Murder by the Book

Nominated for the CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction in 2019, this work offers a compelling snapshot of Victorian London. Described by the Observer as "a fascinating portrait," it's a book that Alison Weir found so engrossing she "devoured it in one sitting," while Dan Snow simply called it "excellent."On the morning of May 6, 1840, a shocking crime took place on a very respectable street in Mayfair. Lord William Russell was found in his bed with his throat so savagely cut that it was nearly a decapitation. The revelation that the murderer was inspired by a recent popular novel sent ripples throughout literary London, catching the attention of prominent writers like Charles Dickens and William Makepeace Thackeray. Claire Harman delves into this intriguing story, skillfully exploring the crime itself, the subsequent investigation, and the Victorian era's cultural obsessions.The Guardian referred to it as a "scandalous Victorian mystery," while the Daily Telegraph found it "fascinating, entertaining," and remarked that Harman's storytelling is consistently exhilarating. The Spectator praised it as "vivid and punchy," capturing both the crime and the societal atmosphere of the time in a captivating narrative.