Burke and Hare: The True Story Behind the Infamous Edinburgh Murderers (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781780272177)

In a boarding house in West Port, an old army pensioner dies of natural causes. He owes the landlord rent. Instead of burying the body, the landlord, William Hare, and his friend, William Burke, fill the coffin with bark and sell the corpse to Dr. Robert Knox, an ambitious Edinburgh anatomist. They make a profit of GBP3 and 10 shillings. After this encouraging outcome, Burke and Hare decide to suffocate another sickly tenant.

So begins the criminal career of the most notorious double act in serial killing. Here is the unvarnished, human story behind the infamous Burke and Hare murders. We delve into their past, their personalities and the circumstances that made them resort to murder as a money-making scheme. It's a tale of desperation and greed, of outsiders, ambition, corruption and betrayal. And it's all true!

Author: Owen Dudley-Edwards
ISBN-10: 1780272170
ISBN-13: 9781780272177
Publisher: Birlinn
Language: English
Published: 12/09/2014
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback