I have read a number of books on Dr Crippen and although I did find this one interesting and full of information including the background story of how the Crippen's coming to London and about Cora's time in the music Halls. And the writer does give a good augment for Crippen’s innocence, however he hasn't convinced me
of his innocence.

Recommended to true crime readers

Well Researched, Compelling…
A very readable, well researched and compelling account of the Crippen case. In clear, concise and crisply written prose the author dissects the case itself and what we know and, perhaps, what we don’t know. This particular account is made more interesting in that the case for the innocence of Crippen is investigated in a fluid and believable fashion.

Can I just say, I LOVED THIS BOOK!!! It was one of those, "I cannot put this down until I finish."

When it comes to true crime, this is one of the best ones that I have read. The entire case, with a disappearing doctor, a mistress, and a missing wife.
Throughout the course of the trial, there are several discrepancies that come up, and there are several opinions that are expressed throughout the book. But the level of research done and the amazing retelling of this story kept me intrigued throughout the entire book.

Well done and very well written!

I had never heard of this case before I read this book, but I enjoy true crime stories so thought I would give this a try.

The author has done a LOT of research for this story and clearly a lot of the "evidence" from the trial was fabricated, at best. So interesting to see the twists and turns here, and so much intrigue! Dr Crippen was a bit of a quack and not especially good looking so I found it interesting that he ended up with two wives in the end. What happened to him though, was really awful and I felt terribly sorry for him, and his father.

As a book, this was quite hard to read. I put it down and picked it up, which is why it took me several months to get through. It doesn't read like a novel, more like a research paper, if that makes sense.

Nevertheless, I applaud the author for the lengths he went to, to get to the bottom of this case.

4 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pen & Sword.

An intriguing, well-researched account with a fresh perspective on the infamous Crippen murders. There was a good deal I didn't know, and the author had me look at things in new ways. Recommended for true crime fans!

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

As a true-crime author myself-so, any true crime book is gold dust to me. I have for a long time been fascinated with the Crippen story. I thought I knew the story pretty well, but obviously not. A very well-written and well-researched book. Recommended.

The story of the murder of Cora by her husband, the infamous Hawley Harvey Crippen, is one of the most well-known in British true crime history. The discovery of the body after Cruppen fled with his mistress and his subsequent capture has been the subject of many books and documentaries, only for everything we thought we knew being blown away by recent DNA evidence. So what really happened? Matthew Coniam reassesses the case, suggesting a new theory.

Over the years, I’ve read several texts about the Crippens but where this one differs is the amount of research that has evidently been undertaken in order to provide a comprehensive look at this sensational murder. The author has provided a complete overview of the life of Hawley Harvey Crippen, giving an insight into his earlier life and that of his family. I definitely discovered plenty of new information through reading this book, and commend the author for their thorough approach.

Similarly, in light of the recent DNA evidence, we discover numerous alternative explanations as to what really happened at Hilldrop Crescent. Compelling arguments are given that could explain Crippen’s innocence, leaving you with many unanswered questions that may never be answered. It definitely made me look at this case in a different way and I would love to read any follow up work from the author.

Apparently the mysterious case of "Dr" Crippen and the alleged murder of his wife Cora is a well known one in the world of true crime, especially in the UK but also here in America...and yet I personally had never heard of this case until I began reading this book.

I was, therefore, thoroughly disgusted by the finding of the "mass of flesh" found buried in Crippen's basement and followed the blow by blow account of this historic case as eagerly as the people of 1910 must have done.

The writing here strikes that perfect balance between relating real life facts and dramatizing a story to make it enjoyable. The author presents all facts as such, all theories as such, making clear distinction between the two, and looking the whole case over with a critical eye.

I found the entire story morbidly fascinating, especially when the modern day evidence was presented, throwing quite a wrench in the whole thing and revealing a gross miscarriage of justice. The author then presents several current working theories but ultimately leaves the reader to form their own opinions on a case which will never truly be solved.

Unfortunately the copy I had won’t open without errors and this has now archived, my apologies

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Hawley Crippen, an American living in London was hanged in 1910 for the murder of his wife Cora. According to Crippen she had left of her own accord, but her concerned friends repeatedly raised her disappearance with the police until finally they were persuaded to investigate. They found out that Crippen had married his long term young mistress a matter of days after this “disappearance” and she was the new owner of – and openly wearing - Cora’s clothes and jewellery. After further checks of the house the police uncovered partial human remains buried under the floor of the cellar. These were determined to be of a woman, scar “evidence” pointed (with clothes & jewellery pieces) to this being Cora herself. But before the police could act further Crippen together with his new wife, shorn and dressed as a boy, tried to escape to the United States via the ship SS Montrose. With police in hot pursuit and with Crippen landing initially in Canada, he was captured and returned to England for trial amidst a huge press hullabaloo. Crippen thus entered the pantheon of celebrity murderers. Coniam saw his effigy in Madame Tussaud’s as a boy and this tripped his interest in the man. But, as he admits, he believes that Crippen was innocent and his trial and execution was a miscarriage of justice. This book – while including “new scientific research” triggered by Coniam himself - becomes an increasingly virulent statement of that belief.
Crippen was an American and from Coniam’s own background research and recounting he is shown as both a serial bigamist and adulterer. Often called “Dr” it appears he never qualified but used that title in a series of jobs/medical scams practised on the unwary in both the USA and then in England. There were questions as to whether he murdered a previous wife, but there are hints (never fully explored) that he might have been involved in illegal abortions and more particularly carried out experimental surgery on his wives/lovers to prevent then getting pregnant. It is likely that he moved to England in the early years of the 20th century to avoid developing scandals. Leaving his wife and family behind, his young teenage lover followed very shortly after and was his mistress until after Cora’s disappearance he married her.
But it seems that Crippen was attracted to and then married an American singer and actress Cora who successfully worked across Britain in a variety of theatres and troupes. She was well liked and seemed to have a lot of friends in the profession. He inveigled himself into her circles. Once she married him she was persuaded to give up her career (and income). After an evening dinner with some of these friends Cora “disappeared”. Although Crippen insisted that she had walked out voluntarily – also blaming another American married man – she was never seen again. The remains found under the floor of the house would ultimately be formally buried as her.
It should be said that Coniam is melding both his own views and often quite detailed original documentary (and other) evidence and it is not always an easy text to follow. The police investigation, it should be said, was both belated and possibly lacking in rigour. Once human remains were discovered very lurid press coverage followed and they were under extreme pressure to find a killer. Crippen, possibly hiding other serial crimes and scams, was not exactly convincing of innocence in his behaviour and publicly running away effectively sealed his fate. Coniam concentrates his “innocence” on the medical evidence – and as it was presented second or third hand through the press reporting. This was a time where increased use of “scientific” evidence and therefore experts were coming to the fore in some trials. This presented its own issues around proper procedures and correct decisions. It should be said that this part of the book is not always easy to follow. Coniam bizarrely has managed to get access to original body parts and taken them to the USA for testing.
So whether you will appreciate this book and its contents will depend on your perspective and how much you already knew about the case from other sources to match this text against. It is surely an extremely bizarre tale. This reader found it incredibly cold blooded in its attitude to Cora, a young, creative and loved, working woman who had fallen into the ambit of a nasty and abusive scam artist. Coniam’s mirroring of Crippen’s casual misogyny and attitudes towards Cora is not a comfortable read. Beyond that why would anybody be prepared to spend some much of their life trying to clear the reputation of a thoroughly unpleasant man? Yes, the book tries to tell a story that has important historical issues imbedded in it, but it is never good to forget that there were real people – and not just Crippen – involved and damaged.

A well researched, entertaining and gripping true crime. I never heard about this case before and thoroughly enjoyed this well written book.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Dr Crippen is now part the English landscape of serial killers which gives awe, frights and harrowing details with the fabric of English odd villains. He has become a legendary figure along with Jack the Ripper, King Arthur and Robin Hood, where fact and fiction tend to blur into one overall story.

Dr Crippen’s story has been told in film, television, books and documentaries and normally it is the same information being thread through each and every incantation of the retelling. Matthew Coniam has taken this and given it his own spin using modern technology, DNA results and up to the moment investigative techniques to thoroughly follow the life and crimes of this notorious killer.

Coniam’s text is well written although there is a bit of dry narrative that drives this forward and would have benefited with an added human approach to round out these lives so they felt real and lived. We are sometimes left with slight cardboard cutouts of the people involved which could have made things a lot more harrowing.

Coniam does investigation, DNA and the science of his findings excellently well and this is where the book very much succeeds. We have new evidence, he follows the story and pin points the difference between truth and fable. He is also raises questions that no one has raised until this point which really sets this book apart from the many other books based on this case.

Coniam’s new book, although lacking on human compassion but dialled up on the science and technicality of the story sets itself firmly on the must read books based on the case though if you want to get into the heart of the people involved, you probably will not get exactly what you are looking for. In a world of advance technology that we live in today, and looking back on crimes of past, we tend to glamorise the days of old when in fact, there was a lot more gruesome crime back then.

Overall, I do highly recommend this book as it is interesting and it did want me to read more about the people involved and gives wonder on everything we thought we knew is not what is not exactly the truth.

I thought I knew this story but I was wrong.. The author, Matthew Coniam, wrote a fantastic and well-researched account of the infamous British Murderer, "Doctor" Crippen.
Now in all of my love of true crime and research, I have done myself, it amazes me that criminals of any kind were dumb enough to get caught back then.. I mean there was no DNA, no security cameras, no cell phones to track. yet they were sloppy and more often than not greedy.
As a history buff, a collector of true crime books, I will admit this is the first novel of Matthew Coniam's I have read. But after looking into his other novels, I will be reading more, and I think you will agree.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a fresh take on the infamous Dr Crippen case, incorporating new DNA evidence - I won’t say too much about the authors conclusions but this is an excellent and well researched book.

Loved this book! Gave plenty of detail on the crime itself and also a feel for the times they were living in.

One of the most infamous and memorable murderers in London after Jack the Ripper. Harvey Hawley Crippen, or Dr. Crippen as he was known. He had a wife and a mistress and was a super con man. He lived from one scam to the next. He decided to eliminate his wife and parts of her were found in the coal cellar. This book carries the story forward, sharing DNA results and what it means for the case now. Advance electronic review copy was provided by NetGalley, author Matthew Coniam, and the publisher.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for this copy.

I have to say that I had never heard or read about this case, so everything I learned here was a surprise to me. The author did good research, and he tried to be as objective as possible, which I respect. I think I still need to learn more about this to appreciate the book more, but it was a good read nonetheless.

A solid 3.5 stars. A highly well researched book. I liked that all angles were explored and it does seem that this is not as clear cut as it was believed to be. It is not your typical true crime story and there is little dialogue but still a good read. Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for a free e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

There can be few people that don't know that Crippen murdered his wife Cora, buried her in his basement and then fled with his mistress disguised as a boy to Canada and was trapped by the new wireless technology. Right? Well probably wrong, and Matthew Coniam explains why here.

The book is obviously well-researched and the author is able to agree with, or more often, refute assertions made by others with logical precision. He takes us back to the early days of the Crippens, shines a light on the quack profession Crippen engaged in and speculates on why following the birth of his son by his first wife, no further children were born.

I greatly enjoyed the read and it was only when we neared the end that I felt the author overstretched his assertions at times to underline his view on Crippen. This, and the times where he seems to be openly scornful of other's conclusions grated a little with this reader but not so much that I didn't feel that I have a far more thorough understanding of events, certainly to come to my own conclusion or otherwise on what happened..

Very interesting and well written account on this case! Thank you to publisher for allowing me to read this book!