Murder in WW2 London
Amy Helen Bell reveals how the chaos and disruption of the Second World War enabled violent criminals to stalk the streets of Britain's capital
In September 1940, the German Luftwaffe began raining bombs on British cities, causing death and destruction on a scale never before seen. But, in the capital, the Blitz wasn’t the only threat to people's safety. Amy Helen Bell tells Jon Bauckham about London's Second World War crime wave, exploring dark moments that challenge the rosy idea of 'Blitz Spirit', and revealing how serial killers such as Gordon Cummins and John Christie exploited the chaos of war to carry out their heinous acts.
Amy Helen Bell is the author of Under Cover of Darkness: Murders in Blackout London (Yale University Press, 2024).