THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
The page-turning retelling of the historical true-crime story of infamous wife-murderer Dr Crippen, brought to justice by an extraordinary group of women
'Popular history you devour in one sitting' Sunday Times
'Gripping' TLS
'Unbelievably addictive' LUCY WORSLEY
'I couldn't put it down' BONNIE GARMUS
'Finely layered' Financial Times
'Breath-taking' Spectator
FROM THE AWARD-WINNING, SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING HISTORIAN THE FIVE: THE WOMEN KILLED BY JACK THE RIPPER, WINNER OF THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION.
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On 1 February, 1910, vivacious music-hall performer, Belle Elmore, suddenly vanished from her north London home, causing alarm among her circle of female friends, the entertainers of the Music Hall Ladies' Guild who demanded an immediate investigation.
They could not have known what they would provoke: the unearthing of a gruesome secret, followed by a fevered manhunt for the prime suspect: Belle's husband, medical fraudster, Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen.
Hiding in the shadows of this evergreen tale is Crippen's typist and lover, Ethel Le Neve - was she really just 'an innocent young girl' in thrall to a powerful older man as so many people have since reported?
In this epic examination of one of the most infamous murders of the twentieth century, prizewinning social historian Hallie Rubenhold gives voice to those who have never properly been heard - the women.
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PRAISE FOR STORY OF A MURDER:
'Gripping and eye-opening' I-news, Book to Watch Out For
'Reads like a great thriller. I inhaled it' Bella Mackie, bestselling author of How to Kill Your Family
'A unique combination of sleuthing, storytelling and compassion' Lucy Worsley, bestselling author and historian
'Fascinating. It's about time Belle became the hero of her own story' Val McDermid, bestselling author of the Karen Pirie series
'As compelling as any crime drama' S J Parris, bestselling author of the Giordano Bruno series
'I had my hand over my wide-open mouth...I can't recommend it more: I will be thinking about it for a very long time. Rachel Joyce, bestselling author of The Homemade God
'Takes us beyond the world of Dr Crippen into the lives impacted by him and the society in which he moved. Terrific' Ian Rankin, bestselling author of the Rebus series
'Compelling to the very last page' Denise Mina, award-winning author of Reese's Book Club pick, Conviction
'Does for the Crippen Murder case what THE FIVE did for the victims of Jack the Ripper. Forensic research and insistent sympathetic writing. I loved it' PROFESSOR DAVID WILSON, BBC 1, The Crime
Squad
'Breathtaking. Rubenhold has not only produced a thrilling reassessment of a notorious crime, but an impressive portrait of an age' Spectator
Autorentext
Hallie Rubenhold
Klappentext
Coming in summer 2022: The new book from the award-winning and No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of THE FIVE: THE WOMEN WHO WERE KILLED BY JACK THE RIPPER
In 1910, the name Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen entered legend. The remains of his wife, the music hall performer, Belle Elmore were discovered in his London cellar, while he and his secretary Ethel Le Neve were found masquerading as father and son on a ship bound for Canada. Meanwhile, in New York, the Irish family of Charlotte Bell, Crippen's first wife were investigating the mysterious circumstances of her death, nearly 20 years earlier.
For over a century, Belle Elmore's murder has been retold as a tale about a cold-blooded killer and the heroic men who brought him to justice, however the real story is one that hasn't been heard. It is told by the ranks of women who dominated the case, not only the larger-than-life Belle, the rebellious and ambitious Ethel, and the courageous Charlotte, but an army of Edwardian actresses, circus performers, singers, horse trainers, landladies, secretaries, bookkeepers and medical professionals whose version of events has been drowned out by those of law enforcement and even by the murderer himself.
Their perspectives paint a chilling picture of an Edwardian world, not so entirely distant from our own.