Introduction

The city of Reading, and the surrounding areas, hold some fascinating stories of murder.

The early chapters of this book carry a theme of women, driven to distraction by unwanted pregnancies, who, at their wit’s ends, deposited their offspring into the cold waters of one of the rivers flowing through the area. The exception, of course, was Amelia Dyer, the infamous Reading baby-farmer, who turned this practice into a lucrative business. We will never know just how many innocent victims died at her hands.

There is, also, the still unsolved murder of Alfred Oliver, who was murdered in his tobacconist’s shop; a crime for which an American actor suffered, in effect, a trial by coroner’s inquisition.

There are those where the person found guilty of the crime suffered death by hanging. One of these was George Russell in 1948. Read his story for yourself and decide if he really was guilty of the crime which claimed his life.

Finally, there are the more modern murders including the red-mini murder and the gravel pits murders. There are even crimes which involved an Elvis Presley Fan Club, and religious sacrifice.

The foul deeds in this book involve murders over a period of more than one hundred years and show a darker side of parts of the county of Berkshire.