John Christie: The True Story of The Rillington Place Strangler: Historical Serial Killers and Murderers

by Jack Rosewood, Rebecca Lo

John Christie was a man with many secrets, and his flat at 10 Rillington Place in London would become known as one of the original houses of horror. Former soldier, Special Constable, and husband, John was to become regarded as one of the worst British Serial killers to date, and one that left a lot more questions than answers following his execution. Nobody ever suspected that this quiet man would have a dark double life, with a penchant for prostitutes and sexual perversion. He took advantage of the post-war times, the desperate women without husbands and their need to be rid of unwanted pregnancies as a result of prostitution and lack of contraception. Christie claimed he could perform abortions, and this led some women right to his lair, where they would be gassed and raped while they died. The official number of deaths associated with this London serial killer was eight, but it is believed there were most likely many more. This true crime story is filled with unanswered questions and controversy, as Christie's actions led an innocent man to his death at the gallows. This would later bring about changes to the British legal system surrounding capital punishment, but for Timothy Evans it was far too late. This serial killer biography will intrigue you, disgust you and make you question how the police and legal system could get things so wrong. The fact that unlike many other historical serial killers Christie hid the bodies of his victims in his house and his backyard makes him one of the most disturbing perpetrators of true crime murder in history.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction

140 pages, Paperback

Published May 22, 2016

About the author

I live in one of the most beautiful places in Florida, Jupiter, with my wife, two kids and our golden retriever, Vincent. I've been a full time author for the last 15 years and I wouldn't trade it against anything in the world!

My father was a journalist and wrote about some of the worst crimes you could ever imagine, and that's where my big interest from serial killers and other horrible crimes comes from. Just to hear my father talk about the evil acts of Ted Bundy as we were out fishing as a kid are some of my best memories.

Reviews

[Mary Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Reginald Christie

If you've never heard of Christie, this book give the facts of his crimes committed over a ten year period. 1943 - 1953 Well written without typos or formatting errors, but no pictures either.

[Ashley Hedden · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Christie: The True Story of The Rillington Place Strangler: Historical Serial Killers and Murderers (True Crime by Evil Killers Book 17) was a good read by Jack Rosewood and Rebecca Lo. John Christie had many secrets. The flat that he lived in would become known as one of the original houses of horror. He was regarded as one of the worst serial killers in British history. He was a former soldier and husband that no one would've expected to be a serial killer. Christie would find prostitutes and claim to be able to perform abortions. He would then gas them, rape and kill them. This was another good take on a true crime read.

[Dr Jonathan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Extremely poor version of an account of an infamous serial killer. There is no evidence of any original research and this is yet another rehash of the Ludovic Kennedy thesis which was ripped to shreds by John Eddowes three decades ago. The author faithfully copies every error which has been enshrined as fact by constant repetition despite listing a book in the bibliography which deals with all these. It is hard to think of any saving grace in this little book. Best avoided - save your time and money.

[Elizabeth Kennedy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but more of an overview of the serial killer than an actual exploration into why he acted as he did. I wish there had been some more in-depth treatment of the time period, more in the way of describing the people who surrounded John and a little bit fewer exclamation points, but a very good high level overview, like a "cliff Notrs" version of the instances?

[Rachel Griffiths · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice short read

I only chose 4 stars as it was a short book, it's perfect for a quick read if you are a busy person and need to fit things in.
Even though it's a short read it was full of facts.

[Jim Spivey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good research book

I have gave this book a four star. Mr. Rosewood writing of the life of John Christie was interesting and to the point.

[John Galvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very brief up to him being hanged. A little more information about Christie in the Epilogue. Then a list of the writer's other books.

[Tony Parsons · Rating 3 out of 5]

WWI era John Reginald Halliday Christie serial killer.

Warning: This book contains extremely graphic adult content, violence, or expletive language &/or uncensored sexually explicit material which is only suitable for mature readers. It may be offensive to some readers.

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one. All thoughts & opinions are entirely my own.

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great movie, college PP presentation, mini TV series or documentary (True Crime; American Crime Story; Investigative Discovery). The usual no works cited or references. It just was not that detailed or exciting to read. That said I will rate it at 3/5 stars.

Thank you for the free Goodreads; Making Connections; Author; Wiq Media; PDF book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

[Nancy Silk · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A Very Interesting Account Of A Real Serial Killer"

This is a factual account of a serial killer in London during the 1940s and 1950s. His targets were women, normally those who walked the streets at night. Many of them had become pregnant, thus Christie would entice them to his flat (apartment) saying he was a doctor and was experienced in performing abortions. The sad thing is a Timothy Evans was believed to be the killer and was sent to the gallows because of Christie's testimony against Evans. This documentary reflects the very controlling home in which Christie grew up in with a protective mother, demanding father, and six dominating sisters. This account is well written and one gets to know or surmise what causes a person to pursue such dark torture and death on other humans. Crawl into this criminal mind and learn.... Highly recommend.

[Anita Hargreaves · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative

I loved the added psychological profile on a serial killers behaviour as can't fathom what makes them so different to us, it was informative and concise, not a large book and not for titillation but for awareness and would help those studying psychology

[Shannon Perry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice & easy read, but fairly simplistic. I would've liked to have read it a more detailed version of events, but all in all it was a great book!