Winner: ‘Book of the Year’ True Crime Awards 2025

The shocking true story of one of Britain’s most secretive, groundbreaking and successful police covert operations

Bristol, 1979.

An attacker roams the streets…

Young women are warned not to go out alone…

Enter the Decoys.

For several years, a prolific predator haunted Bristol. Avon and Somerset Police had tried all their usual tactics to catch the ‘Clifton Rapist’, and public pressure was mounting.

In 1979, a daring new plan was introduced, unlike anything previously attempted by a UK police force. A small group of young female officers – some aged just 18 – put their lives on the line, walking the quiet residential roads late at night, acting as bait.

Drawing on in-depth research and first-hand interviews with the women at the heart of the operation, Decoy is a dramatic retelling of one of the most groundbreaking agent provocateur stings in British history.

Rob being interviewed about the importance of Decoy - and why he wrote it - at the True Crime Awards 2025

True Crime Awards

Judges comments

‘This book was clearly a labour of love and the author has won the respect of the officers who investigated the case. The survivors are treated with a respect that is rare. Importantly, the book feels like it has a purpose and casts light on recent crimes.’

‘It is really well written and it kept me gripped throughout. The author's decision to tell the story from the women's perspectives meant that I was able to empathise fully with the stories of both the victims (and their families) and the women police officers - which were told in a respectful way. I was hugely impressed by the amount of research that had clearly gone in to this book and felt that the weaving together of the stories across different decades (including now) added depth and impact. It was a story that really needed telling.’

‘This provided an intriguing perspective of covert officers in 1979. The painstaking research that went into this is crystal clear. This book wears its heart on its sleeve.’

‘Easy to read and well researched. Appreciated the decision to not dwell on the details of the attacks. Overall refreshing to read a book that dwelled more on the bravery of the women catching a criminal than detailing the sufferings of the survivors. An interesting reflection on misogyny that feels terribly prescient’.

‘I was drawn to this book from the cover alone - so simple yet sinister and chilling. Murphy definitely succeeded in re-introducing the tragic case through exceptional story telling and truths that kept me gripped and informed. Definitely relevant for contemporary readers, interested in current dialogues on Women's safety (or lack thereof). Murphy's preparatory efforts shone through the pages, with him demonstrating that he's passionate about research, ethics and remaining victim focused. This left me feeling hopeful about True Crime authors' capacity to deliver something beyond sensationalism.’