The Further Back in Time, the Better The book is well written and covers a fascinatingly wide range of history, with chapters spanning everything from events almost 2,000 years ago to the present day. It made me realise once again that the further back in time something happened, the easier it is to digest – as the authors themselves point out. If the entire book had focused on ancient history, I would probably have enjoyed it a great deal. The closer the events get to the present day, however, the less interested I become. This has less to do with the way the authors tell their stories and more with my personal interests. Contemporary crimes and their backgrounds simply don't fascinate me as much as they seem to fascinate many other people. For the same reason, I wouldn't be particularly interested in listening to the authors' podcast either. I also think it is a much greater achievement when historians investigate crimes and events that took place centuries or even millennia ago, trying to reconstruct what happened and shed light on the circumstances using often scarce historical sources. I find that kind of detective work across the centuries particularly fascinating. One thing I already knew before reading this book, and which the authors have once again confirmed for me, is that history keeps repeating itself, and apparently we never learn from it. A rather depressing conclusion. One small criticism regarding the presentation of the book: I would have appreciated maps in some of the chapters, particularly those about Alexander and Boudicca. They would have been helpful in following certain geographical references, such as the route of Watling Street, which is mentioned but never actually described.