Murders, trials, convictions, executions, and the occasional acquittal - these are part and parcel of any true-crime book. Written in his customary engaging and very readable style, Grahame Farrell's third collection of 18th and 19th Century murder cases also includes four gripping true accounts of crimes other than murder, including an ingenious robbery, and an 18th-Century spy. We learn about the backgrounds and personalities of those featured here, and what drove them to step outside the law. As with Mr. Farrell's earlier books, Criminal Tales largely comprises less-well-known cases which the true-crime enthusiast should find to be absorbing and compelling reading.