Murder: The Biography
Murder: The Biography is a gruesome and utterly captivating portrait of the legal history of murder. The stories and the people involved in the history of murder are stranger, darker and more compulsive than any crime fiction. There's Richard Parker, the cannibalized cabin boy whose death at the hands of his hungry crewmates led the Victorian courts to decisively outlaw a defence of necessity to murder.
Dr Percy Bateman, the incompetent GP whose violent disregard for his patient changed the law on manslaughter. Ruth Ellis, the last woman hanged in England in the 1950s, played a crucial role in changes to the law around provocation in murder cases. And Archibald Kinloch, the deranged Scottish aristocrat whose fratricidal frenzy paved the way for the defence of diminished responsibility.
These, and many more, are the people - victims, killers, lawyers and judges, who unwittingly shaped the history of that most grisly and storied of laws. Join lawyer and writer Kate Morgan on a dark and macabre journey as she explores the strange stories and mysterious cases that have contributed to UK murder law. The big corporate killers; the vengeful spouses; the sloppy doctors; the abused partners; the shoddy employers; each story a crime and each crime a precedent that has contributed to the law's dark, murky and, at times, shocking standing.
We process orders daily, Monday to Friday.
| Collect instore (Leeds Museum) Collect within 7 days |
FREE |
| UK Standard - 3-5 Working Days | £3.95 FREE on orders over £60 |
| UK Express - 1-2 Working Days |
£5.95 |
| UK Express - 1-2 Working Days - AGE CHECK For full-size replicas (Swords, Gimli's Axe, Gandalf Staff) | £14.50 |
| International | Shipping costs will be calculated at checkout based on destination and weight. |
Please ensure that someone is available at the delivery address to receive your order. Any undelivered or uncollected parcels will be returned to sender. We will automatically issue a refund for all products once they have been received back at the museum, however, shipping is non-refundable.
Age Check - 18+
All sales of replica blades, replica firearms and alcohol require age verification. You will be asked for proof of age at point of delivery.
Collect in store
- Collections can be made from the shop at Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds during opening hours.
- You will be notified via email once your order is ready for collection.
- Once you receive this notification, we will hold your order for 7 days.
- Please bring your order confirmation and ID that matches the name on the order.
- Limited short stay, road-side parking is available on Clarence Road or Citipark operate the nearby Leeds Dock multi-storey car park. Please note that parking charges may apply.
International Shipping
All international orders will be sent by courier. The estimated delivery time for European deliveries is 7-10 working days and 10-14 working days for rest of the world, however this is not guaranteed.
Please note that some products are not available to ship outside of the UK. A full list can be found on the Restricted Items page. Orders placed with a non-UK delivery address that include a restricted item may be subject to cancellation and a refund will be issued. If you are unsure, please contact us before ordering.
Please be advised that you are responsible for any import duty that may be charged on delivery of your order. If you are unsure, we advise you to check with your own customs and excise department before placing an order.
Contact us
You can find all the ways to contact us on our Contact Us page
****Please be advised that you are responsible for any import duty that may be charged on delivery of your order. If you are unsure, we advise you to check with your own customs and excise department before placing an order.