rose (follow @missamyrose on twitter).The pleasure of being an urban flaneur is often lost amidst the dash to get where you’re going and that stress is one of my chief issues with the capital. Choosing to take it slow and pay attention to landmarks large and small that I usually ignore was very soothing. Both books contain tonnes of facts that you can pick through- I was most interested in the history in Bloody London and Royal London- although in the present the guide to the various regimental guards of the royal palaces in the latter was interesting and useful.

Local knowledge is learned and these books help direct even quite settled Londoners to places and areas they may well never have been taught about. They’re easy to use and will encourage you to see your day-to-day differently.

£6.99 Crimson Publishing 978-1780590691 & 978-1780590707

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bloody-London...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Royal-London-...

[Wendy H. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book, packed full of facts and figures. Yet it is done in a manner which is eminently readable and absolutely fascinating. It is designed as a guide book so tells you how to get to the various places mentioned in the book. However, you do not need to be in London to read it. The stories themselves are absorbing and interesting. Overall this could be a five star book, however, for me personally, a couple of the stories were a little long and a few others I felt I would have loved more detail. Still, an excellent book.

[Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book after actually taking the Blood and Tears walking tour with Declan Mchugh while visiting London in 2013. His tour was absolutely fantastic, so I was eager to buy his book to find out more about London's history. I was not disappointed! I literally read the entire book while on my 12 hour flight back home. The book is full of vivid, gruesome details and although it is not my normal repertoire of reading, I found it to be extremely interesting and entertaining. If you have the chance to take his walking tour in London though I seriously recommend it! It was a lot of fun and very informative as well. Mr. Mchugh not only has a way with words but also theatrics which made the tour a wonderfully memorable experience.

[Tony Garay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read, especially if you're holidaying in London, as i was at time of reading. Great descriptions and insight to places and venues that you wouldn't normally visit while in London, that are all accessible by underground.
Had the good fortune to meet the author who gave us a tour of some of the bloody venues at night. Absolutely worth the effort. Thank you Declan.

[Tabatha Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading hundreds of books about London they started to give nothing new to me. The same information over and over again. However this book was full of facts which most books dont (or dare to) cover, which made it so much more interesting. I read it in one sitting, I couldn't put it down. It would have been great if it was longer, but still a fantastic book. A must have.

[Kaylie Sudlow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well informative book. I loved how the author has added directions so that you can find the areas he is writing about. He had everything in this book if you are looking for the more unusual sights of london!

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

really interesting library book about a city that's always interested me

[Katia M. Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting book detailing some horrid places and people of London. I particularly liked the directions to each spot of interest. A relatively fast and easy read.