Book excerpt: Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in Leeds' is a collection of detailed accounts of foul deeds, usually murders, in the Leeds region during the period 1807–1926. The time period of 'Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in Leeds' becomes a constant backdrop to the crimes committed. Many lived in cramped and over populated conditions. These appalling situations influenced some of the most notorious local crimes, which commanded the headlines at the time. 'Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in Leeds' captivates crimes of passion in stark contrast to the seemingly calculated murders of Mary Bateman, known as the 'Yorkshire Witch'. The detailed approach to these individual cases tells us much about the people involved and how their lives were dramatically altered. Take a journey into the darker and unknown side of your area as you read 'Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in Leeds'.