Wartime London's 'Bonnie and Clyde' (Hardback)

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This is a very entertaining read about a little-known story. Although non-fiction, it’s written in a storytelling style which makes it engaging and easy to read. I really enjoyed this book.

NetGalley, Amber Johnson

Wow. Just wow. This is one of those stories that make you go, "Wait, this actually happened?!" It's wild. I was enthralled from the very beginning. If you're looking for a fresh, never-been-told-before true crime book, this is it. I'm amazed that this case faded from memory the way it did. It's truly shocking, disturbing, and tragic. I also just learned a lot about the culture in the UK during this period and it was fascinating—a whole different world. I definitely recommend checking this one out!

NetGalley, Catherine Craig

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.

NetGalley, Janine Skavnak

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is an interesting true crime book that tells the story of the "Cleft Chin Murder."

It follows Betty Jones, a young dancer, and Karl Hulten, an American soldier who left his post during World War II.

We learn how they met in London and why they went on a fast, violent crime spree that ended in a tragic killing.

The book is very well-researched and uses old police records to show what life was like in the dark, dangerous streets of London during the war.

It is an easy read and quite entertaining, It also that makes you think about whether the characters were truly evil or just caught up in a bad situation.

NetGalley, Tracy Shephard

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This is a true crime story that is so richly written. I felt that I was right there in the story. Wonderfully researched. I highly recommend it.

NetGalley, Susan Benedict

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.

NetGalley, Valerie Shampine

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

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.

NetGalley, Josephine Jarman