Signs of Murder: A Small Town in Scotland, a Miscarriage of Justice and the Search for the Truth

by David Wilson

Before David Wilson became the UK's pre-eminent criminologist, he was just a young boy growing up in the Scottish town of Carluke. When he was a child, the brutal murder of a young woman rocked this small community, but very quickly a man was arrested for the crime, convicted and put behind bars. For most, life slowly carried on - case closed.

But there were whispers in the town that the wrong man was imprisoned. Over the years, these whispers grew louder, to the point that any time David would visit, he'd be asked in hushed tones, 'What are you going to do about the Carluke Case?'

Carluke believed the real killer had evaded justice. A murderer was still on the loose.

Forty years later, it's time for David to return home, and find out the truth.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, Crime, Psychology, Scotland

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 16, 2020

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

David Wilson is Professor of Criminology and founding Director of the Centre for Applied Criminology at Birmingham City University – one of the university’s “research centres of excellence”. He is the co-Editor of the prestigious Howard Journal of Criminal Justice, which is produced five times per year. Prior to taking up his academic appointment in September 1997, David was Senior Policy Advisor to the Prison Reform Trust, and between October 1983-April 1997 he worked as a Prison Governor.

David completed his PhD at Selwyn College Cambridge in 1983, and immediately joined HM Prison Service as Assistant Governor at HMP Wormwood Scrubs. He worked as a Prison Governor at a variety of establishments, including HMYOIs Huntercombe and Finnamore Wood – where at the age of 29 he was the youngest governing Governor in the country – and at HMPs Grendon and Woodhill. At HMP Grendon he ran the sex offender treatment programme, and at HMP Woodhill he designed and managed the two specialist units for the 12 most disruptive prisoners in the penal system. This experience brought him into contact with some of the most notorious criminals in the country.
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David has advised on live police investigations related to a linked series of murders and has provided training to new Senior Investigating Officers who will take charge of murder inquiries.

His current research interests range from the phenomenon of British serial murder, family annihilation, hitmen and lethal violence within organised crime, to all aspects of prison history and penal reform.

His first work of fiction is The Rules of Restraint.

Reviews

[Louise Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Criminologist David Wilson returns to his home town of Carluke in Lanarkshire Scotland, to revisit a story of an unsolved murder that continues to haunt his past. Officially though this isn't an "unsolved murder". A suspect was found guilty by a jury and and his peers and so, as far as anyone official is concerned, this "murder" has been "solved". The "murderer" has now done his time, and been wilson is meticulousreleased from prison.

This is more of a research book. We are given a step by step guide to a case that had been allegedly solved. The story takes place in Carluke, Scotland in the 1970's. Even the people of Carluke believe that the wrong man was convicted and another man's name is regularly given as the main suspect. David Wilson is meticulous in his research whether it's in his books or his TV show, David Wilson's Crime Files. This is a very informative read about a true crime story. This is a fantastic read for fans of True Crime.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #LittleBrownBookGroupUk and the author #DavidWilson for my ARC of #SignsOfMurder in exchange for an honest review.

[Nigel · Rating 3 out of 5]

In brief - This is an interesting story about what seems to be an obvious miscarriage of justice. I found parts fascinating.

In full
This book is about David Wilson's (criminologist) return to his home town in Scotland. Carluke is a small town in Lanarkshire. In the 1970s, when the author was growing up there, there was a murder of a young woman. This case was "solved" quickly by the police working on it. However many of the town's residents have doubted the conviction both at the time and ever since. The case is of an age so that now the alleged murderer has been released after serving his sentence. The author returns to his hometown to review the case and evidence available.

I do like some of the true crime books around and have read a few in recent years. I also like the investigations into apparent miscarriages of justice so this book was a good fit for me. The preface of this edition was very interesting. Since the first edition of the book was published the possible murderer has actually died and so can be named. Equally Police Scotland have had time to look at the author's evidence presented here and have expressed an "interest" in it.

The book starts with fairly extensive scene setting about Carluke generally. It is clear fairly early on that the man convicted of the crime seems an unlikely choice. In practice there was very little evidence against him but a top detective had decided quite early on that he was the person who did it. Bear in mind this takes place when the world was rather different to now and, for example, the suspect was never interviewed with an "appropriate adult" or a solicitor - something that would hopefully not happen now.

In practice this book ranges quite widely beyond this specific case. The author does give his views on areas that relate directly to the case - psychology generally for example - as well as other topic that seem at best peripheral. The changes in towns in Scotland and the UK generally over the period would be an example of this. He looks at the reasons why there was a lack of protest over the conviction at the time and this offers psychological/sociological approaches on the subject.

For me the best part of this book was the work on finding a better suspect for the crime than the person convicted of it. The processes of narrowing down the possible number of people and then investigating the remaining ones was very interesting. The fact that the author was able to talk to a policeman who had been on the case and himself interviewed someone who seemed a better fit was fascinating.

In the end this is an insightful investigation into a case that was almost certainly a miscarriage of justice which I found interesting. However that is what I was expecting from this really. What I also think I got was something of the personal story of a professional criminologist which ranged quite widely. For me there was less of a balanced view taken of some aspect too although that was the stated aim. Certainly good for true crime enthusiasts. 3.5/5

Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review

[Keen Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 Stars!

“Muncie employed a particular and idiosyncratic method in going about his detective work. He would decide which suspect was guilty and then doggedly search for the proof to make his case. Later he came to say that he had almost ‘psychic’ powers for catching killers. Today we would call this type of approach ‘confirmation bias.’”

I was surprised to see that Wilson has quite the back catalogue under his belt, and yet I’ve never heard of him before. He proves to be an articulate, clear and engaging guide through this fascinating historical case. This is one of those cases where the suspect is clearly not-guilty at all. It really doesn’t take long to see without any doubt that the guy who was framed for it, had nothing whatsoever to do with it.

With its simple young man making a pseudo-confession, this case bears some remarkable similarities to a case which happened two decades later on the other side of the world, where the Auckland Police in New Zealand put away Teina Pora, a man who languished in jail for 20 years, before gaining a belated pardon as well as NZD $2.52 million in compensation.

As well as the murder in question, Wilson also touches on many other intriguing aspects of criminology and psychology talking about the workings of diffusion of responsibility and pluralistic ignorance. He also references the “Obedience to Authority” experiments, where people were told to administer electric shocks to subjects, which worryingly concluded that people will happily choose being good by doing what they are told over doing good by a fellow human being.

The police force like many other institutions is not exactly renowned for its transparency and breaking rank, too often more importance is placed on defending guilty or corrupt colleagues over doing the job your paid to do by protecting others and upholding certain standards. This book shows you what can and does happen when one man’s ego, reputation and career prospects become more important than the truth or justice.

Detective Chief Superintendent William Muncie and every other single officer who played a part in this awful act of shabby policing and injustice should be hanging their heads in shame. Unfortunately miscarriages of justices like this are not as rare as they should be. Like the documentary, “Making A Murderer” where you see desperate and dubious American police officers using something known as the Reid technique. We see that this is an approach which is rarely used in the UK and has more of in the US where it was developed by John Reid, a former police officer from Chicago.

So this was a hugely enjoyable read, and yet another fine piece of true crime and I will be sure to check out some more of Wilson’s work in the very near future.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fascinating book about a murder in a small Scottish village which I was not familiar with.

Everything in this case was completely new to me so I found the whole book very interesting.

It was very well written. The structure was very easy to follow and read.

I appreciated how sensitively this book handled this case. At no point was it made to be more dramatic then it needed to be.

There was lots of mentions to theory and academic research to back up the claims made which were also interesting to read although I was familiar with the psychology studies mentioned.

Overall, I highly recommend this to any true crime lovers!

TW: murder, violence and mental illness discussions

[Nicola Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book starts setting the scene, with key players to the case as well as allies within the story and those within Carluke that were never satisfied with something that for all intents and purposes, looked like a wrongful conviction and a ‘fix up’. The author goes on to point out all the facts of this case and why that does indeed look like it occurred.

It runs step by step, from the details of what happened, to those involved in the process of convicting George and providing points as to why this was done hastily and just plain wrongly. Slowly building up a picture for the reader and going into what was wrong leading up to the arrest and alternatives to what may have happened in its place - a big call to reopen an investigation into this and resurrect this case!

There are so many parallels running alongside the main focus of this case, from feminism, small town dynamics, psychology of the times and various historical and psychological examples of research that can be applied to the case. So many interesting aspects here!

This book really highlights the dangers of conformational bias and the differences between and older jurisprudential and criminal convictions processes to now. I also loved that the book went deeper into all sorts of things such as how memories are made and emphasis on psychology. I also really enjoyed reading through the authors processes to gather more information and build up his own, unbiased picture and research into what happened. It was interesting to read this book from that point of view!

I’ve read books from this author before and love his writing style and neat way of explaining things. It makes for a very easy read and presents new information to the reader without needing and prior knowledge of what happened. I hadn’t even heard of this before reading this book was quite frankly mind blown the whole way through! I can only hope this case will reach new lights in the future and justice reached. It was a great book and one written very well by Prof David !

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a big fan of true crime books and, living in Edinburgh, was really interested to read more about this story. I was very intrigued that David Wilson had lived in the town as a child when the murder took place, so not only is he an experience criminologist, but has a personal stake in the case as well.

Wilson returns to the town, where many of his family members still live, to investigate the case and its suspected wrong conviction. Many believe the man who was accused and jailed for the crime was innocent, and we're given a detailed background of the case as well as some interesting insights into police interview techniques and forensic psychology.

I absolutely flew through this book and recommend it to any true crime fans.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Phillip · Rating 1 out of 5]

Loved his books but gave this one up halfway through, just too much padding.

[LibraryKath · Rating 1 out of 5]

Meh, I gave it a good shot. FAR too much of the book is a case study of the author's opinions of Carluke, than the actual miscarriage of justice or any measure to find the truth.

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the author was a teenager a brutal murder in his wee Scots home town shocked that small community. Murders in Carluke were rare; nice Scots lassies don’t get stabbed 19 times on their way to the station!!

He is now a well known criminologist (and apparently appears on TV, but I wouldn’t know). There was always uneasiness in his home town over the rapid arrest and subsequent conviction of George Beattie who was what would have described at the time as “a wee bit simple”. The chief investigator was William Muncie who had brought the American-Scottish serial killer Peter Manuel to justice.

Peter Manuel was a bogeyman in my childhood. I remember seeing his photo in newspapers and my 6yo relief when he was hanged. (A few years later I went off capital punishment!)

Thus Muncie was a superstar so nobody argued with him. Fortunately by the time of Margaret McLaughlin’s murder the death penalty had been abolished...

Things that happen in your home town where your family still live are extremely salient.

Wilson investigated the case half a century later, leaving no available stone unturned. As he says, he can’t prove that his chief suspect is guilty but he’s clear that he has proved George Beattie wasn’t.

He has also concerns about the deterioration of his home town under successive Tory governments which I can only endorse fully, as I’ve seen the same destruction in my own home town in Ayrshire, only softened by EU subsidies. I share his anger.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really impressed with this true crime based, non fiction account of David Wilson’s take on the murder of a local female that occurred in Scotland many years ago, and how he came to the conclusion that the wrong man had been wrongly convicted of this horrific crime.

This is very informative and would be an ideal read for anyone with an interest in law and/or criminology. The way Wilson evaluates everything in the case, and testing out his own theories with his own research makes this compelling and intriguing. I particularly enjoyed the way Wilson explained about criminal profiling, and although this is a very complex subject, his writing made this easy to comprehend.

Thank you to the team at Netgalley and Little Brown Book Group for a gifted e-copy of this book, in exchange for a honest review.

[PAUL · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hadn't heard of this case before coming across David Wilson's book. It is a very good book, a serious book that undoubtedly brings into question the conviction of George Beattie for the murder of Margaret McLaughlin in Carluke in 1973.
As with all of David Wilson's books the research is meticulous and time consuming. However I'm surprised that he did not attempt to interview members of Margaret's family, especially with the conviction of 'John Smith' , the probable real murderer of Margaret, that her brothers were convinced that the police had the right man in the first place.
The leading detective, William Muncie, certainly had tunnel vision and appeared to make the evidence fit his interpretation of the facts. He comes out of it with little or no credit. Nor should he.
The book would have been better served with some line-drawing maps and photographs but I urge all readers of this fine book to access Google Maps, which brings the scenes of crime and hinterland to life.
There were many residents of Carluke in 1973 and indeed, the present time who were, and are still, convinced that George Beattie is an innocent man. These good folk however had no clout and protestations made to the authorities would have carried no conviction.
But one is still reminded of Edmund Burke's quote, 'The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing'
An excellent book and one can only hope that the police and relevant authorities put aside their prejudices and pride and take another hard look at this case and right a very grave wrong.

[Martin Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a huge fan of David's and always learn so much from his books and media appearances.
This is quite different from his other books as he returns to his childhood home town to bring his professional skills to a review of a notorious murder case.
The townsfolk believe the wrong man was convicted and another name is regularly given as the main suspect.
David - with help from family and friends, plus a supporting cast of professional peers - sets out to make his own decision

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know why, but I've very rarely read any true crime books. I suppose the same is still true as I technically listened to this book whilst I was only my daily walk and, on occasion, as a way to break up the silence of working from home. Narrated by the author himself, it really does bring a personal touch to a case which has personal connections to him and to the town he grew up in, Carluke in Lanarkshire. Now I know the town, courtesy of having spent many a day working just up the road in Airdrie and Coatbridge, but I had no knowledge of the case - the murder of Margaret McLaughlin. Perhaps not surprising given that the murder occured before I was born, but also, as Professor David Wilson says himself, we generally remember only the person convicted for the crime, seldom the victim themselves. That in itself gave me pause for thought because it really is true. Dahmer, Gacy, Brady & Hindley. All household names, far more so than any of their victims. Sad but true.

This a really incredible tale. How do you investigate a murder for which a conviction has already been secured and when numerous appeals have been raised and failed? Well that is exactly what David Wilson attempts to do in Signs of Murder. He has no official remit, no access to many of the resources that he would normally be privy to when working as a consultant or as part of official investigations, and limited access to witnesses and Detectives of the time. Let's face it - it's been more than 40 years since the murder - many of the faces have left Carluke for many reasons. But there are plenty of people around who still remember the case and it is using their knowledge of the victim, suspect and other residents of the town at the time, as well as his knowledge of criminology and the psychology of both perpetrators and victims, that the author is able to pull together a rather compelling narrative for an alternative take on events.

I found it fascinating the way in which David Wilson took us through his investigative stages, walking us around the town that he once knew. It is amazing how much one's perspective alters with time, and the realisation of how his perception and knowledge of the town now has changed to when comparing his experiences as an adult to those of the teenager he was at the time of the murder. The book is a journey, recounting the investigation, the decidedly suspect tactics used by the police in order to capture their killer, and the absolute assertion of the Carluke residents that the wrong man was convicted, and it makes for a very shocking and yet sadly believable read. Hearing the way in which the suspect was treated, the methods employed by the Detectives, even the lapse way in which other potential suspects were to readily discounted due to a certainty that they had already found their man, it is no wonder that this case has remained so enshrined in the memories of the town's residents and why they felt so certain that justice has not been achieved.

Whilst the author identifies a very viable alternative suspect, they are obviously not actually named. But he certainly makes a very credible case for someone to reexamine the evidence and to take a deeper look into what really happened on that fateful night back in 1973. Could it be that a very gross miscarriage of justice has occurred? Well, if you read the book I am in no doubt that you will have. an opinion well before the end of the book. There were times as I listened I was thinking WTAF, and I'm pretty sure that anyone who saw me out walking must, at times, have thought I was having some sort of mental episode as I doubt my incredulity was far from my facial features. But as much as the case itself and it's apparent mishandling infuriated me, David Wilson has painted the town and its residents in such clear and vibrant colours that I found myself smiling as much as frowning, because he captures the complex mix of personalities perfectly, as you'd expect and they really are an amazing bunch. He also left me really wanting cake, but that's another story ....

Debunking some of the myths of psychological profiling you may have seen on Mindhunter, but using his knowledge and experience to great effect, this book kept me completely fascinated and engaged and if you like true crime stories then this is definitely a book you want to read. An alternative take on a case already committed to the history books, told in a very conversational and accessible style by an engaging and very knowledgeable narrator. Top stuff.

[Lee Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

July 1973. In the small Scottish town of Carluke, Margaret McLaughlin was brutally murdered, stabbed a total of nineteen times on her way to catch a train one evening. Local man George Beattie was convicted of her murder.

Yet, behind closed doors, many of Carluke’s residents were dubious about Beattie’s guilt. Despite providing a confession to police, Beattie maintained his innocence throughout his trial and subsequent prison sentence.

Leading criminologist David Wilson, himself a resident of Carluke as a child, reexamines Margaret McLaughlin’s murder and the evidence against George Beattie. Uncovering new evidence and exploring different perspectives of the evidence in the public domain, which suggests Beattie’s conviction may have been a devastating miscarriage of justice – for Margaret, for George, for their families and the wider Carluke community, Wilson pursues lines of enquiry that should have undoubtedly been explored more by the police at the time of the murder, which may lead to the true perpetrator of this horrific crime.

I first encountered Wilson’s work when I, with much excitement, spied ‘Hunting Evil’ on bookshelves – the definitive account of the case of the Suffolk Strangler and the serial murders in Ipswich in 2006. I’d followed the case in the media from the beginning (which had comprised a small single column, with no photograph, midway through the newspaper) and had become fascinated by it. Later, I was hooked by Wilson’s TV series on criminal psychopaths, and have since looked out for his documentaries in TV schedules, most recently ‘In the Footsteps of Killers’, in which he and Emilia Fox reexamine cold cases, as well as his published works. His autobiography, ‘My Life With Murderers’, was a fascinating insight into his time working in the prison system and latterly as a criminologist, exploring the criminal justice system and the psychopathology of violent criminals.

‘Signs of Murder’ is a natural successor to ‘My Life With Murderers’, exploring a case that is close to Wilson’s heart, one that took place in his hometown during his childhood. Reexamined in later years through the eyes of a criminologist, the concerns with the handling of the case and inconsistencies in the evidence become glaring, both the true murderer and corrupt officials protected by a veil of silence – something that, as a society, we are growing ever more conscious of, a discomforting issue that we must tackle again and again if we hope to overcome it.

Drawing on psychological analysis, investigative techniques and historical research, ‘Signs of Murder’ is an engrossing account of the unofficial investigation into a decades-old crime and exploration of how the system and society of the time may have enabled a miscarriage of justice. Reviewing the events and evidence in detail, while always sensitive to the pain caused to the individuals involved, this is gripping true crime and highly recommended to anyone who has an interest in detection, psychology and criminal justice.

[Ryan Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miscarriages of justice are ripe for crime literature, biographies, memoirs and case studies. We are all familiar with high-profile cases, such as Barry George’s conviction for the murder of Jill Dando, the infamous ‘Guildford four’ whose sentences were quashed, and then there’s Timothy Evans, the latter being a case we have studied via two books reviewed on this very website. So what is a miscarriage of justice?

The term 'miscarriage of justice' generally applies when a person is convicted of a crime but later their case is re-opened and their conviction is found to be 'unsafe'. But some cases are never reopened and a conviction stays, regardless of however long a prison term is served.

What happens if a case is deemed ‘unsafe’ though, but it’s never reopened? None of us would wish for crime to happen on our doorsteps but for Professor David Wilson, a historic case in his home of Carluke in Scotland, meant returning to his old haunts to investigate the 1973 murder of Margaret Mclaughlin and one in which an innocent man was jailed? Visiting this case for the very first time, I was fascinated to read about George Beattie and his wrongful murder conviction which sparked the writing of this book. Was it a miscarriage due to an incompetent policeman William Muncie – one of Carluke’s most famous sons – secretly capitalising on his reputation as ‘Scotland’s top detective’? The case for George Beattie’s innocence is compelling and in this book, David Wilson investigates all angles. Rather than being a vigilante, engaged in a witch hunt, or interested in listening to idle gossip, David Wilson reviews this unofficial cold case review as you would expect. If you've seen any of his true-crime TV shows or documentaries, you will know what I mean. Based in England, we had no idea of this case, and having read the book, we definitely feel duly informed.

The investigation itself is incredibly good, the only slight I would say is that you David Wilson could be biased in his assumption that George Beattie is innocent and does little in the way of investigating another possible local suspect. I won't spoil it, but it still makes for a fascinating read

[Ryan Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Miscarriages of justice are ripe for crime literature, biographies, memoirs and case studies. We are all familiar with high-profile cases, such as Barry George’s conviction for the murder of Jill Dando, the infamous ‘Guildford four’ whose sentences were quashed, and then there’s Timothy Evans, the latter being a case we have studied via two books reviewed on this very website. So what is a miscarriage of justice?

The term 'miscarriage of justice' generally applies when a person is convicted of a crime but later their case is re-opened and their conviction is found to be 'unsafe'. But some cases are never reopened and a conviction stays, regardless of however long a prison term is served.

What happens if a case is deemed ‘unsafe’ though, but it’s never reopened? None of us would wish for crime to happen on our doorsteps but for Professor David Wilson, a historic case in his home of Carluke in Scotland, meant returning to his old haunts to investigate the 1973 murder of Margaret Mclaughlin and one in which an innocent man was jailed? Visiting this case for the very first time, I was fascinated to read about George Beattie and his wrongful murder conviction which sparked the writing of this book. Was it a miscarriage due to an incompetent policeman William Muncie – one of Carluke’s most famous sons – secretly capitalising on his reputation as ‘Scotland’s top detective’? The case for George Beattie’s innocence is compelling and in this book, David Wilson investigates all angles. Rather than being a vigilante, engaged in a witch hunt, or interested in listening to idle gossip, David Wilson reviews this unofficial cold case review as you would expect. If you've seen any of his true-crime TV shows or documentaries, you will know what I mean. Based in England, we had no idea of this case and having read the book, we feel duly informed.

The investigation itself is incredibly good, the only slight I would say is that you David Wilson could be biased in his assumption that George Beattie is innocent and does little in the way of investigating another possible local suspect. I won't spoil it, but it still makes for a fascinating read

[Brian Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a very interesting dive into a miscarriage of justice that took place in Carluke, Scotland, in the 1970's.

The circumstances were relatively straightforward, a career detective who believed he had almost preternatural insight into the criminal mind took on a murder case, quickly decided that a local lad who had social issues was the killer and sought evidence to confirm his theory. The male in question was charged, found guilty and served many years in prison.

Wilson presents the circumstances and unpicks the logic that the community had (and still has) about the clear miscarriage of justice. He also uses his skills as a criminologist to theorise on the identity of the actual killer. The denouement of the book is a doorstep visit to the elderly man that Wilson believes to be the killer.

Whilst this is all well written, beautifully argued and presented in a comprehensive but digestible manner, there is still the nagging issues that Wilson himself flags up in that he has no access to official documents. Much of his research is open source and searching through archival newspapers and he admits there may be shortcomings in his findings.

Because of the book lags and feels sludgy in some places. Rather than concentrate on the miscarriage of justice and his hunt for the real killer, Wilson dips into sidebar issues of deprivation and the dissolution of community since the Thatcher years. Whilst a tract on de-industrialisation is never boring it feels slightly out of place in this book and these sections feel like padding.

Overall this is a good book but there is always the nagging doubt that, due to the lack of access to the official documents, Wilson has found an answer to a question he could not properly frame.

Still, a worthwhile read.

[✨arrianne✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A criminologist from Carluke goes back to look at a crime committed there in the 70s, the murder of a young woman, and looks at what evidence he can to see if the man convicted, who everyone believes is innocent, really did it or not.

There are a few faults with this book - this isn’t an official cold case investigation (obviously, you couldn’t publish that) or looking at a crime from far enough back that the records are publicly available. So he is relying on shaky memories and supposition a lot of the time, which is something he acknowledges. I think the main purpose of this book is as a political tool to try and get the guy convicted exonerated and the case reopened, and it has been discussed in the Scottish Parliament so hopefully that works out.

I was most interested in the actual criminology techniques he used - figuring out from the crime scene where it was most likely the killer lived - and the psychology of why the guy convicted ‘confessed’.

CW: murder, violence against women, police, treatment of people with mental illness.

[Miss C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting story, I have read other things by the author and I like his style, it is clear that the murder is very close to his heart and that he has put in a great deal of research and time into discovering the truth. I enjoyed the personal touch that Wilson gives it, often when reading true crime the story is told in a very impersonal way but because the author knows the area and the people this is not the case. It was a little slow in places however I feel that this is due to the authors diligence in his research. I do not wish to give the story away, however if the reader is looking for a "happy" ending this probably isn't going to be it. I think it is excellent that Wilson has brought this to the public arena especially as this is not necessarily the high profile case that some other murders are. The case was dealt with sensitively and respect shown to the victim without the gory details being laboured over.

[Jo-anne Atkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1973 a woman was murdered in the small town of Carluke in Scotland. The police quickly found a suspect and after his confession he was sent to prison. Case closed. Except that very few people felt the man was guilty and most felt that the police had managed to convict the wrong man. Professor David Wilson grew up in Carluke and remembers the murder of Margaret McLoughlin but now he is an eminent criminologist and it is time to reconsider the case that has haunted his home town for almost 50 years.
As a true crime story, this is really great. The murder and the investigation are examined in great detail and placed into context within a small town. However I also felt that the narrative was very long-winded and repeated itself in several places. A worthy story but should have been edited more effectively.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

... a bit disappointing.

Eminently readable, mainly, but quite frankly although I see there was a miscarriage of justice for the man convicted, the evidence for Wilson's alternative murderer was way less than compelling, not even amounting to circumstantial.

Wilson sets out plenty of theory, gives far too much weight to few words spoken in the briefest conversation - with a man with a history of mental health problems; then he uses a small group of relatives and their friends as a focus group to endorse him. Does this pass as criminology?

I assume Wilson's strong following will overlook these shortcomings and lap it up ...

[Cleopatra Pullen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd not heard of the murder of poor Margaret McLaughlin before reading this book, and perhaps her story would never have been widely heard if she hadn't been murdered in the small town of Carluke where David Wilson grew up. David Wilson was just a boy when Margaret went out to catch a train, but was cut down before she even made it to the train station.

The fact that the author has 'behind the scenes' information means that the details are given in context of the times, place and personalities of all involved. And what a tale it is. There seems little doubt that the man who was convicted, was not in fact the perpetrator.

Fascinating read!

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge admirer of Professor David Wilson and will pay attention to anything he says/writes.
However I found this book to be written in a very slow and actually quite dull way.
About halfway through it did pick up the pace and I am glad I stuck with it.
This was a case I had never heard of so found it interesting to learn about it, through the eyes of the people of the town and David himself.

[Martha Brindley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting story about a miscarriage of justice , set in a small Scottish town.. a true crime story handled with sensitivity and very well written. I enjoyed the explanations of criminal profiling and the circumstances surrounding a miscarriage of justice. I hope that justice will be reached for the family. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

[Tinkerbell Nolan · Rating 3 out of 5]

More of a 2.5 but rounded up to be nice. This book had so much potential to be honest. The way it is written is long-winded and dull with it repeating the same point but in different ways. The pace picked up eventually mid way through the book but then stopped again. Was interesting learning about this murder case though!

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a story as such but a step by step research in to an older Murder, where t appears a miscarriage of justice took place.
An interesting read.

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good read.

I couldn't put the book down. So well written and David Wilson is thorough and very fair in his approach to finding out the truth

[Rohini Musa · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a valiant effort. What a tragic story

[Dan B · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5*

[Steven McCallum · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very compelling read. Hope Margaret Mclaughlin finally gets justice, as well as the man wrongly convicted of her brutal murder.