The Long Silence: The Story of James Hanratty and the A6 murder by Valerie Storie, the Woman who Lived to Tell the Tale

by Paul Stickler

22-year-old Valerie Storie and her fiancé, 36-year-old Michael Gregsten, were the victims of gunman, James Hanratty, 60 years ago in the notorious 'A6 Murder'. After a 5-hour ordeal, ending in a lay-by on the A6 in Bedfordshire, Michael was shot dead; and Valerie was raped, shot and left for dead. She survived, but was paralysed and in a wheelchair until her death in 2016. In 1962, Hanratty became one of the last men in the UK to be hanged, so unleashing 40 years of fierce and passionate debate, as many were convinced of his innocence. Valerie, however, was never in any doubt, and easily picked out Hanratty in an identity parade. She always intended to write a book, to which end she had secretly over the years drafted its contents, written hundreds of notes, and made numerous tape recordings. Yet for over 50 years she gave no interviews, despite persistent media pressure to do so. The Long Silence is, in essence, Valerie’s posthumous autobiography, explaining for the first time every explicit detail of those 'cat and mouse' five hours, as Michael and Valerie tried on 22 occasions to deter and thwart the apparently indecisive Hanratty.

288 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 26, 2021

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was so insightful and respectfully non-sensational. I live about 10mins from where Hanratty committed the murder, attempted murder and rape, but am not old enough to know much about it. Of course, I’ve heard about it and the fact that he was one of the last men to be hanged.

What drew me to this book - and I’m so glad it did - was that it focussed on the survivor more than anything else. A young woman who had her life completely dismantled and rearranged by the evil act of another who never admitted or acknowledged those actions. Instead, that young woman faced speculation, criticism, nastiness and the intrusion of the press, whilst trying to get to grips with what her life now looked like and the challenges she had to face.

I’m so glad I read this book and discovered more about Valerie and what a brave, determined and thoroughly remarkable woman she was. A role model, for sure. I gave it 4 stars, only because I’d have liked to know even more about her and her endeavours, and what made her tick, but I do appreciate the author wrote this book after Valerie’s death and with the reference of only her notes and clippings, rather than by in-person interview and direct means.

It’s a factual, fair and thorough account if the trial, but gives the thread and spotlight throughout to Valerie, who stood her ground, knew her power in silence, and ultimately, an incredible woman who absolutely lived her life and left her mark.

[Jack Bush · Rating 4 out of 5]

The incredibly moving story of the woman who survived the A6 murder (her lover was killed). Hanratty was hanged for the murder in 1962, and many of those who believed that Hanratty was wrongly hanged seemed to blame Valerie over the years that followed for what had happened (having an affair with a married man, wrongly identifying Hanratty as the culprit, etc.). DNA evidence eventually showed that the conviction was sound, but sadly Valerie died before she could complete her own story. This book draws on the notes and records she left and in many ways is therefore the book she could have written.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember hearing about Hanratty when I was in University, as we were looking at capital punishment. Fast Forward a couple of years later, and I saw Paul Stickler giving a talk on it. This book is insightful and tells the tale of what victims go through, especially when they are blamed for the arrest of someone deemed innocent. It is so sad to hear what Valerie had to go through, but she can rest peacefully knowing that her story was told.