Winner of BEST NEW AUTHOR at THE TRUE CRIME AWARDS 2025

Highly commended for BOOK OF THE YEAR at THE TRUE CRIME AWARDS 2025

Shortlisted for THE ALCS GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION at the 2025 CWA DAGGERS

‘Diligent and absorbing’ Gaby Hinsliff, Guardian

‘Meticulous and unexpectedly gripping’ Janice Turner, The Times

‘An excellent and open-minded study of the case’ Peter Hitchens

‘An extraordinary piece of work, and one that should be essential reading for anyone thinking of voicing strong opinions on the subject’ Tristan Kirk, The London Standard

*AS SEEN ON BBC’S PANORAMA*

In June 2015 babies started dying unexpectedly on the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital. As medics searched desperately for answers, lead consultant Dr Steve Brearey emailed the ward manager to say, ‘We still need to talk about Lucy.’

Several years have passed since then and Letby is now in jail. And yet the doctor’s words continue to hold true. Despite her convictions and an extensive public inquiry, there are more questions now about Letby than ever – and they aren’t going away. So who is the real Lucy Letby? What convinced senior medics and the police that she was killing babies? And were they right – or could her convictions be a miscarriage of justice, as some now believe?

Drawing on extensive interviews with people who knew and worked with her, as well as unrivalled access to documents and key players in her case, this book traces the story of Letby from primary school to prison, and grapples with the truth about one of the most high-profile murder cases in living memory.