David M Pickup

The Railway Murders: Significant Cases in British Railway History Malcolm Clegg Pen & Sword, £25 ★★★★✩ The invention of railways 200 years ago sped the Industrial Revolution. Raw materials could be moved much faster and more cheaply than before. Railways also changed working patterns, with trains now carrying commuters. But railways were loved and loathed. Lone passengers were vulnerable to crime.

The Murder of PC Gutteridge: Britain’s Underworld in the Roaring Twenties Neil R Storey Pen & Sword Books, £16.50 ★★★★✩ Nearly 100 years ago, a village police officer was murdered in Essex. He was a conscientious officer and a well-known family man. The shooting led to a nationwide manhunt. The resultant trial featured one of the first female barristers. The case led to the introduction of the free 999 emergency phone service.

The Hendrix Joplin Community: The story of a cult church Vivian C Ward Independently published, £8.99 ★★★✩ ✩ Welcome to the brave new world where everything is permitted. Well, almost everything. There is no backlog in the criminal courts because there are few crimes to try. A new polygraph that is 100% reliable helps to quickly dispose of what few trials there are. Too good to be true? Yes, probably. The background to this dystopian science fiction novel is climate change.