molly0208's review
informative
medium-paced
2.0
Most of the interesting information in the book had the smallest tangential relation to the actual murder. The author went on tangents every time she introduced a person I often lost the plot. I enjoyed learning about the authors of the age but was constantly frustrated by the writing and lack of organization of the book. It took all my will power to finish reading the unanswered questions section because the writing style dropped off a cliff and felt like a high school English class paper.
heather_freshparchment's review
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
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
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
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.