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Manuel: Portrait of a Serial Killer
- Narrated by: Donald R Findlay QC
- Length: 14 hrs and 12 mins
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Manuel: Portrait of a Serial Killer
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Summary
The true story behind the notorious serial killer Peter Manuel, recently dramatized in the major ITV drama In Plain Sight. In a two-year killing spree, Peter Manuel terrorized a city. As the people of Glasgow and Lanarkshire held their breath and anxiously awaited news, Peter Manuel killed Anne Kneilands, Marion Watt, her daughter Vivienne and her sister Margaret, Isabelle Cooke and the Smart family - all in cold blood. But what drove him to commit such barbaric crimes? And could the police have caught him sooner?
Manuel: Portrait of a Serial Killer tells the full story from his birth in the USA and his love of gangster movies to his life of crime that would ultimately end on the gallows after one of the most sensational trials in legal history. Revealing new facts about the case and the myths that surround it, this is the definitive account of one of the most notorious criminals in history - Peter Manuel, serial killer.
Donald R Findlay QC has spent over 40 years defending accused in Scotland's High Court. There can be few - if any - worldwide who have represented more persons accused of murder. In the preface, Donald explains what what led him to his lifelong fascination with criminal law and goes on to narrate the egregious crimes of the notorious Peter Thomas Anthony Manuel who was hanged at HM Prison Barlinnie, Glasgow, on 11 July 1958. Donald brings his unique gravitas to the tragic story of the infamous killer's family background, his inability to cope with an itinerant upbringing, the early signs of psychopathic personality disorder, and his increasingly serious court appearances in Scotland culminating in his execution
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What listeners say about Manuel: Portrait of a Serial Killer
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Frank Cummins
- 11-06-19
A chilling read
If you want to understand the mind of a psychopath, this is the book to listen to. Manuel was a true psychopath without feelings or remorse, the psychopathic traits being borne in childhood and lasting until his dying day. His one weak point was the love of his Mother and Father and it was the arrest of his Father which ultimately led to Manuel being convicted of the heinous crimes for which he was hung. The narrator is excellent and it is fitting that he speaks with a calm, almost mesmerising Scottish accent. Well worth buying.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- H R
- 10-05-22
Addictive listening
By Far the best audio book I’ve ever listened to, not just because of the superb writing by procurator Fiscal A.M Nicol, but also it’s narration by probably the greatest criminal lawyer Scotland has seen - Donald Finlay. Finlay’s passion for this story is evident all the way through, but it’s his genuine emotion for the victims that’s gripping. I couldn’t stop listening and got through the whole 12-plus hours in just 3 or 4 days. Manuel was hanged before I was born but remembering my parents discussing the dark cloud he caused in Lanarkshire and Glasgow many years after his death kept me interested in this story. This book leaves very few stones unturned and paints an excellent view of life in 50s Scotland.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Linda Howell
- 11-08-22
Gripping listening, laced with irony.
A brilliant book, brilliantly read. Donald Findlay held me totally in his spell and justified his own admiration of this book. Gripping from the beginning, the text is laced with ironic asides. A thorough investigation of the Manuel story, it includes discussion of Scottish law at the time and ends with reference to modern day theories regarding serial killers.
I only stopped listening when forced to do so.....thoroughly recommend.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Lee
- 29-01-22
A bit long
After reading about the Argyles I was so looking forward to this book but it’s slow going and I found it a bit of a trudge if I’m being truthful. I’ve read other books about Peter Manual which contained the same information but were more condensed.
Any way it’s not bad but could have been edited better. Narrator was good.
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