A Deafening Silence - by Simon Farquhar (Paperback)

About the Book

CWA-shortlisted author Simon Farquhar reveals the stories behind some of Britain's most extraordinary (yet somehow forgotten) murders

Book Synopsis

In a decade of researching and writing about crime, Simon Farquhar has met many of those professionally or personally affected by it. They all carry with them stories which the rest of the world has forgotten, but which to them remain unforgettable.

Now five of the most extraordinary stories are being told, in full, for the first time. Retracing these historic tragedies with a modern eye, talking to surviving witnesses and police officers, exploring Home Office files and even previously unseen evidence, each investigation reveals powerful truths about those who take away a human life and those bereaved by their actions, while shining a new light on how our society has changed--or still needs to change.

Time is also taken to explore the untold stories of what happens after sentence is passed, after the press packs up and leaves, once the rest of the world has moved on. What becomes of the survivors, and what becomes of the criminals? What traces of these crimes still remain today?

Exhaustively researched and sensitively written, these remarkable accounts are both harrowing and heartbreaking, presenting us with humanity at its cruelest, at its most vulnerable, at its most compassionate and at its most courageous.

Review Quotes

About the Author

Simon Farquhar is a writer and broadcaster. His plays include Candy Floss Kisses and Elevenses with Twiggy for BBC Radio 4, Rainbow Kiss (Royal Court), Dream Me a Winter (Old Vic) and Wassail Play (Theatre Royal Dumfries). His true crime memoir, A Dangerous Place: The Story of the Railway Murders, was published by The History Press in 2016 and shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger Award for Non-Fiction.