David Wilson is the UK’s leading criminologist and his knowledge of murder is unparalleled. By walking through each part of the house, he explains how each room’s purpose has changed over time, the weapons they contain, and ultimately, how these things combine in murder.

So much personal and cultural significance has been invested in the idea of the home. And, as the use of various rooms has changed over time, so have those meanings, along with their practical utility and symbolic value to a murderer. The kitchen, once set off from the main house due to its smells and risk of fire, has been transfigured into the domestic hub, and with changes in the role and status of women become a “contested space”. The door and the doorstep become an almost perfect example of when the homely can become uncanny and frightening’ In a career spanning 40 years David Wilson has met all sorts of killers: hitmen, mass, spree and serial killers and those murderers who seem to kill “in 5 minutes of madness”. Sometimes he meets them in a tense interview in a cell; sometimes to share a cup of tea (or something a little stronger); or sometimes just to look them in the eye as he tells them that, yes, they really are a psychopath.

Summary

David Wilson is the UK's leading criminologist and his knowledge of murder is unparalleled. By walking through each part of the house, he explains how each room's purpose has changed over time, the weapons they contain, and ultimately, how these things combine in murder. The home is the place where murder most commonly occurs. In England and Wales, each year on average 75 per cent of female murder victims and 39 per cent of murdered men are killed at home. Spanning over a century and a half of murder, the narrative interrogates how time has impacted these spaces and individual rooms, as the result of changing social attitudes and even technology. In recent times, we have only to open our social media feeds to see inside people’s homes; yet, perhaps, never before has there been such a veneer over those private spaces. Sometimes, the more we can see, the less we are seeing. We truly never know what is happening behind closed doors. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience – the local community.

Like all books on the more morbid end of the true crime spectrum, the case studies (which include Reg Christie, Fred and Rose West and Ian Brady) are profoundly horrifying and depressing. But they do provide insight into the psychologies of their subjects from the perspective of an expert of 40 years’ standing, twinned with a genuine desire to understand what the concept of “home” represents to us, and how violent death can both shatter it and expose the hidden, implicit meanings beneath the surface. How our safest space is where we’re most in danger.A new title from the author of My Life with Murderers and A Plot to Kill, in this book David will be exploring the tragic prevalence of domestic murder by walking the reader through each room of the house, and discussing how, for so many victims, their own home is the place they are most in danger. Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours. Murder at Home explores different cases where people have been killed in the home. The book is structured a bit like a walkthrough of a house, each chapter focuses on a different space such as doorstep and bedroom. In exploring the cases, David also shows the significance of the location of the murder and what this can tell you about the situation and the perpetrator. Detailing a mix of infamous and lesser-known cases – amongst them the crimes of Ian Brady (and Myra Hindley), Mary Ann Cotton, Fred and Rose West, and Peter Tobin, and a review of the Clydach Murders – each chapter groups them by the location within the home where significant elements of the crimes took place. Where necessary, there are some graphic crime scene descriptions and insights into the murders as they were committed, though Wilson ensures the victims are front and centre of his analysis and treats them with respect. The subject of dark tourism is also touched upon: murderers fascinate us – perhaps certain types of murderers more so – their psychology and the circumstances surrounding their crimes never failing to mystify and intrigue, but it is always important, specifically when dealing with true crime, to remember that people have tragically lost their lives and the impact still felt by their loved ones to this day.

I was anxious to read this, the title alone is enough to put you off! We all think of our homes as a safe place…. This book disputes that! Discover wonderful wildlife tours to book and experience in Scotland, including bird watching safaris, whale watching, farm tours and much more! This book isn't just about rooms, however. Wilson also introduces the concept of "whole house murders", or 'annihilations' - which are as horrific as the name suggests. These are murders that usually involve a male setting fire to a property after killing his family and then committing suicide. This chapter was one that really made me angry because so many seemed to be the result of a wounded male ego. Join the UK’s leading criminologist Professor David Wilson, author of the fascinating new book Murder At Home as he explores how, for so many victims, their safest space is the place they are most in danger. Delving into infamous as well as lesser-known cases, this examination of how murderers have used different rooms in a house is perfect for fans of The Dark Side of the Mind and The Mind of a Murderer.