Sign-In
Cart
Wake Up, Mummy: The Rachel Nickell Murder, the Wrong Man, and the Sixteen-Year Search for Truth
Paperback
Please select the version of book you would like to purchase.
ISBN13: 9798197687845
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: May 19 2026
Pages: 558
Weight: 1.47
Height: 1.38 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: May 19 2026
Pages: 558
Weight: 1.47
Height: 1.38 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
On the morning of 15 July 1992, Rachel Nickell was murdered on Wimbledon Common while walking with her two-year-old son. What followed was almost as devastating as the murder itself.
For sixteen years, the Metropolitan Police pursued the wrong man. An innocent person was imprisoned, entrapped, publicly destroyed and acquitted, while the actual killer walked free and attacked again. The real perpetrator murdered a young mother and her four-year-old daughter in the interval. The investigation's failures were so numerous and so profound that an official inquiry would later describe them as a catalogue of bad decisions.
For sixteen years, the Metropolitan Police pursued the wrong man. An innocent person was imprisoned, entrapped, publicly destroyed and acquitted, while the actual killer walked free and attacked again. The real perpetrator murdered a young mother and her four-year-old daughter in the interval. The investigation's failures were so numerous and so profound that an official inquiry would later describe them as a catalogue of bad decisions.
Wake Up, Mummy is the complete story of the Rachel Nickell case, told from the inside. It follows the child who witnessed the murder and could not speak of it for years. The father who raised that child alone, first in England and then in exile in France. The grandparents who had not seen their grandson since he was eight. The wrongly accused man who gave half his compensation to charity and asked for nothing more than a face-to-face apology that never came. The forensic scientists who refused to accept a null result and spent four years rebuilding a case from tape samples and a child's hair combings. And, finally, the man who killed Rachel, how he was made, how many times the system had the means to stop him, and why it did not.
Colin Stagg spent thirteen months in custody for a crime he did not commit and fourteen years as a social pariah afterwards. Robert Napper, the actual killer, had been named to police by his own mother in 1989. He had been identified from a police e-fit by two independent members of the public. His flat had been found to contain weapons, detailed maps of attack locations and a psychiatric report describing him as a certain and immediate danger to the public. Officers who interviewed him wrote in their own files that he should be considered a possible rapist, and then let him walk away.
He was not convicted of Rachel Nickell's killing until December 2008. The evidence that finally secured the conviction was found by a private forensic team who asked a question the original scientists had never thought to ask, and spent four years answering it.
This is the first book to tell the complete story of this case in a single narrative: the murder, the honey trap, operation edzell, the wrongful prosecution, the institutional failures, the cold case breakthrough, and the long human cost to every person touched by it.
Alex Hanscombe was two years old when he told his mother to wake up. He has never forgotten what he saw. Thirty years on, neither should we.
Wake Up, Mummy is the book this case has always deserved. Order your copy today and bear witness to one of Britain's most devastating untold stories, finally told in full.
Colin Stagg spent thirteen months in custody for a crime he did not commit and fourteen years as a social pariah afterwards. Robert Napper, the actual killer, had been named to police by his own mother in 1989. He had been identified from a police e-fit by two independent members of the public. His flat had been found to contain weapons, detailed maps of attack locations and a psychiatric report describing him as a certain and immediate danger to the public. Officers who interviewed him wrote in their own files that he should be considered a possible rapist, and then let him walk away.
He was not convicted of Rachel Nickell's killing until December 2008. The evidence that finally secured the conviction was found by a private forensic team who asked a question the original scientists had never thought to ask, and spent four years answering it.
This is the first book to tell the complete story of this case in a single narrative: the murder, the honey trap, operation edzell, the wrongful prosecution, the institutional failures, the cold case breakthrough, and the long human cost to every person touched by it.
Alex Hanscombe was two years old when he told his mother to wake up. He has never forgotten what he saw. Thirty years on, neither should we.
Wake Up, Mummy is the book this case has always deserved. Order your copy today and bear witness to one of Britain's most devastating untold stories, finally told in full.
Also from
Fuquay, Randall
Sarah's oil: The Untold Life and Legacy of Sarah Rector: America's Youngest Black Millionairess
Fuquay, Randall
Paperback
$17.99
Jane Elliott Against the World: Authority, Bias and the Blue Eyes, Brown Eyes Experiment
Fuquay, Randall
Paperback
$17.99
Fatal Maternal Instinct: A Mother's Deadly Lie: The True Crime Story of Obsession, Deception, and Murder
Fuquay, Randall
Paperback
$17.99
Deadly Inheritance: The Carman Family Tragedy: Murder, Mystery, and the Secrets That Destroyed a Dynasty
Fuquay, Randall
Paperback
$17.99
When a Witness Recants: The Harlem Park Boys: Wrongfully convicted, Finally Free
Fuquay, Randall
Paperback
$17.99
Kidnapped: Taken in Plain Sight: The Elizabeth Smart Case and the Cost of Survival
Fuquay, Randall
Paperback
$17.99
Handsome Devil: The Charming Killer of Cape Coral: The Murderer Who Didn't Look Like One
Fuquay, Randall
Paperback
$17.99
The False Prophet's Shadow: Inside the Rise of Samuel Bateman and the Fight to Save Short Creek
Fuquay, Randall
Paperback
$17.99
Eloá: The Girl Behind The Door: Inside Brazil's Most Televised Tragedy The Pimentel Story
Fuquay, Randall
Paperback
$17.99
The Cookie Queens: The Competition, After the Applause, and the Price of Winning
Fuquay, Randall
Paperback
$17.99
The American Promise, 250 Years of Democracy: How a Nation Built on an Impossible Idea Has Kept Its Promise for 250 Years
Fuquay, Randall
Paperback
$20.39
Quarterback Chronicles: The Men, the Craft, and the Demands of Football's Toughest Position
Fuquay, Randall
Paperback
$17.99
A Child to Call My Own: A True Story of Desperate Love, a Stolen Child, and the Nine Months that Changed Everything
Fuquay, Randall
Paperback
$17.99
Shipwrecked: Abandon Ship: The Costa Concordia Disaster and the Decisions That Changed Everything
Fuquay, Randall
Paperback
$17.99
Twenty-Five Years Downtown: How Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and a Grieving City Built the Tribeca Festival
Fuquay, Randall
Paperback
$16.79
Also in
True Crime
Mary's Mosaic: The CIA Conspiracy to Murder John F. Kennedy, Mary Pinchot Meyer, and Their Vision for World Peace
Janney, Peter
Hardcover
$11.99
Will to Murder: The True Story Behind the Crimes & Trials Surrounding the Glensheen Killings
Feichtinger, Gail
Paperback
$8.99
Dawn of the Code War: America's Battle Against Russia, China, and the Rising Global Cyber Threat
Graff, Garrett M.
Carlin, John P.
Paperback
From $10.99
London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth
Keefe, Patrick Radden
Hardcover
$31.50
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
Larson, Erik
Paperback
From $11.99
Catch the Devil: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast
Colloff, Pamela
Hardcover
$28.80
The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright: The True Story of Mass Murder in Paradise
Sherman, Casey
Hardcover
$25.19
The Yahoo Boys: Love, Deception, and the Real Lives of Nigeria's Romance Scammers
Barragán, Carlos
Hardcover
From $19.99
Blizzard of Lies: Karen Read, John O'Keefe, and the Shocking Unsolved Murder in Cop Town, USA
Wedge, Dave
Hardcover
$28.45
Within the House of Murdaugh: Amid a Unique Friendship, Blanca and Maggie
Turrubiate-Simpson, Blanca
Weaver, Mary Frances
Paperback
$14.24
Face to Face with Whitey Bulger: An FBI Agent's Account of Capturing and Debriefing Boston's Most Notorious Gangster
Ward, Bob
Teahan, Rich
Paperback
$29.99
The Typewriter and the Guillotine: An American Journalist, a German Serial Killer, and Paris on the Eve of WWII
Braude, Mark
Hardcover
$29.25
The Vampire's Cult: The Untold Story of Obsession, Control, and a Shocking Small-Town Murder
Hardin, Chet
Paperback
$17.99
Confessions of the Green River Killer: A True Story of Manipulation, Madness, and a Search for Justice
Dilorenzo, Maria
Hardcover
$28.49
London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth (Large Print Edition)
Keefe, Patrick Radden
Paperback
$35.15
Kingdom of Devils: A Tale of Murder in the Shadow of the American Revolution
Grandjean, Katherine
Hardcover
$30.60
The Veiled Prophet: Secret Societies, White Supremacy, and the Struggle for St. Louis
O'Shea, Devin Thomas
Hardcover
$28.45
The Ego Trip: Psychedelic Toads, a Trail of Deaths, and the Guru Who Peddled Transcendence
de Greef, Kimon
Hardcover
$31.50
The Man Who Stole the Gods: A True Story of War, Obsession, and a Global Art Conspiracy
Campbell, Matthew
Hardcover
$30.60
Fires in the Night: The Earth Liberation Front, the Fbi, and a Secret History of Eco-Sabotage
Wolfe, Matthew
Hardcover
$27.90
Captain's Dinner: A Shipwreck, an Act of Cannibalism, and a Murder Trial That Changed Legal History
Cohen, Adam
Hardcover
$28.80
If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood
Olsen, Gregg
Paperback
$15.15
American Reich: A Murder in Orange County, Neo-Nazis, and a New Age of Hate
Lichtblau, Eric
Hardcover
$27.00
White Elephant Gifts for Adult: 500 Serial Killers Encyclopedia Facts and Figures
Murdle, K.
Paperback
$19.99
Plastic Inc.: The Secret History and Shocking Future of Big Oil's Biggest Bet
Gardiner, Beth
Hardcover
$28.80
Chasing Evil: Shocking Crimes, Supernatural Forces, and an FBI Agent's Search for Hope and Justice
Hilland, Robert
Edward, John
Hardcover
$30.40
Don't Talk about Joe Mac: The Life, Wars, and Secret History of the Man Behind the Winter Hill Gang
Toledo, Springs
Hardcover
$52.50
The Best Kind of American: A True Story of Murder, War, and America's Undoing in the Middle East
Ghattas, Kim
Hardcover
$31.34
The Death of Trotsky: The True Story of the Plot to Kill Stalin's Greatest Enemy
Ireland, Josh
Hardcover
$31.50
One Nation Under Blackmail - Vol. 1: The Sordid Union Between Intelligence and Crime That Gave Rise to Jeffrey Epstein, Vol.1
Webb, Whitney Alyse
Paperback
$23.70
Brain Games - Criminal Mind Puzzles: Crime-Themed Brain Teasers Visual, Verbal, Memory & Logic Puzzles Spiral Bound Activity Book for Adults & Teens
Publications International Ltd
Brain Games
Paperback
$12.33
Clinton Bush and CIA Conspiracies: From The Boys on the Tracks to Jeffrey Epstein
Attwood, Shaun
Paperback
$15.19
Thirteen Perfect Fugitives: The True Story of the Mob, Murder, and the World's Largest Art Heist
Kelly, Geoffrey
Hardcover
$30.88
The Pain Brokers: How Con Men, Call Centers, and Rogue Doctors Fuel America's Lawsuit Factory
Chamblee Burch, Elizabeth
Hardcover
From $14.99
The Doctors' Riot of 1788: Body Snatching, Bloodletting, and Anatomy in America
McPhee, Andy
Hardcover
$26.96
The Havana Syndrome: Secret Weapons, a Government Cover-Up, and the Greatest Spy Mystery of Our Time
Rey, Michael
Zill de Granados, Oriana
Hardcover
$31.35
Without Consent: A Landmark Trial and the Decades-Long Struggle to Make Spousal Rape a Crime
Weinman, Sarah
Hardcover
$30.40
The Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime That Scandalized a City and Sparked the Tabloid Wars
Collins, Paul
Paperback
$23.00
Bone Valley: A True Story of Injustice and Redemption in the Heart of Florida
King, Gilbert
Hardcover
$31.34
Catch the Devil: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast (Large Print Edition)
Colloff, Pamela
Paperback
$32.30
Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail
Lankford, Andrea
Paperback
$18.99
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century
Johnson, Kirk Wallace
Paperback
$16.20
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
McNamara, Michelle
Paperback
$18.99
The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther
Haas, Jeffrey
Paperback
$16.19
Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon: Laurel Canyon, Covert Ops & the Dark Heart of the Hippie Dream
McGowan, David
Paperback
$23.70
The Rembrandt Heist: The Story of a Criminal Genius, a Stolen Masterpiece, and an Enigmatic Friendship
Amore, Anthony M.
Hardcover
$28.45
Lucky Devils: The True Story of Three Rebel Gamblers Who Beat the Odds and Changed the Game
Chellel, Kit
Hardcover
$27.55
Dig Me a Grave: The Inside Story of the Serial Killer Who Seduced the South
Assael, Shaun
Harpootlian, Richard A.
Hardcover
$27.55
Who's Watching Shorty?: Reclaiming Myself from the Shame of R. Kelly's Abuse
Landfair, Reshona
Hardcover
$28.50
The Assassination of Leon Trotsky: Espionage, Scandal, and the Crime of the Century
Melton, H. Keith
West, Nigel
Hardcover
$31.34
Compton Street Legend: Notorious Keffe D's Street-Level Accounts of Tupac and Biggie Murders, Death Row Origins, Suge Knight, Puffy Combs, and Crooked
Davis, Duane 'keffe D'
Jah, Yusuf
Paperback
$18.95
Starstruck: A Journalist's Pursuit of a Fugitive Pop Star, Her Diabolical Maestro, and Their Teenage Sex Cult
McDougall, Christopher
Paperback
$16.20
College Girl, Missing: The True Story of How a Young Woman Disappeared in Plain Sight
Cohen, Shawn
Paperback
From $8.99
The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream
Keefe, Patrick Radden
Paperback
$18.05
Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy Inside the Catholic Church
Gore, Gareth
Paperback
From $12.99
Is the Government Legally Killing Us?: Is the Evidence Obvious? How Fear of Death and the Illusion of Freedom Turn Us Into Accomplices to Evil
(Scott Schara), Grace's Dad
Paperback
$19.77
The Monsters We Make: Murder, Obsession, and the Rise of Criminal Profiling
Corbett, Rachel
Hardcover
$26.09
Confessions of the Green River Killer: A True Story of Manipulation, Madness, and a Search for Justice
Dilorenzo, Maria
Paperback
$18.99
The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty
Bauerlein, Valerie
Paperback
$19.95
Out of the Woods: A Girl, a Killer, and a Lifelong Struggle to Find the Way Home
Olsen, Gregg
Paperback
$16.14
Warden Force: The Worst of the Worst and Other True Game Warden Adventures: Episodes 101-114
Hodges, Terry
Paperback
$14.95
People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo--And the Evil That Swallowed Her Up
Parry, Richard Lloyd
Paperback
$18.05
Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, a Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor
Harmon, Mark
Paperback
$18.99
Within the House of Murdaugh: Amid a Unique Friendship, Blanca and Maggie
Weaver, Mary Frances
Turrubiate-Simpson, Blanca
Hardcover
$23.74
She Kills: The Murderous Socialite, the Cross-Dressing Bank Robber, and Other True Crime Tales
Hollandsworth, Skip
Hardcover
$28.50
American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century
Callahan, Maureen
Paperback
$18.05
Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of the Hunt for the Nation's Most Elusive Serial Killer
Graysmith, Robert
Paperback
$10.44
50 True Stories That Will Scare You to Death: True Crime, Hauntings, Aliens, and More
Krahl, Sebastian
Paperback
$16.19
Race Against Terror: Chasing an Al Qaeda Killer at the Dawn of the Forever War
Tapper, Jake
Hardcover
$28.50
The Serial Killer Coloring Book II: An Adult Coloring Book Full of Notorious Serial Killers
Rosewood, Jack
Paperback
$9.45
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
Larson, Erik
Hardcover
From $12.99
El Invencible Verano de Liliana / Liliana's Invincible Summer (Premio Pulitzer)
Rivera Garza, Cristina
Paperback
$18.95
Warden Force: Deadly Intent and Other True Game Warden Adventures: Episodes 76 - 87
Hodges, Terry
Paperback
$14.20
A Murderer's Guide to Cleaning: And Other Stories from My Life as a Probation Officer
Baxter, Elizabeth
Hardcover
$27.50
Dog's Day: The True Story of a Bank Robbery, Gay Liberation, and Toxic Love That Inspired a Hollywood Classic
Prigge, Matthew J.
Hardcover
$27.55
What the Dead Know: Learning about Life as a New York City Death Investigator
Butcher, Barbara
Paperback
$18.04
Wired on Wall Street: The Rise and Fall of Tipper X, One of the Fbi's Most Prolific Informants
Hardin, Tom
Hardcover
$25.65
No Ordinary Bird: Drug Smuggling, a Plane Crash, and a Daughter's Quest for the Truth
Henderson, Artis
Hardcover
$28.49
Vida Y Muerte del Cartel de Medellín / Life and Death of the Medellin Cartel
Lehder, Carlos
Paperback
$18.95
Swans Don't Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer's Daughter
McCollum
Paperback
$18.99
The Cases That Haunt Us: From Jack the Ripper to JonBenet Ramsey, the Fbi's Legendary Mindhunter Sheds Light on the Mysteries That Won't Go Away
Douglas, John E.
Olshaker, Mark
Paperback
$19.95
Starvation Heights: A True Story of Murder and Malice in the Woods of the Pacific Northwest
Olsen, Gregg
Paperback
$19.00
Trapped Under the Sea: One Engineering Marvel, Five Men, and a Disaster Ten Miles Into the Darkness
Swidey, Neil
Paperback
$22.00
Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud: The Basis for the Documentary Everyone Is Lying to You for Money
McKenzie, Ben
Silverman, Jacob
Paperback
$19.00
The Carpool Detectives: A True Story of Four Moms, Two Bodies, and One Mysterious Cold Case
Hogan, Chuck
Hardcover
$30.40