Born on Teesside and later living in West London, Middlesex and Hertfordshire, M W Oldridge has now settled in East London. He gained a first class honours degree in Classical Civilizations from Nottingham University and now lives close to The Tower of London and Whitechapel, working in Limehouse. His interest in true crime is only matched by his enthusiasm to share his knowledge with others.

The area in which he lives and works is the centrepoint for many celebrated Victorian crimes including, of course, the Jack the Ripper murders. His knowledge of the Ripper's case, and others, is encyclopaedic. He is an active contributor to the acclaimed "Casebook" website, jointly organizing conferences and speaking with authority on many cases, such as that of Israel Lipski at the Mango Books Virtual Conference 2020.

One line of descent in his family history can be traced back to 15th century West Cornwall and his latest work, "The Case of the Salmon Sandwiches", is based in the tiny Cornish hamlet of Trenhorne. His book "The Moat House Mystery" on the Life and Crimes of Samuel Herbert Dougal, based primarily in Clavering in Essex, received many favourable reviews from highly knowledgeable readers.