A review by librarianmillie
The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer by Kate Summerscale

3.0

This book seemed like a no brainer for me; it has all my favorite elements true crime, 19th Century England, and remorseless kids, but in the end I just wasn’t feeling it. I think a lot of conclusions could have been reached in this story about problems in the justice system, sensational journalism, and mental health that still exist today, but those parallels were never explored. Instead you are left with a book relying on lean information to fill 300+ pages about a story that was maybe worth 200. The story of the “wicked boy” does have merit, but for the average reader it might be a little boring.