Viviane Janouin-Benanti

Beneath the Moor

How Ian Brady and Myra Hindley Became the Moors Murderers

In the 1960s in Manchester, England, a teenage girl went missing, then a little boy, then another child, and another…a serial killer was on the loose and preying on children. The city was in a panic. What people never imagined, however, was that it was a pair of killers, a couple, carrying out these horrific crimes together, making them even harder to catch. This couple, Ian Brady and Myra Hindley, would become known as the infamous Moors Murderers.

But how and why do two young people grow up to become serial killers? This true crime novel traces the evolution of each killer, from childhood through young adulthood and into the depravity of their life together as serial killers. Seeking notoriety, they engage in some of the most atrocious and perverse crimes imaginable. This is a journey that is both shocking and profoundly disturbing.

The novel also tells the stories of the children who were abducted and of the shattered families who never stopped searching for the truth. And it recounts the tireless efforts of the local police to identify the monsters who were wreaking havoc on their city and gripping the entire country in fear.

This is a true story that takes place on a desolate moor in England, but one that might happen anywhere. You’ll hug your children tighter than ever after reading this engrossing version of the story of the Moors Murders.

You can read sample of Beneath the Moor: How Ian Brady and Myra Hindley Became the Moors Murderers on: Amazon

Articles published on Criminal couple

In a couple, if the man or the woman sinks into murderous or sadistic delirium, one can hope that the other will oppose it and divert him/her from his/her criminal impulses. Nothing of the sort in the Brady/Hindley couple. None of their crimes would have been possible without the complicity of the other, the participation of the other. Worse, they compete in horror and do not hesitate to torture their young victims.

To try to understand their behavior, the author goes back to their early childhood and tells us their life course. This course is not simple, full of trials and torments. But nothing that explains and even less that justifies their terrible plunge into the worst atrocities.

The author, through a judicious description of the two lives in parallel, provides us with the keys to decipher the couple. Ian Brady is intelligent. He is attracted to supremacist and racist theories. He belongs to the superior species, the one that has the right of life and die over "inferior" beings. Moreover, he wants to leave a trace in history, to be recognized as the greatest criminal of Great Britain would suit him well… In front of him, Myra Hindley, immature and full of remorse, is an easy prey.

Indeed, at the beginning of their meeting, Ian easily manipulates Myra. But quickly, their relationship becomes much more perverse...

Beyond the murderous couple, the talent of Viviane Janouin-Benanti in this novel is to deliver to us, with force of truth, the afflictions of parents who wait in vain for their child. The victims' side is not forgotten.

CDL 44, July 2021.

Where Beneath the Moor excels is in its thematic depth:

Psychological Entanglement: The symbiotic nature of Brady and Hindley’s relationship created a closed loop where fantasy became reality.

The Banality of Evil: They lived in ordinary neighbourhoods, went to work, and attended family events – all while hiding unimaginable crimes.

Weaponised Trust: Hindley’s presence lowered victims’ guard. This exploitation of social norms is one of the most disturbing elements.

Viviane Janouin-Benanti resists simple answers. The book doesn’t claim to solve the mystery of “why” – only to illuminate the conditions and choices that made it possible.

Beneath the Moor is both a page-turner and a sobering study in the depths of human cruelty. Viviane Janouin-Benanti offers a definitive account of the Moors Murders, one that respects the victims, dissects the killers, and forces the reader to confront the uncomfortable truth that evil often hides behind an ordinary face. This is essential reading for true crime enthusiasts, criminology students, and anyone seeking to understand not just what happened on the moors, but how – and why – it happened.