From Jack the Ripper and Sherlock Holmes to Agatha Christie and Alfred Hitchcock
by Lucy Worsley
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Oct 2014
336 pages
Genre: History, Current Affairs and Religion
Publication Information
Murder - a dark, shameful deed, the last resort of the desperate or a vile tool of the greedy. And a very strange, very English obsession. But where did this fixation develop? And what does it tell us about ourselves?
In The Art of the English Murder, Lucy Worsley explores this phenomenon in forensic detail, revisiting notorious crimes like the Ratcliff Highway Murders, which caused a nationwide panic in the early nineteenth century, and the case of Frederick and Maria Manning, the suburban couple who were hanged after killing Maria's lover and burying him under their kitchen floor. Our fascination with crimes like these became a form of national entertainment, inspiring novels and plays, prose and paintings, poetry and true-crime journalism. At a point during the birth of modern England, murder entered our national psyche, and it's been a part of us ever since.
The Art of the English Murder is a unique exploration of the art of crime - and a riveting investigation into the English criminal soul by one of our finest historians.
"Starred Review. Worsley's vivid account excites as much as its sensational subject matter, and edifies, too, thanks to her learned explications. " - Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. This riveting cultural history will enthrall fans of British crime novels as well as readers of true crime." - Library Journal
"Worsley ably shows how audiences drove writers, actors and purveyors of news to satisfy their morbid curiosities." - Kirkus
"Worsley's book covers a great deal of ground and provides an excellent overview of how the consumption of crime became a dominant part of our cultural landscape." - The Sunday Times (UK)
"Worsley captures this bloody love affair very well." - The Independent (UK)
"Worsley retells the stories of famous murderers and legendary criminals in delightfully readable language, with sharp, illuminating comments." - The Literary Review (UK)
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Lucy Worsley OBE is Chief Curator at the charity Historic Royal Palaces. She also presents history documentaries for the BBC. Her bestselling books include Queen Victoria; Jane Austen at Home; The Art of the English Murder; and If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home. In 2019, her BBC One program Suffragettes with Lucy Worsley won a BAFTA. She lives in England.
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