To Catch A Killer - My Hunt for the Truth Behind the Doorstep Murder

by Peter Bleksley

On 28 November 2004, banker and father-of-two Alistair Wilson was shot three times on his doorstep in a killing more commonly associated with inner city gang wars than a sleepy seaside town in the Scottish Highlands. All these years later, the question why?Who would wish to kill this respectable husband and family man in such a brutal fashion? Was it simply a tragic case of mistaken identity, or did someone have reason to end Alistair's life? And what was the significance of the envelope handed to him before he was fatally wounded?Over the years, lines of enquiry have been investigated and dismissed, gossip has spread, theories offered and rumours debated at length. And yet, so long after Alistair's death, no arrest has ever been made and precious few motives have been made public.In this gripping true crime investigation, Peter Bleksley, top ex-undercover cop and The Chief on Channel 4's Hunted, strives to uncover the truth and hunt down Alistair's killer. He travels to Scotland, speaks to experts, and draws on his decades of investigative experience in order to provide new insight into Scotland's most mysterious murder case.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime

255 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 15, 2018

Reviews

[Karen]

Didn’t actually finish. There was a lot of to and fro between the actual crime and the authors background. I found it quite distracting to read and in the end gave up.

[Georgie Alex · Rating 1 out of 5]

Author LOVES himself and could not differentiate fact from fiction.

[Jenny Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Frustrating read. Wanted to know more but chapters were dragged out. Very repetitive.

[Mr Allan Goldie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have often thought about the murder of Alistair Wilson on the doorstep of his home in Nairn in 2004. Why was he shot dead….who was the killer? The murder was recently in the news again with a police issue of a possible motive being Alistair’s planning objection to the decking put in place at the Hotel opposite his home. I knew about Peter Bleksley and his work in crime investigation as an author and retired police officer. I was aware of how he had looked into this murder closely over the past few years….so I knew I needed to read this book. It is a book worthy of reading. There were times in the book where he talks about his work years ago as a Detective in London…..at first I found it distracting but overall I saw the purpose in that and how it gave perspective and connection with following the investigation by him of the Nairn murder. He also was very opinionated about the Northern Constabulary faults in their handling and investigation of the murder….and also of the now Police Scotland lack of communication with him about his questions he wanted answered. As a retired Police Officer I initially felt irritated with that and of his cheekiness in comments and attitude against them. However….I persevered reading through that….and to be honest….I really get what he was saying….and I can imagine what the attitude of officers were about Peter’s efforts to dig deeper into the investigation….they would close doors to his requests and progress….that’s how they would operate. Overall….for me it was a great book to read. It was very thorough in its reporting. It gave me a great deal of knowledge that I did not know about relative to the case. It allowed me to settle things in my mind about why this murder happened. I am clear in my mind that Alistair’s wife Veronica had nothing to do with her husband’s murder which featured in some theories talked about. I am very sure that it was not mistaken identity. I am very sure it was not a random call at the door and kill the person by some crazy person. The recent possibility reported on in the media was the planning objection made by Alistair….however I don’t feel that as a strong theory. My reasoning after finishing the book is that there is more of a connection with his banking work and all involved in the ins and outs of all that and what had been going on in that institution during that time. I feel that “someone” called at the home to “sort out” some business and it just led to Alistair being shot dead. That’s my gut feeling now having read the book. Read it for yourself and firm your own thoughts.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this one up off the back of 2 occurrences, 1. I had recently listened to a BBC podcast series about the case and was interested in hearing more, and 2. I had recently finished reading Peter’s ‘Manhunt’ book from last year and wanted to check out some of his other work.

I knew going in that this was a crime that has not been solved as of yet and so there was not going to be a nice conclusion however I still very much enjoyed reading about the author meeting up with different sources and their opinions or theories.

After reading reviews, I was a little worried about how vain the writing might be and this was proved to be correct early on with the first few chapters following a pattern of one relevant chapter and then a chapter about some aspect of Peter Bleksley’s past in a slight autobiographical nature, none of which added any value in this setting. However this does ease off around the mid point and begins to focus on much more interesting matters relating to the case and Criminology.

Peter Bleksley comes across as a really nice guy but one thing that really bewilders me (and is apparent in his other books) is his expectation of the police and Bank Of Scotland to share confidential information with him (he refers more than once to these relationships as being a “one way street”). I think Peter might be stuck in the past a little with this. Rightly or wrongly, times have changed and sensitive information should be protected properly.

[Lynn Glencorse · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable true crime book about a murder in my own country which I, surprisingly enough, knew very little about. I enjoyed reading about Peter's investigation into the murder and all the lines of enquiry he made as a result. I would be lying, however, to say that the unresolved nature of this heinous crime didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the book. This is no fault of the author's though and I commend his passion and commitment to one day helping solve this murder. I think that it is a truly sad indictment on the Scottish Police service that so many errors were made/opportunities missed during the early days of the investigation and I found it disappointing that they did not support Peter in his own investigation. Surely any help they could get solving a crime, that they have thus far failed to solve, would have been welcomed with open arms. Here's hoping that, in time, the killer is brought to justice.

[Nicolette · Rating 1 out of 5]

There was just so much waffle and filler in this book, it was a tough slog to get through it. It was more about the author's life and career than it was about Alistair Wilson. No wonder Veronica Wilson, the police and the bank wanted no part of it.

If you don't have enough information to write a book then don't write the book. Throwing in a completely unrelated chapter about the murder of Rachel Nickell, is just jarring for the reader.

The podcast 'The Doorstep Murder', presented by Fiona Walker is far superior.

[Maisie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up in Nairn, a similar age to Alistair Wilson’s oldest son, this case has always fascinated me. To read about the case in such detail and the possible leads explored was really interesting. It’s so frustrating that the truth is still not known, but to hear about the gossip and theories surrounding the case was interesting. The book really captured my interest and brought the case into the public light. I really hope that one day the truth will out.

[Chelsie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved Peter on Hunted so was excited to read his book! I was hooked early on and wanted to know more as each chapter unfolded. It was well written, engaging and I loved the insights from the professionals he consulted on his way.
Spoiler - so annoyed we don't find the killer by the end of the book!! That's my only critique!

[Paul Underwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enthralling Tragedy.

A sad story for those effected by the crime.
The many facetted true story expertly crafted showing the past failings of some investigators.
The progression of the events is well described.
We can all hope that the perpetrator is apprehended and brought to trial.
Only then will justice be served.

[Karen Spence · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting read. Mostly theories & conjuncture with little substance or proof. Aside from that this family deserve justice so well done Mr. Bleksley for bringing it to the fore but this style of writing isn’t for me.

[Sheelagh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just hope they catch the killer

[Douglas Law · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining read.

[Morag · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some food for thought. A wee bit disappointed not to have a definitive answer but he does acknowledge this in the book

[Emma McNish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

[Craig West · Rating 4 out of 5]

5/5 This book BLEW ME AWAY! Superb; Exciting; I will be forever An unforgettable read that will stay with me!
4/5 GREAT book! Awesome; intriguing; captured my interest throughout!
3/5 Really GOOD book! Aspects had me hooked. Curiousity piqued! I will definitely be looking out for your books!

[Donna]

Didn’t finish this book. Read a few chapters and found it quite boring. It felt like a very fact based, blow by blow of a police investigation and, knowing the crime was never solved, I found it quite pointless. Didn’t want to waste my time reading it.