Crafty Characters: Tales of Famous and Infamous Freemasons

Many Freemasons have made the world a better place, while some have been villainous criminals. Members of the Craft have developed forensic science, solved famous crimes and invented all manner of things. Several members of the Royal Family have also been members. Masons have been very active in the criminal justice system, both as 'goodies' and 'baddies': it was a mason who formed the Special Branch to fight terrorism and another who brought the Moors Murders to an end. In some cases, such as the Cleveland Street Scandal, masons found themselves on both sides of the law. The medical profession is also well represented in lodges. Happily, it was a member of the Craft who rescued the Elephant Man, while another masonic doctor was the first to identify an occupational cancer. On the other side of the coin, there have been several evil masonic doctors who committed murder, and one masonic surgeon may have committed regicide, although his motives were merciful. This tells the stories of weird and wonderful masons too - celebrities, film makers, soldiers, explorers, world-famous businessmen, politicians, forgers and scoundrels. There are masons of every character, and all are covered in this book.

Table of Contents:
Introduction; The Bloody Code: Dreadful Punishments for Crime; A Deadly Grand Master and Masonic Schisms; A Masonic Doctor and the Fight Against Cancer; Brother Deacon Brodie: The Inspiration for Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde; The Dead Man's Hand: How the Ace of Spades Killed a Mason; The Mad Masonic Marquess who Painted the Town Red; The Murdering Quaker: Captured by a Masonic Invention; Murderous Masonic Medical Men; The Policeman and Mason who Inspired Charles Dickens; Masonic Conveniences: The Craft's Contribution to Public Hygiene; The First Whitechapel Murderer: Brother Wainwright; Special Branch: Masons and the Fight Against Terrorism and Treachery; Masons on Ripper Street; The Cleveland Street Scandal: Masons Good and Bad!; The Mysterious Murders of Multi-Millionaire Masons; Kings and the Craft: Freemasons in the House of Windsor; The Mason who Saved the King and the Elephant Man; Masons and Forensic Science: The Development of Fingerprint Evidence; Masons Snare a Serial Killer: The Camberwell Murders; Brethren Beware! 'Hell Hath No Fury Like a Woman Scorned'; The Siege of Sidney Street: A Masonic Victim, Detective and Home Secretary; John McDowell: The Forgotten Masonic Movie Man; The City of Z: The Mystery of the Missing Mason; Masonic Judges and the Jigsaw Murders; The Masons who Sent Ruth Ellis to the Gallows; Masonic Sexual Intrigue with 'A Very British Scandal'!; The Moors Murders and Two Very Different Masons; Who Killed Brother Freddie Mills?; Lord Ernie Marples: Sex and Scandal with the Mason in the Mask; KFC: The Fighting Masonic Lawyer and his Fast-Food Empire; Conclusions; Bibliography.

About the Author :
Mike Neville is a freemason belonging to many masonic orders and a retired Scotland Yard detective chief inspector. He is an expert on the history of the Craft and the history of crime. He is also world-renowned for his ability to catch criminals with CCTV using 'Super Recogniser' officers. As a result, he travels the world either assisting police forces or giving lectures in lodges. He is the author of Sacred Secrets and Crime and the Craft. Mike also holds the rank of colonel in the Army Cadet Force, in which he is the national commandant for music.