In this examination of one of the most infamous murders of the twentieth century, author Hallie Rubenhold gives voice to those who were never properly heard—the women.
Belle emerges as a far more complex person in Story of a Murder than the frivolous would-be chanteuse the newspapers of the age depicted ... Rubenhold paints a vivid picture of a world dominated by patriarchal norms ... Essential reading for anyone who may believe the past was a gentler, romantic time for women. Rubenhold’s work is a story of female resilience and solidarity in response to terrible circumstances.
Vivid ... While Rubenhold is at pains to demote Crippen’s creepiness in the tale — and she succeeds by portraying him as an abject professional failure — it is undeniable that the book’s greatest momentum comes from the murder itself ... Story of a Murder’s finely layered portrait of a hypocritical Edwardian society, where concealments lay behind every door, is the greater achievement.
Thoughtful, humane and gripping...the kind of popular history you devour in a single sitting ... Even though we know where the story is leading, Rubenhold makes it tremendously exciting. Yet she never loses sight of the tragedy at its centre.
