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Story of a Murder

The Wives, the Mistress and Dr Crippen

Hallie Rubenhold

$59.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

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English
Doubleday
27 April 2025
The long-awaited new book by the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of THE FIVE, the feminist retelling of the historical true-crime story of infamous wife-murderer Dr Crippen in Edwardian England, brought to justice by an extraordinary group of musichall women.

BY THE AUTHOR OF MULTI-AWARD-WINNING #1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER- THE FIVE, THE WOMEN KILLED BY JACK THE RIPPER

An epic re-examination of the historical true-crime story of infamous wife-murderer Dr Crippen in Edwardian England, brought to justice by an extraordinary group of strong women

'A unique combination of sleuthing, storytelling and compassion' Lucy Worsley

'Fascinating. It's about time Belle became the hero of her own story' Val McDermid

'I couldn't put it down' Bonnie Garmus

'I had my hand over my wide-open mouth' Rachel Joyce

'Takes us beyond the world of Dr Crippen into the lives impacted by him and the society in which he moved. Terrific' Ian Rankin

'Compelling to the very last page' Denise Mina

No murderer should ever be the keeper of their victim's story ...

On 1 February, 1910, vivacious musichall performer, Belle Elmore, suddenly vanished from her north London home, causing alarm among her circle of female friends, the entertainers of the Music Hall Ladies' Guild who demanded an immediate investigation.

They could not have known what they would provoke- the unearthing of a gruesome secret, followed by a fevered manhunt for the prime suspect- Belle's husband, medical fraudster, Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen.

Hiding in the shadows of this evergreen tale is Crippen's typist and lover, Ethel Le Neve - was she really just 'an innocent young girl' in thrall to a powerful older man as so many people have since reported?

In this epic examination of one of the most infamous murders of the twentieth century, prizewinning social historian Hallie Rubenhold gives voice to those who have never properly been heard - the women.

Featuring a carnival cast of eccentric entertainers, glamorous lawyers, zealous detectives, medics and liars, STORY OF A MURDER is meticulously researched and multi-layered, offering the reader an electrifying snapshot of Britain and America at the dawn of the modern era.

'Does for the Crippen Murder case what THE FIVE did for the victims of Jack the Ripper. Forensic research and insistent sympathetic writing. I loved it' PROFESSOR DAVID WILSON, BBC 1, The Crime Squad
By:  
Imprint:   Doubleday
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 240mm,  Width: 156mm,  Spine: 40mm
Weight:   500g
ISBN:   9780857527318
ISBN 10:   0857527312
Pages:   512
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  ELT Advanced ,  Primary
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming

Hallie Rubenhold is the #1 Sunday Times bestselling and Baillie Gifford prize-winning author of The Five, the Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper. A renowned social historian whose expertise lies in revealing stories of previously unknown women and episodes in history, she is the author of The Covent Garden Ladies which was the inspiration behind BBC TV's 'Harlots'. Her biographical work, Lady Worsley's Whim, was dramatized by the BBC as 'The Scandalous Lady W'. Her most recent work of non-fiction, Story of a Murder, the wives, the mistress and Dr Crippen, will be published in March 2025. She has also written two acclaimed novels Mistress of My Fate and The French Lesson which give voice to the women written out by eighteenth-century literature. She lives in London with her husband. Meet her @HallieRubenhold

Reviews for Story of a Murder: The Wives, the Mistress and Dr Crippen

Unbelievably addictive - I defy you to put it down! Written with Rubenhold's completely unique combination of sleuthing, storytelling and compassion. * Lucy Worsley * I lapped it up! Whip-smart, brilliantly atmospheric, completely addictive. I loved the music hall artistes and had my hand over my wide-open mouth at the audacity of the press. And it is not solely about a murder - though I was filled with admiration for the forensic level of research. It’s also about all the bit part players - the dustbin man who notices an unusual amount of rubbish, the boarding house owner who notices something not quite right about the father and son at the table in the corner, and the world they came from. I can’t recommend it more: I will be thinking about it for a very long time. * RACHEL JOYCE * 'Painstaking research, married to a novelist's instinct for storytelling, make each new book by Hallie Rubenhold a gripping and educational adventure for the reader. STORY OF A MURDER takes us beyond the infamous Dr Crippen to the lives impacted by him, the society within which he moved, and the public's appetite to be shocked and scandalised. It's terrific' * IAN RANKIN *


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