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Handsome Brute: The True Story of a Ladykiller
Handsome Brute explores the facts of a once-renowned, now little-remembered British murder case, the killings of the charming, but deadly ex-RAF playboy Neville Heath.
Since the 1940s, Heath has generally been dismissed as a sadistic sex-killer - the preserve of sensational Murder Anthologies - and little else. But the story behind the tabloid headlines reveals itself to be complex and ambiguous, provoking unsettling questions that echo across the decades to the present day.
For the first time, with access to previously restricted files from the Home Office and Metropolitan Police, this book explores the complex motivations behind the murders through the prism of the immediate post-war period. Against the backdrop of a society in flux, a culture at a moment of change, how much is Heath's case symptomatic, or indeed, emblematic of the age he lived in?
Handsome Brute is both an examination of the age of austerity, and a real-life
thriller as shocking and provocative as American Psycho or The Killer Inside Me, exploring the perspectives of the women in Heath's life - his wife, his mother, his lovers - and his victims. This collage of experiences from the women who knew him intimately probes the schism at the heart of his fascinating, chilling personality.
Since the 1940s, Heath has generally been dismissed as a sadistic sex-killer - the preserve of sensational Murder Anthologies - and little else. But the story behind the tabloid headlines reveals itself to be complex and ambiguous, provoking unsettling questions that echo across the decades to the present day.
For the first time, with access to previously restricted files from the Home Office and Metropolitan Police, this book explores the complex motivations behind the murders through the prism of the immediate post-war period. Against the backdrop of a society in flux, a culture at a moment of change, how much is Heath's case symptomatic, or indeed, emblematic of the age he lived in?
Handsome Brute is both an examination of the age of austerity, and a real-life
thriller as shocking and provocative as American Psycho or The Killer Inside Me, exploring the perspectives of the women in Heath's life - his wife, his mother, his lovers - and his victims. This collage of experiences from the women who knew him intimately probes the schism at the heart of his fascinating, chilling personality.
497 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
October 15, 2023
Neville Heath is not very well known in modern times but in post-war Britain he was the talk of the town. His brutal murder of two young women shocked the public and he was considered the most infamous killer in British history. This was before the age of serial killers and such monsters as Brady and Hindley. The sexual nature of Heath's murders were quite horrific and the press, tired of war and looking for something to titillate the readers, squeezed as much as they could out of the murders.
Neville Heath was a handsome, well spoken RAF pilot whose life was based on one lie after another.....he was booted out of the RAF, booted out of the South African Air Force, and brought up on charges of check kiting, impersonating an officer, and fraud on numerous occasions. He always seemed to be able to talk himself out of being jailed but his luck would soon run out. The author looks into the daily life of this conflicted man and asks what many have asked since the time of the murders......was he insane? We also get to know the victims and the other people in Heath's life which helps to flesh out his character. A fascinating read about a man who was not at all what he appeared. A good but disturbing read.
Neville Heath was a handsome, well spoken RAF pilot whose life was based on one lie after another.....he was booted out of the RAF, booted out of the South African Air Force, and brought up on charges of check kiting, impersonating an officer, and fraud on numerous occasions. He always seemed to be able to talk himself out of being jailed but his luck would soon run out. The author looks into the daily life of this conflicted man and asks what many have asked since the time of the murders......was he insane? We also get to know the victims and the other people in Heath's life which helps to flesh out his character. A fascinating read about a man who was not at all what he appeared. A good but disturbing read.
April 13, 2020
An expansive and balanced book about the life of two-times murderer Neville Heath.
The author has done a great deal of research and work, including building channels of communication with families affected, to set out the life, crimes and circumstances surrounding Heath and his victims.
The story is well-presented and adds value by not just concentrating, unlike the more contemporary stories in the press and "studies" of Heath and his crimes, but on the background to people and importantly the part played by law, society, press and police procedure.
Heath was a charming, well-educated lower-middle class man who developed numerous personalities around his environment and the situations he found himself in. We read of a intelligent, sporty and attentive boy and young man; yet also as deceptive, manipulative and intense. He bouts with crime, borstal and the military - he was desperate to be in uniform and be a medal-wearing hero - help shape or give him the platform to perform and ultimately kill.
Thrice commissioned into and then dismissed (or going AWOL) in the British Army, RAF, and the SAAF (South African Air Force) he used his uniforms, acquaintances, knowledge and indeed experience as a Instructor of pilots and bomber pilot seeing active service to move around, live his increasingly fraught and dishonest life seeking drinking-partners, parties and liaisons with women.
Throughout the events and the lives of those Heath touched, including the hotel staffs, police, aircrew, families and many others, Mr O'Connor provides detail, sources, references and importantly context. There are some interesting avenues around Heath's personality and society: his using cash, cheques and his position as a well-spoken "Eton & Cambridge" educated military senior officer to effect support, trust, sympathy and forgiveness (this latter is a constant right up to the final pages - both with institutions and the wider public).
Police and legal procedure are drawn into the story. I found it fascinating to see some well-known names, such as Albert Pierrepoint, Detective Inspector Reginald Spooner, the RAF ace John "Johnny" Kent DFC*., AFC., amongst others. The medical and legal aspects were useful and helped show the trial - a single trial for one murder - in context. Also of interest was one juror's later correspondence with the Home Secretary James Chuter Ede.
The book closes with the further letters by Heath to his parents and brother, and a synopsis of the later lives of those who played central parts in, or were affected by, the story.
All-in-all a very good book about a crime and man once as infamous as Jack the Ripper, but now forgotten to the mainstream.
A good range of photos, notes and sources alongside a bibliography are all provided. My edition was a paperback by Simon & Schuster published in 2019.
Reginald Spooner: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37746...
Albert Pierrepoint: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_...
James Chuter Ede: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_C...
Johnny Kent: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_A....
The author has done a great deal of research and work, including building channels of communication with families affected, to set out the life, crimes and circumstances surrounding Heath and his victims.
The story is well-presented and adds value by not just concentrating, unlike the more contemporary stories in the press and "studies" of Heath and his crimes, but on the background to people and importantly the part played by law, society, press and police procedure.
Heath was a charming, well-educated lower-middle class man who developed numerous personalities around his environment and the situations he found himself in. We read of a intelligent, sporty and attentive boy and young man; yet also as deceptive, manipulative and intense. He bouts with crime, borstal and the military - he was desperate to be in uniform and be a medal-wearing hero - help shape or give him the platform to perform and ultimately kill.
Thrice commissioned into and then dismissed (or going AWOL) in the British Army, RAF, and the SAAF (South African Air Force) he used his uniforms, acquaintances, knowledge and indeed experience as a Instructor of pilots and bomber pilot seeing active service to move around, live his increasingly fraught and dishonest life seeking drinking-partners, parties and liaisons with women.
Throughout the events and the lives of those Heath touched, including the hotel staffs, police, aircrew, families and many others, Mr O'Connor provides detail, sources, references and importantly context. There are some interesting avenues around Heath's personality and society: his using cash, cheques and his position as a well-spoken "Eton & Cambridge" educated military senior officer to effect support, trust, sympathy and forgiveness (this latter is a constant right up to the final pages - both with institutions and the wider public).
Police and legal procedure are drawn into the story. I found it fascinating to see some well-known names, such as Albert Pierrepoint, Detective Inspector Reginald Spooner, the RAF ace John "Johnny" Kent DFC*., AFC., amongst others. The medical and legal aspects were useful and helped show the trial - a single trial for one murder - in context. Also of interest was one juror's later correspondence with the Home Secretary James Chuter Ede.
The book closes with the further letters by Heath to his parents and brother, and a synopsis of the later lives of those who played central parts in, or were affected by, the story.
All-in-all a very good book about a crime and man once as infamous as Jack the Ripper, but now forgotten to the mainstream.
A good range of photos, notes and sources alongside a bibliography are all provided. My edition was a paperback by Simon & Schuster published in 2019.
Reginald Spooner: https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37746...
Albert Pierrepoint: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_...
James Chuter Ede: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_C...
Johnny Kent: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_A....
August 12, 2016
Handsome Brute: The Story of a Ladykiller explores the case of a once-renowned, now little-remembered British murderer called Neville Heath. Neville Heath was a charming, but deadly ex member of the RAF who was convicted of two brutal murders in 1946 - his crimes were headline news, and his trial and subsequent death were one of the biggest news stories of the era.
What elevates this book from run of the mill 'true crime' is how the crimes are a springboard into a more forensic examination of the era. Sean O'Connor asserts that Heath's mental state and crimes were a product of his era. They were certainly emblematic of the age he lived through and I suspect he might not have committed them had he been born twenty years earlier or twenty years later.
The book contains much fascinating information about Britain and South Africa during Heath's era. I learned a lot from this book despite having already read quite a bit about the era. Here's an example, I had never realised that, until shortly before WW2, the RAF was part of the Army, and that once it became a separate service it developed a very distinct culture, and attracted a very different type of individual. Typically their recruits were relatively casual and unconventional and in contrast to the senior services (army and navy) including their dress and language, which we now regard as a cartoonish stereotype, silk scarves, pencil moustaches, and of course the slang.
Sean O'Connor also explores the backgrounds of all the main players, and this makes for fascinating reading. One of Heath's victims, Margery Gardner, slipped from gentility to bohemianism to the horror of her family and the papers made much of this in their reporting.
Similarly the policeman who arrested Heath, Reginald Spooner (aka "Britain's greatest detective"), was haunted by a family bankruptcy which informed his obsession with his work and career to the detriment of his own family. Sean O'Connor also uses this section to explore how the WW2 fundamentally changed British criminality and morality.
The most fascinating aspect is inevitably Heath himself. A charming, intelligent man who, according to letters he wrote to his family after his conviction, was a loving and dutiful son and brother and this persona is in stark contrast to the savage and disturbing murderer whose crimes remain genuinely shocking. From his earliest days he was a fantasist and prone to impetuous and ill conceived acts of crime, the majority of which he got away with due to a mixture of his contrition and charm. His personality could not match his inflated ambitions though and so his "career" was a succession of disappointments. These setbacks probably exacerbated an already fragile psyche.
All in all it's an engrossing, well written, fascinating, complex, provocative and ambiguous tale.
What elevates this book from run of the mill 'true crime' is how the crimes are a springboard into a more forensic examination of the era. Sean O'Connor asserts that Heath's mental state and crimes were a product of his era. They were certainly emblematic of the age he lived through and I suspect he might not have committed them had he been born twenty years earlier or twenty years later.
The book contains much fascinating information about Britain and South Africa during Heath's era. I learned a lot from this book despite having already read quite a bit about the era. Here's an example, I had never realised that, until shortly before WW2, the RAF was part of the Army, and that once it became a separate service it developed a very distinct culture, and attracted a very different type of individual. Typically their recruits were relatively casual and unconventional and in contrast to the senior services (army and navy) including their dress and language, which we now regard as a cartoonish stereotype, silk scarves, pencil moustaches, and of course the slang.
Sean O'Connor also explores the backgrounds of all the main players, and this makes for fascinating reading. One of Heath's victims, Margery Gardner, slipped from gentility to bohemianism to the horror of her family and the papers made much of this in their reporting.
Similarly the policeman who arrested Heath, Reginald Spooner (aka "Britain's greatest detective"), was haunted by a family bankruptcy which informed his obsession with his work and career to the detriment of his own family. Sean O'Connor also uses this section to explore how the WW2 fundamentally changed British criminality and morality.
The most fascinating aspect is inevitably Heath himself. A charming, intelligent man who, according to letters he wrote to his family after his conviction, was a loving and dutiful son and brother and this persona is in stark contrast to the savage and disturbing murderer whose crimes remain genuinely shocking. From his earliest days he was a fantasist and prone to impetuous and ill conceived acts of crime, the majority of which he got away with due to a mixture of his contrition and charm. His personality could not match his inflated ambitions though and so his "career" was a succession of disappointments. These setbacks probably exacerbated an already fragile psyche.
All in all it's an engrossing, well written, fascinating, complex, provocative and ambiguous tale.
December 2, 2014
This true crime book looks at Neville George Clevely Heath, tried for murder in 1946. As well as looking at his crimes, this is almost a social history of post-war Britain and the writing is so vivid, that you really do feel that time come alive. Heath is largely forgotten now, but at the time of his trial, his story caused a media furore. Indeed, Heath himself followed the news stories about himself, while he was ‘hiding’ successfully in Bournemouth .
Heath himself was an enigma. Intelligent, handsome, brave and a serial liar, he spent virtually his entire life feeling he could talk himself out of trouble. Time and again, from childhood onwards, he passed off misdeeds as foolish, rather than criminal; talking himself into second chances with parents, teachers, those in positions of authority and senior officers, and usually winning people around with his charm and seeming good nature. Although the author is totally unbiased in his approach, he does not just explain what Heath did, but give reasons why he might have behaved that way. He also addresses the way Heath’s victims, particularly Margery Gardner, was portrayed by an unsympathetic press, looking for sensationalism rather than the truth.
Having read this extremely intelligent and well written book, I cannot help feeling that the whole of Heath’s life was a tragedy – for his family, himself, and, of course, his victims. The England that Heath returned to in 1946 was eager for change, but bankrupt, exhausted and with virtually everything – from food, to petrol to clothing – rationed. Men returned from war and were expected to step back into their pre-war life as though nothing had happened. Women, who had coped with bombing and war work on their own, were expected to return to domesticity. Some, like Margery Gardener, found the freedom of life during the war left her stranded with the harsh consequences of no security, once peace returned. Life was supposed to go back to what it had been, but those experiences had changed people. Heath was a man who always wanted better – a fantasist, a man who constantly lied and evaded the consequences of his actions without repentance.
If you enjoy true crime, particularly historical true crime, you will undoubtedly find this book fascinating. The author recreates Heath’s life, following him from England to South Africa and ending with the aftermath of his trial. He is always fair, almost documentary like in telling the story from the point of view of everyone involved, and in explaining events clearly and with great respect. A wonderful portrait of a forgotten era and of a case which held a nation enthralled.
Heath himself was an enigma. Intelligent, handsome, brave and a serial liar, he spent virtually his entire life feeling he could talk himself out of trouble. Time and again, from childhood onwards, he passed off misdeeds as foolish, rather than criminal; talking himself into second chances with parents, teachers, those in positions of authority and senior officers, and usually winning people around with his charm and seeming good nature. Although the author is totally unbiased in his approach, he does not just explain what Heath did, but give reasons why he might have behaved that way. He also addresses the way Heath’s victims, particularly Margery Gardner, was portrayed by an unsympathetic press, looking for sensationalism rather than the truth.
Having read this extremely intelligent and well written book, I cannot help feeling that the whole of Heath’s life was a tragedy – for his family, himself, and, of course, his victims. The England that Heath returned to in 1946 was eager for change, but bankrupt, exhausted and with virtually everything – from food, to petrol to clothing – rationed. Men returned from war and were expected to step back into their pre-war life as though nothing had happened. Women, who had coped with bombing and war work on their own, were expected to return to domesticity. Some, like Margery Gardener, found the freedom of life during the war left her stranded with the harsh consequences of no security, once peace returned. Life was supposed to go back to what it had been, but those experiences had changed people. Heath was a man who always wanted better – a fantasist, a man who constantly lied and evaded the consequences of his actions without repentance.
If you enjoy true crime, particularly historical true crime, you will undoubtedly find this book fascinating. The author recreates Heath’s life, following him from England to South Africa and ending with the aftermath of his trial. He is always fair, almost documentary like in telling the story from the point of view of everyone involved, and in explaining events clearly and with great respect. A wonderful portrait of a forgotten era and of a case which held a nation enthralled.
February 22, 2015
I found the descriptions of the era, the lives of the victims and of Heath interesting and agree with other reviewers that he probably would or could not have committed his crimes in any other era. However I did feel the author skewed towards blaming everything on Heath's war experiences and disappointments when Heath comes across as a classic psychopath who was lying, cheating and committing at least petty crimes before the war. There's no doubt his experiences had something to do with the way his criminal behaviour escalated, but I think he was always potentially a 'wrong 'un' and the wartime experiences made this more so rather than being the genesis. Plenty of veterans come back and don't become sadistic killers!
Otherwise I really enjoyed the way it was told and the evocation of the period. The account if how the police finally closed in on Heath is excellent.
Otherwise I really enjoyed the way it was told and the evocation of the period. The account if how the police finally closed in on Heath is excellent.
August 26, 2013
Well researched and written. Hard to say I 'enjoyed' a book like this because I never forgot this was a true life telling of the horrific murders of two young women in 1946.
Heath clearly embodies the 'psychopath' traits often cited these days - lack of remorse etc - and his good looks and charm made it easy for him to find victims. No one will really know what drove him to commit those terrible crimes, which I found hard to read about. Those poor women.
Lots of poignant detail including the contents of his victim's handbags. Interesting from a Social History point of view too, with a good depiction of life immediately following the end of WW2.
Heath clearly embodies the 'psychopath' traits often cited these days - lack of remorse etc - and his good looks and charm made it easy for him to find victims. No one will really know what drove him to commit those terrible crimes, which I found hard to read about. Those poor women.
Lots of poignant detail including the contents of his victim's handbags. Interesting from a Social History point of view too, with a good depiction of life immediately following the end of WW2.
July 14, 2018
The story of the murderer Neville Heath. Despite the gruesome subject matter I couldn't put this down. It's well written, very well researched and reads like a novel.
June 4, 2014
Charismatic ladies' man, killer, fantasist, liar, cheat and thief. Heath was all those things and more. This fascinating book attempts to put Heath into the context of his times and to understand how he might have been affected by his experiences in World War II as a fighter pilot living with constant danger and the knowledge that each day could be his last.
Heath committed two violent and sadistic murders of women within the space of a few weeks and many people since have tried to understand his motivations for the crimes. But he was not a stranger to crime. He had a string of petty thefts and frauds behind him and apart from time spent in Borstal he almost always managed to receive only minor punishments for his crimes. He lived under an assumed name for a time in South Africa and married there too as well as serving in both the South African Air force and the RAF.
This book shows that Heath behaved well if everything went his way but as soon as things got difficult he would disappear. He was plausible in his excuses and explanations for his petty crimes and could often talk his way out of trouble if push came to shove. He was a pathological liar and an expert at putting the best possible construction on anything he did.
Was he insane? Should he have been incarcerated in Broadmoor instead of suffering the death penalty? It is up to the reader to decide. I found this book a fascinating study of a man about whom I knew nothing before I started reading it. The book is written in a low-key style - the very opposite of the sensational headlines the case received in the newspapers of the time. I sometimes felt the author was looking for too many justifications for Heath's actions and that maybe he has more sympathy for his subject than he wanted to reveal.
Heath was a product of his time but it seems he may have shown his sadistic tendencies in his childhood and these could have been exacerbated by the stresses and strains of war time and the difficulties of adjusting to peace time life.
The book contains extensive notes on the sources used as well as a bibliography and illustrations.
Heath committed two violent and sadistic murders of women within the space of a few weeks and many people since have tried to understand his motivations for the crimes. But he was not a stranger to crime. He had a string of petty thefts and frauds behind him and apart from time spent in Borstal he almost always managed to receive only minor punishments for his crimes. He lived under an assumed name for a time in South Africa and married there too as well as serving in both the South African Air force and the RAF.
This book shows that Heath behaved well if everything went his way but as soon as things got difficult he would disappear. He was plausible in his excuses and explanations for his petty crimes and could often talk his way out of trouble if push came to shove. He was a pathological liar and an expert at putting the best possible construction on anything he did.
Was he insane? Should he have been incarcerated in Broadmoor instead of suffering the death penalty? It is up to the reader to decide. I found this book a fascinating study of a man about whom I knew nothing before I started reading it. The book is written in a low-key style - the very opposite of the sensational headlines the case received in the newspapers of the time. I sometimes felt the author was looking for too many justifications for Heath's actions and that maybe he has more sympathy for his subject than he wanted to reveal.
Heath was a product of his time but it seems he may have shown his sadistic tendencies in his childhood and these could have been exacerbated by the stresses and strains of war time and the difficulties of adjusting to peace time life.
The book contains extensive notes on the sources used as well as a bibliography and illustrations.
November 30, 2018
Neville Heath was executed in 1946 for the brutal murder of a young woman. It seems certain that he murdered two, although he was not tried for the second and had no memory of his actions. He was not considered insane by the strict legal definition of the time, although I think that from the author's account of all the evidence, not just that produced at his trial, he probably would be now.
Sean O'Connor tells the story of Heath, his victims and other women associated with him, without resorting to the lurid sensationalism of contemporary accounts. He is fair to Heath and to Margery Gardner, his victim whose reputation was blackened at the time.
The context is Britain and South Africa before, during and just after the war and this is as interesting a part of the book as the character of Heath himself, if not more so. It is what makes this a five star book.
Sean O'Connor tells the story of Heath, his victims and other women associated with him, without resorting to the lurid sensationalism of contemporary accounts. He is fair to Heath and to Margery Gardner, his victim whose reputation was blackened at the time.
The context is Britain and South Africa before, during and just after the war and this is as interesting a part of the book as the character of Heath himself, if not more so. It is what makes this a five star book.
June 2, 2015
Heath was a conman, a liar, a thief and a killer. He was also charming, good looking and a pilot in the RAF during the second world war. So what went wrong?, this book looks not only at the murders but also at events before and after.
February 1, 2015
Bit of a long book for two murders, well written but in the end just two senseless murders and no real clues to motive or the pathology of the killer
February 14, 2021
Brilliantly written! I couldn't put this book down, definitely one of the best true crime hooks I've read. It was so interesting to read the details of his life as well as the descriptions of post-war Britain.
June 7, 2016
Fascinating and brilliantly readable. One of the best biographies I have read. The era is conveyed brilliantly and gives a idea how tough and distressing times were for many people. I had always thought of Heath as a pure and simple psychopath before reading this but now have a much more nuanced view. Yes, he was responsible for his own misfortune but it was easy to see how people were attracted to and liked him and he obviousy had the ability to care deeply for family and friends. He also seemed to have his own sense of morality and honour and I admired the way he owned up to what he did and in no way tried to avoid responsibility and went to pains to try and stop those he was close to accepting blame. I think the author is accurate in implying that rather than a straight-out psychopath, Heath was a massively flawed individual but with his own code of honour who showed no violence at all - in fact kindness- until the combination of post-traumatic stress, the loss of his wife and child and his failure to achieve his commercial pilots licence-even tho he passed- created a "grand storm" when he cracked and suffered such a disastrous breakdown - a form of psychosis. It is obvious from his described behaviour that this was so. That said, the train of events leading up to the second murder was truly shocking and upsetting and I was rooting for Doreen to take the taxi, as if everything could have been changed. This second heartless murder, on top of the second was enough to make it obvious that there was ever going to be one ending - despite his breakdown - and Heath preferred it so. The great strength of this writer was his ability to "get inside" each character and to evoke compassion for all-even Heath. The writer avoided a tabloid-type narrative and consequently I was riveted. Many people suffered- Joan never forgave herself -nor did her mother- for the simple act of deciding not to accompany Doreen on holiday- and the repercussions were life-long and devastating. The epilogue was particularly poignant as it followed up what happened to the main characters. A very moving book with a tragic feel overall, rather than that of following the wicked deeds of a dastardly villain.
April 8, 2014
Excellent writing in a book that brilliantly describes post war Britain and the awful crimes committed which left two innocent women murdered. Extremely
well researched without ever becoming bogged down in too much detail.
The impact on the family of the perpetrator and the victims families in the following years very well covered. As another reviewer wrote its hard to say that I enjoyed a book of which the subject matter is as it is but it is so well written that I have to agree with one of the quotes on the front cover and say it is "simply brilliant"
well researched without ever becoming bogged down in too much detail.
The impact on the family of the perpetrator and the victims families in the following years very well covered. As another reviewer wrote its hard to say that I enjoyed a book of which the subject matter is as it is but it is so well written that I have to agree with one of the quotes on the front cover and say it is "simply brilliant"
June 10, 2015
This is a really good story of the murder of two women in post WWII Britain. It gives a good description of social life and what it was like for many people struggling with food rations and down on their luck after the war. The story of Neville Heath is probably forgotten now, but it makes for a great crime thriller and I enjoyed the read.
February 29, 2016
This is a well researched and in-depth look at Neville Heath, his victims, and the realities of life in 1946 Britain. Instead of relying on the contemporary press coverage, O'Connor goes back to the beginning and destroys some of the myths surrounding the case, particularly those relating to Heath's first victim, Margery Gardner.
September 28, 2013
Fantastic example of its type: a thoroughly researched and balanced account, written well and kept readable without sensation.
December 29, 2015
Bit of a long book for just 2 murders
February 9, 2017
This was a very interesting read. I would strongly recommend this book
April 30, 2020
This is a well-researched and very interesting True Crime book. O Connor provides with a lot of context to Heath's crimes, which brings the reader into the time and remids us that post-war Britain in the 40's wasn't all victory parades.
I found the sections on post-war life really interesting. Just because the war was over, doesn't mean things went back to normal and society struggled with rationing, housing shortage, and the influx of thousands of soldiers, navy, and air force back into daily life. O'Connor also gives us a snapshot of life as an RAF pilot, as well as a look at some of the less known fronts of the war, such as South Africa.
Heath's story is frustrating as we watch the authorities let him off again and again due to his handsome looks, charming manner, and potential. It was crazy how often this guy was given the benefit of the doubt!
The start of the book is a little muddled with many people's stories being told one after the other. There's also some information about the development of Ilford that we really don't need. But this is a very good True Crime book, and worth a read if you have an interest in 1940's Britain.
I found the sections on post-war life really interesting. Just because the war was over, doesn't mean things went back to normal and society struggled with rationing, housing shortage, and the influx of thousands of soldiers, navy, and air force back into daily life. O'Connor also gives us a snapshot of life as an RAF pilot, as well as a look at some of the less known fronts of the war, such as South Africa.
Heath's story is frustrating as we watch the authorities let him off again and again due to his handsome looks, charming manner, and potential. It was crazy how often this guy was given the benefit of the doubt!
The start of the book is a little muddled with many people's stories being told one after the other. There's also some information about the development of Ilford that we really don't need. But this is a very good True Crime book, and worth a read if you have an interest in 1940's Britain.
October 30, 2022
Another excellent piece of true crime from Mr O' Connor. Here a young upper middle class man with all of life's advantages, has a chip on his shoulder and a sense of entitlement. When the life he believes he should have had fails to materialise, he turns to a life of conning to get what he wans. After 2nd world war his life spirals out of control leading to a gruesome double murder. Excellent read.
June 20, 2019
Detailed account
Love this book. It gives a thorough and detailed measured account of a moment in history. I like the way it sets the scene of events beautifully and imparts a superb flavour of the time. It is honest, international and balanced. This is not a gift take of murder but an account that leaves you thinking and understanding more. A cracker.
Love this book. It gives a thorough and detailed measured account of a moment in history. I like the way it sets the scene of events beautifully and imparts a superb flavour of the time. It is honest, international and balanced. This is not a gift take of murder but an account that leaves you thinking and understanding more. A cracker.
April 28, 2020
Well worth reading
The author had clearly done a massive amount of research in order to separate fact from fiction.
This is a very well written book, that also gives the reader a good insight into life during the war and immediately after it, for society as well as the individuals involved.
The author had clearly done a massive amount of research in order to separate fact from fiction.
This is a very well written book, that also gives the reader a good insight into life during the war and immediately after it, for society as well as the individuals involved.
April 2, 2023
Two brutal murders have mostly been forgotten about as they took place just after WW2. The author of this well-researched book covers not only the murderer but also the victims in depth. They are all interesting character studies of a society which has changed so much if you like true crime well worth a read.
September 26, 2019
Interesting and thought provoking examination of the notorious killer, Neville Heath. I learned so much from Sean O'Connor's sensitive and very thorough explanation of Heath and his crimes. It's a long book, but doesn't drag.
January 11, 2021
Remarkable
This is so much more than a ‘true crime’ book.
It’s a thoughtful, incredibly well researched insight into the attitudes and hardships caused by the Second World War.
A very difficult subject, horrific murder, treated without resorting to gruesome sensationalism.
This is so much more than a ‘true crime’ book.
It’s a thoughtful, incredibly well researched insight into the attitudes and hardships caused by the Second World War.
A very difficult subject, horrific murder, treated without resorting to gruesome sensationalism.
June 11, 2020
I don’t normally write reviews but found this book so good had to write one. It is so well written it gets you hooked straightaway, so interesting, so full of information from that era. Yes the subject matter is terrible but this is a gripping read, couldn’t put it down. Excellent.
February 12, 2024
A thoughtful and ultimately compassionate read
December 25, 2020
A very enjoyable book
This book is well worth reading. Beautifully written, well researched,and well balanced. Honest but not salacious, I felt a flavour of the times.It's the first book I have read about Neville Heath that hasn't dwelt on the gory, but, was just as interested in him as a person as in his crimes. His victims were treated with respect and as people with families and lives. So often women are viewed as in some way responsible for their own murder, that is not the case with this book.
This book is well worth reading. Beautifully written, well researched,and well balanced. Honest but not salacious, I felt a flavour of the times.It's the first book I have read about Neville Heath that hasn't dwelt on the gory, but, was just as interested in him as a person as in his crimes. His victims were treated with respect and as people with families and lives. So often women are viewed as in some way responsible for their own murder, that is not the case with this book.
April 8, 2015
This book was very well researched,no doubt about that,however I found the constant digressions slowed the pace of the book and made it very hard to remember at what moment in time the story was actually at.
It went off at a tangent just when you were getting into the narrative,with a lot of detailed information that wasn't strictly necessary.
I would say the book was half about Neville Heath and the other half a potted history of England during WW2.
The book really needed to be somewhat shorter to hold the interest in my opinion,but for wartime enthusiasts,it would be a valuable read.Also I would suggest that the book would be slightly more engrossing to men than to women,but obviously it's just a matter of personal taste.
It went off at a tangent just when you were getting into the narrative,with a lot of detailed information that wasn't strictly necessary.
I would say the book was half about Neville Heath and the other half a potted history of England during WW2.
The book really needed to be somewhat shorter to hold the interest in my opinion,but for wartime enthusiasts,it would be a valuable read.Also I would suggest that the book would be slightly more engrossing to men than to women,but obviously it's just a matter of personal taste.
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