Doctor Crippen

Description

In 1910 Cora Crippen, an unsuccessful music-hall artiste known as Belle Elmore, was murdered by her husband Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen, an American quack doctor, at their London home. During a search of the house, Scotland Yard found the remains of her body under the cellar floor. The crime was probably the most famous murder of the twentieth century. Crippen's attempt to escape across the Atlantic, with his young mistress Ethel Le Neve disguised as a boy, fascinated the world, as did his subsequent Old Bailey trial and execution. It became the most famous British murder case of the twentieth century and has retained its fascination to this day. Nicholas Connell provides a meticulously researched account of the notorious 'North London Cellar Murder', compiled from official files, contemporary newspapers and the autobiographies of many people connected to the case. Recently discovered material (including several long-forgotten memoirs by Ethel Le Neve) contains significant new information that shatters modern myths about the murder and popular beliefs about the characters involved.
Stories that have persisted since 1910 of Crippen's innocence are also examined in this new, accurate and detailed account of the remarkable story of Dr Crippen.

Reviews

'Soundly researched, carefully considered, authoritative and clear book' -- Richard Whittington-Egan

Author description

Nicholas Connell is the co-author of The Man Who Hunted Jack the Ripper ('Fascinating detail ... The creators of the BBC drama series Ripper Street have the authors of this book to thank' DAILY MAIL), Haunted Hertfordshire, Hertfordshire Murders, and author of Walter Dew, the Man Who Caught Crippen. He has a master's degree in local history from Cambridge University. He lives in Hoddesdon, Hertfordshire.