If you love a murder book this is for you, one of the best murderer books I’ve read in a while, full of information, facts and truth

This book was very thorough and detailed, especially with times and adresses. It felt like I was with the people, I feel like this would be a useful book for amateur sleuths or perhaps for people who want to do some research. Although it was a bit dull sometimes, it was still an interesting read. I learned things about the victims that documentaries and podcasts never exactly cover which brought an interesting perspective to this book.

3/5 Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A rather macabre topic to say the least. There was obviously much research done for this book, (references included); but at times, this book seemed little more than a compilation of facts: listing names, dates, areas of activity, and employment statistics of both the victims and killers. I guess that I was looking for more of a story; but I can see how that would be little more than speculation with all the victims being dead and the killers being deranged individuals.

The Conclusion chapter was quite interesting. In the eighty years covered, there were nine known serial killers who claimed at least forty-three lives. These are broken down into statistics according to: sex, age, and occupation of the victims (overwhelmingly young female prostitutes); sex and age of the perpetrator (usually young and male); relationship between killer and victim (mostly none); method used; motivation for the murders; and number of victims per killer; among other things. The author states that although serial killers are rare, causing less that one per cent of all murders, their grim deeds are abnormal and therefore newsworthy. This well researched, well written, book was very informative.

Why are we so fascinated by serial killers? Is it because we are so curious to try and work out what goes on in their head? I don’t know but I do know I am always totally engrossed in reading about them. This book was so interesting and so easy to read. It went into detail about the killers, their life and their victims. Do I suggest you read it? Hell yes.

I knocked a star off due to the author stating that jack the rippers victims were prostitutes. Read the book called The Five for more info on that.

Wow what a great read! Jonathan Oates’s gripping accounts of this wide range of serial killings gives us a powerful insight into the nature of these crimes, the characters of the killers and the police methods of the period. You will want to keep the lights on while reading this chilling tale! That squeaky door that needs to be oiled, do it before you read the book, With solid writing, good dialogue, and an wealth of information you will enjoy this book from start to finish. I thoroughly recommend!

I enjoy true crime books and this was a wonderfully researched book. This combined both history and the psychology behind the murders and the killings themselves. The author included some backstory and how rare murders were then. This is the first book I've read on serial killers that wasn't modern and American. The prevalence of poisoning was also surprise to me. I found this book to be both enjoyable and informative.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC

Many thanks to the publishers for granting my wish and permitting me to read an ARC of this book before it is published.

I would like to premise this review by stating that I enjoy learning about history and psychology. As such, London Serial Killers by Dr. Jonathan Oates was right up my alley. The author flawlessly executed the melding of both history and psychology of each serial killer examined within this book. It was masterfully executed and made this book a complete and utter joy to read, so much so that I completed this book in approximately 6 sittings in a period shy of a week. The book itself contained no discernible errors and was edited superbly.

London Serial Killers by Dr. Jonathan Oates did not read like a textbook. Oh no not at all, the author sets the stage for each killer examined by giving the reader a back drop of the cultural and historical aspects of the society when the murders took place. Thereafter, he examines the victims themselves, the investigations conducted and then of course the serial killers themselves. I found myself absolutely loving how the author structured the book because we get the background to the era, the investigative styles, the names of the investigators, the victims, name, descriptions and background, as well as, what was done to them and by whom. This book is a wonderful read with clear and concise analysis of the killers, their victims and the period in which they killed. It was also a breathe of fresh air to read research and analysis conducted and written in this format about serial killers in the United Kingdom, specifically London because the market is flooded with information about American serial killers. As such, it was great to learn something new about serial killers and how law enforcement approached them in another jurisdiction.


I do believe that this book is perfect for students, academics and even those like myself who are interested in learning more about serial killers post of the fairly modern age and of an age long past. A reader who is just interested in the topic of serial killers will not be bored at all as this book does not read like a textbook but has all the information that a textbook would usually contain.

I have a fascination with true crime and so this book on the Seriual Killers throughout time in London was such an interesting read. I loved reading about the well known cases such as Jack the Ripper alongside cases that I knew less about or hadnt even heard of such as the Black out Ripper amongst several others. It was truly fascinating to take na almost forensic look at these killers and their depraved crimes. I loved it.

I received an ARC of, London Serial Killers by, Dr. Jonathon Oates. Its interesting that most serial killers in London used poison to kill their victims. This is a good book, exploring London's serial killers.

Didn't grab my attention like other true crime books do! I guess not many serial killers survived in early London, no fault of the author just found it very boring!

This book is a true crime fans idea of heaven.

This book covers famous cases such as Jack the ripper, John Christie and The Acid Bath Murders. It also contains cases I have personally not heard of such The Deptford Poisonings and The The Southwark Poisoner.

The cases were chronologically ordered which I greatly appreciated. The cases he has written about are detailed and referenced by evidence sources he used.

Not only does he write about the cases he tells you about how London's police force began and how it changed over time.

I have also reviewed this book on my bookstgram page @Booksteasandfairydustsprinkles should you wish to read my review there.

Thankyou for allowing me to read this book.

Okay I have always been interested/intrigued by serial killers and true crime in general. Something about it always pulled me in, maybe it's all of the mystery involved in it. When I seen this book I just knew I had to read it, especially because Jack The Ripper has always been one case that interested me. However, that's not all this was about there were 9 other cases to read about. Some I had never even heard of or if I had I didn't know much about them. That's where this book really made me love it more, the attention to details, the statistics, the way each case was written out. It made it very easy to follow and if you don't know much or anything about the case it told you everything you needed to know without being boring. If you are a true crime lover, or looking to learn more I definitely recommend this book! You won't regret it, the only complaint I have is that I was not ready to finish it , I wish there had been more to read.

An ideal book for any true crime fanatic. The author goes through each crime with delicacy and writes of details about the slayings that I perhaps hadn't seen elsewhere, despite my love of true crime!

One thing i really liked about this book is learning of crimes that weren't popularised! Instead of writing about all the well-known killings, the author has chosen to write about crimes over a space of time (1888-1965) and therefore putting the spotlight on crimes some people may not be familiar with - for example The Brides in the Bath Murderer, George Joseph Smith!

Congratulations to Jonathan Oates on a fantastic novel.

I think this is a hidden gem that people have yet to discover. It is appears it is Dr. Oates debut novel unless he also pens without the Dr. in his name. Nonetheless, I really like how this is presented. It could be the longest dissertation known to man if he had desired haha. It had a very specific focus, it presented suspects and theories as well as a very researched overview of these specific murders. I feel like I am letting my field of criminology down by actually learning something from this book instead of already knowing it. However this was great. It wouldnt really appeal to the "crime junkies" or those that read "true crime" becuase its not really a story but instead very good overviews of the cases and with many unsolved this makes those crime obsessed members upset. I still say read it love it and have a great dya

London Serial Killers is a solid, well-researched account of serial killers. There were cases I was familiar with and some I had not heard of. Highly recommended to true crime fans.

This book is so well written and accessible. I couldn't put it down. Details of murders and investigations are gruesome and shocking.

-Well researched
-Well written and easy to follow
-Details about cases that are not commonly known or referred to in movies and tv shows

What a fascinating read.

Interesting read. Informative. To the point without excess information the reader doesn't need. I really enjoyed reading it.

An interesting read. I loved the cover and the title. The historical element definitely makes this a different read to current true crime books. I enjoyed the way each case or killer was given its own chapter which made referring back easier when I wanted to. I enjoyed it.

I've been trying to get into the true crime genre, as I love to listen to true crime podcasts. This was a super interesting read! This book tells the story of Jack the Ripper, The Deptford Poisonings, The Lambeth Prisoner, The Southwark Prisoner, The Brides in the Bath, The Blackout Ripper, The Acid Bath Murders, and many more. The Writing was pretty good. This was a solid true crime novel.
(arc from netgalley)