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The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime
 
 
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The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime [Paperback]

Judith Flanders
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
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Product details

  • Paperback: 256 pages
  • Publisher: HarperPress (1 Sep 2011)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 000724889X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0007248896
  • Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 4.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 19,122 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Judith Flanders
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Review

‘Engrossing…Flanders excels at following the trends in detection and how this was reflected in writing’ Sunday Times

‘Riveting and meticulous…Flanders balances judicious facts with lively story-telling…the research behind this book is phenomenal…THE INVENTION OF MUDER is what great non-fiction should be; as erudite as it is entertaining, as gripping as fiction despite being “stranger than fiction”’ Scotland on Sunday

‘Compelling…remarkable…in this intelligent and comprehensive compendium of murder, she has left no gravestone unturned’ Sunday Telegraph

‘Want to be appalled by a book? Then try this one…In more than 400 blood-soaked pages Judith Flanders lovingly traces the progression of notorious Victorian murders and the public’s taste for them…with her expert knowledge and guidance we can shudder at the violence or the cold-calculation of murderers…excellent, well-written and hugely well-informed’ Daily Mail

‘This is so much more than a compendium of famous crimes…Flanders’s knowledge of the period is both wide and extraordinarily deep. She writes incisively, and often with dark wit. Best of all, she had a wonderful ability to make connections and to show us familiar sights from unexpected angles…in this unrelievedly excellent book’ Independent

Product Description

‘We are a trading community, a commercial people. Murder is doubtless a very shocking offence, nevertheless as what is done is not to be undone, let us make our money out of it.’ Punch

Murder in the 19th century was rare. But murder as sensation and entertainment became ubiquitous – transformed into novels, into broadsides and ballads, into theatre and melodrama and opera – even into puppet shows and performing dog-acts.

In this meticulously researched and compelling book, Judith Flanders – author of ‘The Victorian House’ – retells the gruesome stories of many different types of murder – both famous and obscure. From the crimes (and myths) of Sweeney Todd and Jack the Ripper, to the tragedies of the murdered Marr family in London’s East End, Burke and Hare and their bodysnatching business in Edinburgh, and Greenacre who transported his dismembered fiancée around town by omnibus.

With an irresistible cast of swindlers, forgers, and poisoners, the mad, the bad and the dangerous to know, ‘The Invention of Murder’ is both a gripping tale of crime and punishment, and history at its most readable.


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Front Cover | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
46 of 47 people found the following review helpful
By Big Jim TOP 50 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
I got this as a Christmas present so don't know why Amazon have waited until the new year to release this book. I heartily recommend it to anyone who is interested in Victoriana, crime fiction or non-fiction, or anyone looking for an entertaining and sometimes surprisingly shocking read. The author shows how the burgeoning Victorian press was initially responsible for feeding the salacious appetite for "murder most foul" which in turn led to public outcries and fears (many statistically unfounded) over rising crime, this in turn leading to the formation of the Police Service and a veritable security "industry". She also describes how authors and indeed publishers saw a new opening in the market for crime, particularly murder, fiction and were not slow in filling the gap. I must say that I was most interested in the lurid extracts from the many newspapers and periodicals of the day which didn't pull any punches in descriptions that would shock today's readers. I guess this book is aimed at readers who enjoyed the Suspicions of Mr Whicher and if only half as many who bought that book buy this one then this book will be a success. Don't expect deep psychological insight or insightful sociological explanations in this book but do expect a rollicking good read, as the saying goes.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Murder most foul 4 Feb 2011
By Brian R. Martin TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
In this book, Judith Flanders traces the history of murderous crimes and their detection in Victorian Britain. Victorians took a great interest in murders to an extent that would be considered prurient today, even traveling long distances to view the scene of the crime. Public executions of the more notorious criminals were attended by tens of thousand people of all classes. Some of the other things we learn are the extraordinary way in which the numerous newspapers of the day reported these crimes, frequently assuming guilt even before a trial started. Judges were usually little better, with blatantly biased summing ups and often refusing to hear evidence that differed from their prejudiced views of the case. Justice, and whether the accused was hanged or not, was all too frequently little more than a lottery, with the odds against you if you were a woman and working class. The author also examines how the public appetite was fed after the event by theatres quickly cashing in with rapidly produced plays loosely based on `popular' murders, and how novels gradually evolved from the simply sensational to the more subtle modern detective story. All this, and more, is done using her vast and profound knowledge of crime and criminals at the time, clearly based on meticulous research. The presentation is in a laconic style with a wry humour that is a pleasure to read. This is a superb book and I strongly recommend it.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By C. Ball TOP 1000 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
This book sets out to show explore the Victorian attitude to murder and how it helped to create and shape the fledgling police and detective forces. It describes how often the Victorians viewed the murder as simultaneously something dreadful and entertaining at the same time - exemplified by the massive crowds that would turn out to witness a hanging, the broadsides and songs on the subjects that were so popular, the true-life crime turned into plays and novels, the massive interest in the press.

It's quite comprehensive, almost too so. I have to confess with being a little disappointed with this book. I've read other of Judith Flanders' books and found them very interesting, but this I found a little tedious in places, which is a surprise considering the subject matter. Perhaps there is a thing as just too many murders? Somewhere along the way it loses something, and I found myself struggling to finish it.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Didn't live up to expectations
Judith Flanders obviously knows her stuff as evidenced by the extensive notes and bibliography, but I felt the content could have done with some editing down. Read more
Published 8 days ago by KAW
great book for those interested in history of crime
I throroughly recommend this interesting, well written and well researched book. Discover the history of the creation of the police force, changing attitudes towards them and... Read more
Published 2 months ago by hdawson
Entertaining and illuminating.....
Superb research has gone into this very readable account of how crime (especially murder) became almost an entertainment in the 19th century. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Wynne Kelly
The Devil in the Detail
Having enjoyed 'The Victorian House' I bought copies of 'Consuming Passions' and 'The Invention of Murder' and was disappointed with both, for similar reasons. Read more
Published 5 months ago by A Ryder
If the Kindle is to compete, it's got to do better than this!
No illustrations! There are constant references to visual material none of which is there in the Kindle edition. Read more
Published 6 months ago by R. M. CURTIS
Disappointed in Kindle version
I was fascinated by the book but very irritated by the fact that the footnotes were at the end of each chapter and it was difficult to remember what they referred to (no page... Read more
Published 7 months ago by RuthS
Excellently bloodthirsty
This book is a really interesting overview on the fascination we all seem to have with violent crime and its detection and punishment. Read more
Published 7 months ago by P. G. Russell
Promises much, but delivers little.
I have read other books by Judith Flanders and found them informative, inspiring and easy to read - sadly none of those adjectives apply to this book which was a profound... Read more
Published 8 months ago by P. Elliott
A mine of information
Judith Flanders opens the door on the world of the Victorians, the way they reported murder and eventually turned it into an entertainment form. Read more
Published 10 months ago by CJ
Fascinating
Judith Flanders has written a comprehensive and beautifully paced account of the Victorian media's obsession with murder and gore, which has brilliant parallels with today's... Read more
Published 10 months ago by S. Pomfrett
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