What do you think?
Rate this book
Trial of Ian Brady and Myra Hindley: The Moors Case;
- GenresTrue CrimeNonfiction
256 pages, Hardcover
First published March 15, 1973
2 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
Jonathan Goodman
68 books6 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Jonathan Goodman was one of Britain's leading historian of crime. The American critic and historian Jacques Barzun described him as "the greatest living master of the true-crime literature", and Julian Symons, another big name in true-crime, thought of him as "the premier investigator of crime past".
His career as a full-time writer began in the 1970s when he edited the Celebrated Trials series which itself was a successor to Notable British Trials. Then in the 1980s, he worked on numerous anthologies, such as The Railway Murders (1984) and The Seaside Murders (1985), often persuading his many friends to provide a chapter and then writing a short introduction. He also continued to research old murder cases, writing books on the Newcastle upon Tyne murder of Evelyn Foster, the New York locked-room mystery of card-playing womaniser Joseph Elwell and, in 1990, The Passing of Starr Faithfull, the daughter of a Manhattan society couple whose body was washed up on Long Beach, New York, in 1931, for which he received the Crime Writers' Association's gold dagger for non-fiction.
He is most well known for uncovering a solution to Britain's most baffling real-life whodunnit, the murder of Julia Wallace in Liverpool in 1931; he not only exonerated the dead woman's husband but identified and traced the man he believed to be the real murderer. This was documented in The Killing of Julia Wallace (1969).
Jonathan Goodman was one of Britain's leading historian of crime. The American critic and historian Jacques Barzun described him as "the greatest living master of the true-crime literature", and Julian Symons, another big name in true-crime, thought of him as "the premier investigator of crime past".
His career as a full-time writer began in the 1970s when he edited the Celebrated Trials series which itself was a successor to Notable British Trials. Then in the 1980s, he worked on numerous anthologies, such as The Railway Murders (1984) and The Seaside Murders (1985), often persuading his many friends to provide a chapter and then writing a short introduction. He also continued to research old murder cases, writing books on the Newcastle upon Tyne murder of Evelyn Foster, the New York locked-room mystery of card-playing womaniser Joseph Elwell and, in 1990, The Passing of Starr Faithfull, the daughter of a Manhattan society couple whose body was washed up on Long Beach, New York, in 1931, for which he received the Crime Writers' Association's gold dagger for non-fiction.
He is most well known for uncovering a solution to Britain's most baffling real-life whodunnit, the murder of Julia Wallace in Liverpool in 1931; he not only exonerated the dead woman's husband but identified and traced the man he believed to be the real murderer. This was documented in The Killing of Julia Wallace (1969).
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 12, 2015
Disclaimer: this TV series is not based on this book but it is a good fit of the crimes and the trial.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt_vc...
A harrowing account of a neo nazi murderer and his callous partner in crime - public revulsion for Brady and Hindley has never abated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt_vc...A harrowing account of a neo nazi murderer and his callous partner in crime - public revulsion for Brady and Hindley has never abated.
August 16, 2013
Now out of print and unlikely to be re-published this transcript of the Moors Murders trial, only edited somewhat for ease of understanding legal argument, is an exceptional insight into the case, including as it does rare evidence of autopsies, police interviews and tiny forensic details. Brady and Hindley's testimony is in turns chilling and astonishing, Brady's no doubt compromised by his attempt to shield Hindley. How Hindley imagined she could be found not guilty of murder can't really be reasoned, as the evidence against them was profound and their own answers in the dock betrayed their lack of emotion, for instance when Brady fails to comprehend the outcry a missing child would cause and describes keeping the recording of Lesley-Ann because it was 'unusual'; and when Hindley saucily replies to questioning by saying that perhaps there are graves everywhere she has stood. Their incredible attempts to implicate David Smith in the murder of Edward Evans are shocking in their audacity.
A fascinating, compelling window on the most notorious murder trial in modern history.
A fascinating, compelling window on the most notorious murder trial in modern history.
October 11, 2025
Ian Brady once said, "I hope he dies of cancer," when a correspondent informed him that Jonathan Goodman had republished his book, primarily composed of the edited transcript from Brady and his partner-in-crime, Myra Hindley's trial. Of course, this trial led to their life imprisonment for the murders of two children and a teenager, and Brady always disapproved of others profiting from his crimes.
Goodman provides a reasonable, though somewhat dated, introduction to the book. Through this, readers are given a clear overview of the events that led to the couple’s capture. Give or take the small inaccuracy, it's pretty fair account, given the limited knowledge of Brady and Hindley available in 1973 when the book was first published. However, it does state that the with the final victim, Edward Evans, it appears that ''he was homosexual.'' I feel it is important to note that Brady was the only person who claimed Edward was homosexual. In today’s world, it does not matter. But at that time, his family had to endure the stigma and the unkind labels associated with homophobia. And Brady’s claim may well have been unfounded in the first place.
The book then takes the reader back to the first day of the sensational trial that dominated newspaper headlines in 1966. In the days that followed, the reader hears the evidence for all the witnesses, including the police, forensic experts, the victims' loved ones, David Smith, who was Myra Hindley's brother-in-law, and his wife, Maureen. Towards the end, there are the cold responses from the killers themselves, who pleaded not guilty. These two sought to tarnish Smith's reputation at every opportunity, despite all the evidence against them. Smith was the man who witnessed Edward Evans' murder, and turned them into the police.
All the key questions that were raised and the important moments that unfolded over the two weeks are included. Some passages are very graphic, particularly regarding the autopsies of the victims, which some readers may find upsetting. I know I did.
The book features pictures of the evidence that the jury would have seen, including a layout of the couple's home, maps, and the front page of a local newspaper with the face of their youngest victim, a 10-year-old girl who had then disappeared. It also contains the complete transcript of the horrific tape that Brady and Hindley made of the child pleading with them before her murder. The book has been published in three editions, with the 1986 version including an insert of black-and-white photos that were absent from the red-jacketed first edition hardback and the last paperback reprint in 1994.
For those genuinely interested in this case, "The Trial of Myra Hindley and Ian Brady" is an invaluable resource. It is particularly useful if you are looking for accurate information for a research project. However, as with any transcript, it can be dry and quite heavy in parts. We now know that the victim count was five, so if you want the full story of "The Moors Murders" along with the details that came after, you should consider another book. There are many good ones available, but the best is Carol Ann Lee's "One of Your Own," an excellent biography of Myra Hindley.
Goodman provides a reasonable, though somewhat dated, introduction to the book. Through this, readers are given a clear overview of the events that led to the couple’s capture. Give or take the small inaccuracy, it's pretty fair account, given the limited knowledge of Brady and Hindley available in 1973 when the book was first published. However, it does state that the with the final victim, Edward Evans, it appears that ''he was homosexual.'' I feel it is important to note that Brady was the only person who claimed Edward was homosexual. In today’s world, it does not matter. But at that time, his family had to endure the stigma and the unkind labels associated with homophobia. And Brady’s claim may well have been unfounded in the first place.
The book then takes the reader back to the first day of the sensational trial that dominated newspaper headlines in 1966. In the days that followed, the reader hears the evidence for all the witnesses, including the police, forensic experts, the victims' loved ones, David Smith, who was Myra Hindley's brother-in-law, and his wife, Maureen. Towards the end, there are the cold responses from the killers themselves, who pleaded not guilty. These two sought to tarnish Smith's reputation at every opportunity, despite all the evidence against them. Smith was the man who witnessed Edward Evans' murder, and turned them into the police.
All the key questions that were raised and the important moments that unfolded over the two weeks are included. Some passages are very graphic, particularly regarding the autopsies of the victims, which some readers may find upsetting. I know I did.
The book features pictures of the evidence that the jury would have seen, including a layout of the couple's home, maps, and the front page of a local newspaper with the face of their youngest victim, a 10-year-old girl who had then disappeared. It also contains the complete transcript of the horrific tape that Brady and Hindley made of the child pleading with them before her murder. The book has been published in three editions, with the 1986 version including an insert of black-and-white photos that were absent from the red-jacketed first edition hardback and the last paperback reprint in 1994.
For those genuinely interested in this case, "The Trial of Myra Hindley and Ian Brady" is an invaluable resource. It is particularly useful if you are looking for accurate information for a research project. However, as with any transcript, it can be dry and quite heavy in parts. We now know that the victim count was five, so if you want the full story of "The Moors Murders" along with the details that came after, you should consider another book. There are many good ones available, but the best is Carol Ann Lee's "One of Your Own," an excellent biography of Myra Hindley.
Read
January 17, 2026An exacting account of the trial of Ian Brady and Myra Hindley written by the excellent crime writer Jonathan Goodman.
This was first published in 1973 but my edition comes from 1986. There are two editor notes in the front of the book before Goldman’s introduction to the case. The second of these editor notes addresses the developments in the case that followed on from Brady’s 1985 confession of the murders of Pauline Reade and Keith Bennett - something which the police had always suspected but that did not form part of the initial trial due to lack of evidence in 1965/66.
Goodman ends that second editor note by saying “Unless further guilt is proved to the satisfaction of a legal tribunal, this account of them, and of their trial in 1966, must not be altered or added to.”
Goodman provides an introduction that covers all of the salient points of the case as known in 1973 (before Brady’s confession) and then the transcripts of the trial begin.
I read this as research more than anything else. As a writer who is planning a series of crime novels set in the early half of the twentieth century, it’s particularly interesting to get a sense of how crime was investigated and prosecuted at that time. To get a sense of the rhythm of legal speech and the way that evidence was presented in court.
There is a great deal of unpleasantness in the material presented here. Brady and Hindley were sadistic, unfeeling and callous with little regard for anyone other than themselves. Their arrogance at the time of their trial and the lies they spun to try and get away with their crime beggars belief and it’s all laid out here.
Of course it’s the victims who must be remembered - both the children themselves and the families whose lives were destroyed by the events. Brady and Hindley didn’t care about them but the policemen and the lawyers and the judge did care and that care is evident in this book.
This was first published in 1973 but my edition comes from 1986. There are two editor notes in the front of the book before Goldman’s introduction to the case. The second of these editor notes addresses the developments in the case that followed on from Brady’s 1985 confession of the murders of Pauline Reade and Keith Bennett - something which the police had always suspected but that did not form part of the initial trial due to lack of evidence in 1965/66.
Goodman ends that second editor note by saying “Unless further guilt is proved to the satisfaction of a legal tribunal, this account of them, and of their trial in 1966, must not be altered or added to.”
Goodman provides an introduction that covers all of the salient points of the case as known in 1973 (before Brady’s confession) and then the transcripts of the trial begin.
I read this as research more than anything else. As a writer who is planning a series of crime novels set in the early half of the twentieth century, it’s particularly interesting to get a sense of how crime was investigated and prosecuted at that time. To get a sense of the rhythm of legal speech and the way that evidence was presented in court.
There is a great deal of unpleasantness in the material presented here. Brady and Hindley were sadistic, unfeeling and callous with little regard for anyone other than themselves. Their arrogance at the time of their trial and the lies they spun to try and get away with their crime beggars belief and it’s all laid out here.
Of course it’s the victims who must be remembered - both the children themselves and the families whose lives were destroyed by the events. Brady and Hindley didn’t care about them but the policemen and the lawyers and the judge did care and that care is evident in this book.
May 7, 2022
A compelling but gruesome read!
March 2, 2024
Evil evil people. So sad Pauline Reid and Keith Bennett didn’t get this justice too. They decided to do an all. male. jury. Let that sink in.
February 10, 2017
I've read every published work about this case, and as compelling as some have been - particularly Carol Lee's "One Of Your Own" - this one was gripping in an altogether different way. It is as though the book is a time machine, able to sit you down and bear witness to Britain's most notorious trial, as it unfolds. Knowing the outcome somehow doesn't take the edge off, especially during the very high-voltage cross-exam of Ian Brady himself.
Complete with reproductions of maps, as well as handwritten notes, sketches and lists in Ian's distinctive scrawl, many of which I'd never seen firsthand elsewhere, and with the addition of some interesting appendices, this book is one that I'd deem a must-read for anyone who has interest in the Moors Murders case, or those looking for a thoroughly unique way to approach true crime.
Major respect to Jonathan Goodman for what had to be a Herculean editing job; once the reader gets into the rhythm of the testimony and cross-examinations, it's surprisingly easy to follow...and near impossible to put down.
Complete with reproductions of maps, as well as handwritten notes, sketches and lists in Ian's distinctive scrawl, many of which I'd never seen firsthand elsewhere, and with the addition of some interesting appendices, this book is one that I'd deem a must-read for anyone who has interest in the Moors Murders case, or those looking for a thoroughly unique way to approach true crime.
Major respect to Jonathan Goodman for what had to be a Herculean editing job; once the reader gets into the rhythm of the testimony and cross-examinations, it's surprisingly easy to follow...and near impossible to put down.
February 28, 2016
Chilling, fantastic book about the sick relationship between Ian Brady & Myra Hindley. In the 1960s, the two of them would snatch children, take them out to the moors, where Brady (and possibly Myra) would sexually assault them & ultimately murder them.
I became interested in reading this book after watching the FABULOUS movie, "Longford", starring Jim Broadbent as Lord Longford, who visited Myra Hindley (played brilliantly by Samantha Morton) in prison during the late 1960s, & ultimately campaigned for her parole.
I became interested in reading this book after watching the FABULOUS movie, "Longford", starring Jim Broadbent as Lord Longford, who visited Myra Hindley (played brilliantly by Samantha Morton) in prison during the late 1960s, & ultimately campaigned for her parole.
January 28, 2016
Legal drama from hell.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews