An interesting and intriguing true story of murder, theft and womanising as the world rolled over into the 20thC from the 19th. It tells of the incredible good fortune and luck by the perpetrator, a former Army NCO and of the many instances when he could and should have been brought to justice earlier than he was. The fact that he was eventually convicted was due to the work of a junior Police Officer who refused to let the matter drop unlike some of his seniors.
A very good read.
My thanks to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for this ARC in exchange for and honest and unbiased review.

In the early 1900s, the Moat Farm Murder trial was the sensation of its day. It had a bit of everything; a wife-beathing, philandering, gold digger of an ex-military man, bigamy, a propositioned maid, the mystery of a missing heiress and then the belated discovery of a body in the moat.
This book is an account not only of the case itself, but also of the life of Samuel Hubert Dougal, his spouses, and the detectives involved in the case. This added to the depth of the book as it fleshed out the characters and gave some idea of their motivation and what was at stake. Indeed, the author is a distant relative of one of the police detectives, who was so affected by the case that his health never quite recovered.
Dougal was undoubtedly a dastardly man. He was what we now recognise as a sociopath – charming but manipulative and utterly intent on getting what he wanted – which is this case was the farm and fortune belonging to heiress Camille Cecile Holland. A man who knew how to sweep a woman off her feet, he married Camille – despite already being married to another woman. And then when, in 1899, Camille set off on a mysterious buggy ride never to be seen again, Dougal was left comfortably set up and moved one of his lady friends in.
The book is not only factual but an enjoyable (if that is the right word for a murder) read. There were insights into motivation, such as when Camille employed a new maid just a few days before her disappearance. That same maid left abruptly saying she had been propositioned by Dougal. The author points out that this was his cunning way of clearing the path for murder; either by scaring the maid off or seducing her into his power. There were other interesting titbits, such as farm currently known as Moat Farm is not the actual Moat Farm – so may murder tourists visit the wrong location.
Highly recommended for those enthralled by true Victorian crime.
ARC received in exchange for an honest review.