My Review (5 stars out of 5)
(Audiobook)
The story of legendary wife-murderer Dr Crippen, told with an emphasis on his victim and the women who knew and worked with her. When music hall artiste Belle Elmore disappears from her north London home, the Music Hall Ladies’ Guild want to know why. Pestering the police and anyone else who’ll listen, they eventually persuade Inspector Dew to investigate the disappearance. Meanwhile, Doctor Crippen’s lover Ethel Le Neve appears to be wearing Belle’s clothes and jewellery, while living with the doctor in his house. But before the police can uncover vital evidence, the wicked pair decide London has become too dangerous to hang around and set off for foreign climes…
I’ve read several books about this case, but this is the only one that digs down into the lives of Belle Elmore and her friends and acquaintances. With her usual eye for accuracy, Ms Rubenhold serves up a highly detailed story that examines what really happened at 39 Hilldrop Crescent. Along with the usual pointy-fingers theory accusing the not-so-good doctor as the sole killer, Rubenhold discusses the possibility that Ethel Le Neve not only knew about the murder but may well have helped Crippen in his endeavours. One slightly grubby finger in the ointment is the revelation that in 2007 a team at Michigan State University discovered the mitochondrial DNA found in the body was not that of Belle Elmore. Food for thought.
(The audiobook is read by the wonderful Juliet Stevenson.)
A fascinating and thought-provoking account of an infamous murder.
Colin Garrow 