Synopsis
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and gripping reconstruction P. D. James and T. A. Critchley draw on public records, newspaper clippings and hitherto unpublished sources, expertly sifting the evidence to shed new light on this infamous Wapping mystery.
'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.' Crime Times
'A model demonstration of how to assess fragmentary and often tantalising evidence . . . It makes an enthralling story.' New York Times
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Book Description
The Maul and the Pear Tree: The Ratcliffe Highway Murders 1811 is P. D. James's only work of true crime: a historical mystery every bit as gripping as her bestselling novels.
About the Author
P. D. James was born in Oxford in 1920 and educated at Cambridge High School for Girls. From 1949 to 1968 she worked in the National Health Service and subsequently in the Home Office, first in the Police Department and later in the Criminal Policy Department. All that experience has been used in her novels. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and of the Royal Society of Arts and has served as a Governor of the BBC, a member of the Arts Council, where she was Chairman of the Literary Advisory Panel, on the Board of the British Council, and as a magistrate in Middlesex and London. She is an Honorary Bencher of the Honourable Society of the Inner Temple. She has won awards for crime writing in Britain, America, Italy and Scandinavia, including the Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster Award and the National Arts Club Medal of Honor for Literature (US). She has received honorary degrees from seven British universities, was awarded an OBE in 1983, and was created a life peer in 1991. In 1997 she was elected President of the Society of Authors.She lives in London and Oxford and has two daughters, five grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
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The maul and the pear tree
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The Maul And the Pear Tree: The Ratcliffe Highway Murders 1811
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The Maul and the Pear Tree: Ratcliffe Highway Murders, 1811
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Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The Maul and the Pear Tree: Ratcliffe Highway Murders, 1811 This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 7719-9780722127001
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The Maul and the Pear Tree: Ratcliffe Highway Murders, 1811
Seller: Bahamut Media, Reading, United Kingdom
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Paperback. Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. Seller Inventory # 6545-9780722127001
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The Maul and the Pear Tree : The Ratcliffe Highway Murders 1811
Published by
Little, Brown Book Group Limited, 1987
ISBN 10: 0722127006
ISBN 13: 9780722127001
Used
Softcover
Seller: Better World Books Ltd, Dunfermline, United Kingdom
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Condition: Very Good. Ships from the UK. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 52505694-20
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The Maul And the Pear Tree The Ratcliffe Highway Murders 1811
Published by
Sphere Books Limited, London, 1987
ISBN 10: 0722127006
ISBN 13: 9780722127001
Used
Paperback
Seller: Darkwood Online T/A BooksinBulgaria, Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Good+. Reprint; First Printing. Light shelf and edge wear, slightly sunned spine, signs of marginal book work damage. ; Nice tight copy, no names inside, appears unread. Cover artwork by Chris Riddell. ; B&W Photographs; 240 pages; An excellent re-examination of the Ratcliffe Highway Murders, a series of seven apparently unprovoked brutal killings that caused hysteria in the East End of London in the weeks prior to Christmas,1811. Revulsion ran so high that the corpse of the alleged murderer was paraded through the streets at dawn before being buried at a crossroads with a stake driven through his heart. But was he the actual killer? Or was there an even more sinister explanation? Seller Inventory # 29711
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The Maul And the Pear Tree: The Ratcliffe Highway Murders 1811
Seller: Aardvark Rare Books, Bucknell, SHROP, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
paperback. Condition: Good. **PAPERBACK**. Seller Inventory # mon0000364693