Wartime London's 'Bonnie and Clyde': The Crime Spree of Betty Jones and Karl Hulten

by Melissa Ganendran, Melissa Ganendran

How did a petite dancer from a Welsh mining town become a killer in wartime London? Set against the chaos of the Second World War, Wartime London's 'Bonnie and Clyde' unravels the gripping true crime story of Betty Jones and Karl Hulten, whose crime spree led to tragedy and infamy.

Betty’s life, shaped by poverty, upheaval, and trauma, took a dark turn when war erupted. After surviving assault, rejection, and a violent marriage, she fled to London from Wales, seeking glamour but found herself ensnared in a shadowy world of striptease dancing, black-market dealings, and fleeting romances. In 1944, she crossed paths with Karl Hulten, a charming yet volatile American deserter, and together they embarked on a reckless spree culminating in the fatal shooting of a taxi driver, a case that would be dubbed the 'Cleft Chin Murder.'

Drawing from newly uncovered evidence, police records, court transcripts, and first-hand accounts, this narrative delves into Betty’s transformation and the media frenzy that followed. Was she a cold-blooded killer or a pawn in a destructive partnership? And what became of her after she narrowly escaped execution?

Wartime London's 'Bonnie and Clyde' is a haunting tale of crime, justice, and redemption, exploring gender roles, societal attitudes, and the profound impact of war on those living in its shadow. It challenges readers to question how far circumstances and choices shape those who kill, and whether justice was truly served in a case where all were victims.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

248 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication May 14, 2026

Reviews

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nicely written true crime book that in telling the story examines reasons why people engage in crimes and perhaps the impact of WWII on the crimes themselves. That is, in the illusion to Bonnie and Clyde in the book’s title, both sets of criminals were living in times that were desperate (in one case the Great Depression and in the other a war-torn country).

Betty Baker Jones grew up in abject poverty and in spite of her family being rather conventional, she aspired to glamour and a life in London but when she was 14 she was quite determined (she ran away twice) but she was also immature and naive. An incident of sexual assault also affected her. Sent to a reform school of sorts, she managed to marry at 16 to a British soldier and was able to leave the school. At this point she is 17 and gets involved with a married American soldier, Karl Hulton, and they commit crimes which include murder. To find out what happens to them, you. Out read the book. It’s very interesting, especially the ending.

My only criticism of the book is its title. I was expecting some kind of similarity between the American and the British couple much, so I was a bit disappointed there isn’t much of one. That is, Betty and Karl’s crime spree cannot compare to Bonnie and Clyde. Betty and Karl did theirs over a day or so while Bonnie and Clyde did their crimes over two years. Betty and Karl killed one person and the American couple many more besides robbing banks. But, nonetheless, the true crime aspect of this book resonates very well. Crime never pays.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Pen and Sword books for allowing me to read this fine ARC.

[Susan Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

These two individuals whom fated put together were on their own people who had very little concern for anyone but themselves. Together was a toxic brew that while short lived put another layer of fear on a city that had known little but for four years. Karl, the cocky self styled Lothario deserter, was already on the path. Betty, a troubled child with a tenuous grip on reality, fed his fantasies and while she played a secondary part in the crime spree, she was a willing participant. Or was she?

The book goes into an examination of the testimonies of Betty. Was she a willing partner or a terrified companion. There is evidence for both cases and since she was never known for telling the truth, she was not believed by many. Certainly at the end, she had a glimmer of the heinous deeds but convinced herself she would be exonerated. There is a case to be made that her stay of execution gave her the chance to make amends. If her family is to be believed she did just that.

There would be no reprieve for Karl, nor should there have been. Betty’s was controversial enough. The book presents a balanced look at these two. It makes for interesting reading but I came away unconvinced either way and perhaps that was the aim of the book. Four purrs and two paws up.

[Josephine Jarman · Rating 5 out of 5]

My interest was pipped by the title as these are criminals I have never heard off. I loved the way this was told it felt more narrative than factual as is the case with a lot of true crime books. Lots of research was clearly done and this shines through. I'm a little unsure of the title if this is meant to be literal or tongue in check or if its for the readers to decide. For me it seems wrong given the crimes involved. Carefully balanced throughout this gives not only insight into the characters their lives and families but also the what happened after and how it effected their lives. It brought them both to life more than any factual book on them ever could. It felt complete the why when how fully examined. The added pictures at the end put this on a great level for me. This is ideal for someone who wants a true crime insight that reads more like a novel, its engaging and compels you to read on to hear their fates, but also lets you decide the truth. Thank you netgallery, publisher and author for this 5 star read.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just ok. It didn’t capture me, and I felt the title was a bit misleading - the titular couple knew each other for six days in total, had a short-lived and brutal (but rather unsuccessful) crime spree targeting individuals, before being captured and turning on one another in the dock. Unlike Bonnie and Clyde, they didn’t net much profit, didn’t capture the public imagination, and were resoundly criticised by the press for murdering a cab driver and leaving another woman for dead. 



I would have preferred if the book had focused more on the motive for the offending, because Jones and Hulten were pretty inscrutable - why did these two people who by all accounts weren’t very good at most of what they tried, meet and turn to murder almost immediately? It’s not clear. Perhaps it’s an issue of a lack of source material.



Given the lack of forensic detail about the offending, this would have been stronger if it had more to say about what the crime (and the reporting) revealed about 1940s British and US society.


Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Valerity (Val) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a well fleshed out book about a young teen girl (Betty Jones), who dreams of dancing on stage in London, taking off to try and make her fortune. Instead, she falls on hard times and takes up with an American deserter (Karl Hulten) masquerading as a serviceman of a higher rank with a made up name. They live fast and loose using fake names until the night they rob a taxi driver and the man shoots and kills him. There follows a trial, judgment, and then the aftermath. Quite a true crime story, happening during the years of the second world war. I always enjoy reading about killers that are previously unknown to me.

[Nicole Perkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Pen & Sword Press for the review copy of "Wartime London's 'Bonnie and Clyde'."
Outlaws Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker have almost mythical status in history. Their two-year crime spree shocked and fascinated the country and may have inspired others in their own criminal acts. Melissa and Prash Ganendran tell the story of two such people in their book "Wartime London's 'Bonnie and Clyde'." I feel certain people in England at least have an idea who Bonnie and Clyde were; I for one had never heard of Betty Jones or Karl Hulten before reading this book. As an ironic aside, Karl Hulten was actually an American soldier who went AWOL while stationed in England. And yet he's not on the radar in US history, which might suggest how successful he was in his criminal career.
I can't say for certain if Hulten was inspired by Bonnie and Clyde; it is not mentioned in the book. I see the parallels the authors were trying to draw, but there are significant differences between the two couples. Most notably, Barrow and Parker were in a romantic relationship; Hulten and Jones knew each other for just about a week, and Hulten was married with a baby (his wife lived in the US while he was stationed in England) and he was involved with another English woman as well. In fact, Hulten and Jones don't appear to be a couple at all to my mind, just a man and a woman that teamed up to cause some havoc. I don't know if Betty Jones ever expected that her escapades would result in murder. She appears to have had a romanticized idea of what it meant to be a criminal. She certainly did not expect to be tried and found guilty. Her behavior during her trial shows a complete lack of responsibility for her part in the murder of George Heath. Hulten, on the other hand, while laying the blame for his actions on Jones' urging, acknowledged his culpability.
I came away from this book feeling that Betty Jones and Karl Hulten were both terrible people with inflated opinions of themselves. It was a great true crime read though, with a lot of action packed into just a few days.