I found this fair-condition 1971 paperback (different cover than shown) in the swap shop of Nashua's Four Hills landfill/recycle center. I'd read the book some time back, so I thought I'd nab this copy for tag-and-release - and this way I can cut-and-paste my previous comments!

Ah, if only they'd had DNA testing in 1811... or did they even need it? The authors (P. D. James and T. A. Critchley) speculate that more thorough police work might have brought the true killer(s) to justice. The crimes described here were as gory and seemingly unmotivated as any in the history of true-crime narratives: on two different nights, two families were bludgeoned and knifed to death, and while the death of a suspect in prison was considered to solve the case at the time, the authors present alternate theories. (I was delighted to see, among the sources consulted during the writing of the book, Prof. Keith Simpson, who was a professor of forensic medicine in London, and whose own memoirs, "Forty Years of Murder," have been among my favorite forensic reading.)

RELEASE NOTES:

I left this book propped against the railing of the visitor's center entrance on Central Street (roughly street-number 108) at about 3:45. It's a beautiful day for strolling around the historic district - hope the finder enjoys the book!