Published in 1974, this book was written by Patrick Pringle as part of the 'Celebrated Trials' series.
The author provides a good background to the case and his own overview of the murder itself.
Pringle does manage to remain objective most of the time, but there are occasions where his slight bias - in favour of Ellis - can be detected. He, like most who followed the case, felt that Ellis had been driven to murder by the cruelty of her victim.
The author explores Ellis' revelation of Mr. X and follows her legal team as they seek to confirm that it was X who supplied the gun and conveyed Ellis to her date with destiny. It really is a remarkable tale.
The trial itself lasted for barely two days and the author offers about twenty-five pages of excerpts from it.
There are plenty of black and white plates in addition to facsimiles of Ellis' letters from prison.
The book concludes with four very interesting appendices; the first of which is an article that was published in The Daily Mirror on 30th June 1955 which was written by William Connor - it was entitled, 'Should Ruth Ellis Hang?'
The second appendix is a selection of letters from the public to the Evening Standard between 30th June and the 12th of July - the day before Ellis was executed.
The third and fourth parts are an article that was published in The Lancet on 23rd of July 1955 and some of the correspondence that it, too, generated.
All in all this is a very good book for those who are looking for an unemotional walk-through of a case that will stimulate debate for many years to come.
Barry
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