Review: David Swindle, The Makings of A Murderer at Granite Noir

Scottish detective David Swindle, who caught murderer Peter Tobin, brought his show on snaring serial killers to Aberdeen’s Granite Noir festival this year.

Grant Dickie headed to Aberdeen’s Music Hall to find out what really goes on behind the scenes of a murder investigation.

I must admit, like most, I have always had interest in what makes an individual partake in such a heinous act as murder, sated by shows such as Bones, Criminal Minds and even Scottish-born Taggart. And just like watching the Olympics makes us all believe we are an expert in judging gymnastics, these shows give us a notion that we can dissect crimes and detect criminal tendencies. But, can we really?

With a 30 year career as a senior detective, I was eager to hear what David Swindle could reveal about minds of the murderer, the famous cases that were never solved and how many get away with it, in his The Makings of A Murderer show.

Fiction places markers and hints, designed for us to pick up on. Reality is not always so simple, as Swindle was quick to highlight as he talked the audience through some of the UK’s most notorious murders and gave an insight into the workings of a real police investigation.

Perhaps the most compelling part of the show was when Swindle offered a closer look at the work that went into his case to bring serial killer Peter Tobin to justice through Operation Anagram.

Swindle took us through the crime that led to Tobin being caught, the murder of Angelika Kluk, revealing the skills and tactics that the police used to solve the crime. 

But the biggest takeaway from Swindle’s engrossing show? It’s the victims we must remember, not the killers who often take the limelight. 

So I’ll leave you with this, do we subconsciously give too much reverence to serial killers and murderers through our fascination of their crime? And how can we continue to show this interest while maintaining respect to the victims?

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