RONALD CHESNEY could have been a fictional criminal character. Educated at public school, attended a top British university and fought as a naval officer in World War Two, Ronald Chesney could have been a character out of an Agatha Christie novel. Furthermore, he devised a 'perfect murder' to enable him to have a strong alibi. His criminal career harked back to his teenage years, when he literally got away with murder. Running through his inherited wealth he became a professional criminal; mainly indulging in fraud and smuggling until his luck and money ran out. A despicable man in many ways, yet highly attractive to women throughout his life. This new study presents an account of a career criminal from the 1920s to the 1950s, through war and peace. JONATHAN OATES obtained a PhD from Reading University in History in 2001.

Apart from being Ealing's Borough Archivist since 1999 he has had 26 books and over 30 articles published on a wide variety of historical subjects; criminal, military, local and genealogical. He has a particular interest in 1940s and 1950s crime. This book is his third biography of a major post war British murderer.