PDF Murder by the Book The Crime That Shocked Dickens London eBook Claire Harman
Download As PDF : Murder by the Book The Crime That Shocked Dickens London eBook Claire Harman
"Enthralling . . . A page-turner that can hold its own with any one of the many murder-minded podcasts out there."
—Jezebel
From the acclaimed biographer--the fascinating, little-known story of a Victorian-era murder that rocked literary London, leading Charles Dickens, William Thackeray, and Queen Victoria herself to wonder Can a novel kill?
In May 1840, Lord William Russell, well known in London's highest social circles, was found with his throat cut. The brutal murder had the whole city talking. The police suspected Russell's valet, Courvoisier, but the evidence was weak. The missing clue, it turned out, lay in the unlikeliest place what Courvoisier had been reading. In the years just before the murder, new printing methods had made books cheap and abundant, the novel form was on the rise, and suddenly everyone was reading. The best-selling titles were the most sensational true-crime stories. Even Dickens and Thackeray, both at the beginning of their careers, fell under the spell of these tales--Dickens publicly admiring them, Thackeray rejecting them. One such phenomenon was William Harrison Ainsworth's Jack Sheppard, the story of an unrepentant criminal who escaped the gallows time and again. When Lord William's murderer finally confessed his guilt, he would cite this novel in his defense. Murder By the Book combines this thrilling true-crime story with an illuminating account of the rise of the novel form and the battle for its early soul among the most famous writers of the time. It is superbly researched, vividly written, and captivating from first to last.
PDF Murder by the Book The Crime That Shocked Dickens London eBook Claire Harman
"In our present violence-prone world many people single out video games that simulate crimes and appear to glorify bloodshed, blaming them for making murder acceptable. Some years ago violent TV programs and movies were blamed for the same thing, and before that paperbacks and comic books were held responsible. Claire Harman's excellent history of a crime and its investigation and resolution in 1840 London demonstrates that, as far as people looking for something to blame for violent crime goes, very little has changed.
Lord William Russell was an elderly gentleman from an aristocratic and powerful family. He led a quiet life in a small townhouse in Mayfair, then as now one of the finest areas in London, collecting art, visiting his clubs, walking his dog, and various other unobtrusive activities. He kept a cook, maid, and valet in his residence, with several other servants on call nearby. His was an unremarkable existence until it came to a sudden and very gory end. He was found dead in his bed one morning, his throat slashed and many of his treasures missing. The newly instituted London police force made a bungle of the investigation but was able to identify the probable culprit as Lord William's valet, a Swiss immigrant, who was duly arrested, put on trial, found guilty, and hanged.
What makes Lord William's murder and its aftermath remarkable is that it occurred in the middle of a London-wide enthusiasm for a book and play called "Jack Sheppard," about an eighteenth century criminal who was renowned for his many audacious robberies and a string of ingenious escapes from the law. Critics worried that "Jack Sheppard" glorified crime and encouraged copy-cats to emulate his many feats. The controversy went on for years, involving political and religious leaders and including observations from well known authors like Charles Dickens and William Thackeray.
Harman's meticulously documented and well written account does full justice to both the wider controversy and the individual crime that helped spark it. The full panoply of early Victorian justice, from the first investigations through the trial, which was replete with misconduct from both the defense and prosecution, and on to the eventual public hanging of the valet, is vividly depicted. So are the consequences, which led to the fuller blossomings of both Dickens and Thackeray's writing careers and to the end of public executions in Britain. A very good read indeed."
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Murder by the Book The Crime That Shocked Dickens London eBook Claire Harman Reviews :
Murder by the Book The Crime That Shocked Dickens London eBook Claire Harman Reviews
- In our present violence-prone world many people single out video games that simulate crimes and appear to glorify bloodshed, blaming them for making murder acceptable. Some years ago violent TV programs and movies were blamed for the same thing, and before that paperbacks and comic books were held responsible. Claire Harman's excellent history of a crime and its investigation and resolution in 1840 London demonstrates that, as far as people looking for something to blame for violent crime goes, very little has changed.
Lord William Russell was an elderly gentleman from an aristocratic and powerful family. He led a quiet life in a small townhouse in Mayfair, then as now one of the finest areas in London, collecting art, visiting his clubs, walking his dog, and various other unobtrusive activities. He kept a cook, maid, and valet in his residence, with several other servants on call nearby. His was an unremarkable existence until it came to a sudden and very gory end. He was found dead in his bed one morning, his throat slashed and many of his treasures missing. The newly instituted London police force made a bungle of the investigation but was able to identify the probable culprit as Lord William's valet, a Swiss immigrant, who was duly arrested, put on trial, found guilty, and hanged.
What makes Lord William's murder and its aftermath remarkable is that it occurred in the middle of a London-wide enthusiasm for a book and play called "Jack Sheppard," about an eighteenth century criminal who was renowned for his many audacious robberies and a string of ingenious escapes from the law. Critics worried that "Jack Sheppard" glorified crime and encouraged copy-cats to emulate his many feats. The controversy went on for years, involving political and religious leaders and including observations from well known authors like Charles Dickens and William Thackeray.
Harman's meticulously documented and well written account does full justice to both the wider controversy and the individual crime that helped spark it. The full panoply of early Victorian justice, from the first investigations through the trial, which was replete with misconduct from both the defense and prosecution, and on to the eventual public hanging of the valet, is vividly depicted. So are the consequences, which led to the fuller blossomings of both Dickens and Thackeray's writing careers and to the end of public executions in Britain. A very good read indeed. - Fun read
- "Murder by the Book the Crime that Shocked Dickens’s London" by Claire Harman, Knopf, 272 pages, March 26, 2019.
This is based on a true crime that happened in London in 1840. Lord William Russell, a widower and uncle to a Secretary of State for the colonies, is found murdered in his bed. His throat was slashed.
Some items were stolen from the house and the lock on the back door was broken. Members of the upper class are terrified because they think the lower class is rising up.
Francois Courvoisier, Russell's new foreign valet, is arrested. He claims he was influenced by a popular "Newgate Novel" titled "Jack Sheppard" by William Harrison Ainsworth. A "Newgate Novel" glamorized criminals. Several pirated plays are based on the book, so everyone was aware of the story.
While "Murder by the Book" is good, there is too much focus on the "Jack Sheppard" book and Ainsworth's friendship with Charles Dickens and others. Claire Hartman did research the time well. She has written several biographies.
In accordance with FTC guidelines, the advance reader's edition of this book was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for a review. - This book is set in 1840’s London and starts out discussing the murder of Lord William Russell in his Norfolk Street home after he retires to bed for the night to do some reading. He is found the next morning by his servant with his head gaping open from the blow of an ax which has been left nearby. There is evidence of coins and a watch taken, among other things. Lord William had previously complained of a locket with his late wife’s picture inside going missing, that he carried all the time. A doctor is sent for, along with the police, and an investigation is begun. There is also a running commentary with certain authors of the day such as William Ainsworth and Charles Dickens about a couple of their books involving criminal characters, and whether or not they encourage people to commit crimes after reading the books or seeing them acted in plays, as some folks have claimed. Kind of like the debate about violent movies and video games today, and whether they play a part in people committing crimes later after viewing them.
The book is very detailed and gives a lot of connected side information to kind of flesh out the story from just the actual murder. There is also a lot of supposition of various ways the crime might have happened, and who else might have been involved also. It turned out to be a decent true crime book for this time period. - I was prepared to love everything about Murder by the Book true crime, Victorian England, and the rise of the novel.
Unfortunately, I found my attention wandering as I worked my way through the book. The various elements never came together in a cohesive way for me.
I appreciate the rigorous research undertaken by the author, and think that many people will find Murder by the Book is their cup of tea.
Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for the opportunity to read and review Murder by the Book.
