What do you think?
Rate this book
Dark City: Murder, Vice, and Mayhem in Wartime London
There was more to wartime London than stiff upper lips and rousing choruses of 'Roll Out the Barrel'. Criminals hunted their prey without fear of reprisal. Many operated under the cover of darkness, emerging when the city sank into the oblivion of its nightly blackout. Others simply struck whenever opportunity presented itself. At a time when Londoners were pulling together in the face of terrible adversity, there were an increasing number of looters, racketeers, terrorists, criminal gangs, prostitutes, rapists and murderers stalking the bomb-ravaged, panic-ridden streets, and Dark City chronicles the rapid rise of crime throughout this turbulent period. Indeed, wartime London was a criminal's paradise. The number of bodies being retrieved during the Blitz made it virtually impossible for authorities to perform autopsies on all of them. The question soon arose: who were the victims of bombings, and who had simply been murdered? Award-winning crime writer Simon Read paints a vivid picture of what life was really like in 1940s London, and profiles the crimes of its most notorious perpetrators, including the Blackout Ripper, Chicago Joe, the Elephant Boys, and the infamous Rillington Place Murderer, John Reginald Christie.
256 pages, Paperback
First published October 14, 2010
5 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
Simon Read
26 books42 followersI'm the author of nine non-fiction books published on both sides of the Atlantic. Hachette will release my next book, THE IRON SEA, in November.
When I'm not writing, I enjoy reading (naturally), messing about on the piano, listening to classic British rock, and searching for good English pubs (I live in Arizona, where such drinking establishments can sometimes be hard to find).
Please feel free to check out my website or visit me on Twitter.
When I'm not writing, I enjoy reading (naturally), messing about on the piano, listening to classic British rock, and searching for good English pubs (I live in Arizona, where such drinking establishments can sometimes be hard to find).
Please feel free to check out my website or visit me on Twitter.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 25, 2017
Quite an interesting look at famous murder cases that occured in London during WW II. The cases are varied, though the majority involve men murdering women - I wonder why. Was there an increase in this type of crime at the time? I could have enjoyed a little more context, but still an enjoyable read.
March 8, 2025
This wasn't the book I was expecting. Rather than a broad discussion of the topic, it is a selection of accounts of wartime murders, most of which could have happened at any point in history and don't particularly have any wartime connection or context. So it's not a bad book, just not what I was hoping for.
July 12, 2023
Wartime London provided vast opportunities for all kinds of mischief during the years 1939-1945. Murder, prostitution and looting were common during the nighttime blackouts.
Harry Dobkin had an arranged Jewish marriage to his wife Rachel and whoever made the match made a fatal mistake. After a period of turmoil, the couple divorced and Harry fumed over the alimony payments. The solution was a simple one amongst the chaos of nightly bombing raids. Dobkin worked as a firewatcher and called in a fire at a church. In the meantime, Rachel had vanished without a trace. She was finally discovered in the basement of the church. Justice was swift in 1941.
The "Blackout Ripper," Gordon Cummins is next. The RAF pilot had severe anger management issues when dealing with prostitutes. His wife described him as gentle and quiet. The victims would strongly disagree with her evaluation of Gordon. One of the them had a flashlight shoved into her ptivate parts and another a candle. The soldier would meet his fate after dropping his gas mask during an attack.
Another tale of domestic bliss follows as a woman was found in a river and later identified as Rene Manton. Her unhappy marriage ended quickly and her husband Bertie was convicted.
Karl Hulten was an American serviceman who met stripper Elizabeth Jones in London and the pair gained fame worldwide after their arrest for the murder of a cab driver.
10 Rillington Place is a well known address in Britain as the location of the murder victims of John Christie. The smell of rotting corpses, including his wife who was buried under the kitchen floorboards, finally led to Mr. Christie's demise. Unfortunately, an innocent man was hanged for two of John's murders. The government later apologized for the mistake.
John George Haigh fills the final chapter and, as often happens, will lead me to more books on the subject. The "Acid Bath Killer" used sulphuric acid to dissolve the bodies of his victims. Dr. Keith Simpson sorted through gallons of sludge and sorted out a pair of dentures. Haigh confessed to drinking the blood of his prey. His childhood was a strict one with constant messages of sin and redemption. Mom and dad were fundamentalist lunatics who should have remained childless.
Dark City is a worthy followup to Read's In the Dark.
Harry Dobkin had an arranged Jewish marriage to his wife Rachel and whoever made the match made a fatal mistake. After a period of turmoil, the couple divorced and Harry fumed over the alimony payments. The solution was a simple one amongst the chaos of nightly bombing raids. Dobkin worked as a firewatcher and called in a fire at a church. In the meantime, Rachel had vanished without a trace. She was finally discovered in the basement of the church. Justice was swift in 1941.
The "Blackout Ripper," Gordon Cummins is next. The RAF pilot had severe anger management issues when dealing with prostitutes. His wife described him as gentle and quiet. The victims would strongly disagree with her evaluation of Gordon. One of the them had a flashlight shoved into her ptivate parts and another a candle. The soldier would meet his fate after dropping his gas mask during an attack.
Another tale of domestic bliss follows as a woman was found in a river and later identified as Rene Manton. Her unhappy marriage ended quickly and her husband Bertie was convicted.
Karl Hulten was an American serviceman who met stripper Elizabeth Jones in London and the pair gained fame worldwide after their arrest for the murder of a cab driver.
10 Rillington Place is a well known address in Britain as the location of the murder victims of John Christie. The smell of rotting corpses, including his wife who was buried under the kitchen floorboards, finally led to Mr. Christie's demise. Unfortunately, an innocent man was hanged for two of John's murders. The government later apologized for the mistake.
John George Haigh fills the final chapter and, as often happens, will lead me to more books on the subject. The "Acid Bath Killer" used sulphuric acid to dissolve the bodies of his victims. Dr. Keith Simpson sorted through gallons of sludge and sorted out a pair of dentures. Haigh confessed to drinking the blood of his prey. His childhood was a strict one with constant messages of sin and redemption. Mom and dad were fundamentalist lunatics who should have remained childless.
Dark City is a worthy followup to Read's In the Dark.
March 10, 2011
If there's one thing that DARK CITY reminds the reader of - it's that it doesn't matter what is happening around us, there are always the good, the bad and the downright opportunistic members of the human race.
There's always been stories of the strength and determination of the British people during the Blitz and the Second World War in general - their stoicism, the way that they pulled together and survived the dreadful bombardments throw at them in the course of the war. But I don't remember that much concentration on the lesser elements of society. The murderers that used the elements of the blitz to their own ends - the blackouts, the deprivations, the sheer distraction of the people as a whole. There were also the murderers that simply could not help themselves, that kill regardless of the circumstances or the time.
DARK CITY is an interesting book that combines a look at a series of murders with some observation of the time in which they occurred. Interestingly there is also a family connection for the author, his grandfather was the arresting officer in one of the murders discussed by the book.
Covering a wide range of murder types - serial and opportunistic, from the lesser known to the notorious such as the Rillington Place Murderer, John Christie, DARK CITY gives the reader a different viewpoint of London during the Blitz.
Interestingly, whilst the idea that there were crooks and murderers within a society that was so threatened by external threats is sobering, the overwhelming message that comes from the book is that no matter how constrained by external factors, how limited the scientific options available, there remained an overwhelming desire to investigate, resolve and find justice for the victims.
There's always been stories of the strength and determination of the British people during the Blitz and the Second World War in general - their stoicism, the way that they pulled together and survived the dreadful bombardments throw at them in the course of the war. But I don't remember that much concentration on the lesser elements of society. The murderers that used the elements of the blitz to their own ends - the blackouts, the deprivations, the sheer distraction of the people as a whole. There were also the murderers that simply could not help themselves, that kill regardless of the circumstances or the time.
DARK CITY is an interesting book that combines a look at a series of murders with some observation of the time in which they occurred. Interestingly there is also a family connection for the author, his grandfather was the arresting officer in one of the murders discussed by the book.
Covering a wide range of murder types - serial and opportunistic, from the lesser known to the notorious such as the Rillington Place Murderer, John Christie, DARK CITY gives the reader a different viewpoint of London during the Blitz.
Interestingly, whilst the idea that there were crooks and murderers within a society that was so threatened by external threats is sobering, the overwhelming message that comes from the book is that no matter how constrained by external factors, how limited the scientific options available, there remained an overwhelming desire to investigate, resolve and find justice for the victims.
April 2, 2020
I expected there to be more references to how crime adapted and grew in response to the changes brought about to life due to war. However, after initially focusing on a couple of cases which took place in the 'blackout' in and around London, the book then focused on the Rillington Place and Acid Bath Murders which, whilst horribly fascinating, weren't specifically linked to the war. An interesting and easy read overall.
May 12, 2020
Illuminating exposure of crime in London during the Second World War.
Not everyone were 'doing their bit' as those with criminal intentions went about their heinous deeds under the cover of the blackout.
Some of the culprits I knew quite well (Christie & Haigh), but quite a few murderers I hadn't heard of, so it was interesting to read about them & their victims.
Some of the narrative meanders a bit, but generally Read writes well & you learn in detail of the most notable wartime crimes.
Not everyone were 'doing their bit' as those with criminal intentions went about their heinous deeds under the cover of the blackout.
Some of the culprits I knew quite well (Christie & Haigh), but quite a few murderers I hadn't heard of, so it was interesting to read about them & their victims.
Some of the narrative meanders a bit, but generally Read writes well & you learn in detail of the most notable wartime crimes.
January 26, 2020
Interesting mix of domestic murders and serial killers, I knew of the 2 big cases of the acid bath murders and 10 Rillington place, and I'd heard of the Blackout Ripper, but it was the other cases which I found were intriguing.
December 5, 2011
Quite satisfactory. Recommend it if you like True Crime. Always enjoy Simon's books. There are some weird and trouble souls out there. (The folks about whom Simon writes, not Simon mind you.)
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews