Beneath the Moor: How Ian Brady and Myra Hindley Became the Moors Murderers

Viviane Janouin-Benanti

Oct 2023 · Criminal Novel Book 2 · 3E éditions

About this ebook

In the 1960s in Manchester, England, a teenage girl went missing, then a little boy, then another child, and another…a serial killer was on the loose and preying on children. The city was in a panic. What people never imagined, however, was that it was a pair of killers, a couple, carrying out these horrific crimes together, making them even harder to catch.

This couple, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, would become known as the infamous Moors Murderers. But how and why do two young people grow up to become serial killers? This true crime novel traces the evolution of each killer, from childhood through young adulthood and into the depravity of their life together as serial killers. Seeking notoriety, they engage in some of the most atrocious and perverse crimes imaginable. This is a journey that is both shocking and profoundly disturbing.

The novel also tells the stories of the children who were abducted and of the shattered families who never stopped searching for the truth. And it recounts the tireless efforts of the local police to identify the monsters who were wreaking havoc on their city and gripping the entire country in fear.

This is a true story that takes place on a desolate moor in England, but one that might happen anywhere. You’ll hug your children tighter than ever after reading this engrossing version of the story of the Moors Murders.

About the author

With a background in law, politics, and public health, Viviane Janouin-Benanti spent many years working with community outreach organizations in France. Her first two books are related to her work in that field. Today, Janouin-Benanti devotes her time exclusively to writing novels. Fascinated by true stories, her aim is to breathe life into her characters: real people who were the perpetrators and victims at the center of major criminal and historical cases. Her novels open the door for readers to peek into the personal lives of those involved in the crimes. These works of creative nonfiction revive a centuries-long French tradition of retelling the stories of criminal cases. Based on true facts, they portray the realities of France’s history, which was often tumultuous, vulnerable to regime changes, and rife with religious and social conflict. Viviane Janouin-Benanti dives deeply into her research to analyze the facts of each case, the motivations of key figures in the crimes, and other circumstances that may have contributed to the tragic events of each transgression. The human beings she describes are often very complex, and she does not try to simplify them. Through her study of court cases and the cultural contexts in which they occurred, she brings actual men and women back to life and tells their stories.