A Dangerous Place

In September 1970, two boys met in the playground on their first day at secondary school in North London. They formed what would be described at the Old Bailey thirty years later as ‘a unique and wicked bond’. Between 1982 and 1986, striking near lonely railway stations in London and the Home Counties, their partnership took them from rape to murder. Three police forces pooled their resources to catch them. It was the biggest criminal manhunt since the Yorkshire Ripper Enquiry. A Dangerous Place is the first full-length account of the crimes of John Duffy and David Mulcahy. Told by the son of one of the police officers who led the enquiry, exhaustively researched and with unprecedented access, this is the story of the case that introduced psychological profiling and computer technology into British policing, but which was ultimately solved by brilliant detection. It is the story of two of the most notorious serial killers of the 20th century, and the times they operated in. It is the story of the women who died at their hands. It is the story of the women who survived them, and who had the courage to ensure justice was done. And it is the story of a father, told by a son.

Shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association's Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction.

Simon Farquhar is a playwright and journalist, whose first full-length play, Rainbow Kiss, played at the Royal Court Theatre in London and has since run in New York and Rome. Other stage plays include Dream Me a Winter for the Old Vic 24 Hour Plays Gala. He writes for The Guardian and The Independent.