From mysterious and suspicious death to murder, Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths Around Bedford is a fascinating study of the cases that once dominated both local and national newspapers. Spanning just over one hundred years, the book examines in detail both motive and consequence, the known facts, the social factors prevalent at the time, and the situations and circumstances surrounding those involved. For a number of the guilty the verdicts were never in doubt and to them came a kind of notoriety, others like James Hanratty, who shot his victims in a lay-by, invoked a different response and for many his guilt remains unproven.