Book Reviews for July 2018

Morgan's Magic Moon by Christopher Parry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fiction, 2016. A sweet wholesome story that flows easily and really lends itself to young readers following along. Check out my full review post HERE.

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Man-Eater: The Life and Legend of an American Cannibal by Harold Schechter
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Non-Fiction, 2015. I found this one a bit of a slog. It's a very - perhaps overly - detailed account of the trials of and mythos surrounding 'Alferd' Packer, possible multiple murderer and certain cannibal.

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The Golden and Ghoulish Age of the Gibbet in Britain by Sarah Tarlow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Non-Fiction, 2015. Fascinating subject and written in a very accessible manner.

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Wicked Children: Murderous Tales from History by Karen Maitland
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Non-Fiction, 2016. Interesting but very short essay on 'wicked children', followed by excerpts of research and writing from Maitland's novel.

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Inside Broadmoor: Secrets of the Criminally Insane - Revealed by the Chief Attendant by Kim Forester
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Non-Fiction, 2016. Fascinating insight into the Broadmoor of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, built around recently rediscovered contemporary diaries and documents.

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Memphis Vice, 1863: Sex for Sale and the Scandal that Rocked a Civil War City by Tobin T Buhk
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Non-Fiction, 2016. Interesting case studies of vice prosecutions in civil war era Memphis.

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Krayology by John Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Non-Fiction, 2016. Well written and balanced account of the rise and fall of the Krays. Bennett approached the task as a historian, and the neutral academic approach to the available sources makes for a very detailed and non-sensationalist book.

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The Havant Boy Ripper: The Murder of Percy Knight Searle by David Green
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Non-Fiction, 2018. Impressively researched and well written account of the 1888 murder of 8-year-old Percy Searle - and the subsequent murder trial of Robert Husband, aged just 11.

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Hell's Princess: The Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men by Harold Schechter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Non-Fiction, 2018. This was the first I'd heard of Belle Gunness, but I felt this was a well researched and comprehensive introduction to the case and the rumours surrounding it. I was especially impressed with the attractive way it was laid out for Kindle.

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The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Non-Fiction, 2004. Really enjoyable interweaving of two events - the Chicago world's fair and the series of murders committed by the infamous H. H. Holmes. Although I picked it up for the true crime element, it was the story of the fair which really captured my imagination.

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