A Murderer's Guide to Cleaning - And Other Stories From My Life As A Probation Officer

Elizabeth Baxter has heard it all. Thieves, rapists, drug dealers, burglars, murderers, abusers and arsonists - they've all confided in her.

Some are harder to shake than others. There's sweet, baby-faced Stella who hurled a brick through her ex's window and threatened to cut off his... well, you get the picture. Jake, who burned down his grandfather's shed and prized model railway collection. And who could forget Steve, who set up a complex marmite-based distillery in his cell. The moonshine wasn't for drinking though, but for cleaning. He remains, in Elizabeth's professional opinion, Britain's most fastidious murderer.

Recalling her twenty-five years in Britain's probation service, Elizabeth Baxter offers a fresh perspective on care within the criminal justice system. Warm and humane, A Murderer's Guide to Cleaning pays tribute to the work of probation officers everywhere, who not only protect the public, but often act as the final safety net for society's most vulnerable, from teenage asylum seekers to survivors of domestic abuse.

About the author

Elizabeth Baxter is a retired Probation Officer who worked in the service for twenty-five years until its privatisation. A Murderer’s Guide to Cleaning is her first book.

Product details

• Authors: Elizabeth Baxter
• Publisher: Oneworld Publications
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 19.02.2026
• EAN: 9781836431671
• ISBN: 978-1-83643-167-1
• No. of pages: 272
• Subjects: Non-fiction book > Politics, society, business > Biographies, autobiographies; True Crime, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / General, Autobiography: general, LAW / Criminal Law / General, PSYCHOLOGY / Psychopathology / General, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Criminology, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Penology, TRUE CRIME / General, Memoirs, POLITICAL SCIENCE / Law Enforcement, Criminal or forensic psychology, Police & security services, Crime and criminology, Crime & criminology, Criminal justice law, Causes & Prevention Of Crime, Police and security services, Causes and prevention of crime, Probation services, BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Memoirs