jenniferroach's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
2.75
Listened to, found it difficult to follow and kept forgetting parts
jmatkinson1's review against another edition
4.0
Early one morning in London a footman answered the door to a panicked maid. Her master, Lord William Russell, had been murdered in a sensational way and this led to a hunt for the killer involving the newly formed Scotland Yard. When a man was arrested it seemed that the case was over and done but the latest fashion was for true-life crime and the when the perpetrator was revealed to have an obsession with a popular crime novel and play then the media went into a frenzy.
Although the murder of Lord William Russell is almost forgotten now it does shed a light on the involvement of the media in crime reporting and sensationalist fictionalised accounts. To the early Victorians the fact that the murder was a foreigner was one thing, that is was a servant meant that the aristocracy slept a little less easy in their beds. This is an entertaining read.
Although the murder of Lord William Russell is almost forgotten now it does shed a light on the involvement of the media in crime reporting and sensationalist fictionalised accounts. To the early Victorians the fact that the murder was a foreigner was one thing, that is was a servant meant that the aristocracy slept a little less easy in their beds. This is an entertaining read.
circularcubes's review against another edition
3.0
3.25 stars
Fun, but rather fluffier than my preferred flavor of historical crime non-fiction. The speculation in the postscript is interesting, but leaves the reader with far more questions than answers, which is a mildly frustrating way to end a book like this.
Fun, but rather fluffier than my preferred flavor of historical crime non-fiction. The speculation in the postscript is interesting, but leaves the reader with far more questions than answers, which is a mildly frustrating way to end a book like this.
kirkw1972's review against another edition
3.0
This is a true crime novel focusing on the death of Lord William Russell. There's an interesting thread about whether media can lead to real life crime, something still in discussion today with violence and computer games.
It's a short book so I think there is scope to really dig deeper into this element. There were a lot of characters in this book which I found hard to follow. It's not a bad book but I think just not one for me.
It's a short book so I think there is scope to really dig deeper into this element. There were a lot of characters in this book which I found hard to follow. It's not a bad book but I think just not one for me.
alaynahronek's review against another edition
3.0
Mildly intriguing in the first third, dull and forced in the middle third, and an engaging and quick read in the last third.
To be frank, the entire chapter about Dickens, Ainsworth and company could have been left out and the reader would still have understood the influence of literary style at the time and the potential role it played in the murder.
This book was clearly well-researched and the chapters on the aftermath and unanswered questions were a good end to the story.
To be frank, the entire chapter about Dickens, Ainsworth and company could have been left out and the reader would still have understood the influence of literary style at the time and the potential role it played in the murder.
This book was clearly well-researched and the chapters on the aftermath and unanswered questions were a good end to the story.
lexierae830's review
I felt like I was reading it just to say I read it. It was interesting but it was such a drag to get through.
siobhanward's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
3.0
If you like Victorian literature and obscure murders, this is the book for you! This account of the murder of Lord William Russell tied Russell's murder back to a novel of the time, Jack Sheppard Clearly the whole "video games cause violence" thing has been going on for some time, because once upon a time it was "sensational novels cause violence."
I thought Harman did an interesting job connecting Russell's murder and the novel together. However, while I understand why it was tied back to Charles Dickens (Dickens was a contemporary and friend of the novel's author, William Harrison Ainsworth), I found that there was just too much time devoted to Dickens considering that he was not really a central character in this plot. I think that Harman wasn't 100% sure of her audience, and went into detail about Dickens to give some added context for people who might not know already. However, since I already had a fairly good idea about how/why Dickens got his start in writing, this just felt like info I didn't really need.
The rest of the book was fairly well done - some parts of it dragged, while others seemed rushed, but I get that Harman was working with limited resources. When a murder case is over 150 years old, there's lots of information about some parts of it and very limited information about other parts.
I thought Harman did an interesting job connecting Russell's murder and the novel together. However, while I understand why it was tied back to Charles Dickens (Dickens was a contemporary and friend of the novel's author, William Harrison Ainsworth), I found that there was just too much time devoted to Dickens considering that he was not really a central character in this plot. I think that Harman wasn't 100% sure of her audience, and went into detail about Dickens to give some added context for people who might not know already. However, since I already had a fairly good idea about how/why Dickens got his start in writing, this just felt like info I didn't really need.
The rest of the book was fairly well done - some parts of it dragged, while others seemed rushed, but I get that Harman was working with limited resources. When a murder case is over 150 years old, there's lots of information about some parts of it and very limited information about other parts.