Winner of The 1963 Edgar Special Award, presented by The Mystery Writers of America

"Shew was a master of concision, who could convey atmosphere and character in a few exquisitely chosen words" - Theodore Dalrymple

THIS A-Z COMPENDIUM of dramatic murders, notorious criminals and eccentric lawyers offers a fascinating insight into British crime in a bygone age.

Edward Spencer Shew - the leading court reporter of his day - covered scores of murder trials in the early 1900s.

He watched the most notorious killers fight for their lives in the dock - alongside many others who are now long-forgotten.

Some succeeded; but many did not, and a date with the hangman followed swiftly.

Spencer Shew collected his insights in A COMPANION TO MURDER, an all-time true-crime classic.

It's a compelling and beautifully-written book full of descriptions so vivid that to close one's eyes for a moment is to be transported back half a century and more to the forbidding, wood-panelled courtrooms of London's Old Bailey, with a hanging judge looking down from his high pulpit, eyes narrowed, mouth set in stone…

This e-book includes dozens of photographs, updates to many of the cases featured, and a foreword by the distinguished doctor and author Theodore Dalrymple, who cites A COMPANION TO MURDER among his favourite books.