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Ten Billington Place Christie & Evans: The First Full Story of an Appalling Miscarriage of Justice Hardcover – January 1, 1961
- Print length308 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSimon & Schuster
- Publication dateJanuary 1, 1961
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Product details
- ASIN : B0006AWWG4
- Publisher : Simon & Schuster; First Edition (January 1, 1961)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 308 pages
- Item Weight : 1.01 pounds
- Best Sellers Rank: #4,627,058 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #15,188 in Criminology (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
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- Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2015ok
- Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2024I'm already well acquainated with Christy and Evans, and that thank goodness Evans was found innocent , but sadly about 15 years after he was hanged so it did him no good , but it aws nice for his family, Christy was a sociopath, and serial killer of at least 8 women including his wife. While some of this book is interesting, a lot of it is very slow, and somewhat tedious tedious. In addition some photographs of the key players; Evans, Christie, their wives, the various victims etc. Ludovic Kennedy who's no longer alive was an excellent journalist , he was very much involved with having Evans pardoned , which happened 15 years after he was hanged.
- Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2002This is a story of two men, Mr. Kennedy tells us at the outset, one who loses his wife and baby to murder, is falsely accused and put to death and the other, a vicious, pathetic, seedy serial killer. The labyrinths of the story are thus: Mr. Evans, his wife and baby rent rooms in a doll-sized house in Notting Hill. In this house, on the ground floor are Mr. Christie and his wife. An elderly man also resides here but he is away. Before the bodies of Mrs. Evans and her baby are discovered in the wash house, Mr. Evans turns himself into the police and, although illiterate and possessing the mentality of a 10 year old, confesses twice to the murders. Later he retracts his confession and claims that Mr. Christie committed the murders and that he confessed only to protect Mr. Christie. He explains that Mr. Christie convinced Mr. Evans and his wife that he was an abortionist, that (against his wishes) his wife agreed to undergo Mr. Christie's treatment. Mr. Evans claims to arrive home to find his wife dead but his baby alive. After a couple of days, Mr. Christie tells Mr. Evans that he sent the baby to a couple in East Acton and advises him to flee London. Mr. Evans is tried, found guilty and hanged to death. Several years later, six women's bodies, including that of Mrs. Christie, are discovered at 10 Rillington Place. It becomes obvious that Mr. Evans was telling the truth and was innocent of the murders of his wife and baby. He was wrongfully put to death. His innocence has never been reinstated by the British court.
Mr. Kennedy makes it clear that the crimes are not the only issue here. The major issue is the miscarriage of justice and the further injustice that this mistake has never been officially acknowledged by the British authorities. Poor Mr. Evans, his mother and sisters who lived nearby.
The account of the murders of Beryl Evans and baby Geraldine is thoroughly presented. There is too much consideration for the feelings of the police and judge. Ultimately, the question of how these lawmen could have ignored certain evidence, and tampered with the existing evidence, becomes paramount. In this book, the authorities, even more than Mr. Christie, become the guilty party. Mr. Kennedy does a respectable job of finding excuses for them (as indeed they seem to have found for themselves) in the basic fact that Mr. Evans, a chronic liar and emotionally confused, confessed twice to the crimes but the tampering of evidence makes lame any justification for this misjustice. It is maddening and incomprehensible and upstages Mr. Christie, whose story is another book in itself, totally.
It is no small point that the inside cover of this book is a map of Notting Hill in the 1950s. The neighborhood where Mr. Christie, the Evans's, Mr. Evans's mother and sisters lived, as well as where Christie's other victims frequented, seems to play a part in understanding the emotional pitch of these people and their lives, presenting a banal but murky background to the horrors that took place.
This is an excellent true crime account. It fascinates and enrages the reader and serves to clear the name of an innocent man who could hardly have understood what was happening to him. The fact that one wonders about the souls of these unfortunate people, victims, criminal and lawmen, is the greatest achievement of this book.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2014I rarely rate a book that I didn't read completely. This one is an exception. I found the FONT too small to read at all, and also, disappointingly - NO photographs. I was using this book as an accompaniment to 13 Steps Down in a book group, and I was hoping for some photos and some bits of text for excerpts, since the group's readers had never heard of John Reginald Christie.
Since this is said to be the definitive book on Christie, I am not giving 3 STARS for the book itself, but more for the fact that the text was too tiny to read. If small print doesn't bother you and you have an interest in the subject matter, I am sure this would be an excellent choice.
Top reviews from other countries
- Amazon CustomerReviewed in the United Kingdom on February 2, 2024
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Excellent read not for the faint hearted thoroughly enjoyed reading it
- WillineedajumperReviewed in the United Kingdom on December 22, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Ludovic Kennedy has to be author
This book is creepy but compelling reading. It is a true account, not fiction and Kennedy gives no judgements or opinions on the content, although it does have an undercurrent of miscarriage of justice- but Kennedy never actually says this. He lets the reader come to their own conclusions. I think this is a real strength of the book. He was well known to be a leading voice in the miscarriage of justice. Hard to find this author and the price was high, especially as I had this book for a long time and gave it to a charity shop when we moved house and had to get rid of many things. Unfortunately I couldn’t find on Kindle either.
- Mrs. E. A. MarksReviewed in the United Kingdom on April 19, 2016
5.0 out of 5 stars 10 Rillington Place
Oh writing and research was so well done in those days; Ludovic Kennedy doesn't miss a beat of this story and of all the accounts of it that I've read, this is far and away the best. An excellent read of what was a truly horrifying crime - when the words 'serial killer' had yet to be invented and the name of John Reginald Halliday Christie swiftly became a nightmare!
- Kindle AficionadoReviewed in the United Kingdom on November 2, 2019
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating dissection of one of the British State’s worst miscarriages of justice.
Ludovic Kennedy's famous book and crusade to appeal that Timothy Evans was innocent and was hanged in a dreadful miscarriage of justice. It's a fascinating read from beginning to end. Christie is exposed as a depraved man whose revolting lust brought about his own destruction.
- Mrs Janice NichollsReviewed in the United Kingdom on June 30, 2023
5.0 out of 5 stars Great price
A thick second hand book that is good condition.