“Hell came to the quiet town of Lancaster on the weekend of September 14 1935”: Ruxton: The First Modern Murder.
Buck Ruxton, born in Bombay in 1899, fled his home country to pursue medical ambitions in Edinburgh, renowned across the world at the time for its excellent surgeons. There he met Bella Kerr and began a passionate relationship with her. They settled in Lancaster in 1932 where he opened a practice, but news soon began to spread of their frequent loud quarrels. In September 1935, scattered bundles of human remains wrapped in newspaper were discovered by tourists in the countryside around the town of Moffat — Ruxton had murdered Bella and utilised his medical surgical training to dismember her and the sole witness, nursemaid Mary Rogerson.
Sergeant Sloan from the local constabulary began a search that afternoon, with the investigation later being taken over by Chief Constable William Black. They joined forces and successfully traced one of the newspaper wrappings to the area around Morecambe and Lancaster. The best experts from Edinburgh and Glasgow Universities, two world renowned Professors of Forensic Science, were called to examine the remains. Following an arduous investigation, Ruxton was convicted on the strength of forensic and scientific evidence.
Ruxton: The First Modern Murder can be characterised as CSI meets Agatha Christie. The use and application of forensic science in this case set a model of excellence that endures to this day, making the Ruxton case truly the first modern murder. In this engrossing historical true crime account, hear the case unfold as retired policeman, Tom Wood, traces the investigation from start to finish with no stone left unturned.
Wood is one of Scotland’s most respected and experienced senior policemen. A capable major case detective, he’s had access to previously unseen documentation in relation to the Ruxton case, making this a completely original work of true crime narration. His talent for writing paired with his invaluable expertise create an unmissable work of nonfiction which, now in audiobook, becomes a one-of-a-kind listening experience.
As Ringwood’s debut audiobook, we couldn’t underestimate the power of an impactful narrator. Wood knew the kind of voice he wanted as a narrator and chose experienced voice actor Steve Worsley, who delivered the verbal goods brilliantly. His previous credentials include the narration of Stuart MacBride thrillers.
Rave customer reviews for the print and ebook formats of Ruxton describe it ‘captivating’ and ‘magnificent.’ In her foreword, an integral part of the audiobook, renowned Scottish crime writer Val McDermid, says that ‘Wood tells his compelling story with the clarity and urgency of a thriller’, concluding ‘And it’s a damn good read.’ And now an audiobook, it will be a damn good listen too. Such high praise from McDermid is fully deserved as this audiobook is set to follow in the footsteps of its paperback counterpart and become one of Ringwood’s bestsellers.
Ruxton is about to become a worldwide phenomenon; set to be the subject of a podcast series in Autumn 2023 by Small Town Dicks, a prestigious Podcast focusing on true crime, with a regular reach of over a million listeners; and with film and television rights already optioned, Ruxton is set to take off on a global scale.
So get ahead of the crowd and the international acclaim, and buy the audiobook today.
Ringwood would like to thank Publishing Scotland, not only for the grant enabling us to create Ruxton as our first audiobook, but also for their consistent positive encouragement and support especially from Vikki Reilly. Many thanks too to Iain McKinna and his team at Offbeat Studios for their professionalism and helpful advice in creating the audiobook and making it available for sale.
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ISBN: 9781901514858