Overview

The unvarnished, human story behind the infamous Burke and Hare murders. In a boarding house in West Port, an old army pensioner dies of natural causes. He owes the landlord rent. Instead of burying the body, the landlord, William Hare, and his friend, William Burke, fill the coffin with bark and sell the corpse to Dr. Robert Knox, an ambitious Edinburgh anatomist. They make a profit of GBP3 and 10 shillings. After this encouraging outcome, Burke and Hare decide to suffocate another sickly tenant. So begins the criminal career of the most notorious double act in serial killing. Here is the unvarnished, human story behind the infamous Burke and Hare murders. We delve into their past, their personalities and the circumstances that made them resort to murder as a money-making scheme. It's a tale of desperation and greed, of outsiders, ambition, corruption and betrayal. And it's all true!

Full Product Details

9781780272177

Table of Contents

Reviews

'Gruesome and often funny. And sometimes both together' * The Observer * 'The definitive account of the lives and trial of the pair . . . a gripping account' * Dumfries and Galloway Standard * 'There are many who think that they know about Burke and Hare. However, there will be considerable gaps in their knowledge that this book will supply' * Scottish Law Gazette * 'I have not enjoyed reading Scottish history so much for a long time . . . an intelligent an minute examination of the evidence, with a clear sense of humanity, politics and drama' * Scottish Local History *

'Gruesome and often funny. And sometimes both together' * The Observer * 'The definitive account of the lives and trial of the pair . . . a gripping account' * Dumfries and Galloway Standard * 'There are many who think that they know about Burke and Hare. However, there will be considerable gaps in their knowledge that this book will supply' * Scottish Law Gazette * 'I have not enjoyed reading Scottish history so much for a long time . . . an intelligent and minute examination of the evidence, with a clear sense of humanity, politics and drama' * Scottish Local History *

Author Information

Owen Dudley Edwards was initially led to his subjects by something he holds in common with them; he too is an Irish Catholic now making a contribution to higher learning in Edinburgh. A noted scholar, he is Reader in History at Edinburgh University and is a regular contributor and reviewer for radio, television and the press. His previous books include The Quest for Sherlock Holmes: A Biographical Study of Arthur Conan Doyle, Mind of an Actvist: James Connolly and P. G. Wodehouse: A Critical and Historical Study.

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