A Plot to Kill: The notorious killing of Peter Farquhar, a story of deception and betrayal that shocked a quiet English town

Description

Peter Farquhar was a 69-year-old English lecturer and novelist, who thought he'd finally found love with his handsome and charming student, forty years his junior. Little did he know Benjamin Field had been grooming him for years, using his faith, sexuality and love of language to manipulate and isolate him. It would end in murder. Very little shocks criminologist David Wilson, who has interviewed some of the world's most notorious serial killers; and yet this extraordinary murder in his sleepy hometown of Buckingham astounded him. Like a modern-day Harold Shipman, Field had abused his position of power to target the elderly and fool an entire community. He almost got away with it. Using forensic analysis and fascinating personal insight, David takes us to the dark heart of middle England and discovers how Peter unwittingly supplied the blueprint for his own murder, how a tightknit community failed to intervene - and how an undetected psychopath could have easily become one of our most prolific serial killers.

David Wilson is Emeritus Professor of Criminology and the founding Director of the Centre for Applied Criminology at Birmingham City University. Prior to taking up an academic appointment in 1997, David was a prison governor working at a variety of establishments in a number of different roles. Professor Wilson appears in the print and broadcast media as a commentator and presenter. His publishing includes Hunting Evil, A History of British Serial Killing, Signs of Murder, and his professional memoir, My Life with Murderers, which was shortlisted for the Saltire Prize for Non-Fiction. His next book, A Plot to Kill, will publish in 2021.

'A real-life Midsomer Murder ... it's chilling, but [David Wilson's] explanation of how a psychopath thinks is masterly' * The Times *