Move to Murder (Cold Case Jury Series) by Antony M. Brown

Move to Murder (Cold Case Jury Series) Reviews

• 
  Colin Garrow

  Liverpool, 1931. A telephone message is left for insurance agent William Wallace at his chess club, informing him that a Mr Qualtrough would like to meet him concerning an endowment policy. But following the instructions the next evening, Wallace finds the address he’s been given doesn’t exist. Returning home, he discovers his wife Julia has been battered to death.
  
  The murder of Julia Wallace at 29 Wolverton Street on 20th January 1931, is one of the most puzzling cases in British history. It has remained unsolved due to the lack of solid evidence, but in this new exploration of the case, Antony M Brown examines trial transcripts, police reports, witness statements and prosecution files to explore every aspect of the case.
  
  Taking the evidence of the telephone call as one of the key elements in the murder, the author traces the movements of each of the ‘players’ involved and looks at who had the opportunity to make that call and why. Using detailed maps, photos and street plans, he arrives at five possible conclusions. But which one is right? In a new twist on every true-crime reader’s wet dream, the author invites readers to cast their own online vote as a member of the cold case jury.
  
  A meticulously-researched, and thoroughly absorbing book that will thrill true-crime readers everywhere.
  
• 
  Cleopatra Pullen

  I honestly can’t recall when I first came to hear about this historical true crime which seemed to have all the elements of a fiction, far removed from the more mundane murders where the motive, opportunity and means soon become relatively clear, but it was many years ago. I hadn’t however read any books on the matter although there have been more than a few written and was keen to learn more.
  
  Antony M Brown has devised an interesting concept with the publishers Mirror Books
  
  Cold Case Jury is a unique collection of true crime mysteries. Each one tells the story of an unsolved, historic murder in an evocative and compelling way. It tells the story dramatically, like a historical novel, exposes the strengths and weaknesses of past theories and allows the readers to make their judgement on what most likely happened. Although each book is perfectly self-contained, the author providing his view at the end, readers are able to deliver their verdicts on this website, making these the first truly interactive crime tales. Beautifully presented with uniquely illustrated covers, they also contain historic documents, map and images – some unpublished before. For lovers of puzzles, mysteries and crime stories, this new collection of Cold Case Jury books will not only bring a murder story to life – it will make you part of it
  
  And this is one of the mysteries and I for one couldn’t resist the opportunity to sit on the jury from the comfort of my own house although I have to confess voting for my chosen suspect did feel more than a little odd to say the least! I’m not sure whether choosing a murderer albeit one that is dead should be on a par with voting for your favourite contestant on a reality show.
  
  For those who haven’t come across this true crime the facts that have puzzled many over the years are as follows:
  
  On 20 January 1931 Mrs Julia Wallace was found murdered inside her home in Liverpool, she’d been bludgeoned to death.
  Her husband William had found her body on his return from a fruitless client meeting as his job as an Insurance Agent for the Prudential Insurance, as he’d been unable to open the day at the first try his neighbours who he’d asked if they knew why were soon to the scene.
  The real mystery seemed to be who was the Mr Qualtrough who’d left a message at the chess club he’d attended the evening before. This was the man William Wallace had set out to meet, but not only did Mr Qualtrough appear not to exist, nor did the address 25 Menlove Gardens East. This fact was unknown to William Wallace and everyone he asked for assistance directed him to similar addresses located in one area of Liverpool.
  
  The unsolvable part of the mystery is if the crime was committed by the most obvious suspect, the husband, then who made the phone call to the chess club and left the message for William Wallace? And how could he kill her when he was tramping the streets looking for Mr Qualtrough? If someone had lured him away then what was there motive?
  
  The author lays out the facts, those discovered by the police at the time, the contemporary records of the trial of William Wallace and the unusual decision to free him on appeal due to lack of evidence. He also includes information that has come to light after the death of some of the key players. This is all set out well, and at the end we are given various suspects and how likely our author believes them to be viable, he also lays his own hat down with his preferred scenario.
  
  This was a book that I would classify as more factual ‘true crime’ which was enjoyable for the lack of drama and sensationalism alone. This was the third in this series of books which are also featured on the Cold Case Jury website.
• 
  Rebecca Hill

  Love a good murder mystery? Then look no further! This is an enthralling story that will captivate you from the beginning - and have you on the case of murder most foul.
  Get ready to dive in, and enjoy this fabulous who dun it! I could not put this one down! Loved it! Read through and make your determination on who the killer is!
• 
  Karen

  Keen to make some commission, insurance agent William Wallace makes the journey across Liverpool to meet the mysterious Mr. Qualtrough who has sent a message intimating that he would like to do some business. Meanwhile, back in Anfield, his wife, Julia, is being bludgeoned to death at her own home by an unknown assailant. With the police convinced that Wallace has engineered the ‘perfect’ alibi, he was soon arrested and tried for murder. Move to Murder examines the evidence, putting forward alternative theories as to what really happened that fateful evening in 1931.
  
  The murder of Julia Wallace is a mystery that has always interested me and, over the years, I have read many books about the puzzling case. In brief, a telephone call was received at the Liverpool Central Chess Club asking for a message to be passed on to Wallace. The caller, R M Qualtrough, was keen to take out an endowment policy on his daughter, and wanted Wallace to visit him at his home, 25 Menlove Gardens East, the following evening to discuss it. Travelling across the city on several trams, Wallace discovered that the address did not exist and after trying several similar-sounding addresses, he returned home to find his wife beaten to death and a small amount of money stolen.
  
  Wallace was soon arrested, tried and convicted of the murder of his wife, the death sentence being passed. An appeal saw the conviction overturned, however, and nobody else was ever found guilty of the crime. Move to Murder examines five possible theories as to what could have happened: Could Wallace have been the perpetrator after all, did he arrange the murder or was he completely innocent? Other names have been put forward with accompanying evidence to try to sway your opinion.
  
  I have always been of the opinion that Wallace was the victim of an elaborate set-up but Move to Murder is the first book that has made me actually question my version of events. I liked how each theory was backed up by evidence, asking you to take on the role of the jury in deciding who you would find guilty. I also enjoyed reading extracts from Wallace’s personal journal, something which is not included in other books on the subject.
  
  I really enjoyed the format of this Cold Case Jury book and would definitely read more in the same series.
  
  With thanks to Mirror Books and Net Galley for my copy of Move to Murder.
• 
  Helen Corton

  When a woman is found dead, the first potential suspects for the police are partners and ex-partners. This is because they are statistically to blame for a lot of these types of deaths. Things get a lot more complicated when those people have an alibi or are ruled out some other way. This case is a strange one like that, Julia Wallace is found dead at home by her husband who has just come in from a failed trip to meet a business client. It would be the first thing to question for the police, when did she die and was Wallace away from the house? And if he was, who else had a motive and opportunity to kill her?
  Its 1931, years before CCTV and all the people involved now dead, where Antony Brown picks up the story, presenting it for the reader almost in the form of a criminal case in the courts. The reader is presented with statements and analysis, original photos and maps, ready to come to a personal conclusion and register it on coldcasejury.com, which I avoided going on until I had read the entire book and had pondered my choice. Sadly there is no way to definitely prove or disprove people given the information that still remains and there is definite reasonably doubt involved, but you are given the opportunity to express your feelings of what you think most likely. This kind of interactive reading was new and fun for me and I was interested to see the statistics of what other readers before me had said. I like the idea that people can share ideas and theories and debate the issues.
  The book is written clearly and factually, with little obvious or subtle bias, which is great if you’re interested in jury work or love a good mystery that can’t quite be solved. I think I do this with any kind of case like this, but it’s nice to have a feeling you can have a say publically. The writing allows the reader to learn about England at the time and questioning their thoughts about the guilty person or persons. The writing is engaging and I felt, by the end, that I had a fairly solid picture of what I believed went on. Brown tries different theories in various ways to help you decide.
  Short of some new evidence, I don’t think this case will ever be fully solved now. The distance from the date of the crime gives you the chance to think about it logically rather than emotionally which helps in a jury setting. I really enjoyed this book, even though I thought the cover was a bit sensationalist, and found the way it was set out a welcome change from other books in the true crime genre. It’s fairly short and the pages turn quickly, good fun for an afternoon of crime solving.
  
  
• 
  Antony M.

  I'm the author, so my rating is biased! However, the Wallace murder is a five-star cold case. Did William Wallace kill his wife Julia after setting-up a devilishly clever alibi? I'm still hopeful that the Cold Case Jury will deliver a clear result, but at the time of writing readers are hopelessly split: three verdicts (out of five) are each commanding about 30% support - see the Cold Case Jury website for more.
  
  Thank you to everyone who has read Move to Murder and delivered their verdict. AMB.
• 
  Lindsay

  I love true crime and any tv drama featuring crime and murder and so this book was perfect for me. It’s a fascinating unsolved murder which although does not have many suspects still has so many answered questions the poor woman unfortunately is never likely to get justice because the evidence wasn’t collected or was lost. The book allows us all to make up our own opinions and be the jury for this story.
• 
  Ellen

  I love this series of books. This is the third one I have read and it didn’t disappoint!
• 
  S

  Move to Murder is the third book in the Cold Case Jury Collection .
  
  This time the author invites the reader to be cold case jury member looking into the murder of Julia Wallace in Liverpool in 1931 which has to be one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of all time.
  
  In brief, a telephone call was received at the Liverpool Central Chess Club asking for a message to be passed on to Mr William Wallace husband of the victim Julie Wallace . The caller, called himself R M Qualtrough, and he was eager to take out an endowment policy on his daughter, and wanted Wallace to visit him at his home, 25 Menlove Gardens East, the following evening to discuss it. After receiving the message and discussing it with his wife he travelled across the city using several trams. Only to discoverer that the address did not exist , disappointed I'm missing out on a commission he returned home to find his wife beaten to death and a small amount of money stolen.
  
  William was treated as the main suspect by the police was soon arrested, tried and convicted of the murder of his wife, and given the death. However an appeal saw the conviction overturned, and nobody else was ever found guilty of the crime.
  
  Move to Murder examines five possible theories as to what could have happened that fatal night including ,Could Wallace have been the perpetrator after all, did he arrange the murder or was he completely innocent? I liked how each of these theory's where backed up by evidence.The book also has an excellent selection of photographs, some of which show the actual crime scene itself. I found myself completely absorbed in this book and would go as far as to say it was even better then the first two in the series.
• 
  Crime Traveller

  Few true crime buffs have not heard of the Julia Wallace murder case. A brutal murder which took place in Liverpool in 1931 with Julia's husband, William Wallace, being tried and convicted of her murder only to have his conviction overturned just one month later. There have been many theories over the years as to who was responsible for her death and what involvement, if any, her husband had.
  
  In Move To Murder, author Antony Matthew Brown examines this perplexing case in terrific detail. He turns over the mystery phone call made for William Wallace the night before the murder, thought by many to be the key to solving this mystery. Antony Matthew Brown has a talent for bringing these cold unsolved cases out of the archives and shining a light on the key pieces of evidence, the theories and outstanding questions and dramatically reconstructing the possible events that may have led to murder. For those interested in historical true crime and love a true murder mystery, this is a case not to be missed and a book which will guarantee a thought-provoking read.
  
  Read my full review of Move To Murder on
  Crime Traveller at:
  http://www.crimetraveller.org/2017/01...
• 
  Heather Bennett

  Move to Murder is a fascinating true crime book. It is well written and researched. I enjoyed the book.