A Deafening Silence: Forgotten British Murders

by Simon Farquhar

In a decade of researching and writing about crime, Simon Farquhar has met many of those professionally or personally affected by it. They all carry with them stories which the rest of the world has forgotten, but which to them remain unforgettable.

Now five of the most extraordinary stories are being told, in full, for the first time. Retracing these historic tragedies with a modern eye, talking to surviving witnesses and police officers, exploring Home Office files and even previously unseen evidence, each investigation reveals powerful truths about those who take away a human life and those bereaved by their actions, while shining a new light on how our society has changed—or still needs to change.

Time is also taken to explore the untold stories of what happens after sentence is passed, after the press packs up and leaves, once the rest of the world has moved on. What becomes of the survivors, and what becomes of the criminals? What traces of these crimes still remain today?

Exhaustively researched and sensitively written, these remarkable accounts are both harrowing and heartbreaking, presenting us with humanity at its cruellest, at its most vulnerable, at its most compassionate and at its most courageous.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

317 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 14, 2024

Reviews

[Paul Bryant]

An ordinary evening. The quiet, shy girl. The contents of the dustbin. The fading light. The careful search. A glove. The reassembled skull. The simple question. The ghosts of a thousand childhoods. The uneasy clock. This ruined place. The heart-shaped blade. The missing left ring finger. Ordinary domestic troubles. The final six months. The love and hate still here in my heart. The last straw. The first straw. The wrong time to ask. An arm was visible. We thought. We didn’t think. No one liked him. He was well-liked. So close to home, so far from help. Hurry back, dear! I will, I will. Don’t worry.

This gently gripping book (once I started I had to finish it in a day) takes five completely obscure British murders from the 1968 to 1973 period and peels back the layers. Most of this is a careful orchestration of investigations of facts along with the lives of the murderers and the victims but occasionally the sorrow of these crimes inspires the author’s eloquence :

Murder delivers silence. When one human life has been taken by another, that heavy, noisy silence which endures is usually a silence of despair. Mourners long for it to be broken by some explanation, some small consolation, some blanket with which to swaddle their grief. But very occasionally, a different silence follows a murder. It is the silence of indifference…the silence of a victim for whom no one weeps. Perhaps the only person who ever mourned Nora was the man who killed her.

For true crime readers this is definitely recommended.

[Lee]

I have not read a lot about true crime recently, but this was a very interesting look at five historical murders that changed the life of many people, the victim, the families, witnesses and the police involved in their cases.

It also provides an excellent portrayal of the protagonists themselves, how their minds worked and why the crimes were committed. What was most informative was looking at the motives behind the crimes and what happened to these criminals long after they were sentenced. Enormously powerful. The author has done an excellent job from obviously extensive research of presenting these cases to us and showing how attitudes to policing have developed over the years. Highly recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book, appreciated.

[Kaitlyn Cox]

A heart breaking honest and moving true crime collection that dives into five long-forgotten murders. These cases varied on criminal motive, timing, location, and circumstances. Each victim’s story is preserved by the author's diligent research and reporting.


I thoroughly enjoyed reading this piece of work
Thank you Net Galley, Simon Farquhar and Independent Publishers Group for allowing me to review this advanced copy of A Deafening Silence. I was not influenced or paid in exchange for this honest review.

[Kelly Kolb]

In his characteristically evocative and sensitive way, Farquhar brings to life five tales of murders from the closure of the 1960s to the opening of the 70s with such compassion and tenderness. With exceptional research, details, and engaging storytelling, he draws us into the time as well as the families involved.

[Anya Rose]

A devastating yet powerful true crime collection that sheds light on five long-forgotten murders. These cases span time and setting, from psychiatric institutions to chillingly concealed crime scenes, that are uncovered by the author’s exhaustive research and commitment to giving each victim the dignity they were denied.

[Valerity (Val)]

This book is about a handful of unusual British crime cases. I liked how each was presented and handled, with the author’s take on why they were ultimately remembered for so long.