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zoer03's review against another edition
5.0
Wow what a book!!! This tells the story of Murder through the law courts and how it’s changed over time and how most of it still has elements of the past than we might think. How “murder” is looked at and has become a lot more than just the act of killing someone you have manslaughter and homicide and other such terms to contend with. Along with the cases that’s looked through it all speaks of not just the high profile serial killers but the sad, tragic and most of the time almost accidental of killings come under the radar. This book is soo intriguing and fascinating, that if you are true crime fan then this book is one you have to read.
loureader's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fascinating book about how the UK law on murder and manslaughter has developed over the centuries.
Kate Morgan looks not only at the law but also how perceptions have changed. Duels that resulted in death were, for many, not regarded as a crime, despite what the law might have said. There is also the curious tale of some sailors who ate a crewmate and then told the authorities with the full expectation they would walk free because, in their view, such things were entirely acceptable at sea. But this book isn't gruesome or voyeuristic, it's a really interesting and very readable overview of the law and how and why it has evolved over time.
It also looks at issues, such as the effect on murder convictions when the death sentence was the penalty. Even the part on corporate manslaughter, which might sound a touch dry, was really interesting, including gaining an understanding of why it took so long for it to become an offence, the lack of prosecutions for some really major disasters and why, even now, prosecutions are still very rare. It was all really fascinating and a surprising page turner.
Kate Morgan looks not only at the law but also how perceptions have changed. Duels that resulted in death were, for many, not regarded as a crime, despite what the law might have said. There is also the curious tale of some sailors who ate a crewmate and then told the authorities with the full expectation they would walk free because, in their view, such things were entirely acceptable at sea. But this book isn't gruesome or voyeuristic, it's a really interesting and very readable overview of the law and how and why it has evolved over time.
It also looks at issues, such as the effect on murder convictions when the death sentence was the penalty. Even the part on corporate manslaughter, which might sound a touch dry, was really interesting, including gaining an understanding of why it took so long for it to become an offence, the lack of prosecutions for some really major disasters and why, even now, prosecutions are still very rare. It was all really fascinating and a surprising page turner.
nbarton82's review against another edition
3.0
Rough (read: boring and slightly repetitive) start, gets more interesting as it goes on.
jennylo's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Cannibalism, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail