Review: The Peepshow – The Murders at 10 Rillington Place

Over the years there have been many books and articles written around the infamous Reg Christie and the murders of 10 Rillington Place, however The Peepshow is a must for anyone with an interest in understanding the facts around this case who wants to draw their own conclusions.

True Crime isn’t one of the genres I tend to lean towards after a period some years ago when I was studying criminal psychology and immersed myself into reading everything I could get my hands on around historical crimes. However, I remember reading about this case during that period, and so when I got the opportunity to read this book with my online book club ‘The Pigeonhole‘, I thought it would be interesting to see what, if anything has come to light in the intervening years. On the Pigeonhole, chapters are grouped into ‘staves’, and spread out over a couple of days (usually 10 or so), and a new stave is released every day. I was completely drawn in by the writing style and I raced through it each time a new stave was released. The case is drawn out and detailed for the reader in a story like tone, and we see events through different voices, and perspectives, and for a change (in a similar manner to Hallie Rubenhold’s ‘The Five’), the focus is on who the unwitting players in this macabre tale were, but as people – not just as names on a victim sheet or the policemen who were so blinded by societal norms that they let the baddie get away.

We also hear from those in Christie’s orbit, how he appeared to them, making it frighteningly clear how some monsters can hide in very plain sight. As with any non-fiction book, putting so many facts and voices together and keeping it engaging is a skill, and Kate clearly has this in spades as not only is it readable, but it’s compelling. It’s like the written version of car crash TV but without the speculation; in this case the facts are astonishing enough. As mentioned, I was acquainted with the case, but now it appears superficially so – I had no clue about some of the details that are contained within these pages. As an example, the evidence around Tim Evans is not as black and white as it has previously been presented – by the end, I’m still not sure what his part was in this succession of events, and trying to work this out is as fascinating and confusing as the information around Derek Bentley, who was executed and has since been pardoned, is simply heartbreaking.

Thank you Kate for bringing their stories to light again. The Peepshow is an excellent, if sobering, retelling of these events, and will bring this cautionary tale to a whole new audience, as well as delighting fans of true crime.