What do you think?
Rate this book
Ten Rillington Place
True crime events at 10 Rillington Place which lead to the execution of Timothy Evans for the murder of his wife and child, while a serial killer, John Christie was later discovered to have killed and buried many victims at the same address. The book portrays Timothy Evans as a man wrongly accused and put to death for Christie's crimes.
Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
8 people are currently reading
323 people want to read
About the author
Ludovic Kennedy
62 books14 followersLudovic Henry Coverley Kennedy was a Scottish journalist, broadcaster, and author. He received an honorary doctorate from the University of Strathclyde in 1985 and also held similar posts at the Universities of Edinburgh and Stirling. He was knighted in 1994 for services to journalism.
He was a member of the crew of the British destroyer HMS Tartar that took part in the pursuit and destruction of the German battleship Bismarck in May of 1941. 'Sub-Lieutenant' (1942) told of his naval experiences and 'Pursuit' (1974) told of the sinking of the Bismarck.
He undertook many campaigns on behalf of people who had been wrongly convicted of murder, including Derek Bentley and Timothy Evans and also wrote an account of the trial of Stephen Ward following the Profumo affair. He also wrote an account of the murders at Ten Rillington Place.
He married actress Moira Shearer (1926-2006) on 25 February 1950 and the couple had four children.
He died of pneumonia at Salisbury, Wiltshire on 18 October 2009.
He was a member of the crew of the British destroyer HMS Tartar that took part in the pursuit and destruction of the German battleship Bismarck in May of 1941. 'Sub-Lieutenant' (1942) told of his naval experiences and 'Pursuit' (1974) told of the sinking of the Bismarck.
He undertook many campaigns on behalf of people who had been wrongly convicted of murder, including Derek Bentley and Timothy Evans and also wrote an account of the trial of Stephen Ward following the Profumo affair. He also wrote an account of the murders at Ten Rillington Place.
He married actress Moira Shearer (1926-2006) on 25 February 1950 and the couple had four children.
He died of pneumonia at Salisbury, Wiltshire on 18 October 2009.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 24, 2015
This is about the true life mass-murderer John Christie, and Timothy Evans, the borderline mentally handicapped man who was framed by Christie for the murder of Evans' wife and child.
It is a readable book, but really depressing. It shows how being perceived as a certain way ("the good stock" style middle class (i.e Christie) vs. "the great unwashed" working class (Evans)) can result in people being rail-roaded, especially when mental ability is a factor.
It is a readable book, but really depressing. It shows how being perceived as a certain way ("the good stock" style middle class (i.e Christie) vs. "the great unwashed" working class (Evans)) can result in people being rail-roaded, especially when mental ability is a factor.
March 9, 2018
One of the best true crime books I've ever read. I can't believe it's always out of print. I'd be interested to read the book mentioned by other readers that contains compelling evidence that Evens did in fact murder his wife and child, but there are several big red flags for me on that front. The biggest being that in his second statement to the police he blamed Christie (when he knew Christie had lied to him so he stopped protecting him). It's quite coincidental that he happened to try to pin the blame on a man who was later revealed to be an actual serial killer. What made him pick Christie and why did he stick to this story throughout his trial when it was obvious no one else believed him and no one at that point - including Evans - could fathom Christie's actual motives?
September 30, 2009
Tricky to read, but that is because it is grounded in research and apparent facts, so is very heavy with descriptions and timelines. Well worth reading, and gives insight into how wrong a criminal investigation can go and how long it takes to fix it - if it can ever truely be fixed.
November 18, 2019
At the time I read this, it was becoming clear to many of us that the Guildford 4 and Birmingham 6 were innocent. The events which led to Evans being hanged for one of Christie's murders followed a similar pattern. The police become convinced they have the right guy. Group think and confirmation biases take over. The wrong people get locked up. Or hanged. I found it almost unbearable to watch When They See Us, about the Central Park jogger case, because exactly the same thing was happening.
December 10, 2023
The author proves the innocence of a victim of a miscarriage of justice despite the police, jury and government being unable to appreciate the truth. A sad but true story. It covers the story in a clear and sympathetic way and shows the mistakes of the police, prosecutor, judge and government but he appreciates how these mistakes may have occurred.
I read a 44 year old library book out of print and kept in storage. I feel fortunate that such classics are still available.
I read a 44 year old library book out of print and kept in storage. I feel fortunate that such classics are still available.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 5, 2012
Gosh- I read this when I was about 10 or 11 because I heard about it from my father, and there was a movie which I couldn't see so I read the book instead(did the same thing with The Exorcist). I can't believe my parents let me read it but then they didn't have much control over me in that department!
October 17, 2013
A good book. The miss carriage of justice , is a real argument against the return of corporal punishment. Really worth a read.
January 23, 2016
Good study of John Reginald Halliday Christie, "Reggie No Dick" to the kids he knew in high school. I guess he showed them, didn't he?
September 25, 2025
Excellent.
August 11, 2024
I've read most of Mr Kennedy's books and find his style of writing and his analysis of information to be compelling.
A master of his art
A master of his art
February 15, 2017
The 10 Rillington Place murders are among the most notorious in British legal history, not least because of the complications involving conflicting confessions, witness statements and interpretations of the evidence. For a summary of the events see my review of The Man on Your Conscience by Michael Eddowes. In brief, it all revolves around which of the two male residents of 10 Rillington Place were responsible for the murders of fellow resident Beryl Evans and her daughter Geraldine, her husband Timothy, who was hanged for his daughter's murder, or their downstairs neighbour John Reginald Christie, who turned out to be a serial killer.
In this book, experienced and highly regarded British journalist, broadcaster and campaigner Ludovic Kennedy sets out his case for Evans's innocence of the murders of Beryl and Geraldine Evans and Christie's guilt. The book is certainly well written, taking the reader through Kennedy's case carefully and coherently. It's well-paced and highly readable. Its only downfall is Kennedy's tendency to go a bit too far in his criticism of the police and the legal and parliamentary experts who believed that Evans was guilty, accusing them of everything from incompetence to outright fraud. That said it's well worth reading, but don't expect that you'll come out of reading it knowing exactly what happened at 10 Rillington Place - it's too complex a case and I doubt whether we'll ever know.
It's worth noting that it's essential to read John Eddowes's The Two Killers of Rillington Place for a different point of view.
In this book, experienced and highly regarded British journalist, broadcaster and campaigner Ludovic Kennedy sets out his case for Evans's innocence of the murders of Beryl and Geraldine Evans and Christie's guilt. The book is certainly well written, taking the reader through Kennedy's case carefully and coherently. It's well-paced and highly readable. Its only downfall is Kennedy's tendency to go a bit too far in his criticism of the police and the legal and parliamentary experts who believed that Evans was guilty, accusing them of everything from incompetence to outright fraud. That said it's well worth reading, but don't expect that you'll come out of reading it knowing exactly what happened at 10 Rillington Place - it's too complex a case and I doubt whether we'll ever know.
It's worth noting that it's essential to read John Eddowes's The Two Killers of Rillington Place for a different point of view.
March 10, 2019
Interesting and readable, but the facts are unsubstantiated according to another account: The Two Killers of Rillington Place by John Eddowes. I find Eddowes's style is not as easily read due to so much detail, but his argument is compelling.
Eddowes included interviews verbatim which clearly show that Timothy Evans admitted to the killings of his wife and child. He went on to change his story, as circumstances permitted, in order to try and avoid execution, but did not succeed.
I am more inclined to believe Eddowes's take on events than Kennedy's: The man put to death was not an "innocent", and did kill his wife and baby. John Christie was a serial murderer, killing and burying many victims at this address. Each killed for their own and varying motives and both happened to live at the same address. ...but I could be wrong...
Eddowes included interviews verbatim which clearly show that Timothy Evans admitted to the killings of his wife and child. He went on to change his story, as circumstances permitted, in order to try and avoid execution, but did not succeed.
I am more inclined to believe Eddowes's take on events than Kennedy's: The man put to death was not an "innocent", and did kill his wife and baby. John Christie was a serial murderer, killing and burying many victims at this address. Each killed for their own and varying motives and both happened to live at the same address. ...but I could be wrong...
May 19, 2016
As a fiction lover I found this book rather difficult to get in to. It was very slow in the build up and as I already know what happened I think it made me a bit antsy.
Having said that it was an interesting read and an interesting story (though I skimmed through all of the report at the end so that I could finish and get back to fiction!!)
Would recommend for non-fiction fans.
Having said that it was an interesting read and an interesting story (though I skimmed through all of the report at the end so that I could finish and get back to fiction!!)
Would recommend for non-fiction fans.
February 24, 2008
Sweet guy! How can you possibly hope to live in an rented place, hide corpses in the cupboard, and get away with it??
I recently discovered that there's a movie based on this book-- I must find it!
I recently discovered that there's a movie based on this book-- I must find it!
April 16, 2013
I was absorbed into it. To be able to clear an innocent man of a murder he didn't commit without the technology and science of today was hard. Its a pity that Timothy Evans was not believed and was hanged before the truth came out
March 6, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 15, 2013
Chilling book, again Kennedy argues his case well.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews