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The Blooding
Fifteen-year-old Lynda Mann's savagely raped and strangled body is found along a shady footpath near the English village of Narborough. Though a massive 150-man dragnet is launched, the case remains unsolved. Three years later the killer strikes again, raping and strangling teenager Dawn Ashforth only a stone's throw from where Lynda was so brutally murdered. But it will take four years, a scientific breakthrough, the largest manhunt in British crime annals, and the blooding of more than four thousand men before the real killer is found.
432 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
About the author
Joseph Wambaugh
59 books708 followersJoseph Wambaugh, a former LAPD detective sergeant (1960-1974), is the bestselling author of twenty-one prior works of fiction and nonfiction, including The Choirboys and The Onion Field. Wambaugh joined the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) in 1960. He served 14 years, rising to detective sergeant. He also attended California State University, Los Angeles, where he earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees.
In 2004, he was named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. He lives in southern California.
In 2004, he was named Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America. He lives in southern California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews
September 11, 2023
Wambaugh, an established 'true crime' author, chronicles here the investigation and eventual solving of two brutal murders of 15 yo girls in the Narborough Villages in the early 1980s. What brought my attention to his book concerns how these involved the first use of 'genetic fingerprinting' by the police to solve a crime.
Genetic fingerprinting emerged as something of a side project for some researchers in England, when they discovered that, via some scientific practices, a person's genetic code is unique and can be found in any cell sample. At first, this was thought of as a way to settle paternity disputes and so forth, but quickly morphed into a potential tool in the police forensic 'tool kit'. Wambaugh goes back and forth in the early part of this text, exploring the crime and police efforts to solve it juxtaposed to the work scientists were doing on genetic fingerprinting.
What blew me away was how the English police responded to the murders, with over 150 cops assigned to the cases and the amazingly in depth questionings and probings to solve the crime. I cannot even imagine such a task force in the USA, unless, say a celebrity was murdered. The first murder occurred in 1983, and a little less than 3 years later, another local girl was found murdered and raped in similar fashion.
Wambaugh spends quite some time fleshing out the primary police investigators and their, in the end, fruitless task. What brought the case to a head was the decision to take blood samples from every male of a certain age in all three villages, as well as anyone who was in the area when the crimes occurred without an alibi. Would the people be forced to give blood? Would not this trample upon their civil liberties? These questions are posed, but not resolved here (this was first published in 1989). What eventually turned the case involved a man, indeed, the perp, who managed to get someone else to pose as him for the 'blooding' (as the taking of blood was deemed by the cops); when news of this emerged, the cops had their first real lead...
Alongside the above drama, Wambaugh also explores the mind and motivations of sociopaths, as the perp is just such an individual. I was also a bit surprised at all the sexual crimes uncovered/discussed as the text went on; it seems like every other guy in England is either a flasher, a groper or something. Whew. The pacing was a bit erratic, with the main story arc often sidetracked for detailed discussions of the area, the local accent, the lives of the families that suffered the lose of their children and so forth. Nonetheless, an interesting read. 3 bloody stars!!
Genetic fingerprinting emerged as something of a side project for some researchers in England, when they discovered that, via some scientific practices, a person's genetic code is unique and can be found in any cell sample. At first, this was thought of as a way to settle paternity disputes and so forth, but quickly morphed into a potential tool in the police forensic 'tool kit'. Wambaugh goes back and forth in the early part of this text, exploring the crime and police efforts to solve it juxtaposed to the work scientists were doing on genetic fingerprinting.
What blew me away was how the English police responded to the murders, with over 150 cops assigned to the cases and the amazingly in depth questionings and probings to solve the crime. I cannot even imagine such a task force in the USA, unless, say a celebrity was murdered. The first murder occurred in 1983, and a little less than 3 years later, another local girl was found murdered and raped in similar fashion.
Wambaugh spends quite some time fleshing out the primary police investigators and their, in the end, fruitless task. What brought the case to a head was the decision to take blood samples from every male of a certain age in all three villages, as well as anyone who was in the area when the crimes occurred without an alibi. Would the people be forced to give blood? Would not this trample upon their civil liberties? These questions are posed, but not resolved here (this was first published in 1989). What eventually turned the case involved a man, indeed, the perp, who managed to get someone else to pose as him for the 'blooding' (as the taking of blood was deemed by the cops); when news of this emerged, the cops had their first real lead...
Alongside the above drama, Wambaugh also explores the mind and motivations of sociopaths, as the perp is just such an individual. I was also a bit surprised at all the sexual crimes uncovered/discussed as the text went on; it seems like every other guy in England is either a flasher, a groper or something. Whew. The pacing was a bit erratic, with the main story arc often sidetracked for detailed discussions of the area, the local accent, the lives of the families that suffered the lose of their children and so forth. Nonetheless, an interesting read. 3 bloody stars!!
June 4, 2017
Wambaugh tackles his first book set outside of the US and selects the groundbreaking case which revolutionized how crime was detected......the use of DNA to identify the perpetrator.
In two small, close knit contiguous villages in England the rape and murder of two teenage girls throws the population into panic. Violent death was something that was foreign in these towns beyond the occasional pub or domestic fights which resulted in the unintentional death of one of the participants. The police banded together with other forces in the daunting task of finding clues, eyewitnesses, or anything that would shed light on these horrific murders. At one point, it appeared that they had found their killer but it turned out that he was just a very disturbed young man who "confessed" to the crimes. No clues were found and the cases were stalling.
At the same time, a geneticist who by chance, was located at a nearby university, discovered the key to the uniqueness of each human being - the genetic fingerprint of DNA. Although it was early days in the acceptance of the use of DNA, the police decided to use this science in their search for the murderer. Thus the title....blooding - the taking of blood samples of almost every male resident of the villages. The process used would probably not be acceptable today but the police stated that is was "voluntary". The murderer, through some clever moves, outwitted the police for a while but, as we know, DNA never lies and this became the first case where a perpetrator was discovered and brought to justice based on this new science. A fascinating read.
In two small, close knit contiguous villages in England the rape and murder of two teenage girls throws the population into panic. Violent death was something that was foreign in these towns beyond the occasional pub or domestic fights which resulted in the unintentional death of one of the participants. The police banded together with other forces in the daunting task of finding clues, eyewitnesses, or anything that would shed light on these horrific murders. At one point, it appeared that they had found their killer but it turned out that he was just a very disturbed young man who "confessed" to the crimes. No clues were found and the cases were stalling.
At the same time, a geneticist who by chance, was located at a nearby university, discovered the key to the uniqueness of each human being - the genetic fingerprint of DNA. Although it was early days in the acceptance of the use of DNA, the police decided to use this science in their search for the murderer. Thus the title....blooding - the taking of blood samples of almost every male resident of the villages. The process used would probably not be acceptable today but the police stated that is was "voluntary". The murderer, through some clever moves, outwitted the police for a while but, as we know, DNA never lies and this became the first case where a perpetrator was discovered and brought to justice based on this new science. A fascinating read.
July 31, 2008
In 1986 when Dawn Ashworth was murdered I was 13. I remember the case because at the time I was living in Leicester, and often went to Enderby.
The university of Leicester was less than a mile away, and DNA testing was big news as was the blooding.
It's also important that DNA testing cleared the first suspect before being used to prove the real killer guilty.
The book goes into the details of both murders, describes the hunt for the killer and the lengths the Leicestershire constabulary went to to obtain blood samples. What amazes me is that the killer would have got away with it, but for a conversation in a pub.
Colin Pitchfork is in prison now 21 years later, the first man convicted partly due to DNA testing.
The university of Leicester was less than a mile away, and DNA testing was big news as was the blooding.
It's also important that DNA testing cleared the first suspect before being used to prove the real killer guilty.
The book goes into the details of both murders, describes the hunt for the killer and the lengths the Leicestershire constabulary went to to obtain blood samples. What amazes me is that the killer would have got away with it, but for a conversation in a pub.
Colin Pitchfork is in prison now 21 years later, the first man convicted partly due to DNA testing.
November 29, 2019
A very good true crime story about two rape/murders in an English village in the early 80's. This was one of the first crimes to use DNA to catch the criminal and absolve other suspects. Well written and full of detail, I can't help but wonder how the families involved feel now, thirty some years later. Recommended.
July 12, 2022
The Blooding recounts the crimes and capture of double-murderer Colin Pitchfork, a sex killer whose case became something of a landmark, with DNA fingerprinting being used to convict him -- a first. It turns out there's more to the case than that one bit of trivia, and Joseph Wambaugh, writing in his usual engaging style, unravels a story with a series of twists and turns, false leads, and tragedy. At one point it seems that another person, identified simply as "The Kitchen Porter," must be the killer, having admitted to one of the murders. But then the then-novel DNA profiling clears him. This would usually be a euphoric part of the book, but Wambaugh relates the porter's own background of sexual deviance and violence, revealing a person with the same potential for menace as Pitchfork. Then there's the troubled cop whose own legal troubles pile up during the investigation. Indeed, there's a whole host of characters whose individual stories, not necessarily interesting on their own, blend nicely into a riveting larger narrative that makes for a great true crime read.
March 21, 2009
I just finished reading this for my genetics book club. Great true-crime. Suspenseful and gripping. It's the story of a serial rapist-murderer in a small town in England who is eventually caught using the then-new technique of DNA fingerprinting. A quick read -- great airplane book! Hard to find.
April 13, 2023
Wambaugh's title refers to the act of drawing blood from prospective suspects; the murders of two teen girls in rural England in the 1980s were the first crimes to be solved using DNA matching.
I didn't like Wambaugh's writing style, but I learned two new words: donkey jacket, and belonephobia (the fear of needles).
July 4, 2018
So, this is not one of Wambaugh's better books. It doesn't have the inspiration that infuses The Onion Field, and it doesn't have that breezy almost-satirical edge that I find amusing in Fire Lover and Echoes in the Darkness. It's rote Wambaugh, the crimes, the local color, the sympathetic portraits of the police officers. He's still a good writer, and this is a perfectly competent true crime book, but there's nothing that makes it feel like it isn't made of interchangeable parts.
It's interesting because it's about the murders of Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth and the massive hunt for their murderer, Colin Pitchfork, who has the distinction of being the first person convicted of murder on DNA evidence. So from a crimino-historical perspective, worth reading. But part of my brain was muttering the whole time, Dude, you can do better than this and we both know it.
It's interesting because it's about the murders of Lynda Mann and Dawn Ashworth and the massive hunt for their murderer, Colin Pitchfork, who has the distinction of being the first person convicted of murder on DNA evidence. So from a crimino-historical perspective, worth reading. But part of my brain was muttering the whole time, Dude, you can do better than this and we both know it.
January 2, 2011
As far as I am concerned, this was Wambaugh's best true crime account. Perhaps because it is based in England, I could relate to the streets of Nottingham more than to the streets of LA, and Wambaugh's writing carries the story without prejudice. Never flinching from the darker sides of life, the book follows the progress of solving a murder case through the then groundbreaking use of DNA fingerprinting. I'm always wary of writing review cliches like "A true classic of crime literature", but, I feel in this case, it's warranted! This is a true classic of crime literature.
February 7, 2016
Very readable story about the first case to establish DNA testing as a viable crime-solving tool, applied to a serial-killing case in the British countryside.
March 27, 2018
A good account of the first murder case to use DNA evidence. The title refers the the drawing of blood (for genetic profiling) from thousands of area residents in search of the rapist-killer.
January 3, 2021
I really enjoyed this, it’s non fiction and gives a seemingly very accurate account of the investigation, and an interesting insight in to real murders. I particularly liked it because the crime occurred in Leicester (where I’m from and live), so I recognised all the places which was weird but very satisfying. It was a little dry in places but I guess that’s what you get with a true story. Very good though and definitely recommend - especially if you’re from Leicester and double especially if you work in Leicestershire law enforcement!
July 8, 2024
If you are like me and you romanticize the 80s then this book would be your wakeup call lol. This read like a wildest novel if only for the sheer lawlessness of the populace and the incompetence of the police. Granted this is the first case solved by DNA evidence so I guess some of the logistical faux pas could be excusable. Overall, a very good true crime book.
June 3, 2024
Dragged on forever
January 4, 2009
This book offered 2 different insights into murder cases - 1) the evolution of DNA testing and how it came to be used to identify or eliminate suspects and 2) how different murder investigations are outside of the U.S. - there is no way that a mass "blooding" would have been allowed (the ACLU or some other group would have stepped in to stop it).
December 12, 2011
Wambaugh recreates the layers and idiosyncrasies of a small town in North England as well as he does Los Angeles. If you like his other works, you'll like this one for its possession of much the same strengths: fantastic grasp of character and voice, exhaustive research, and odd moments of absurdist humor.
September 21, 2022
The true story of a young teenager brutally attacked and killed, leads dry up and the case seems unresolved until three years later another girl was murdered. This case ended up being using DNA to help eliminate and solve the murder. The author has a way of retelling the story in a descriptive way that it feels like retracing the steps. Well written.
January 23, 2012
a true crime narrative by joseph wambaugh - murders set in small village in rural england - wambaugh has built the suspense very well, in the middle, i thought the narrative was sagging, but nice fast paced thriller - my first one by wambaugh
June 5, 2014
My second reading of this one - for research purposes this time.
A well constructed, compelling non-fiction account of the very first time that DNA was used to both exonerate an innocent man and catch the guilty one.
A well constructed, compelling non-fiction account of the very first time that DNA was used to both exonerate an innocent man and catch the guilty one.
May 29, 2010
A very good read and he should never ever b let out
September 7, 2010
Fantastic book about the first use of DNA testing in the solving of two brutal rapes and murders in an English village.
November 4, 2010
I literally could not put down this book. If I hadn't started reading it so late at night it would have been one sitting instead of two.
January 6, 2011
Another awesome book if you are into detective/crime fiction and non fiction.
March 3, 2011
Excellent true story of the Narborough Village where there were the murders were first solved by DNA testsing. Well written and very interesting!
July 6, 2012
A great read if you can get around the British vernacular.
February 6, 2013
Excellent window into the mind of a serial killer.
March 30, 2023
3.5 stars, rounded to 4
A true story of the first widespread use of DNA fingerprinting to solve a crime. In this case, two girls were horribly raped and murdered in the quiet English village of Narborough. There were few clues and no witnesses. Joseph Wambaugh was an ex-cop who wrote both fiction (The New Centurions) and non-fiction (The Onion Field). Here he tackles the story of the first murder case that was resolved with DNA fingerprinting. A revolutionary tool in the mid-1980's. It is an interesting look at the dogged pursuit of justice for these victims by the police. Huge teams searched and canvassed neighborhoods trying to get a lead. A new technology was then tried that resulted in thousands of men being "blooded" to eliminate them as suspects. Colin Pitchfork was eventually tracked down - but A quick internet search finds that while Pitchfork was eventually released on parole, he was returned to prison within a few months for violating the conditions and approaching young women.
One interesting quote / tidbit:
...surveillance and arrest of a major felony suspect is done differently in Britain...In Britain a suspect under observation is often allowed to enter his house so that he can't run away. In a gun-crazy country like the U.S. the last thing the police want to do is let any suspect enter his house, where he may have enough firepower to take the Persian Gulf.
A true story of the first widespread use of DNA fingerprinting to solve a crime. In this case, two girls were horribly raped and murdered in the quiet English village of Narborough. There were few clues and no witnesses. Joseph Wambaugh was an ex-cop who wrote both fiction (The New Centurions) and non-fiction (The Onion Field). Here he tackles the story of the first murder case that was resolved with DNA fingerprinting. A revolutionary tool in the mid-1980's. It is an interesting look at the dogged pursuit of justice for these victims by the police. Huge teams searched and canvassed neighborhoods trying to get a lead. A new technology was then tried that resulted in thousands of men being "blooded" to eliminate them as suspects. Colin Pitchfork was eventually tracked down - but A quick internet search finds that while Pitchfork was eventually released on parole, he was returned to prison within a few months for violating the conditions and approaching young women.
One interesting quote / tidbit:
...surveillance and arrest of a major felony suspect is done differently in Britain...In Britain a suspect under observation is often allowed to enter his house so that he can't run away. In a gun-crazy country like the U.S. the last thing the police want to do is let any suspect enter his house, where he may have enough firepower to take the Persian Gulf.
August 11, 2017
Despite knowing the outcome of the 1980's investigation into the murder of two teenage girls, Joseph Wambaugh manages to maintain tension in this true crime story.
As he details the huge police search and DNA screening, which resulted in the 1st ever criminal conviction by means of DNA "fingerprinting", he weaves in the thoughts and words of 2 of the police's main suspects in a chilling way.
And he does it all in less than 300 pages (crime fiction and true crime writers, please note!). I read this book at one sitting. A fascinating story by a great crime author.
As he details the huge police search and DNA screening, which resulted in the 1st ever criminal conviction by means of DNA "fingerprinting", he weaves in the thoughts and words of 2 of the police's main suspects in a chilling way.
And he does it all in less than 300 pages (crime fiction and true crime writers, please note!). I read this book at one sitting. A fascinating story by a great crime author.
December 10, 2022
The true story of the Narborough Murders and how DNA fingerprinting helped find the killer. The story is true. Thus, some sections in the book are heartbreaking and hard to read. Wambaugh does the story justice by explaining how the police tried to push false stories on a suspect. He goes into detail about the suffering that the families of the victims had to go through. The police men and women are told through multiple emotions, and near the end, humor is one. I really enjoyed the book, and Wambaugh is someone that I will return to in the next year.
November 6, 2018
At times this book really seemed to drag for me, but reading about the early stages of DNA identification was interesting. Hard to imagine how they tested so many men in the hopes that one of them matched the DNA they obtained of the victim and in the end it was purely circumstantial that they caught the killer.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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