iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

The view from my bedroom window at my parents’ house in the Cotswolds tonight. Seems very English Gothic with just the right amount of atmosphere for a ghost story.

A six-paned window looking out on a moonlit night in the English Cotswolds. An old brick house with a tall chimney is silhouetted against the moonlit sky.

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

For the record, there’s a big difference between BIOGRAPHY and AUTOBIOGRAPHY. Please don’t give one star to a book you’ve never read. #booksky

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

During these crazy times, I’m occupying myself with writing, good books, decent wine, and strong martinis. The latest addition to my bookshelf is this biography of Edgar Allan Poe by Richard Kopley. It has one of the most stunning covers I’ve seen. #booksky

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 05/06/2025

Met this woman outside the White House this evening. Not all superheroes wear capes.

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 02/06/2025

Would be great if the American media started taking this guy’s insanity and mental unfitness for office seriously.

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

RIP Norm. “It’s a dog-eat-dog world, Sammy. And I’m wearing Milk Bone underwear.”

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 18/05/2025

Nice to see it’s still in the wild. And it was already facing outward. #booksky

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 07/05/2025

Was up at 2 a.m. for an interview on Ireland’s Newstalk Radio about “The Many Murders of Michael Malloy,” which has just been released over there by Gill Books. #booksky #truecrime

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 30/04/2025

Honestly, there are worse ways to go.

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 04/04/2025

It’s a hell of a thing watching your life savings evaporate in real time.

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

This car is 100% American made and will not be subject to the new tariffs.

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 22/03/2025

“An unlawful challenge to the Federal Government.” What, like trying to overthrow an election and sending your followers to trash the Capitol?

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 18/03/2025

The Portuguese edition of SCOTLAND YARD has arrived—and it’s absolutely stunning, inside and out! Even comes with its own custom bookmark! #booksky #truecrime

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

No kidding?! Great journalism, NYT.

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

Thrilled to be part of this documentary, which is premiering in the UK next month at Glasgow Frightfest! It examines the 1945 Valentine’s Day murder of Charles Walton—a crime some believe to be the last ritual witchcraft killing in Britain. #horror #truecrime

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

Here’s the cover to the Russian edition of SCOTLAND YARD. Trippy to see how my name translates! It’s also the first time a book of mine has had an age rating on the cover. #booksky #truecrime #history

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 03/02/2025

Had a wicked good time on Wicked Words discussing one of nineteenth century London’s most shocking crimes (it’s not Jack the Ripper). podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

Escape politics for a while and read about the infamous murder cases that made SCOTLAND YARD. “A must-read.” - Publishers Weekly (starred) “Thrilling.” BookPage (starred) “Brilliant.” Book List “True crime enthusiasts will relish these many murders most foul.” - Kirkus Reviews #booksky

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 17/01/2025

Frederick Cherrill, chief superintendent of Scotland Yard's Fingerprint Bureau (1938 to 1953). "It was said of Mr. Cherrill," according to The New York Times, "that he could recognize a known criminal's fingerprints as easily as a face."

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 13/01/2025

Absolutely LOVE the cover design to the Portuguese edition of SCOTLAND YARD!

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 31/12/2024

Crossed paths with this fox during a late night stroll in London.

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 27/12/2024

Of course I had to visit 221B Baker Street upon my arrival in London this evening.

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 21/12/2024

I’m in England for the holidays—and I have to say it’s lovely to be back.

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 15/12/2024

A Madame Tussauds waxwork of housemaid Kate Webster. In March 1879, she murdered and disemboweled her employer, boiled the body to sludge, and assumed the dead woman's identity. The press called it "one of the most awful chapters in the annals of human wickedness." #truecrime #booksky

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 15/12/2024

Jack sends his regards "From hell." Letter postmarked Oct. 15, 1888, and sent to George Lusk, chairman of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee. #truecrime #history

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

The Brides in the Bath (from left): Margaret Lofty, Bessie Mundy, and Alice Burnham. Forensics proved the drownings were no accident. Smith met the hangman on Aug. 13, 1915.

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 11/12/2024

A waxwork of George Joseph Smith in the (now gone) Chamber of Horrors at London's Madame Tussauds. Smith married three times between 1913 and 1915. All three wives drowned in the tub. The case became known as "The Brides in the Bath." #truecrime #booksky

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 09/12/2024

Frederick Cherrill, chief superintendent of Scotland Yard's Fingerprint Branch (1938 to 1953). "It was said of Mr. Cherrill," reported The New York Times, "that he could recognize a known criminal's fingerprints as easily as a face." #truecrime

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 08/12/2024

Amazing illustrations by Lynd Ward for a 1934 edition of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus." #booksky #horror #literature

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 07/12/2024

London Noir. Trafalgar Square on a foggy night. (Image from "London Night" by John Morrison and Harold Burdekin, 1934)

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 07/12/2024

Founded in the 1870s, Scotland Yard's Crime Museum (formerly the Black Museum) houses artifacts from some of Britain's most notorious crimes--from Jack the Ripper to the Charing Cross Trunk murder and beyond. It's not open to the public and is used to help train detectives.

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 07/12/2024

Published following the Sept. 8, 1888, murder and mutilation of Annie Chapman, this newspaper broadsheet provides info on the Whitechapel murderer Leather Apron, who would soon be known as Jack the Ripper. #truecrime #history

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

The Victorians feared "Resurrectionists," grave robbers who sold fresh corpses to medical schools in need of cadavers. This enterprising gentleman devised an intriguing solution to the problem. (Clipping via the British Newspaper Archive).

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 06/12/2024

Dr. Hawley Crippen murdered his wife, Cora, in Feb. 1910. He fled Britain with his lover, Ethel Le Neve, becoming "the first known international fugitive from justice" and the first criminal caught with the help of wireless communications.

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 05/12/2024

Between 1869 and 1871 a serial killer in London murdered five children and numerous household pets. The killer was a 15-year-old nursemaid. Read more about the disturbing Agnes Norman and other infamous cases in SCOTLAND YARD, out now in the US & UK. #booksky #truecrime

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

Need a holiday gift for that someone who loves true crime, murder, and blood-splattered whodunnits? “A must-read.” - Publishers Weekly (starred) “Thrilling.” BookPage (starred) “Brilliant.” Book List “True crime enthusiast will relish these many murders most foul.” - Kirkus Reviews #booksky

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 04/12/2024

The first trial use of police dogs to see if they could track a criminal is shown on the front page of The Illustrated Police News on Oct. 20, 1888. The page depicts Scotland Yard’s simultaneous investigations into the Ripper killings and the Thames Torso Murders. #truecrime #history

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

From the Sept. 22, 1888, issue of Punch. An illustration mocking Scotland Yard's inability to catch Jack the Ripper.

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

I'll be going live with the @tattooedhistorian.bsky.social tonight at 8 ET to discuss my book, “Scotland Yard: A History of the London Police Force's Most Infamous Murder Cases.” We'll be chatting about murder most foul—and more! Join us on his YouTube channel! #truecrime #booksky

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

London Noir. Liverpool St. Station, Jan. 29, 1959. Reminds me of “Casablanca.” (Photo: Getty/Edward Miller)

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 03/12/2024

In June 1902, Henry Jackson broke into a South London home and stole some billiard balls. He left his thumbprint on a freshly painted windowsill and became the first person in Britain convicted based on fingerprint evidence. His mustache should’ve earned him credit for time served. #truecrime

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Simon Read @authorsimonread.bsky.social · 02/12/2024

The death mask of Daniel Good, who murdered his common-law wife in April 1842. Good evaded London’s uniformed police for 10 days. The case prompted Scotland Yard to establish the world's first plain-clothes detective branch in August 1842. (Image via the Guardian) #truecrime #history

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