Fascinating book sheds light on crime during war

AN author has garnered rave reviews for her second book which looks at crime during wartime.
Author Penny Leggs latest work, Crime in the Second World War, below, is out nowAuthor Penny Leggs latest work, Crime in the Second World War, below, is out now
Author Penny Leggs latest work, Crime in the Second World War, below, is out now

Penny Legg, from Waterlooville, had success with her first book, Military Wives, in 2015.

It drew on her own experiences as a young mum while her husband was away with the Royal Navy in the 1980s, as well as other military wives through the ages.

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Penny, a mother-of-one, has been given great reviews for Crime in the Second World War: Spivs, Scoundrels, Rogues and Worse, which took four years to write.

She said: ‘The book looks at crime during a period when we could be forgiven for thinking that we were all pulling together for the greater good.

‘Instead, the overall crime rate went up by 57 per cent and the murder rate rose by 22 per cent.

‘Quite simply, while many were giving their all for king and country, there was a significant number of people who used the wartime conditions for their own advantage.

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‘I have tried to look at a variety of crimes committed and given some reasons for them.’

Crime in the Second World War has been given a five-star review by Crime Dagger Award-winning author and former chairman of the Crime Writers’ Association, Peter Lovesey, who said: ‘This handsomely illustrated book is set to become a standard work on a dark, intriguing and fascinating topic.’

Penny is holding a book launch on the ground floor of Waterlooville Library on Saturday between 2pm and 4pm.

She will then be giving talks and signings across the country over the summer, including at the War and Peace Revival, the world’s greatest celebration of militaria and vintage living, in Kent in July.

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Crime in the Second World War: Spivs, Scoundrels, Rogues and Worse is published by Sabrestorm Publishing and available online and in all good bookshops.

To contact Penny go to pennylegg.com.

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