Amanda Knox – Crime, Trial, Release and Controversy

In November 2007 the body of British student Meredith Kercher was discovered in her bedroom in Perugia, Italy. She had been brutally killed. Over the course of the next eight years one man, Rudy Guede, would be convicted of her murder and two other suspects, Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito, would be convicted, acquitted and convicted again for their part in the crime, before having their convictions overturned for the final time in 2015.

Almost two decades on from this horrific event Rudy Guede is now a free man, released in 2021 after spending 13 years in jail. Amanda Knox is married with a daughter and Raffaele Sollecito has slipped into relative obscurity. For many, Amanda was, and remains, the central character in this story. Why? And why the controversy?

Through piecing together a timeline of events and investigating the conflicting opinions found in the countless books, articles, films, documentaries, and discussions which have emerged over the years, the author takes the reader on a journey to find out. Including interviews with often unwavering web forum users where posters pit allegations of corruption, coerced confessions, and flawed procedures against those of wilful deceit, callous disregard for life, damning forensics and inappropriate behaviour, Helen investigates if confirmation bias plays a part and asks the ultimate question; can any of us who weren’t there that fateful night ever really claim to know what happened?

Amanda Knox; Crime, Trial, Release and Controversy was published by Pen & Sword in February 2024

Order your copy here

Jeremy Bamber – Murder and Turmoil at White House Farm

In the quiet hours before dawn on August 7, 1985, a frantic Jeremy Bamber claimed he had just received a shocking call from his father: “Your sister’s gone berserk, and she’s got a gun.” By the time police finally gained entry into White House Farm, they discovered a horrific scene; Jeremy’s parents, his sister and her six-year-old twins all lay dead from rifle wounds. Though it was initially thought to be a murder-suicide at the hands of Sheila, new evidence pointed to a darker truth.

A year later, Jeremy was convicted of cold-blooded murder, found guilty of staging a horrific scene to frame his sister and secure his family’s fortune. Decades on, he continues to protest his innocence, maintaining his elaborate story of that night with the support of a small but passionate group of followers.

This book not only pieces together the events over the months before, during and after the event but also shines a light on the reasons why some people still believe him to be innocent.

This book will be available to purchase through Pen & Sword in 2026.

Helen has been fascinated by the worlds of true crime and fictional whodunnits from a very young age. Beginning with a degree in theatre design, her eclectic career involving (amongst other things) event production and management, running a Santa grotto, creating and performing team building activities based around murder mystery challenges and, occasionally, some theatre design, has now culminated in the one thing which was always at the forefront: writing.  She recently published an award-winning play, and this is her first true crime publication.

Helen believes that the reason behind her interest in true crime is shared by many other women; they are terrified that ‘it’ could happen to them.  Where some might criticise the true crime community for being obsessed with evil criminals, she would argue that we are merely trying to spot (and therefore avoid) the enemy.   Her book about Amanda Knox, however, is less about predatory men and more about how the press and public deal with women accused of heinous crimes.

She loves to paint, drink wine, and watch episodes of Agatha Christie’s Poirot.

Helen’s journey into the world of true crime book writing started with Killer Debate; born out of a fascination with the world of true crime forums.
She asks- who are the forum members? What is their motivation? What do they hope to achieve? The fact is that only the defendants in each of these cases know what happened. For the rest of us, all we can do is think or believe in guilt or innocence based on what we’ve been told. We can’t know. So, what’s the point in discussing it?  There are plans afoot to turn Helen’s work on ‘Killer Debate’ into a podcast series covering the following cases:

Jonbenet Ramsey

Darlie Routier

Lyle and Erik Menendez

Lizzie Borden

Jeremy Bamber

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