I found this book very interesting and devoured it in a surprisingly short amount of time. I watch every single Netflix crime programme, and this could easily be made into one. It was amazing to learn about the real and current world implications and importance that crime has had on the world. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Absolutely fantastic read. I have loved this and been completely unable and unwilling to put this one down.
This is a great read which I will be highly recommending.

I must confess to a fascination with all things murder, so this was an obvious choice for me, and it didn’t disappoint.
Morgan traces the criminal law system and how it deals with the complexities of what constitutes murder from the arrival of the vikings to the present day.
She traces the defences of manslaughter and diminished responsibility and how they evolved.
What if you accidentally kill someone? Or if a woman kills a man who has abused her, but plans it rather than it being a crime of passion? What if the sloppy practices of a company allow a disaster to occur?
Medical negligence is a fascinating one and she describes one case in the nineteenth century when a Dr Bateman attempted to cover up how he has accidentally killed his patient while delivering her baby.
What is fascinating is how case law has dealt with the complexities and reformed the application of the law.
I found the book most interesting as it progressed and used modern day cases to illustrate the complexities. For example, she described the sinking of the Zeebrugge ferry and what it exposed about sloppy practice at P&O and the difficulties at the time in prosecuting the company.
I was also intrigued by the decision of whether the Yorkshire ripper could plead diminished responsibility - a tough decision.
And the case of Tony Bland - the young man who survived the Hillsborough disaster - and whether the doctor responsible for withdrawing his feeding tube (something his family wanted) would be guilty of murder.
So many cases and such a compelling read. Recommended.

Kate Morgan's 'Murder: The Biography' provides a gripping narrative on how the legal framework around murder has developed. Laws regarding manslaughter, fitness to plea etc, that we all take for granted, have developed out of cases and the debate that has surrounded them. Morgan thoroughly researches all of this, and writes in a way that is accessible and compelling. She also highlights how the law is constantly in a state of flux, meaning that future cases could alter its course in the same way as those from the past.

An absolutely fascinating and informative read, I was totally sucked in by this book and read with an eagerness to know more, Well written and a difficult subject handled delicately, a great read.

My thanks to #Netgalley and #HarperCollins publishing for the opportunity to review this book.
What a fascinating read especially for those of us who relish true crime articles and documentaries.
It actually put the meat on the bones of criminology and the why of court proceedings. Plus the odd gem of origins of sayings eg ‘Sweet Fanny Adams’
Loved it and would definitely recommend.

Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an ARC of Murder: The Biography.

This book could've been either riveting or boring, but thankfully it leaned more towards the riveting side. If you enjoy true crime and want to know more about the legal side of crime and the crimes that contributed to the changes within the UK legal system, then this is a book for you. One case that has already stuck with me is Dr. Percy Bateman which led to changes in manslaughter laws. I found this book very informative and interesting as some cases I'd already heard of but a lot I hadn't. What I loved about Murder: The Biography is that while it's written by a lawyer, but Kate Morgan didn't write it in a way that was overwhelming for the average reader (me), and it's not full of jargon. It's factual, straight to the point and I really enjoyed it.

An excellent book and a very informative read. I am of the age that I can remember a lot of the murders that Kate Morgan covers although I have never considered the Judiciary process behind them. It is interesting to know how murder from the Middle Ages has significance and bearing on murder/manslaughter leading up to the twentieth century and the present day. I would throughly recommend this read.

Interesting concept - the history of how murder has evolved in English law. I learned quite a lot, even if some of the famous 20th century cases were already pretty familiar to me. A very easy read as well. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I love crime novels and true crime books and programmes and thought this Murder biography would be of interest, I wasn't wrong. The journey of murder and manslaughter through the ages was very interesting and I didn't realise that this was such a vague area in terms of court cases and definitions. Very informative.

I loved this book, I’m a huge fan of true crime, history and the downright macabre, this book ticks all of those boxes for me.
Kate Morgan has researched and impressively detailed the book in such a way to make it highly accessible to everyone and Kate writes in such a way to keep you hooked and wanting more.
Some of the stories are a bit gruesome, but delivered in such a way that it is educational, and they all explain where the laws came from as a result, yet it remains fun, and engaging. Morgan has managed to create a bridge between a relatively dry subject of the law, and make it entertaining.

She takes us as far back as the Vikings in the 9th century, then weaves a tale throughout history up to modern days.
Where did the concept of manslaughter come from?
When was the last ‘Trial by combat’ ( Up to reading this book I thought that was a Game of Thrones thing) - and why did it eventually cease to be requested?

All of things are explained in the book, it is so much more than a collection of tales of murder - in fact the stories are more of a sideline.

All in all, I loved this book, it’s educational, it’s fun and interesting, If I had to pick any negative, it would be that the chapters are quite long, which makes it difficult for me to stop reading at a decent time of night, but that’s my only grumble.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really looking forward to reading this and was hoping it would have a lot of detailed information and be more non-fiction/factual than story based.
For me the writer story, while including some interesting insights, did slow the pace for me.
Others want more of a novel based experience would probably enjoy this element.
Interesting read but not what I had expected.

This was a fascinating and extremely well researched book looking at the history of murder in Britain; more specifically, the legal definitions and criminal cases that brought us to the where we are now. Far from being a salacious look at all of the famous murderers of the past, this is instead a thoughtful history of the crime itself from a legal standpoint beginning with the anglo-saxon penalties and travelling through the landmark cases that have made substantive changes to the law code. Not for everyone, I personally thought this was excellent and will definitely read future works from Kate Morgan.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing my a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

As I am currently studying Criminology, I found this book very interesting. I have always had an interest about true crime and I religiously watch all the Netflix documentary’s so this was right up my street. Murder: The Biography explores what murder is and how the law has evolved over time. There is a mixture of real-life cases, how murder is less black and white than what it seems, and how the law has changed throughout the years.
Kate Morgan is a lawyer as well as a writer, so you can tell that she has a true passion about this topic. It felt very well researched and each case had so much detail. I have read many true crime books and this one is by far one of the best as you can tell that Morgan really knows what she is talking about.
If you are a fan of true crime, a law or criminology student or are just looking for a really interesting book, then I would really recommend this book.

Fascinating and concise read about many different crimes and criminals many of them totally new to me. Well worth a read to any crime fan.

The background and insight into the history of the charge of murder. Its changes over time to take into account the changes of living and the complexity charge. Murder, manslaughter, corporate manslaughter, dimished responsibility, provocation and death by dangerous driving all come together.
A fascinating insight into the law and how it has changed and why.

When I saw the blurb for this book I knew that I wanted to read it!

This is a comprehensive history of Murder from its early conception around a thousand years ago to more recent cases such as Grenfell. The author explores many stories (including cases of corporate manslaughter, medical incidents, abused spouses and even an event of cannibalism to name a few) and then explains how they changed the law at the time and how they have shaped the law we have in the UK today.

Some of them I had heard of before but most were new to me and I learnt so many interesting facts along the way. A lot of crimes have left behind legacies that we still use today, for example, the phrase ‘Sweet F.A.’ derives from the brutal death of a small girl named Fanny Adams in 1867.

It is well written and researched and very informative. If you’re into true crime then this is the book for you!

Thank you to @netgally @kateclmorgan and @harperscollinsuk for this ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Murder: The Biography is lawyer Kate Morgan’s comprehensive account of UK murder law, from its early origins through to the landmark real-life cases which have contributed to its development and the changing attitudes of society that have shaped it. The book also illustrates how murder is far less black and white than we often imagine it to be and given that in reality not all murders are created equal, it has proven in practice a far more slippery concept for the justice system to prosecute. Beginning with a consideration of society’s seemingly insatiable appetite for murder with the origins of murder ballads such as ‘Mack the Knife’ and following its progression through to today’s obsession with true-crime podcasts, the book is extraordinarily wide-ranging. The history dates tight back to the Viking landing in the ninth century and the gradual emergence of a concept that loosely translates as a secret killing. From there Kate Morgan recounts the first attempt at a definitive statement of the law, including tackling the contentious legal dividing line between murder and manslaughter, made by renowned jurist Sir Edward Coke in the first half of the 17th century. Encountering some extraordinary cases along the way, from the little known to the infamous, the book is an enlightening look at homicide in the twenty-first century.

Cases include that of Daniel M’Naughten and the consideration of his sanity at the time of committing a crime with the implementation of the ‘M’Naughten Rules’ to define the criminally insane that are still used today. The first defence of necessity is also illustrated with the case of the crewmates of cannibalised cabin boy, Richard Parker, in a rather macabre Victorian example and the story of Dr Percy Bateman, the doctor whose botched procedure changed the law on manslaughter, is also featured. Issues such a diminished responsibility and its tricky history is clarified and the question of provocation is exemplified by the hanging of Ruth Ellis and the groundswell of public unease surrounding the history of abuse she suffered. Morgan also sets out the case of Derek Bentley and the joint enterprise conviction that saw him hang and was subsequently overturned. Atrocities which drew collective public horror, including that at Aberfan, Hillsborough, the Grenfell tower fire and the sinking of the Marchioness all feature with the book looking at corporate manslaughter and also the matter of death by dangerous driving.

Meticulously researched and impressively detailed, the book is hugely accessible and Kate Morgan writes engagingly with a focus on the colourful cases that hold readers attention in a way that a dry recounting of facts could never hope to. Whilst there are some notably gruesome and macabre stories featured along the way, the focus is on the implications that these have had, and how they have contributed to altering UK murder law. It is definitely not the right book for readers after a gratuitous history of infamous UK cases and it is also a book that the reader has to actively engage with, and think about, to get the best out of. I came away having been entertained and satisfied that I had learnt far more than i envisaged.

Murder a Biography

Murder fascinates us. There is an apparently endless stream of thrillers, police procedurals and ‘cosy crime’ to whet our appetites and we are intrigued and horrified in equal measure. TV and film also provide us with programmes in which we could almost be the sleuth such as the late, lamented CSI and Broadchurch. But what could drive someone to kill another person? Is it a case of ‘There but for the grace of God go I?’ A moment of frenzy and a lifetime of regret or a calculated campaign of deaths as with a serial killer.
In ‘Murder: The Biography, Kate Morgan who is a lawyer, reveals that the despite the inexhaustible stream of murders, it’s actually very rare. She quotes figures from 2019, in which there were 671 murders out of 519,000 deaths in England and Wales. This equates to 11 people murdered for every million women, men and children. It often features domestic crime as murder appears to be mainly committed at home. Women are often killed by current or former partners whereas men are killed by friends and acquaintances.
The author quotes several high profile cases as she traces the history of murder through the centuries. It’s not as easy to define as you might think. The actual word ‘murder’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon word, ‘mordor’ which meant a ‘secret killing’ for which the traditional payment of wergild to the victim’s family wasn’t an adequate atonement. It then became ‘mordrum’ by the time the Normans arrived, and it was punishable by death.
In the 17th century, Sir Edward Coke made the distinction between murder and manslaughter by using ‘malice aforethought’ and ‘upon a sudden occasion’ respectively. Morgan quotes Ruth Ellis’s testimony when asked about her intention when she shot her lover, ‘When I shot him, I intended to kill him.’ which would be an example of malice aforethought. Morgan goes on to add that greed, lust, rage and gain are the archetypal triggers for taking a life.
She also goes onto discuss the other degrees of murder and manslaughter: self defence, by reason of insanity, gross negligence, diminished responsibility and corporate manslaughter. The M’Naughten Rules as a means to judge insanity are still in use today.
Morgan also cites the notorious case of 4 sailors adrift in a boat after their ship sank who decided to kill and eat the cabin boy. By the time they were rescued, all that remained of the boy was a bone and some dubious dried meat. 2 of the sailors stood trial after the ship’s captain turned Queen’s evidence. They were found guilty despite the public leaping to their defence and they were each sentenced to 6 months. UntiI I read this book I had no idea that there was ‘a rich history of cannibalism among the maritime fraternity…it was a little acknowledged custom of the sea.’
Dr Percy Bateman was on trial for manslaughter by gross negligence in a particularly gruesome case. He had been called to a difficult birth in SE London which resulted in a dead baby and the death of the mother some days later. He had tried to cover up the fact that he had made a catastrophic mistake when removing the placenta and was sentenced to 6 months. I found this case to be one of the most tragic in the book. The author also discusses high profile cases such as Derek Bentley and the Yorkshire Ripper. With corporate manslaughter, she explores the tragedy of Grenfell Tower amongst others.
It’s a varied selection of lives cut short by an action over which they had no control. After all, let’s not forget that murder is the life and death of a real person. ‘Murder: The Biography’ is a very readable, and accessible book which presents the history of murder and its many strands. As she says ‘all tales of murder are, in essence, ghost stories. In the telling of these cases and trials, the victim returns from beyond the grace to live again and see their death avenged.’
My thanks to Mudlark and Netgalley for an ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is right up my street, carefully researched well written. Morgan tells the history and punishment of murder through time and how the law has adjusted and changed to the crime of murder.

This book is very similar to the Bloody Yorkshire series of books by W M Rhodes, which again retells crimes from bygone Yorkshire and details the history of crime in the UK. These books are also worth a read.