I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher, in return for an honest review. This review is based entirely on my own thoughts and feelings.

Overall rating : 2.5*
Writing skill : 4*
Pace: 1*
Details: 100000*

I've been reading this since May, which pretty much sums up this book for me. It was soooo detailed that I just couldn't get into it. I admire how much detail there was, she clearly did a lot of research but for me it was all a bit too wordy, going down peoples paths and histories that really wasn't needed. I loved the section on his time in Broadmoor however, I thought that was really insightful, and years were condensed into pages rather than a day. Overall if you like a non-fiction historical read then I'm sure you'll like this more than me. Again, another one on Netgalley I should have left alone.

I am sorry that I never received this book and was not able to review it. My email was a tshanahan@85 kindle address but in 32 kindles in my name, none of them had that address. I don't know how I ever gave you that address. It was a ridiculous mistake.

I looked forward to reading this book and am sorry I missed it.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

In the summer of 1895, Robert Coombes (age 13) and his brother Nattie (age 12) were seen spending lavishly around the docklands of East London — for ten days in July, they ate out at coffee houses and took trips to the seaside and the theater. The boys told neighbors they had been left home alone while their mother visited family in Liverpool, but their aunt was suspicious. When she eventually she forced the brothers to open the house to her, she found the badly decomposed body of their mother in a bedroom upstairs. Robert and Nattie were arrested for matricide and sent for trial at the Old Bailey.
Robert confessed to having stabbed his mother, but his lawyers argued that he was insane. Nattie struck a plea and gave evidence against his brother. The court heard testimony about Robert’s severe headaches, his fascination with violent criminals and his passion for ‘penny dreadfuls’, the pulp fiction of the day. He seemed to feel no remorse for what he had done, and neither the prosecution nor the defense could find a motive for the murder. The judge sentenced the thirteen-year-old to detention in Broadmoor, the most infamous criminal lunatic asylum in the land. Yet Broadmoor turned out to be the beginning of a new life for Robert–one that would have profoundly shocked anyone who thought they understood the Wicked Boy.

This book is broken up into two parts - the first covers the murder, the trial and the result. The second part is more of a "What Happened Next?" kind of thing.

The first part was fascinatingly interesting - the research and conclusions are perfect. Sadly, it was as boring as watching paint dry. Almost felt like I was reading a history text book: "This happened, then this happened, then this happened...the end." I loved the detail (which is important when telling a true crime story) but it was very hard to read as a narrative.

The second part, which doesn't sound anywhere near as interesting, was probably the better part of the book. Robert was shipped off to Broadmoor, the hospital for the criminally insane. We learn about how those with mental illnesses were treated in these kinds of places and the difference Robert got because of his age. There were comparisons to now with respect to criminals faking their insanity/mental health issues for a lighter sentence.

On the whole, this is a fascinating study of a crime by a 13 year old boy. But it does get bogged down with the details but gets saved by the second part, which answers the question: Can someone convicted of a terrible crime go on and live a fulfilled life?

I would recommend this, just with the caveat that the first part is a little heavy going.


Paul
ARH