I was thrilled to be able to review a copy of “The Moors Murders – The Full Story Of Ian Brady and Myra Hindley”, by C.G.C Cook, for the horrific case of Brady and Hindley is one that quite rightly continues to shock and horrify people today, six decades after their monstrous crimes. It’s always a case that has held my interest and conscious – how can something of that magnitude not, I ask you? – and with such a complex tale, any book concerning it is worthy of a read, as it is the courtesy that anyone who takes the time to research and write any account of such crimes deserves.
Yet, as the case is so well known that it is almost lore, researching and writing any new book on the subject must be difficult – and if it’s a case I have been familiar with for many years, I always approach any such text with caution, thinking “What new will I learn here about something I already know so well?”.
I needn’t have concerned myself there with this book. In fact, it shamed me, and redefined what I know/knew. I class myself, in nowhere near an expert on the crimes of Brady and Hindley, but knowledgeable enough to be able to hold court on any discussion on the subject, yet I’d find myself very much a silent audience listening to C.G.C Cook discussing the same. The research – wow, the research – is painstaking and impeccable, allowing a well-constructed narrative that takes the reader in a tried and tested winning formula chronologically through each of the pair’s crimes. For the most celebrated of the true crime reader, within you’ll find never before revealed extracts, including interview transcripts – some disturbing to read – and magnificently dotted throughout with photographs (and how the author has come by these is a testament to how much of a true crime fanatic, and dedicated researcher he is) with a chapter dedicated to each victim and the relevant events within the canonical timeline, and culminating in the arrest of Brady and Hindley, and the evidence gleaned within the case.
Whilst that may seem open ended, and rushed to a finish, it is not so – for the reader is promised part two also, in the form of a second book – which will cover in its entirety the trial, and the aftermath. An unreal effort.
Told respectfully, yet captivatingly throughout, I found “The Moors Murders – The Full Story Of Ian Brady and Myra Hindley” to be THE most fascinating study of what many consider to be the most disturbing crimes of the 20th century that I have ever read – and for me, it has now replaced Devils Disciples, and even the canonical, Beyond Belief as THE definitive study of Brady and Hindley.
To any would be authors thinking of attempting a book on the same subject – stop right here and save yourself the bother – because it’s just been perfected.
The True Crime Enthusiast
