The Killing Streets by Tanya Bretherton

The way Tanya weaves this story together is nothing short of intoxicating. She does a fantastic job of establishing the context in which the crimes happened – how the Great Depression affected the city, how cars forever changed the sex work industry – to give you a greater idea of how and why these crimes occurred. Everything comes across in a slow burn, making each twist and turn so impactful. It’s a case that’s as fascinating as it is infuriating; as much as I wanted to keep reading there were times I wanted to throw the book out a window. The police corruption, the behaviour of the media, and society’s attitude towards women and particularly sex workers of the time is appalling. More frightening than the murders is the fact that things really haven’t changed that much.