Thought-provoking account

When wealthy and eccentric widow Mary Emsley is found dead at her home on 17th August 1860, the resulting murder inquiry grips the nation. Faced with several suspects, the police home in on two individuals, finally narrowing it down to one man – James Mullins. Convicted and hanged for the killing, the Mullins case left the public baying for justice, convinced the police had the wrong man. But if Mullins didn’t kill Mrs Emsley, who did?

Arthur Conan Doyle wrote about this case many years later but even he seemed unable to come up with a solution to the mystery. Charting the events leading to the murder and its aftermath, Sinclair McKay creates an absorbing and highly-detailed account, exploring every possible angle. Though occasionally lapsing into social history (which nevertheless helps create a complete picture of the times), the author also provides a solution to the murder.

Narrated by Lewis Hancock, this is an interesting and thought-provoking account of a murder that remains unsolved.

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1 person found this helpful

Good true crime book, however..

A solid true crime book which has obviously been very thoroughly researched for such an obscure old case. Goes off on a couple of slightly dragging tangents towards the middle, regarding Victorian life/history etc however overall the book is very enjoyable and definitely worth a listen if you’re interested in Jack the Ripper-esque atmospheric mysteries. However, if you’re here for the Arthur Conan-Doyle tagline you will be left pretty disappointed. Very little is discussed regarding the author and his interest/opinions on the case which (even though I’m not especially a fan) was rather a shame and felt a bit misleading.

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2 people found this helpful

Poverty and murder in the East End

Not really a murder mystery more an exploration of social conditions in the East End. Very entertaining nonetheless. The judicial system is examined alongside the newly created Police Force. The Conan Doyle connection is tangential. The narration is lively

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Deeply tedious

I’m not sure what makes this audiobook so dreary - the performance, the book itself or both. The author has clearly done his research and is - unfortunately- at pains to make you know it, foisting tangential information on you even where it adds nothing to the narrative or the reader’s knowledge. He should take a leaf out of the many excellent academics and authors who do this so well. Robert Douglas-Fairhurst and Kate Summerscale, for example, who both write books which are
meticulously researched, educational AND interesting.

Then, there’s the performance which is poor. The actor has a sharp voice and rattles through each sentence like an elderly schoolmaster hectoring a class with a dull list of facts. Even for the most academic mind this is dry stuff indeed and I kept finding myself drifting off thinking of other things.

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Dull and disappointing

This book sounded intriguing from the description, but unfortunately turned out to be very boring. The author gets caught up in the minutiae of the case and fails to really bring it to life, compared to other true life Victorian crime books I have read.

The narration was good though, to be fair.

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