Hunting Shadows: Peter Tobin - The truth about the serial killer who hid in plain sight

by Jane Hamilton

Hunting Shadows is a gripping true crime memoir by Jane Hamilton, one of Scotland’s most experienced and well-known crime journalists. The book chronicles her decades-long career reporting on some of the country’s most harrowing and high-profile criminal cases - with a central focus on the chilling investigation into serial killer Peter Tobin.

Following Tobin’s arrest, she was one of the first journalists to question whether his crimes were more extensive than publicly known. Her reporting uncovered early warning signs and disturbing patterns that would later help prompt Operation Anagram - the nationwide police operation that sought to uncover the full extent of Tobin’s crimes.

She gained unprecedented access to Tobin’s personal world through exclusive interviews with his estranged wife and son - interviews no other journalist secured. Their revelations offered rare insight into Tobin’s double life and helped reveal how a serial killer hid in plain sight.

Hunting Shadows takes readers behind the scenes of major investigations, crime scenes, courtrooms, and newsrooms. It offers a rare inside look at the world of crime journalism, the pressures of reporting under scrutiny, and the responsibility of telling the stories of victims and survivors with truth and integrity.

This book will appeal to readers of high-calibre true crime such as The Five by Hallie Rubenhold, The Journalist and the Murderer by Janet Malcolm, and I’ll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, Biography

303 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 26, 2026

About the author

Jane Hamilton is an American novelist.

Reviews

[Karen]

Although I have an interest in true crime, Peter Tobin’s name wasn’t one I instantly recognised. Two of his three known victims, all young girls, were from Scotland (Vicky Hamilton), Angelika Kluk (who was Polish but returned to Scotland each summer) with one being from Essex (Dinah McNicol). He is the perfect example of a killer hiding in plain sight. A chameleon who adapted to his surroundings, who blended into the community, often having a religious bias, constantly changing his name and leaving town suddenly owing money to unsuspecting people – not to mention the devastated lives left behind him.

“He thought he could hide behind God, but the truth found him in the end”

Jane Hamilton has written this book with a forensic eye for detail. The writing is extremely readable – no gratuitous detail, just information shared with a human touch. I felt that Jane actually cared and that of course whilst getting ahead with a story was important for her career, her integrity came into play too. Her compassion for the victims, their families and Tobin’s ex wives who also suffered at his hands shines clearly through the pages.

Tobin was allowed to get away with his crimes, partly because of his own manipulation of people and knowing how to play the system but also because of failures of the policing system at the time. With police forces across the country not generally sharing information and with no centralised system, this was a gift to killers like him.

It wasn’t until Operation Anagram was in force (Holmes 2) that killers like Tobin had their movements tracked. The police were sure that there were other victims and so every piece of information from various forces about Tobin over the years were logged to a central database. Details and locations of missing women were included, details double checked. The families of the victims were to finally have answers.

Although Tobin is the focus of the book, the author refers to the murders of other victims, some of which remain unsolved – this highlighted that some families will never have the answers or justice they deserve.

A difficult subject but written with empathy showing respect to the victims and their families. For anyone interested in true crime, a recommended read.

[Fatguyreading]

First of all, huge apologies for my late review. I should have posted yesterday so my fault entirely.

So, like a lot of people I speak to, I have a real morbid curiosity when it comes to murderers and serial killers, maybe due to those types of people being so far removed from who I am as a person, and the horrendous crimes they commit being so alien to me. So books, films and documentaries about them definitely are interesting to me. But I must say, I didn't know much about Peter Tobin until i read this book, so it was a real eye opener into his horrifying, horrific crimes.

It's certainty a difficult subject to write about, but the author deals with it in a respectful, reverent manner and always ensures she's respectful to the families involved.

But it's not just the story of Peter Tobin, although he's certainly the main focus, it's also an interesting insight into crime journalism as a whole, with riveting, absorbing detail.

It's quite shocking and harrowing at times, but that's to be expected, considering the subject matter and it's written with the dedication, commitment and enthusiasm from an obvious expert in her field.

5 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 's from me.

[Johanna]

As a huge true crime fan, I appreciate when a book tackles a dark subject with tenderness and care. This book does exactly that, keeping the focus entirely on the victims of Peter Tobin and their families, rather than the monster himself.

True crime can so easily lean into sensationalism, but this is thoroughly researched and written with real heart. The author, journalist Jane Hamilton, spent decades covering the case and building relationships with the families and women impacted by Tobin's acts.

Beyond Tobin's known crimes, she brilliantly explores potential links to other unsolved cases, while analysa`ering how policing, science, social media, and journalism itself have changed the integrity of crime reporting over the decades. A must-read for true crime readers who want substance over scandal!


Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy of this book in return for an honest review.

[Danni The Girl]

I didn't know anything about Peter Tobin before this, which is surprising with how much media cover he got, and the horrors of his crimes.

I found the most part of this book engaging and really well written. I think maybe about 70% of thr way in, once Tobin has died, the book dropped off a bit and almost went backwards and sideways about other crimes Tobin could have committed.

I did, however, really enjoy the way that Hamilton wrote about the trials. I normally find reading about court cases and trials really boring, but Hamilton broke them down and kept it easy and simple which I liked.

Really good read. Highly recommend

Thanks to Mirror books and Netgally for my copy

[Bookworm86]

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Hunting Shadows' by Jane Hamilton

This is the first book that I have read by this brilliant author but I am definitely looking forward to reading more from her!!

I will start by saying that this isn't my usual chosen genre being non-fiction but I'm an eclectic reader and happy to read most books. I am also intrigued by true crime stories and have never actually heard of Peter Tobin nor of Angus Sinclair or Robert Black who are also discussed in this book. I must say that if you are the same as me and don't normally read non fiction then don't let that put you off, expand your literature genres and pick up your copy of this great book today and I can promise that you will not regret it!

This book is a memoir written by journalist Jane Hamilton about the serial killer Peter Tobin so please be aware that it does contain details about the murders so it is most definitely not for the faint hearted. What I loved about this book in particular is that although Jane does include details about Peter Tobin but she also focuses on his victims ensuring that they are the ones whose memories live on as they deserve to be. I am shocked that I have never read any of Jane's books before as I have a book shelf dedicated to true crime books and have read many other ones also. I am pleased that I have discovered her work now and am looking forward to reading more of her previous and future books. Jane does go in to detail when it comes to the crimes, let's be honest it would not be a true memoir if she didn't, but she does this as sensitively as possible without glorifying Peter nor his killings. It is not just Peter that she discusses in this book but also other killers such as "Bible John", Angus Sinclair and Robert Black. As I have previously mentioned I had never heard about any of these killers before so I was pleased that I have learned more information than when I started the book. I always enjoy reading books that I learn from as I also then go on to do my own research after which I enjoy doing. Peter Tobin was a Scottish serial killer as well as a $3x offender. This memoir is open, raw and honest and one of the most shocking things I discovered was how he could and should have been arrested before he killed as many as he did but the police failed to report immediately to an attack and didn't turn up until the next day!! If they had come out immediately at least one death could have been avoided and Peter would have been arrested before. The fact that he was first arrested and put in jail for 14 years in 1994 for a double $£xual attack on two young girls and then left prison in 2004 to then continue evading the police and carrying on his attacks and murders is absolutely deplorable! He managed to evade capture by constantly travelling to different countries and changing his identities. Of course back then it was easier to run and hide but at the same time if the police had worked together in the different countries and actually turned up after attacks then a lot of heartache could have been avoided!! Anyway, moving on from what could have been done to save lives. In this book Jane goes in to details and tells us the lives of the victims that we knew Peter had killed. These were 15 year old Vicky Hamilton who went missing on the 10th February 1991 from a bus stop in Bathgate, 18 year old Dinah McNicol who went missing after being picked up by a hitchhiker after a festival in Hampshire on the 5th August 1991 and 23 year old Angelika Kluk who disappeared from a Catholic Parish Glasgow on the 24th September 2006. She also discusses "Bible John" who murdered 25 year old Patricia Docker in February 1968, 31 year old Jemima MacDonald in August 1969, 29 year old Helen Puttock in October 1969. Many believed "Bible John" and Peter Tobin were one and the same as there were many similarities although it was never proven and Peter had alibis for some of Bible Johns killings. These are just some of the victims named and spoken about in this book. Jane shows the affects that these killings have had on the family members, friends, the police, reporters, jurors and communities. The fact that Jane has clearly done years and years of research shines through her words and although this book is a difficult, heart-breaking and harrowing read it is a must read to ensure that the victims are never forgotten and that their lives do not get lost in the history books. I devoured this book in two days although it would have been quicker if my health allowed as I struggled to put it down and only did so due to my health as I was glued to the pages. Jane has written this memoir extremely well and leaves nothing out. She speaks about police procedures, HOMES 2, how technology has helped to stop killers getting away with it as long as Peter did, Operation ANAGRAM, what was learned from the failure in this case, what it is like for journalists along with the families of these killers. It is a very powerful and emotional read and one that will stay with me for a very long time. I am definitely looking forward to reading more of Jane's non fiction books.

Thank you Jane for bringing this story into the world and ensuring the victims stories are told.

Overall an emotional, harrowing, must read, honest true crime memoir.

#HuntingShadows #JaneHamilton #MirrorBooks #RandomThingsTours #RandomTTours

@JaneHamilton @Jane.DHamilton @MirrorBooks @mirror.books @RandomThingsTours @RandomTTours


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[Moravian1297]

This memoir (how the author herself describes the book) of the women and girls, who's lives were cruelly cut short or ruined (there were survivors) by Scottish drifter, career criminal, rapist and serial killer, Peter Tobin (aka Pat McLaughlin among others), was pretty lightweight overall, particularly coming from journalist, Jane Hamilton, whom was at the forefront of media investigations into his heinous crimes, and could be viewed as something of a Peter Tobin 'specialist'.
I’d been fascinated by Tobin ever since his public persona came to prominence after the murder of Angelika Kluk in 2006, where he’d been part of an extremely rare unholy trinity of Scottish serial killers, operating independently around Scotland and into the wider UK in the same period. Which also included prolific child abductor, rapist and killer, Robert Black, and the World’s End rapist and murderer, Angus Sinclair, both also morbidly fascinating in their own right.

The book however, was continually plagued by repetitiveness, if the author said something once, she said it a hundred times, both in quick succession, and throughout the duration of the entire book, for example,

'Pat (McLaughlin) found cover. He could be helpful without being noticed, useful without being known.'

Then almost throughout that entire chapter, she told us the same thing again, and again,

'Pat had a way of blending in until he was barely noticeable.'

Etc, etc, the author really labouring the point. 'Yes! We get it!' Tobin was skilled at blending in and not being noticed, no need whatsoever to egregiously repeat the same point over and over!

The work was also blighted with a flood of empathetic platitudes, which after a while, really began to loose their sincerity. Empathy is something I'd imagine, that should really just be taken for granted, because unless you are yourself a heartless serial killer, or a general all round nasty piece of work, with little or no sympathy for others, it would in all honesty, be taken as read, that you had no love whatsoever for Tobin's sick, ultra-violent handiwork of extreme misogyny, and indeed, very much be gushing with empathy for the victims that make up his 'orrible oeuvre, and not feel the need to repeatedly tell the world on just how horrific you find Tobin's vile crimes! All this however, was somewhat explained in the penultimate chapter, which was ostensibly one more long line of repeated empathetic platitudes (just in case we hadn't already got the point!), which culminated with the author going on to triumphantly imply, that she had single handedly caught Peter Tobin all by herself, ooft!

I was hoping for a bit more on Tobin's other victims, besides Angelika Kluk, Vicky Hamilton and Dinah McNicol. After police had found twenty pieces of jewellery with the DNA of five unidentified women on those objects, when they'd searched the attic of the flat where Tobin had lived in Bathgate around the time Vicky Hamilton had disappeared, along with a knife that had her blood on it, they then launched ’Operation Anagram'. Looking into the history of Peter Tobin's peripatetic life, joining the dots and hopefully unravelling his crimes. There was a chapter on other possible victims, where the author rated the likelihood that they were committed by the Scottish beast, but it was pretty threadbare all told, where each potential victim warranted about a paragraph of information and unfortunately the author didn't go into too much detail and it all remained pretty vague.
Nevertheless, there was also a chapter covering the possibility that Peter Tobin could’ve been the notorious Glasgow serial killer, from the 1960’s, known as Bible John. Something which the author fundamentally disagrees with, however, her friend Professor David Wilson, and admittedly, myself, think that Tobin was almost certainly Bible John, there’s too many coincidences for it to be otherwise and I wouldn’t read too much into his wife at the time’s alibi, as she also admitted that he would disappear for days on end, even on their honeymoon in Brighton at the time of the murders. I won’t get into too much detail here though, because I have an up and coming book, which is specifically about the Tobin/Bible John link, where I’ll get into much more specifics once I review that particular work, and may indeed, change my mind!

However, I did appreciate the passages that covered police incompetence. Mistakes that probably cost Polish student, Angelika Kluk her life. After an incident in Paisley in 2003, which saw Peter 'Pat McLaughlin' Tobin attempt to strangle and attack a woman with a knife, to which the victim had badly slashed her hand open when she'd grabbed the weapon by the blade, while defending herself, and managed to fight off her crazed attacker and would be rapist/murderer, and thankfully make her escape. On reporting the diabolical deed to police in the hospital later that night, they had promised to go to the given address immediately and haul in the deviant, which you would think would have been their number one priority!? But bizarrely, they did not do this. Unbelievably, the police, according to them, and thanks to a 'shift change', waited until the next morning, where Tobin had packed up his gear and had it on his toes, leaving nothing behind, except a blood spatter where the victim had slashed her hand. Tobin would remain in the wind, forgotten, until he reappeared in a Glasgow church in 2006 and the rest, as they say, is history.

So, all in all, the book was alright I suppose, readable enough, but the negatives, mainly myriad amounts of repetitiveness, were just so glaring and frequent, that they seemed to be screaming at you, just like a terrified victim of a serial killer!

[Claire]

Peter Tobin was an active killer throughout my lifetime but I wasn’t aware of him until more recent years. It is unnerving to know that people like him can live amongst the normal law-abiding people of this country we call home without detection. He gained people’s trust so easily but effectively stabbed the communities he infiltrated in the back.

Jane Hamilton was there at the start of the investigation into the full extent of Tobin’s capabilities. The murder of Angelika Kluk was just the tip of the iceberg but no one knew. Hamilton had a massive question mark over this man. Why start killing at 60?? Her journalist gut feel led her to dig. And dig she did!

The balance between fact and Hamilton’s personal feelings and experience are on point. She manages to get over the hard faced actions of Tobin without emotion but mixes in her investigation and the effects all the interviews have on her. It made the whole read personal and real. I found parts so heartbreaking.

Hamilton’s account does not paint a pretty picture for the boys in blue. She highlights significant and repeated opportunities for the police to come close to capturing this horrible human being but their lack of action allows Tobin to escape. I get the police aren’t perfect but still, some instances are just sloppy. But this is not a take down of the police force. Tobin was a cunning bar steward.

This is a seriously chilling but utterly fascinating read. A man flew under all radars changing identity, gaining trust and yet committing the most horrific of crimes. I am stunned by this book. I was glued to it. The victims, the survivors, the police investigations, the trials. It is so addictive. A must-read for any true-crime aficionado!

[Angi Plant]

My thoughts
This is a really fantastic read. It shows how people like Tobin went unnoticed, underground and unfortunately were allowed to run amok.
The staggering amount of unaccounted for deaths and missing women should be something that makes us all sit up and want to do something about. There are several dangerous men out there, operating within relationships and society. I know I have lived with one. And the conclusion I came to was people prefer not to see. This was also mentioned by the author. Her writing is hard hitting, but doesn’t glorify the perpetrator. I don’t want to call him a monster, it makes him bigger. In my eyes, he was a small man who got lucky and honed his grisly craft.
He is one of the serial killers that has long stuck out in my mind. Not because he was special but because he was so cold and frightening. He made me less trusting.
I love how the author concentrates on the family of him and how he affected them. So few authors do this. The families become the forgotten, as well as the unknown victims.
Thank you Jane Hamilton for your rounded and thoughtful writing on a subject that has obviously left scars on you.
With thanks to Anne Cater, the publisher and the author for the advanced reading copy of this book.

[Sam | Sambooka23]

I read this book within a day. It really drew me in. It messed with my head and wow, it was so interesting and gripping.

It was a very emotional read.
I was angry.
I wanted to throw the book countless times because there was SO many failures.

The system failed. Big time. So many missed opportunities. As we know, Tobin did get his comeuppance in the end. Thank heavens.

I really like that from the start of the book, Jane said she never stopped looking into this case, researching and wants to do her best for the families. You can tell the time, heart and knowledge that went into this book.

Jane captures the pain of there families; the emotion and anger from the families and the public. There is so much respect written into Jane Hamiltons words for the families that lost and were failed.

It was a very powerful read. I learned a lot from reading this. I felt heartbroken for Tobin’s 3 wives; what they had each endured and went through. Their experience was stressful and not what they deserved.

As a Scot, Tobin is a name you hear often in Scotland and at times, it angers me because we are still giving him the time and attention. He is a nasty, vile man.

Jane, I applaud you for writing with care and compassion for the families. For outing the system failures and for continuing to research in this monster. Thank you for never stopping because you were ‘told’ or thought you had to. And thank you for taking care, time and effort to write the victims (and for their families) like you have. Always have a voice.

Never let anyone or the systems keep you quiet.

Thanks to @jane.dhamilton and @mirror.books for allowing me a copy of your book. To @randomthingstours for having me on this book tour.

[Zoe Forever Reading 16]

This was an easy 5🌟. I couldn’t put it down and annotated so much of it. It’s such an important book that I think everyone should read. As much as it was hard and emotional to read Jane’s writing is lovely and flowed so well. Really loved her writing and there were so many quotes that really got me emotionally. It really hit hard and was very powerful and informative. Jane captures the pain of the families of the young women killed by Tobin with the dignity and respect that they deserve. You see who the girls were and who they could have been. My heart broke reading what his 3 wives and his son went through and what they experienced.
It was very powerful and shocking reading all the names of teenagers and young women that went missing or were killed and their cases were never solved. That was hard to read, knowing so many families never got the answers they deserved about their loved ones.
It is clear the dedication Jane gives her work, and the respect and care she has towards everyone impacted by this case. There is definitely something about Jane’s writing style I connected with. I have since ordered Jane’s first book My Mother's Murder to read.

[Laura Hamilton]

This was an incredibly well written, insightful look at the investigation into initially serial killer Peter Tobin which widened out into a look at police investigation & (True Crime) journalism in general.
It did take the focus away from Tobin, giving importance & recognition to his three confirmed victims, Angelika Kluk, Vicky Hamilton, Dinah McNicol and their families suffering.
It also looked at the mistakes that were made ahead of Angelika's murder, which if they had not been made Angelika may have not been harmed.
The book gave insight into Operation Anagram, the cases it looked at that Tobin may be responsible for and how it helped improve policing of major crimes. Also Operation Trinity and "The World's End murders", sharing how these both improved police protocols, hopefully meaning that the next (serial) killer will be found sooner as they will not be able to hide "In the Shadows" as Tobin and others like him did.
The final part of the book looked at the changing (not necessarily for the better, of journalism and "The Weight of Witness"
Highly recommended reading.

[Tony Mac]

Author Jane Hamilton is a former Scottish crime reporter.

Tobin was a horrible, evil b****** who abused and controlled three wives before going on to murder at least three young women: Vicky Hamilton, 15, Dinah McNicol, 18, and Polish student Angelika Kluk, 23.

He was 60 by then, going under the name of Pat McLaughlin (one of many false aliases) and had no doubt raped and killed numerous others before he was finally caught after burying Angelika beneath St Patrick’s Church in Anderston, Glasgow, where he worked as an odd-job man and she had lodgings.

Yet again, serious police mistakes led to the last three known victims to be murdered unnecessarily. He should have been caught and convicted much earlier.

[Nimalee Ravi]

Hunting Shadows is a compelling true-crime memoir by Scottish crime journalist Jane Hamilton. The book chronicles her decades long career reporting some of Scotland's most harrowing cases.

Hamilton was among the first journalists to question whether Tobin's crimes were more extensive than they initially realised. Operation Anagram helped police to uncover the extent of his crimes.

The book is engaging and deeply disturbing yet her clear and meticulous details feel necessary rather than trying to sensationalise the story.
If you are a fan of high end true crime, this is a must read.

[Staceywh_17]

Peter Tobin was a Scottish serial killer and a repeat sex offender. He seemed to think he was elusive and invincible when it came to his crimes and the law.

First arrested and sentenced in 1994 for a double sex attack, he remained in prison for fourteen years until his release in 2004. A mere year later he's on the run for an 'alleged' attack. He then proceeds to take a variety of jobs and uses a string of aliases hoping to remain anonymous. By 2006 he's back in prison where he will remain, for the murders of Angelika Kluk, Dinah McNicol, and Vicky Hamilton.

Jane Hamilton is a crime journalist and Tobin was one of her many high profile cases.

The book is absolutely fascinating and held me in its clutches until I'd devoured it from cover to cover. It's not without it's share of emotion and I found myself still thinking about the victims and their families days later.

[Judefire33]

My review –

Huge thanks to Random Things Tours for arranging this blog tour and thanks for Mirror Books for supplying me with a copy of Hunting Shadows.

As a huge fan of true crime fiction, I was instantly drawn to reading about serial killer Peter Tobin which makes me sound like I’m a of a sicko, but I’m so interested in how these men were able to evade the law and operate. And in Jane Hamilton’s book, I was able to learn the many failures and also the many changes that occurred in British Policing because of men like Peter Tobin

Writing a book about murderers and their victims is not something that all authors can do, but Jane Hamilton is a talent of this genre. Her inside knowledge of the case as it unfolded over the years and her dogged investigate skills as a journalist, make this the go to book about not only Peter Tobin, but also more importantly the victims of such abhorrent serial killers. Her ability to engage with the families of the victims and to raise their profile over the actions of a horrible man are exemplary, and done from her heart not just a journalistic point of view.

I really was gripped to Hunting Shadows like it was a thriller, it is such an easy read of a difficult subject. I also loved the inside knowledge of what being a journalist during the investigation was like. If i had one criticism it would be that i wanted some pictures especially of the poor victims, but that’s a personal niggle and no slight on an excellent book.

A gripping 5 star read.

[Mark Riley]

I had only known about Tobin from news stories when his unfortunate victims were unearthed some years ago. This is a well written account of the serial killer, with plausible opinions regarding further victims etc.

[Davide Longo]

very interesting read, Jane really explains the issues/gaps decades ago.

[Janey Grant]

I could not put this book down. Fascinating! I loved Jane's writing.

[Zoë]

Was good right till the end. I only wanted to read about Peter Torbin not the end chapters of the death of the newspaper

[Джордан]

More of a memoir rather than a real biography.