Blood Relations

by Roger Wilkes

In the early hours of 7th August 1985, five members of the Bamber family were shot dead with a .22-calibre Anschutz rifle. Sheila Caffell, who was known to have struggled with mental illness, was at first thought to have murdered her twin sons and adoptive parents and then to have turned the gun on herself. Forensic evidence, however, told a different story and raised such questions as how Sheila could have received two shots in an act of suicide. A year later it was Jeremy Bamber, the only survivor, who was convicted of the callous murders of his entire family. He is currently serving a life sentence, but continues to protest his innocence. In this the first full account of the case, Roger Wilkes bases his story around specially commissioned forensic research, personal interviews with Jeremy Bamber and previously undisclosed accounts and witness statements. Extraordinary and shocking, it is a story that would defy the imagination of fiction writers.

Genres: True Crime

512 pages, Paperback

Published July 16, 2020

Reviews

[BAM doesn’t answer to her real name · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok here is your friendly neighborhood pharmacy tech with a hold up wait a minute critique about the medication this chick is taking.
Book says she is prescribed 200mg, 200, of haldol.
Initial dosing IF ONE IS INJECTING is 100mg and should be given in separate doses. Most people take the pill form, which the max dose is 5mg two or three times a day. Acute therapy can go to 12 mg a day with again a max of 100mg per day. If treating schizophrenia, which might be happening here a dose of 5mg seems to be the norm. I do not work in the mental health field. I'm more geriatric but 200 mg will bring on the side effects big time.

[Frazer Caird · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. It ticks most of the true crime boxes and is a very compelling read. However, I need to add a bit of constructive criticism. The new introduction added to this latest re-issue reveals quite massive plot developments which I reckon would have been better incorporated into an afterword at the end of the book. The intro assumes all readers know the Jeremy Bamber story coming into this - I, for one didn't - and so effectively summarises how the story pans out. While it still didn't ultimately spoil it for me, I couldn't help but think that it would have been even better going into the main narrative completely blind. What's more, the foreknowledge does render some late sections about appeals, specifically ballistics - rather tedious - given what we know in advance stuff has no drama, and should have been heavily edited, given the introduction. For first time readers, I would say, skip the intro and read it at the end.

[Rosie Genova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Workman-like and detailed study of the White Farm Murders and the subsequent arrest and trial of Jeremy Bamber. The book has been out for a while, so there's no up-to-date info on Bamber's current status; a recent BBC news article indicates his latest appeal has been denied and he's still in prison.
While meticulously researched--hence the fourth star--the book is admittedly slow going. If the story intrigues you, though, I'd start with the first-rate British television adaptation available on HBO, which is what brought me to Wilkes's book.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book, but I’ll never be convinced that Jeremy Bamber is guilty. There wasn’t enough reliable physical evidence to convict him, just the word of his jilted ex girlfriend and an assortment of disgruntled relatives.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written detailed factual account of these events and people.