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  • Wicked Beyond Belief

  • The Hunt for the Yorkshire Ripper
  • By: Michael Bilton
  • Narrated by: Marston York
  • Length: 21 hrs and 27 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (76 ratings)

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Wicked Beyond Belief

By: Michael Bilton
Narrated by: Marston York
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Summary

Now a major TV series

A gripping and probing account of the biggest criminal manhunt in British history.

It is over 40 years since Peter Sutcliffe was convicted of murdering 13 women and attacking 7 more. Still, he remains a killer of almost mythical proportions; his surviving victims, and their families, forever attached to his infamy.

Michael Bilton’s acclaimed account is a powerful indictment of the calamitous investigation that logged over 2 million man-hours of police work – the biggest criminal manhunt in British history. With exclusive access to the detectives involved, the pathologist’s archives and declassified documents, this account reads like the most gripping of thrillers.

Fully updated for this edition.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2022 Michael Bilton (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers Limited
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Critic reviews

‘A masterpiece that reads like a thriller’ Time Out

What listeners say about Wicked Beyond Belief

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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The mistakes and missed opportunities

Detail and telling story so emotional and factual excellent,not just about sutcliffe but the lives of the police as well

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Fascinating

Insightful, factual and brilliantly narrated. I could not stop listening to this account of the Yorkshire ripper investigation. A full record detailing the poor victims and the impact on their families, the police search, scientific evidence, psychologist reports and the man himself, without the usual tabloid sensationalism.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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excellent listen

learnt a lot more on what actually happened within the police force and where they went wrong more so than just missed opportunities like how many times he was interviewed. also A lot more victims than I originally thought just not as known because they survived or weren't accepted by the police as potential victims because they weren't working prostitutes

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Harrowing Read

really enjoyed listening to this and found it truly enlightening, would definitely recommend this to others

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    5 out of 5 stars
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An exellent book!

I highly recommend this book if you are interrested in the case or fan of the show ”Long shadow”

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    5 out of 5 stars
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frightening and detailed.

highly detailed story of the Yorkshire Ripper enquiry. Frighteninh how so many opportunities were missed to catch him earlier. Well worth a listen

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant

I wanted to listen to this after watching the itv series. So interesting but horrifying and sad. Good narration

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A brilliant listen of the story about the hunt for the ripper in 1970's Yorkshire

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    4 out of 5 stars
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Detailed Ripper Account.

This book overall was extremely thorough.At times it was a tad repetitive this it's a four and half star listen .The Narrator was excellent .It didn't go into the Rippers childhood or any reasons why he commited his horrible murders but was thorough on the police investigation and the victims.

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Very aptly titled

This was a harrowing listen and the title completely defines the subject of the investigation, who I will not dignify by naming. This thoroughly researched work correctly focuses on the victims whilst highlighting the flaws of the case. It is infuriating that so many chances were missed and evidence overlooked, however, we cannot view this with the hindsight of today's technology. It is clear that many of the individuals working on this case gave their utmost but poor management led the team down so many wrong paths. We should never forget those many individual, deceased and survivors, who were irrevocably affected by this case.

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1 person found this helpful