Harold Shipman was Britain's most prolific serial killer, who used his cover as the friendly family doctor to kill hundreds of his unsuspecting patients. An undertaker was the first to notice that Dr Shipman's patients were dying in greater numbers than usual. Later, a medical colleague also reaised concerns with the police. However, no action was taken, and Dr Harold Shipman was able to continue a killing spree that began when he first started working as a physician in 1970, and continued until his arrest in 1998. In the meantime, he killed at least 215 and possibly as many as 260 of his patients, injecting them with lethal doses of painkillers.

The True Crime Shorts series is intended to give the reader a short, concise account of some of the most gruesome crimes in modern times. Each book provides the reader with the essential facts concerning a serial killer, along with analysis that tries to comprehend their motives; no distractions, just the essential facts, allowing the reader to master the case in the shortest time possible.