NOTHING beats a good mystery story especially at this time of the year - and there's a whole collection of them in Jeffrey Pearson's new book Cheshire Tales of Mystery and Murder.
The first tale is located in Lymm and concerns John Thornhill, butler to the Rector, Peter Leigh, in the 18th century who was caught in a love triangle and decided to murder one of his romantic interests. After his trial he followed his victim into eternity.
There are many claims for the origin of the Cheshire Cat and Jeffrey will appreciate that I prefer that of Brimstage Hall given that it stands in his native Wirral. Here, Jeffrey recounts the research carried out by Richard Leathem whose notebook he acquired and we follow his hunt via the parish churches of Grappenhall, Tilston and Pott Shrigley. An alternative theory is that the inspiration for the character was the Cat Stones on the Cloud near Congleton which you can make appear or disappear at will.
Efforts to prove ghostly happenings at the allegedly haunted Backford Hall are given a chapter - and there is also speculation about unsolved mysteries including the murder of milkman Leslie Gunthrip, a case that was closely followed by our Middlewich Guardian.
Jeffrey also just had to find space to reflect on Dr Harold Shipman of Hyde, convicted two years ago as the most prolific criminal in British criminal history, with a list of victims far longer than that of Sweeney Todd.
Cheshire Tales of Mystery and Murder by Jeffrey Pearson is published by Countryside Books at £7.95 in softback.
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