The Murder of Harriet Monckton
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The Murder of Harriet Monckton
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Narrated by:
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Lisa Coleman
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Joe Jameson
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Richard Reed
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David Thorpe
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Becky Wright
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By:
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Elizabeth Haynes
About this listen
Longlisted for the Historical Writers’ Association Gold Crown Award, 2019
The Times 100 Best Books for Summer
Waterstones 2019 Essential Summer Reads
From the award-winning and best-selling author of Into the Darkest Corner comes a delicious Victorian crime novel based on a true story that shocked and fascinated the nation.
On 7th November 1843, Harriet Monckton, 23 years old and a woman of respectable parentage and religious habits, is found murdered in the privy behind the chapel she regularly attended in Bromley, Kent.
The community is appalled by her death, apparently as a result of swallowing a fatal dose of prussic acid, and even more so when the surgeon reports that Harriet was around six months pregnant.
Drawing on the coroner’s reports and witness testimonies, Elizabeth Haynes builds a compelling picture of Harriet’s final hours through the eyes of those closest to her and the last people to see her alive. Her fellow teacher and companion, her would-be fiancé, her seducer, her former lover - all are suspects; each has a reason to want her dead.
Brimming with lust, mistrust and guilt, The Murder of Harriet Monckton is a master class of suspense from one of our greatest crime writers.
©2018 Elizabeth Haynes (P)2018 Audible, LtdListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"Haynes tells much of the story through the voices of those closest to Harriet: the hypocritical minister who mistakes his own desires for the wishes of God; the shy young man who wishes to look after her; the fellow teacher with her own yearnings for love. Eventually, through a diary, we hear Harriet herself speak. A thoroughly absorbing whodunnit, with an unexpected conclusion, Haynes’s novel is also a touching portrait of a young woman unjustly stigmatised by the prejudices of the day." (Nick Rennison, The Sunday Times)
"Actual documents from Britain’s National Archives concerning inquests into the November 1843 demise of Harriet Monckton, an unmarried, secretly pregnant 23-year-old teacher, serve as the springboard for this rich psychological crime novel from Haynes (Never Alone). The author weaves together snippets of testimony from the official investigation in Bromley, Kent, with fictionalized accounts from several of the key figures in Harriet’s life—and suspects in her death — among them the charismatic but deeply flawed Rev. George Verrall; fellow schoolmarm and discreetly infatuated best friend Frances Williams; former lover Richard Field; and handsome Thomas Churcher, the kindhearted cobbler too shy to declare his love. Readers also hear from Harriet herself, via a (fictional) 120-page diary. Though this suspenseful account of a case that remained unsolved in real life — unlike the novel — feels overlong, Haynes vividly brings to life an intellectually curious, vibrant young woman ill-suited to the strictures of Victorian village life. Historical mystery fans will be rewarded." (Publishers Weekly)
"Probably the best historical crime novel I have ever read. Elizabeth Haynes’ skill as a writer was in every word of every page; not once did I doubt that I was in Bromley in 1843. The characters were superb: villains, lovers, friends and Harriet herself were so well-formed with distinctive voices. The mystery was gripping and I was thrilled to discover I’d guessed the murderer wrong. Haynes passion for Harriet’s story (it's based on a real crime) is the life blood of this book and I found the Afterward about the author’s research very touching. Captivating, masterful and moving this is one book—and one death—I will remember for a very long time." (C. L. Taylor)
What listeners say about The Murder of Harriet Monckton
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Chantal
- 04-04-21
About twice as long as it should be
I bought this as I love historical crime fiction and come from Bromley but found the book very repetitive and the porn stuff too long and often gratuitous. But obviously everything is a matter of taste, this just wasn't mine.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- CM
- 21-06-19
Fascinating
This book fascinated me. I loved the way that the characters told their story and just as I was thinking I needed to hear Harriet's voice - there she was through her journal. It dealt so well with how women were viewed - and ignored - at that time and it was great to hear their voices. I really enjoyed hearing how the book came about especially as I had just been told of a local story around a similar time where people only know the first name of a young woman who met her death and it got me to wondering....
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kimberly
- 17-01-21
A tragic tale
This is a well written book based on a true murder. The author has built a story around the tragic facts in a very engaging way. The narrators performances are very good.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- S. Hobbs
- 03-05-20
Murder of Harriet monkton
Interesting theme of abuse-submission-arrogance under story line. Have we moved along from the 1800's?
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Deborah Plant
- 22-07-20
amazing!!!!!
such a well written, intelligent book, one of those you can't put down or really look forward to getting back too.
my heart went out to the poor girl who's story had obviously, transpiring through the words of this book,made the author become very attached to.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 12-03-19
A great listen !
An extremely interesting listen brilliantly written and narrated , with additional authors notes giving fascinating detail into this case .
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11 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- J
- 03-02-20
A surprisingly sad story
Based on the true story of the murder of Harriet Monckton, for which no one was ever charged , Elizabeth Haynes has constructed a gripping story and provides a possible solution to the crime. Told through the testimony of four main characters connected with Harriet - and through Harriet's own, (fictional) journal, the story unfolds through the different viewpoints of these characters and their various relationships with Harriet, with potential suspects changing as new information is revealed. In the best the listen tradition, Haynes doesn't reveal the person she has identified as the murderer until the very end , and it is well worth the wait to discover her explanation of the crime. As ever, audio books stand or fall by their narrators. In this case there are five different actors who read the parts of the five main characters - which makes it easy for the listener to recognise which character is speaking . All of the performances are excellent but a special mention to Becky Wright who reduced me to tears by her sensitive performance of Harriet, describing her life slowly disintegrating around her.
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10 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Tracey Watson
- 29-07-20
Gripping, only one small niggle.
I thoroughly loved this book, the whole story and narration was excellent. However I was very disappointed at the end to find out that much of what I’d believed fact was mostly fiction and only loosely based around a murder. Having said that it was a very enjoyable listen. I would definitely be happy listening to another book by the same author.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- pleun brevet
- 18-09-19
Mwah...
The story is a little slow and the voices of the storytellers are OK, but a little boring. I was kind of happy when we got to the end.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 11-10-20
Beautifully Done
A well presented performance. Nicely balanced and thought out. Unfortunately the story and style does nothing for me. After a significant time listening I found I simply did not care how it came out. While this probably says more about me than about the story I can't get back into it. If you like good mysteries and period piece stories this is probably a good fit and well worth a listen.
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