I mostly write about historical crime, Victorian detectives and the history of CSI and forensic science. I have a PhD in history and my thesis was on the evolution of Victorian and Edwardian police detective practice. I have published five books and many articles.
I am a regular contributor to national magazines, radio, podcasts and TV. I’m a member of the Crime Writers’ Association, the Society of Authors and the Historical Writers’ Association.
Vidocq, the Criminal Detective
Dubbed the father of crime detection, and the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes, French criminal-turned-thief-taker, Eugène-François Vidocq established the world’s first police detective department in Paris, in 1812. He is alleged to have pioneered many investigative...
John Tawell and The Electric Constable
When Sarah Hart was murdered on New Year’s Day, the pursuit of the prime suspect became the first ever case in which the electric telegraph was used to capture a killer. On 1 January 1845, Mary Ann Ashley of Bath Place, Salt Hill, a suburb of Slough, spotted a man...
Manchester’s Sherlock Holmes
Detective Jerome Caminada, of the Manchester City police force, was a true Victorian super sleuth and a real-life Sherlock Holmes. A master of disguise and an expert in deduction, he tracked shady characters and nefarious criminals through his city’s dark underworld,...
The Scientific Mind of Alphonse Bertillon
One of my favourite crime history heroes is Alphonse Bertillon, the French criminologist who began as a humble clerk and ended up developing a system for identifying criminals that was used worldwide. Alphonse Bertillon was born in Paris on 22 April 1853. Despite his...
The Legacy of Supt Bent
Superintendent James Bent, of the Lancashire Constabulary, fully embraced ‘detective duties’, and his adventures included using some controversial detective methods to convict murderers, as well as saving thousands of children from the cold. (Click on image to read full post)
A Brief History of CSI
Throughout the 19th century, crime scene investigation was rather haphazard. When a suspicious death was discovered, the local police were usually called to the scene, followed by a doctor. The matter was then referred to the coroner, who organised a post mortem....
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