Scottish Murders

by Lisa Wallis

Here are twenty true tales of murder most foul: dark deeds at the court of Mary, Queen of Scots; the great Victorian trials of Madeline Smith and Dr Edward Pritchard (‘The Human Crocodile’); the grisly exploits of the body-snatchers Burke and Hare; and the still-undetected ‘Bible John’, who terrorised a famous Glasgow dancehall in the 1960s.


The famous Scottish murder cases gathered here are by no means straightforward crimes. Some are still unsolved; in some, the apparently innocent are found guilty, in others the guilty have surely walked free – some by means of that uniquely Scottish verdict, ‘Not Proven’. The legal process could produce some unlikely results, leading to trials nearly as notorious as the crimes they sought to prosecute.


From the busy city streets of Edinburgh and Glasgow to the remote, desolate beauty of the Scottish Highlands, these cases are in turn chilling and heart-breaking, but never less than fascinating.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, History, Mystery, Crime, Scotland

Paperback

First published March 11, 2012

Reviews

[Lainy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow xxx

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought this book on a 3-day tour in the Scottish Highlands to read on the bus alongside the one about Scottish folklore. It was an easy, interesting read and I learned quite a bit about Scottish history in it. Looking forward to the reading the other one!

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mõrvad läbi aegade ja Šotimaa - mida rohkem üks naine vajab! Head lühikesed, aga kokkuvõtvad lood kronoloogilises järjekorras. Olles kevadel just Šotimaal käinud oli see hea lugemine.

[Danielle Laman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit of a pallete cleanser. The stories are short sweet and simple but it is an alright for those who want a throw away read.

[Candy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure but think I read most of these stories before in a different book. Regardless, still a nice read when cruising the Scotland Highlands in a tour coach.

[Scott Bilodeau · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book initially caught my eye at the Edinburgh train station when I was heading out of town while on vacation. I didn’t pick it up though because I had already bought three books at a local store and still had about 3/4 of my vacation to go. But it and a book about Scottish myths and legends stuck in my mind. So I snatched them up when I made it back nearer to the end of my trek.

This book details about 20 famous Scottish murders, the ensuing trials, judgements and what became of the accused for their remaining days, which were few for the majority who were found guilty, regardless of actual culpability, and sentenced to death. They are listed chronologically and range in time from Mary, Queen of Scots all the way through the 1960s. All of them captured considerable public attention, oftentimes with the public weighing in with agreement, protesting a harsh sentence, or encouraging leniency. One thing I learned about reading this book was the uniquely Scottish judgement of “Not Proven”, which does not completely exonerate an individual but frees them from sentencing.

Murders occurred by way of poisoning (it seems so obvious reading after the fact that that was going on), shooting in the woods, bringing someone who couldn’t swim out onto a lake and sinking the boat, pushing someone off a mountain, etc. Be careful who you choose to go on excursions with!! In many cases the murderer had just recently taken out some form of insurance. There were cases where someone was so obviously guilty but were incredulously set free with innocent or not proven rulings and others where various biases likely led to an innocent person being condemned to hang. The intrigue behind was equally interesting. Jealousies and lovers’ quarrels. Or just a quick way to make a few bucks or in one particularly creepy tale, a way of finding cheap, nutritional sustenance…

Each accounting was a quick, easy, and interesting read. It’s a great selection if you are looking for a quick “palate cleanser” book between two others.

[Animekh Misra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was gifted to me by a colleague. She purchased it from Edinburgh Castle.

It started off easy with Chapter 1, and immediately got very intense by the next chapter.

The chapters are reasonably short, and arranged chronologically.

I am most facinated by two stories- 'The Legend of Sawney Beane' and 'The Beast of Birkenshaw'.

[Tina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought this book while holidaying in the Highlands while waiting on a train from Inverness back to where we were staying. Its a nice wee read to pass the time. Crimes in order of years they happened. Some I knew of but much more that I hadn't. Fact based with some imagination thrown in possibly?

[Andrew Willcocks · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting collection of murders, well written.

[Jeffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book, along with the Myths and Legends one, way back in 2014 on a trip to Edinburgh, and finally got around to reading it.

It's a nice, short read, not very detailed, but fast-moving and ideal to read during a vacation.

[Bonnie Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really fascinating book! Interesting compilation of stories and tons of details. If you like true crime, this is a good one for you. 😁

[Stella’S Iphone · Rating 4 out of 5]

meh

[Lotta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this on a vacation to Scotland and read it in two days. It was a nice, easy read and I especially appreciated the subtle humour here and there.

I’m not usually one for true crimes and I have to admit that the Legend of Sawney Beane made me a little sick to my stomach so be aware, it gets pretty dark at times (as is to be expected).

[•Jasmijn• · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really interesting and quite nice that the murders are put in order of the years that they happend in.

[Roanreads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first nonfiction book I read this year. Usually I don't read nonfiction but I got this book 2.5 years ago and had been meaning to read it for ages. This year I am aiming to read more nonfiction and this was a start.

This book is collection of short retelling of 20 different murders. While some of the cases are really interesting, many of the cases feel repetition and boring. Some of these cases could have been cut to expand on the other cases. Due to the amount of cases , it felt like the author prioritised quantity over quality. However, there are some incredibly interesting and it was fascinating to read about some cases I had heard about before. 2 of the cases the "bible John" and "the beast of Birkenshaw" which was covered by @ellenore.

One case I particularly enjoyed was "The Legend of Sawey Beane" that I would like to learn about. Overall, this book was interesting and covered a large time line in-between the first and last case covered.

[Nestorix Meown · Rating 4 out of 5]

book about scottish murders, some english men get killed. very nice.