A gripping investigation into the crime that scandalized literary London, from Dickens to Thackeray.
Claire Harman is the award-winning biographer of Sylvia Townsend Warner (1989), Fanny Burney (2000) and Robert Louis Stevenson (2005), the author of the best-selling Jane's Fame- How Jane Austen Conquered the World (2009) and of Charlotte Bronte- A Life (2015). She is Professor in Creative Writing at Durham University and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.
A brilliant piece of literary detective work
*Evening Standard*
[A] scandalous Victorian mystery... Harman tells the story with
clarity and vigour
*Guardian Book of the Day*
Vivid and punchy
*Spectator*
[Harman] is a storyteller, with a sense of pace and timing, relish
for a good scene and a wry sense of humour
*Economist*
[A] riveting investigation into a transgression that scandalised
the literati of Victorian London in 1840. An engrossing fireside
festive treat
*The Bookseller*
This beautifully produced and impressively researched historical
account of a celebrated Victorian murder with a literary twist
reads like a thriller. I devoured it in one sitting, and was at
once enthralled and chilled. Highly recommended!
*Alison Weir*
A fascinating portrait of Victorian London amid the rising
popularity of the novel
*The Observer*
A riveting investigation into a true and vicious murder that
shocked Victorian London
*Woman & Home*
A fascinating account.... As Harman skilfully reveals, the real
story behind the famous murder is the complex one about the harmful
influence of fiction on the mind of the reader.
*The Times*
The book's heft lies in its rich detail...characters and settings
are so vivid that Murder By The Book will surely soon be snatched
up by television producers seeking their next Victorian crime
drama
*Daily Mail*
Harman resists sensationalising the murder... Instead, she offers a
long view of the circular relationship between crime and
literature
*New Statesman*
There is enough ambiguity in the story of Russell's end to satisfy
even the most ardent lovers of detective fiction, and Harman's
enjoyment at piecing together the evidence is clear
*BBC History Magazine*
Enthralling
*Oldie*
Enthralling . . . A page-turner that can hold its own with any one
of the many murder-minded podcasts out there
*Jezebel*
Its opening scene is the stuff that classic murder mysteries are
made of . . . Ms. Harman is a tireless researcher and a droll
stylist
*Wall Street Journal*
Harman demonstrates a flair for distilling reams of research into a
succinct, lively narrative. The book is an exemplar of how to write
taut, issue-driven historical nonfiction. With an appreciation for
pithy quotations, telling details and amusing gossip, she's quick
to spot a fascinating aside . . . As riveting as this true-crime
story is, what elevates Murder by the Book above sensationalism is
its focus on how this case heightened concern over the malevolent
influence of violent entertainment
*Washington Post*
An assiduously researched and superbly written book that ends with
Harman examining unanswered questions, and reminding us that truth
can be stranger than fiction
*Minneapolis Star Tribune*
A fascinating, exhaustively researched exploration into how art can
influence society and vice versa, Murder by the Book turns an
unflinching eye to the ways in which biases born of economic
inequality affect the way crimes are investigated and prosecuted.
It's a true crime devotee's delight
*BookPage*
Harman effectively uses a novelist's approach to recreate a now
obscure 1840 English murder case that was a sensation at the time .
. . By exploring concerns about the glorification of criminals in
the fiction of the day and addressing some lingering mysteries,
such as whether Courvoisier had an accomplice, Harman adds depth to
a fascinating true crime narrative.
*Publishers Weekly, starred review*
An endlessly fascinating, bookish tale of true crime in Victorian
England . . . Lovers of Drood, Sherlock, Jack the Ripper, and their
kin real and fictional will relish the gruesome details of this
entertaining book.
*Kirkus Reviews, starred review*
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