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Amazon.co.uk Review
Who killed Charles Bravo? This is the mystery at the centre of James Ruddick's mesmerising Death at the Priory, a detailed and vivid recreation of the case that followed barrister Charles Bravo's death. In 1876, an attractive widow, Florence Ricardo, accepted a marriage proposal from the successful barrister. Four months after their marriage, Bravo collapsed at home, and proceeded to die a slow and pain-filled death, despite the attendance of several of London's top physicians. The doctors concurred: Bravo had been poisoned, and a police investigation soon cast a net of suspicion over everyone at the Priory, his London home.
We are presented, thriller-fashion, with all the principal suspects: Mrs Cox, Bravo's long-serving companion; stableman George Griffiths (who nursed a grudge against the dead man); Dr James Gully, who had been the lover of Bravo's wife Florence; and, of course, the enigmatic figure of the beautiful Florence herself. Ruddick has tackled great cases of the past before, with Lord Lucan: What Really Happened, and he is expert at re-sifting the evidence and presenting to the reader highly plausible solutions to previously unsolved mysteries. Here, we are given a fascinating picture of Victorian society, with all its repression and damped-down sexuality, but the really compelling aspect of Ruddick's book is the new evidence he draws on to demonstrate for the first time who really killed Charles Bravo. Conan Doyle never wrote a more intriguing mystery. --Barry Forshaw --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
A gripping historical thriller about the murder of a brutal Victorian husband and a vivid portrait of a woman, a marriage and a society.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
James Ruddick has researched this Victorian crime case with commendable zeal, going back to the original records and depositions in great detail. It concerns one Florence Bravo, a woman who, though born in the highest circles, was a fish out of water when it came to the sexual and romantic mores of her social class. Her first husband died of alcoholism, but by then she had left him and taken sanctuary with a highly respected doctor, William Gully. When they were found in flagrante delicto at the house of acquaintances they were ostracised by society, with both of their reputations in tatters.
This might have been the end of the story but Florence was a resourceful young woman and took up with a man, who, although she suspected him of desiring her money more than her person, threw caution to the wind and married him. Charles Bravo, however, proved to be a profound mistake on Florence's part and they were at loggerheads almost at once. There were miscarriages as well as flurries over finances and suggestions from Florence that his sexual proclivities were unsavoury.
Then Bravo was found one night in the throes of a terrible attack, from which he soon died. Poison was suspected, but at the end of a gruelling inquest no blame could be apportioned, though the newspapers of the time speculated about both Florence and her companion, Mrs Cox, and the role they might have played in the crime.
Ruddick goes back most entertainingly over the whole of this story and comes up with a verdict that satisfies him. It didn't entirely satisfy me, though it is as plausible a story as anyone else has been able to envisage. There is an appalling lapse of grammar three-quarters of the way through, but apart from that the book is written with brisk dispatch and a sharp journalistic flair. It makes a good delve into Victorian society's less salubrious back yard, particularly when it comes to the prevailing attitude towards women.
This might have been the end of the story but Florence was a resourceful young woman and took up with a man, who, although she suspected him of desiring her money more than her person, threw caution to the wind and married him. Charles Bravo, however, proved to be a profound mistake on Florence's part and they were at loggerheads almost at once. There were miscarriages as well as flurries over finances and suggestions from Florence that his sexual proclivities were unsavoury.
Then Bravo was found one night in the throes of a terrible attack, from which he soon died. Poison was suspected, but at the end of a gruelling inquest no blame could be apportioned, though the newspapers of the time speculated about both Florence and her companion, Mrs Cox, and the role they might have played in the crime.
Ruddick goes back most entertainingly over the whole of this story and comes up with a verdict that satisfies him. It didn't entirely satisfy me, though it is as plausible a story as anyone else has been able to envisage. There is an appalling lapse of grammar three-quarters of the way through, but apart from that the book is written with brisk dispatch and a sharp journalistic flair. It makes a good delve into Victorian society's less salubrious back yard, particularly when it comes to the prevailing attitude towards women.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the (apparently true) story of a murdered lawyer in Victorian England. This is equally much about the rather spicy personal life of the lawyer's wife, and her loyal circle of household staff.
The book is split into 3 parts, the events leading up to the murder, the investigation and legal events following the murder, and finally the author's latest investigations into the events.
This book is written in rather a dry, matter of fact manner- much more like research notes than a detective novel. Nevertheless this is a very interesting book, where every detail is relevant and where your attention stays right to the end. In part the author gives you a good chance to solve the mystery yourself, and in part it's fascinating to learn more about life and attitudes in Victorian London.
It's easy to understand how this story grabbed the headlines in the 1860's. It's a great story, and well worth a read.
I would have given it 5 stars, had I not found the writing style a bit too factual for my liking.
The book is split into 3 parts, the events leading up to the murder, the investigation and legal events following the murder, and finally the author's latest investigations into the events.
This book is written in rather a dry, matter of fact manner- much more like research notes than a detective novel. Nevertheless this is a very interesting book, where every detail is relevant and where your attention stays right to the end. In part the author gives you a good chance to solve the mystery yourself, and in part it's fascinating to learn more about life and attitudes in Victorian London.
It's easy to understand how this story grabbed the headlines in the 1860's. It's a great story, and well worth a read.
I would have given it 5 stars, had I not found the writing style a bit too factual for my liking.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I started this book late one evening intending to read just the first chapter. At 2am I was still turning the pages. What a read! Ruddick brilliantly weaves all sorts of issues about Victorian society and its dark repressions into the text of a great thriller. Its a crime story that grabs you by the neck and stays with you long after you've finished it.
Toria Maybey
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
thoroughly entertaining
I was gripped from start to finish by this real life Victorian murder and its convincing argument on the identity of the perpetrator. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Potterywhizz
Victorian crime at its most gruesome and fascinating
Very interesting take on a famous Victorian crime (although admittedly, not one I'd heard of). Charles Bravo, husband of Florence, is poisoned one night using Antimony, a... Read more
Published 22 months ago by madaboutbooks
Conclusive verdict on the Bravo case?
The Priory of the title is the erstwhile home of Charles and Florence Bravo, which achieved notoriety as the scene of Charles Bravo's mysterious death in 1875. Read more
Published on 18 Mar 2010 by CJ
The Hidden Underbelly of Victorian Society
I've actually read this three times since I bought it. The characters are drawn particularly well, and the reader does feel a sense of involvement with the protagonist. Read more
Published on 28 April 2009 by Sheena Smith
How did Bravo die ?
I found this book to be extremely well-written and impressive. The author's efforts to trace surviving members of the Campbell and Ricardo families being admirable and thorough. Read more
Published on 9 Mar 2008 by McNaughton
Century old mystery convincingly solved
The death of Charles Bravo, a promising young barrister, five months after his marriage to feisty Florence Campbell, has baffled both the police at the time, in 1876, and armchair... Read more
Published on 21 April 2004 by Nick Lewis
AN EDGE-OF-YOUR -SEAT THRILLER
As murder mysteries go, this has to be one of the best ever written. Its an old, old story, re-told through the years by some of the big names in crime writing, including Agatha... Read more
Published on 9 Dec 2002 by "pmorgan67"
Brilliant account of a marriage and a murder
I read this book after reading an excellent review of it by PD James. It is the story of Florence Bravo, a beautiful young woman living in Victorian England, very wealthy, who led... Read more
Published on 27 Sep 2002
COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN
This is a fascinating and intriguing story, brilliantly told. Who killed Charles Bravo? That question has perplexed people for more than a hundred years, with scores of books and... Read more
Published on 14 Sep 2002
A thrilling exposition of the Victorian elite
Death at the Priory sets out to solve the most impenetrable murder mystery of the 19th Century: the poisoning of Charles Bravo. Read more
Published on 14 Feb 2002
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