This audiobook examines the media and cultural responses to the awful
crimes of Brady and Hindley, whose murders provided a template for
future media reporting on serial killers. It explores a wide variety of
topics relating to the Moors Murders case including: the historical and
geographical context of the murders, the reporting of the case and the
unique features which have become standard for other murder cases -
e.g., nicknames for the serial killers. It discusses the nature of evil
and psychopaths and how they are represented in film, drama, novels and
art. It also questions the ethics of the 'serial killing industry' and
how the modern cultural fixation on celebrity has extended to serial
killers and it explores the impact on the journalists and police
officers from being involved in such cases including some interviews
with them.
The treatment of Brady and Hindley by the media also raises profound
questions about the nature of punishment, including the links between
mental illness and crime and whether there is ever the prospect of
redemption.
This audiobook draws on cultural studies, criminology, sociology and
socio-legal studies to offer a multidimensional analysis of the impact
of this case and then uses this as a basis for the analysis of more
recent cases such as the crimes of Peter Sutcliffe and Harold Shipman.
