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A SCOTLAND YARD MURDER CASEBOOK: Classic Crime - the True Story of Nine Murders and One British Detective
In 1924, Patrick Mahon took his pregnant lover for a short holiday by the seaside. A few days later, Mahon murdered her. He cut up her body, and stored it in a trunk; parts of the body were then disposed of by being thrown out of a moving train. The Mahon case is just one of the murders which Percy Savage investigated during his thirty year career as a Scotland Yard detective. 'A Scotland Yard Murder Casebook' brings together a selection of murder cases in which Percy Savage was involved. Some of these cases were gruesome, some were tragic, some involved extraordinary twists and coincidences, and some remain unsolved. A Scotland Yard Murder Casebook will be of interest to anybody who enjoys classic true crime stories. CONTENTS HOW TO DISPOSE OF A CORPSE 1 Secrets of the Locked Bag 2 The Camberwell Triple Murder WAR AND PEACE 3 The Tragedy of Two Army Doctors SUPRISING VIOLENCE 4 The Hunt for the Police Killers 5 Murder by Moonlight THE UNSOLVED MURDER FILE 6 The Camberley Mystery 7 The Luard Case
106 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 5, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
January 4, 2022
Pretty interesting collection of true life murders investigated by the same detective. All quite interesting but nothing overly taxing. An easy afternoon read.
February 17, 2019
Interesting read
I find history and criminology fascinating and this book gives a good in-depth look at how Scotland Yard gained a reputation as a force to be reckoned with. It tells not only of some of the most chilling of crimes in the early 20th century but also of the men with brilliant minds that allowed forensic science to be born that to this day are still being used in the fight against crime all these many years later. Probably the most chilling aspect of it all is the swift carrying out of the punishment handed down to the unfortunate found guilty. ..whether rightly so or not.
I find history and criminology fascinating and this book gives a good in-depth look at how Scotland Yard gained a reputation as a force to be reckoned with. It tells not only of some of the most chilling of crimes in the early 20th century but also of the men with brilliant minds that allowed forensic science to be born that to this day are still being used in the fight against crime all these many years later. Probably the most chilling aspect of it all is the swift carrying out of the punishment handed down to the unfortunate found guilty. ..whether rightly so or not.
January 2, 2019
Wonderful read
Great read,super stories,you won't get bored with this book, true stories that kept me interested,10 out off 10 very good.
Great read,super stories,you won't get bored with this book, true stories that kept me interested,10 out off 10 very good.
February 15, 2019
Some interesting cases but the shoddy formatting brought the rating down.
May 3, 2019
I found this book very good in places, the cases are good and the descriptions of the places are good also.
June 4, 2019
interesting
if you like true crime story you will love this and it's very informative and gives an insight to what the police force have to and have delt with
if you like true crime story you will love this and it's very informative and gives an insight to what the police force have to and have delt with
January 26, 2020
History and crime in one package with information about real people who were involved.
February 13, 2021
Interesting book about crimes pursued.
This book was well written and really gives the reader detail and information on how these crimes were investigated in those times.
This book was well written and really gives the reader detail and information on how these crimes were investigated in those times.
July 24, 2023
A bit gory but then true life usually is.
October 19, 2022
"Savage" is a great name for a detective.
I'd think twice about committing a serious crime if I knew that it would be investigated by a policeman named "Savage." But then, I'm not likely to ever commit a serious crime and most criminals don't seem to think once, never mind twice.
No idea how I stumbled on this quirky little book, but it turned out to be a wonderful read. When Detective Constable Percy Savage joined the Metropolitan Police Service (Scotland Yard to most of us) in 1901, the Met had been in existence for seventy years. He worked in the recently created C.I.D., which was designed to set a higher standard for the investigation of serious crimes, both in London and elsewhere. He retired in 1934 as a Detective Superintendent and wrote a book about his life as a police detective.
That book appears to be long out-of-print, but this author used it as a primary source to tell the stories of nine murders and Savage's role in investigating them. Savage wanted the public to be aware of the dedication and danger involved in police work and also to educate them about the incredible changes that took place during the 30+ years of his career.
He was employed by the Met when police stations had no telephones, no radios, and no motorized vehicles. Even fingerprinting was in the future. By the time he retired, policing had become more scientific, although still primitive by today's standards. Yet crime was still a constant. Some people live by their own laws and even law-abiding people may be tempted into committing a horrible crime. Law enforcement try to stay one step ahead of criminals.
The author relates nine murders investigated by Detective Savage and all are lively stories. Patrick Mahon made headlines because of the unusual way he tried to hide the body of his victim. Also, he invited another woman to the crime scene to keep him company. Yet, he was simply an unfaithful husband caught because his wife got suspicious. He was sublimely confident that his looks and charm would get him out of any sticky situation. Today we'd call him a narcissist or a sociopath. In 1924, they called him a murderer and hung him less than six months after his arrest. Justice was prompt in those days.
Edgar Edwards ran afoul of the law two decades earlier, but he also faced the problem of how to dispose of his victims' bodies. In his case, there were three, including an infant. Edgar was caught because he was too lazy to clean up after himself and because he tried the same game twice. Even so, he might never have been arrested if one of his victim's relatives hadn't demanded that the police find her sister and niece. Like Patrick Mahon, Edwards overestimated his intelligence and underestimated the intelligence of the police. His defense attorney tried to plead insanity. Did it work?
Several of the stories involve military men, retired or active. Not surprising, since given how many Englishmen served in WWI. The case of the two Army doctors is an odd one because there seems no motive for murder. Again, a wily defence lawyer used that to support an insanity plea. Did the horrors experienced by Lt Colonel Rutherford at the front during WWI cause him to become unhinged? Would you rather be hanged or spend the rest of your life in a mental hospital? And how does any society justify refusing a wife a divorce from a convicted murderer?
Then, as now, there were people who kill for the sheer joy of destruction. The murder of a police officer on duty shocks and frightens everyone. If those hired to protect us are vulnerable themselves, can we ever feel safe? In 1927, few police officers carried guns and certainly not country constables. Why would a car thief gun down a copper (unarmed and on foot) instead of driving off? Why would two laborers kill over the thief of a few scraps of food? It's horrifying to think of people who acknowledge no one's rules but their own, but we all know they exist.
Of course, not even Detective Savage solved all his crimes. Perhaps he included these two examples because they occurred early in his career. Law enforcement agencies keep tweeking their training programs, but most cops would say there's nothing like experience. These murders were shocking because the victims were respectable, middle-aged women, living in safe suburban areas.
In both cases, their nearest relatives were suspected, although there was no evidence of family problems. Were the police simply not able to find the missing link or were the murders committed by drifters who left no trace? Sometimes murders go unsolved for decades until a serial killer is finally caught.
This book is readable and the stories have the charm of age. At the same time, it's impossible not to make mental connections to modern crimes and see the similarities. Human nature never changes. I'm glad this author found Detective Savage's memoirs and brought his stories to life. They're too good to be lost.
I'd think twice about committing a serious crime if I knew that it would be investigated by a policeman named "Savage." But then, I'm not likely to ever commit a serious crime and most criminals don't seem to think once, never mind twice.
No idea how I stumbled on this quirky little book, but it turned out to be a wonderful read. When Detective Constable Percy Savage joined the Metropolitan Police Service (Scotland Yard to most of us) in 1901, the Met had been in existence for seventy years. He worked in the recently created C.I.D., which was designed to set a higher standard for the investigation of serious crimes, both in London and elsewhere. He retired in 1934 as a Detective Superintendent and wrote a book about his life as a police detective.
That book appears to be long out-of-print, but this author used it as a primary source to tell the stories of nine murders and Savage's role in investigating them. Savage wanted the public to be aware of the dedication and danger involved in police work and also to educate them about the incredible changes that took place during the 30+ years of his career.
He was employed by the Met when police stations had no telephones, no radios, and no motorized vehicles. Even fingerprinting was in the future. By the time he retired, policing had become more scientific, although still primitive by today's standards. Yet crime was still a constant. Some people live by their own laws and even law-abiding people may be tempted into committing a horrible crime. Law enforcement try to stay one step ahead of criminals.
The author relates nine murders investigated by Detective Savage and all are lively stories. Patrick Mahon made headlines because of the unusual way he tried to hide the body of his victim. Also, he invited another woman to the crime scene to keep him company. Yet, he was simply an unfaithful husband caught because his wife got suspicious. He was sublimely confident that his looks and charm would get him out of any sticky situation. Today we'd call him a narcissist or a sociopath. In 1924, they called him a murderer and hung him less than six months after his arrest. Justice was prompt in those days.
Edgar Edwards ran afoul of the law two decades earlier, but he also faced the problem of how to dispose of his victims' bodies. In his case, there were three, including an infant. Edgar was caught because he was too lazy to clean up after himself and because he tried the same game twice. Even so, he might never have been arrested if one of his victim's relatives hadn't demanded that the police find her sister and niece. Like Patrick Mahon, Edwards overestimated his intelligence and underestimated the intelligence of the police. His defense attorney tried to plead insanity. Did it work?
Several of the stories involve military men, retired or active. Not surprising, since given how many Englishmen served in WWI. The case of the two Army doctors is an odd one because there seems no motive for murder. Again, a wily defence lawyer used that to support an insanity plea. Did the horrors experienced by Lt Colonel Rutherford at the front during WWI cause him to become unhinged? Would you rather be hanged or spend the rest of your life in a mental hospital? And how does any society justify refusing a wife a divorce from a convicted murderer?
Then, as now, there were people who kill for the sheer joy of destruction. The murder of a police officer on duty shocks and frightens everyone. If those hired to protect us are vulnerable themselves, can we ever feel safe? In 1927, few police officers carried guns and certainly not country constables. Why would a car thief gun down a copper (unarmed and on foot) instead of driving off? Why would two laborers kill over the thief of a few scraps of food? It's horrifying to think of people who acknowledge no one's rules but their own, but we all know they exist.
Of course, not even Detective Savage solved all his crimes. Perhaps he included these two examples because they occurred early in his career. Law enforcement agencies keep tweeking their training programs, but most cops would say there's nothing like experience. These murders were shocking because the victims were respectable, middle-aged women, living in safe suburban areas.
In both cases, their nearest relatives were suspected, although there was no evidence of family problems. Were the police simply not able to find the missing link or were the murders committed by drifters who left no trace? Sometimes murders go unsolved for decades until a serial killer is finally caught.
This book is readable and the stories have the charm of age. At the same time, it's impossible not to make mental connections to modern crimes and see the similarities. Human nature never changes. I'm glad this author found Detective Savage's memoirs and brought his stories to life. They're too good to be lost.
January 31, 2025
In a twisted sort of way I was pleased, reading this, to be reminded of reading, in the late 1960s, a biography of Bernard Spilsbury - probably my first 'true crime' (vivid enough to put me off ham sandwiches for a while). This, similarly gruesome but its focus wider, was well-written, informative and enjoyable.
January 19, 2021
Good collection of true crime stories
July 17, 2021
Loved this book. Learned alot about different murders and where and what the places are now
Read
May 21, 2022Didn't finish it. Not as good as I thought it would be, Writing style not to my liking.
March 17, 2023
A short but interesting book about specific murders in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A must read for lovers of true crime and historical crime.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews