The Maul and the Pear Tree
In 1811 John Williams was buried with a stake in his heart. Was he the notorious East End killer or his eighth victim in the bizarre and shocking Ratcliffe Highway Murders? In this vivid and gripping reconstruction P.D. James and T. A. Critchley draw on public records, newspaper clippings and hitherto unpublished sources, expertly sifting the evidence to shed new light on this infamous Wapping mystery. Re-issued by Faber in November 2010.
Reviews
Fascinating despite the case’s lack of resolution.
James and Critchley evoke the horror of a dark, wintry London where ill-prepared authorities struggle to bring a major murder case to its conclusion
A model demonstration of how to assess fragmentary and often tantalising evidence... It makes an enthralling story
This is a grim but compelling picture of an uncivilized corner of Regency England.
