Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress and Dr Crippen

(Hardback)

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The long-awaited new book by the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of THE FIVE, the feminist retelling of the historical true-crime story of infamous wife-murderer Dr Crippen in Edwardian England, brought to justice by an extraordinary group of musichall women. BY THE AUTHOR OF MULTI-AWARDWINNING #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER- THE FIVE, THE WOMEN KILLED BY JACK THE RIPPER A fascinating feminist retelling of the historical true-crime story of infamous wife-murderer Dr Crippen in Edwardian England, brought to justice by an extraordinary group of musichall women 'Unbelievably addictive. Written with a unique combination of sleuthing, storytelling and compassion' LUCY WORSLEY 'Brilliantly atmospheric, forensically researched. I could not recommend it more' RACHEL JOYCE ___________ No murderer should ever be the keeper of their victim's story ... On 1 February, 1910, vivacious musichall 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 And what is the story behind the death of Crippen's first wife, Charlotte, who died so quietly, never to be heard of again 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. Featuring a carnival cast of eccentric entertainers, glamorous lawyers, zealous detectives, medics and liars, STORY OF A MURDER is meticulously researched and multi-layered, offering the reader an electrifying snapshot of Britain and America at the dawn of the modern era.

Reviews

Unbelievably addictive - I defy you to put it down! Written with Rubenhold's completely unique combination of sleuthing, storytelling and compassion. * Lucy Worsley *
I lapped it up! Whip-smart, brilliantly atmospheric, completely addictive. I loved the music hall artistes and had my hand over my wide-open mouth at the audacity of the press. And it is not solely about a murder - though I was filled with admiration for the forensic level of research. Its also about all the bit part players - the dustbin man who notices an unusual amount of rubbish, the boarding house owner who notices something not quite right about the father and son at the table in the corner, and the world they came from. I cant recommend it more: I will be thinking about it for a very long time. * RACHEL JOYCE *

Author Bio

Hallie Rubenhold is the No.1 Sunday Times bestselling and Baillie Gifford prize-winning author of The Five, the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper. A renowned social historian whose expertise lies in revealing stories of previously unknown women and episodes in history, she is the author of The Covent Garden Ladies which was the inspiration behind BBC TV's 'Harlots'. Her biographical work, Lady Worsley's Whim, was dramatized by the BBC as 'The Scandalous Lady W'. Her most recent work of non-fiction, Story of a Murder, the wives, the mistress and Dr Crippen, will be published in March 2025. She has also written two acclaimed novels Mistress of My Fate and The French Lesson which give voice to the women written out by eighteenth-century literature. She lives in London with her husband. Meet her @HallieRubenhold