The Man They Could Not Hang is a 2005 non-fiction book about the life story of John 'Babbacombe' Lee, the butler who was convicted of the murder of Emma Keyse, his elderly employer. The title refers to the legendary fact that the attempts to execute John Lee by hanging had failed three times.
The book was researched and written by Mike Holgate and Ian David Waugh, who managed to update some of the mysteries surrounding the 1884 murder, most notably John Lee's apparent disappearance after his release.