Be my Valentine…
Detective Jerome Caminada was not averse to female company and, in truth, he rather enjoyed it. In 1890, when an advertisement appeared in a Manchester newspaper for a loan of £300 requested by a lady...
View ArticleThe Manchester Cab Mystery
On the evening of 26 February 1889, a well-respected businessman hailed a cab on the steps of Manchester Cathedral with a young man. Just over an hour later the cabman found John Fletcher dead. His...
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Happy Birthday Jerome!
This weekend marks the anniversary of the birthday of Jerome Caminada, on 15 March 1844. It is also a year since my book about his life, The Real Sherlock Holmes, was published. I have had the most...
View ArticleFire! Fire!
Since visiting the forensics exhibition at the Wellcome Collection, I’ve been reading the accompanying book by crime writer, Val McDermid. In her fascinating account, she traces the history of forensic...
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Scuttlers and the Art of Gang Warfare
Many a good tussle have I had with other classes of criminals, but I would rather face the worst of these than a scuttler During the last three decades of the 19th century, gangs of scuttlers...
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Ghostly encounters at the Free Trade Hall
The Free Trade Hall is one of the most iconic buildings in the city of Manchester. The original building – a wooden pavilion – was erected in 1840 on the site of the Peterloo Massacre, which took place...
View ArticleDevils Gate
Deansgate, in the heart of Manchester, is known for its fashionable restaurants, trendy bars and designer boutiques, but 150 years ago, it was a very different place indeed. Dubbed ‘Devil’s Gate’ in...
View ArticleManchester Cathedral’s Murky Past
Manchester cathedral is one of the most stunning buildings at the heart of the city. The first church was built in Manchester in the 7th century, and the cathedral was constructed in 1215 on land...
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Caminada faces ‘the final problem’
On 30 July 1887, Detective Jerome Caminada faced a deadly showdown with his long term rival, Bob Horridge, a violent thief who had terrorised the streets of Manchester for two decades. The...
View ArticleBlowing the Whistle on Police Corruption
Towards the end of Detective Jerome Caminada’s police career, a series of scandals shook the very foundations of the Manchester City police force and led to a Home Office inquiry. As is often the case,...
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Victorian Gang Warfare
When I was growing up in Manchester, gang warfare was a feature of daily life. Saturday nights out in the city were often marred by violent clashes between rival groups. However, I was surprised to...
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The Game’s Afoot!
It’s three years since the publication of my biography of Detective Jerome Caminada, The Real Sherlock Holmes, and it has been an incredibly exciting adventure. When the book was published, it sparked...
View ArticleThe Phantom Detective
Victorian detectives got up to all sorts of tricks to track felons, and Detective Jerome Caminada went to the extreme of adopting a ‘supernatural’ state, whilst investigating the theft of some sheet...
View ArticleFalse Fashionistas and Wily Seducers
At a local history exhibition on the Isle of Wight last month, I was surprised to discover a link between our Island house and a nefarious criminal from my home city of Manchester, who posed as a...
View ArticleDetective Caminada’s First Week on the Beat
150 years ago, Jerome Caminada joined the Manchester City police force. Born into an immigrant family, in the heart of Victorian Manchester's seedy underworld, Detective Caminada overcame the odds to...
View ArticleThe Manchester Cab Mystery
On the evening of 26 February 1889, a well-respected businessman hailed a cab on the steps of Manchester Cathedral with a young man. Just over an hour later the cabman found John Fletcher dead. His...
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