Update: Added TikTok link to expanded review
Stephen Wade's A Dictionary of True Crime exceeded my expectations. This is a phenomenal resource for anyone interested in crime in Britain. A well-establishe author, Wade brings extensive research and a conversational style to his wealth of descriptions and insights.

This kind of material isn't for everyone. I like Wade's approach, influenced by literary true crime. I could tell from the introduction that he's a serious researcher. There are so many chilling facts available, it's not necessary to exaggerate anything. He limited his time on the best-known cases in favor of illuminating lesser-known crimes and presenting a broad exploration of criminality in context. It's an impressive feat, covering Britain from the eighteenth century to recent decades. Along with some extreme and truly odd cases that were new to me, I learned more about people involved in many aspects of dealing with crime. There's even a ghost story.

He includes relevant social factors such as poverty and the vulnerabilities of women due to their disadvantaged status under the law. I was delighted by his many references to authors who were inspired by specific cases and his sympathetic report of Oscar Wilde's court cases and imprisonment. I also enjoyed Wade's comments about his childhood memories of how certain cases maintained an impact for many decades, such as the name Crippen being on a par of darkness with Frankenstein or Dracula. An example in the US is a rhyme about Lizzie Borden.

The book details several punishments, including the most barbaric practices. Wade gives a wide ranging account of crime and punishment, from robbers using garrotes to a hangman with special nooses for the worst offenders. The cross references between listings are helpful along with the complete contents list at the end. The many photos and illustrations show some of the criminals, publications, and key places in the book. The annotated bibliography and sources list is a treasure. This book reads like a series of conversations with a personable expert. It's one I'll continue to recommend and consult.

Highly recommended for non-squeamish readers interested in True Crime, British History, and the social sciences.
Thank you, Pen and Sword for the e-ARC for consideration. These are my honest opinions.

"sorts of murderers has convinced me that however disparate their methods may be, all have this common characteristic: self-conceit, so abnormally developed as to become a sort of moral cancer – an overwhelming sense of their individual importance in the scheme of creation, and a corresponding indifference to, and disregard of, the claims and feelings of others."

As described, this one is slow-paced, judicious and gently educative. An A-Z of true crime cases ranging from the strange and extreme oddities to such horrendous and heinous track records of murder and methods involved.
Some are interesting like the chapters on Ripperologists and poisoners whilst some also sort of meh or forgettable. I do however have noted a few books mentioned in here that have sparked my interest and added on my tbr like The Five by Hallie Rubenhold and The Three Faces of Eve by Corbet Thigpen and Hervey Cleckley.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for the arc. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

3.25✨

this was informational and I enjoyed it. I do however prefer fiction books. I did like learning more about true crime

A Dictionary of True Crime by Stephen Wade is touted as a "Reference Guide to the Dark and Curious Crimes of British History."

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Pen & Sword True Crime, and the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

  
My Synopsis and Opinions: 
First, I hate when I receive a pdf file of a book.  They are notoriously hard to read on an e-reader, so that's never a good start.  I'll try to remain objective.

The author says he was selective as to which crimes were included in this book.  He tried to balance those cases he personally researched and found notably interesting and significant, and the cases which are indispensable.  

Murder is the main crime, including some rather fearsome methods, but other crimes including baby farming (that's a new one to me!),  body stealing, as well as burglary and horse stealing...and the list goes on.   There are some popular names in here - Jack The Ripper,  Burke & Hare, and even Oscar Wilde takes up some pages in this book of crime!  But there were a lot of names that this Canadian certainly didn't know...which made it interesting.  Punishments include prison, hanging, and pressing -- heavy stones placed on the condemned until he died.

The crimes are shown in alphabetical order.  ie the first is The Acid Bath Killer (John Haigh), who killed 9 people, horribly.  The last entry is for Graham Young, a poisoner, who started at the early age of 14.  The book has an index which lists all the perpetrators in alphabetical order showing the page on which they can be found.

That same index, has information on Trials, Prisons, Police, Punishment, Bibliography and Sources, and finally Internet Material

I do wish that the index was at the front of the book, so that you could go to whatever page you wanted much more easily.  Again, the problem with an e-reader.

This is one of those books that should only be purchased/read as a "coffee table" book, although why you would want this displayed in this manner is beyond me.  As much as I am a fan of true crime, I probably wouldn't set this out for everyone's perusal.

Overall,  this was a well-researched book.  Just make sure you get a hard copy of it, and don't attempt an e-reader pdf.  I read it on my computer though, and didn't have a problem.

I received a free copy of, A Dictionary of True Crime, by Stephen Wade, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book goes from A-Z on horrible true crimes, from arson to murder. This was an informative read on true crime.

Stephen Wade's A Dictionary of True Crime is a must read for any crime fan - fact or fiction. It takes us through the alphabet of the most horrific crimes of our history and bringing the attention of the perpetrators. I was fascinated by this book, which didnt feel glamourised as some are.

As a true crime enthusiast this book was my perfect read, it covered so many cases I knew and ones I didn't. I loved the layout and format as it made it easy to differentiate between cases, each letter had so many different cases so overall it was a very informative and interesting read that I would recommend.

Great book
Love crime books
Written brilliantly and Great idea for any crime fan
Definitely worth buying

This was a fantastic dictionary of true crime, it had that element that I was hoping for and was unique for the concept. Stephen Wade wrote this well and had that element that I was hoping in the true crime element.