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Reviews tagging 'Gore'
Murder by the Book: The Crime That Shocked Dickens's London by Claire Harman
2 reviews
jhbandcats's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
3.75
An analysis of a murder in Victorian London that shocked the city. At the time adventurous stories of thieves and murderers were wildly popular. Without a copyright law, enterprising writers would take a novel’s plot and turn it into unauthorized theater plays within a day or two. Everyone in the city was reading or seeing the story of “Jack Sheppard” and then, as now, crimes were being blamed on the influence of nefarious tales. (Today, video games, rap lyrics, and violent movies are supposedly to blame.)
When the valet finally confessed to the murder of Lord William Russell, he said he got the idea from “Jack Sheppard.” Author Claire Harman details London society, its newly literate working class, the rise of the disreputable novels and plays, and the murder of Lord Russell and subsequent trial.
The epilogue raises a lot of questions about police procedure, the validity of the valet’s confession, and possible motives. All in all a well-written book but somewhat slow. In addition, there’s a rather overwhelming list of Persons of Interest that is clogged with people barely mentioned or who aren’t relevant to the main topic.
When the valet finally confessed to the murder of Lord William Russell, he said he got the idea from “Jack Sheppard.” Author Claire Harman details London society, its newly literate working class, the rise of the disreputable novels and plays, and the murder of Lord Russell and subsequent trial.
The epilogue raises a lot of questions about police procedure, the validity of the valet’s confession, and possible motives. All in all a well-written book but somewhat slow. In addition, there’s a rather overwhelming list of Persons of Interest that is clogged with people barely mentioned or who aren’t relevant to the main topic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Police brutality, Murder, and Classism
n_t_sh_'s review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
2.5
I read this as an audiobook and although the narrator has a comically "queen's English" accent that gets worse on quotation, I cannot imagine having been able to get through the book... This book is much more about the effect of the crime on social justice, the law and the general impact on those in contemporary society, than in relation to the crime itself.
To say I have limited interest in the law of Victorian England, would be to overstate my interest. However, it was a good audiobook to fall asleep to, which is exactly what I downloaded it for.
To say I have limited interest in the law of Victorian England, would be to overstate my interest. However, it was a good audiobook to fall asleep to, which is exactly what I downloaded it for.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Gore
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