Gentlemen of the Jury

by Hans Habe

hardback with dust jacket in good condition. First published in Germany in 1964. This translated edition published 1967 in England. 

Before becoming a novelist, Hans Habe started life as a crime reporter. This non-fiction book is him taking a look back at some interesting crimes - from murders to poisonings to train sabotage. Habe believes the classic criminal cases reflect not only their period, but also their cities and countries. Some fascinating stuff here - from a 1931 railway fatality caused by someone laying explosives to the wife of a minister in France who shot her husband's arch enemy. This is true crime, before true crime was a podcast.