I have read several accounts of the murder of Rose Harsent on the night of May 31st 1902 and it has long intrigued and disturbed me that no one has ever been convicted of committing the crime. The brutal murder of a young servant girl during a terrific thunderstorm has all the elements of a horror story. Later, when she was found to have been six month's pregnant the tragedy became even more heartbreaking. Who was the father of Rose's unborn child and why did mother and child have to die?
Neil Norman looks very closely at all the evidence provided at both trials which ultimately left the man accused of Rose's murder, William Gardiner, a free man. He offers a very credible summary of what may have taken place in Peasenhall in the months leading up to the night of the tragedy and the motivation behind the murder but this still remains an annoyingly unsolved mystery.

A fascinating and intriguing story, I want to read more about this murder. The books is gripping and informative
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Peasenhall is a quiet village in Suffolk. In 1901 many men worked in Smyth's Seed Drill Works and attended the Primitive Methodist Chapel in neighbouring Sibton.The choirmaster of the chapel was William Gardiner and the choir members included 22-year-old Rose Anne Harsent, a domestic servant employed by Mr and Mrs Crisp at Providence House in Peasenhall.
Mrs Crisp attended the Wesleyan Methodist Chapel in Peasenhall, known as the Doctor's Chapel, and Harsent's tasks included cleaning there.William Gardiner was seen entering the chapel by Alphonso Skinner and a Mr Wright while Harsent was cleaning there, and rumours started to circulate-rumours that made their way back to Gardiner's wife.A Primitive Methodist church investigation ensued,chaired by Rev John Guy, but nothing concrete was established. Gardiner threatened to sue the men who had spread the rumours.On the morning of 1 June 1902,Rose Harsent's body was discovered by her father, William Harsent, in the kitchen at the bottom of the stairs leading to her room in the attic.She was lying in a pool of her own blood, throat cut, with gashes on her shoulders and stab wounds. Her nightdress was burned and parts of her body charred. She had been dead for roughly 4 hours and was later found to have been 6 months pregnant at the time of her death.The cause of death was initially thought to be a suicide, but upon further investigation,it was clear that she was murdered.The main suspect of the crime was William Gardiner, due to the rumours surrounding his relationship with Harsent, as well as circumstantial evidence found at the crime scene.He was arrested on 3 June 1902.It was alleged that Gardiner was the father of the unborn child.Gardiner held a position of some prominence in his employment as a foreman at the local seed drill works.He lived on the main street of Peasenhall with his wife and 6 children, in a small semi-detached cottage, within sight of Providence House where the murder occurred.Gardner was arrested and tried twice at Ipswich Assizes held in the County Hall with no verdict being reached.Gardiner died in 1941.As he was never formally acquitted, he had remained under suspicion.

This is an interesting storyline and a quick read, but kind of hard to follow. Maybe it was the author and maybe it was the characters in the book, but the language and terminology are like nothing I've ever read. There is never any definite answer what really happened and you can't help but feel sorry for Rose's family and the life she lived, it was a pretty sad situation.

I hadn't realised this was based on a true crime that was never solved when requesting this. While it turned out to be an interesting read and possible solution I do feel like I have more questions than answers, and since this is from 1902 we will never know the correct answer which is not really how I like things to be left. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/61105884-avril-hemingway?shelf=read

In many ways, true crime 'entertainment' - if you can even call it that, given the subject matter and non-fictional basis - has changed very little over history. Since news became widespread and easily accessible with the introduction of the printing press, people throughout the ages have been desperate for details and twists in the crimes of the century (of the week). In much the same way, the cast of Neil Norman's The Peasenhall Murder are as similar to his eventual readers: one readership is of the age of Sherlock Holmes and the birth of detective fiction, the other of the age of instant news and libraries of documentaries.

The Peasenhall Murder documents the 1902 crime bestowed the same name, in which domestic servant Rose Harsent was found murdered in the kitchen of the house in which she was employed. Outlining the key players and witnesses, Norman runs through the precursor events and ensuing court proceedings, before drawing his own conclusions about the still-unsolved murder.

Norman's approach to describing the case is both concise and linear: the book itself is scarcely over 100 pages, making it a brisk look through the lens of Edwardian crime, and while details are precise in terms of locations and times, each detail is judiciously picked to illustrate a clear view of the events of the murder and 1902 Peasenhall, alongside consequent arguments for the defence and prosecution. The narration also takes care to circle around the trap of sensationalising the crime: as with the newspapers of the late 19th and early 20th century, 21st-century true crime writing has a bad habit of doing this and can thus take an insensitive approach to the plights of victims and their families. This might be due to its position as a historical crime: with over a hundred years of separation between the figures mentioned and modern readers, there is not only less access to grisly details we might expect of recent crimes due to heavy digital documentation, but a sense of history that means descendants of victims and witnesses are less likely to have a personal connection to the events, as opposed to relatives of a victim harmed in recent years.

From a historical perspective, it's an interesting insight into the world of women in 1902, particularly given the nature of the crime itself, and potential motives for the murder. There are discussions of pregnancy out of wedlock, precarious social situations and employment statuses - particularly in the cases of these pregnancies out of wedlock - double-standards in extra-marital relationships, the positions of wives (especially the wife of the key accused, who is frequently mentioned throughout in terms of both alibi and court proceedings), and the treatment of women in the courtroom and during cross-examination. Rose's employer received criticism during her cross-examination due to her eccentric behaviour, in what we might view now as an anxiety-related condition, while other women are prone to hysteria and fainting-fits. Norman also raises interesting questions about how the death penalty was viewed during the early 20th century - when you have to achieve a unanimous jury vote to send a man to the gallows, are jurors more likely to be hesitant to find people guilty? -alongside how legal proceedings and early forensics were positioned in the 1900s courtroom. A particularly fascinating factoid relates to one of the key lawyers for the prosecution, who happened to be the son of novelist Charles Dickens.

My biggest issue with the book - and, unfortunately, it is a relatively big issue - is the editing. While the content itself is compelling, the writing itself does let it down during the reading experience. Many sentences are long and run on for ages, in desperate need of commas throughout, and in turn this can make large swathes of text difficult to read, and resulted in me often reading the same sentence over and over again to separate clauses that needed commas and colons. Similarly, many sentences are clumsily written, with many resorting to repetitive lists of multiple 'and's that - combined with the lack of commas - gives some of the writing a clunky tone. Other grammatical errors are frequent - 'hung' is used instead of 'hanged' in situations where only the latter would be applicable, i.e. in reference to capital punishment, and some sentences don't make sense at all. One I noticed was:
"It is ironic that in June 1902 the very first criminal to be convicted of a crime through fingerprint identification, Harry Jackson, after he stole some billiard balls in a burglary that occurred in Denmark Hill, London." (page 67).
This sentence appears to be missing a clause, which obscures meaning (I read it numerous times to make sense of it) and consequently leaves out information. There are also numerous occasions of missing punctuation throughout the book. Numerous rhetorical questions don't end with question marks when they should, and many quotes begin with quote marks but don't end with them.

Overall, as compelling as the premise of the book may be, these errors really do let it down, and I would have liked to have seen closer attention paid to copyedits and proofreads: especially in non-fiction, grammatical errors and clumsy writing can make a reader doubt the quality of research, no matter how good it is. It is one thing to be able to demonstrate close understanding of timeframes, natures of evidence and courtroom exchanges, but another if the writing itself continually makes it difficult for a reader to comprehend these details.

Thank you to Netgalley and Pen & Sword True Crime for an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

I hadn't heard about the Peasenhall Murder before seeing this book, it turned out to be a fascinating read! I do have to admit I feel like I have more questions than answers, and I doubt after 100 years anything new will come to light to solve, without a shadow of doubt, if this was suicide or murder. Would absolutely recommend this to anyone who is a true crime enthusiast.

The Peasenhall Murder by Neil R Norman in 1902 when housemaid Rose Hassen was found dead after a missed diagnosis they soon realized she was murdered Rose was a nice pleasant girl who most seem to like, but with the history she had with Mr.Gardiner he soon became a suspect. Despite there were many letters are witnesses and a lot of circumstantial evidence it seems the goodwill he garnered would find him innocent of the charges more than once I love historical True Crime and despite reading this story before I found Mr. Normans who is much better and cover the trial told the story of both roles in the accused life or as much could be uncovered this is such a fascinating case with so many eyewitnesses not to mention all the gossip and the secret baby this really is a truly interesting unsolved murder. if you’re like me and Love historical True Crime then you will definitely enjoy reading this interesting story. I want to think Pen and Sword press for my free Ark copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This book takes place a long long time ago. To a murder that leads to more questions then answers..To basically leaving you to wonder what really happened that day..

This is a well-researched read. The facts of the case are logically laid out amidst glimpses of local village color at the time of the relevant incidents. I agree with the author's conclusion and look forward to reading more true crime titles he may publish.

Perfect Read for Lovers of True Crime.
The Peasenhall Murder is a professionally written book by Neil R. Norman and the book explores the crime in detail, from the original scandal through to the aftermath of the trial.
In May 1902, there was a great storm that hit the small village of Peasenhall, Suffolk. The following morning, the body of Rose Harsent was found in the house where she worked. Whilst originally believed by the doctor to have been suicide, her brutal injuries, alongside evidence of an attempted fire, told a different story.
When looking for a murderer, there were very few suspects, but as more details unfolded in this book the evidence started to point towards one William Gardner William had been involved in a scandal that suggested an affair between him and Rose. So, when Rose was also found dead and pregnant William Gardner was arrested charged with her murder and sent to trial. William was a pillar of the community, and he was married with six children.
This book is the perfect read for lovers of true crime and a murder mystery. Yet the police never got their man. Or did they? When it comes to the Peasenhall Murder there are still more questions than answers, even after over 100 years. A fascinating read and a crime that I had never come across before. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Peasenhall Murder - An Edwardian Mystery by Neil R Norman is an account of gossip, closing ranks, incompetence and not one, not two but three trials with a twist in the tale to equal a corkscrew

Note - Oh Dr Lay, Dr Lay, Dr Lay. Seriously? (This will become most apparent when you read the book!)

The investigation follows the life of Mr William Gardiner, borne of the workhouse and risen to a prostigious position in the village community through hard work and a "pious" nature. A highly respected member of the community until one fateful night, when two villagers, Skinner and Wright, at a loose end, suspected something amiss and spied on Mr Gardiner and a young maid, Rose Harsent, having a tumble in the Chapel *gasp!* Such behaviour was certainly not befitting of a pious man and as such, the pair made their discovery public

It was at this point that the gaslighter of all gaslighters made himself apparent and Mr Gardiner sent a letter to Rose, advising her of the scandal that had been "alleged" and that he would take action to clear his name and extract an apology from Skinner and Wright (which needless to say, did NOT go well as detailed in his second letter)

However, the one person who was affected most by this entire debacle, was dear Rose, who, after a severe storm, was discovered by her father, most unalive and even he coul tell foul play was the cause (Seriously, I say again, Dr Lay? Really? I know it was 1902 but how on earth? I mean? Wha?)

The murder resulted in three trials and a final verdict that will blow your mind

This is a short read but incredibly interesting and at times comical in the conduct of the participants. Neil R Norman has written a highly entertaining yet factual and authentic account. A fantastic read


Thank you to Netgalley, Pen & Sword | Pen & Sword True Crime and the brilliant author Neil R Norman for this fascinating and entertaining ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own