Author:Alex McBride
From the legendary Famous Trials series of real-life courtroom dramas, two classic murder trials abridged and refreshed as Penguin Specials for modern readers, selected and introduced by Alex McBride, author of Defending the Guilty
Thomas Cream, erstwhile Sunday school teacher and serial poisoner, has an unsettling air and wonky eye. He also happens to be a doctor, which provides him with ample means and an ideal cover for his murderous activities. His victims are vulnerable young women, whose trust he gains with drinks and trips to the music hall, before offering them pills or swigs from a medicine bottle. A few hours later, they are dying in agony.
The Honourable Thomas Ley, meanwhile, has an even better disguise: he's the former Justice Minister for New South Wales and a successful businessman, albeit with a shady past. Rumours abound when a political opponent disappears without trace and a business partner winds up at the bottom of a cliff.
Neither killer can help themselves - and this, in the end, leads to their downfall - and both defy our comprehension. Brilliantly reconstructed here, their trials, in 1892 and 1947, reveal a deeply sinister conundrum: by the time you've discovered the secrets in their heart, it's inevitably much too late.
The legendary Famous Trials series set the benchmark for historical crime writing with its accounts of the most notorious and intriguing criminal trials of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Expertly reconstructed from court transcripts, these often sensational narratives have gripped generations of readers since they first appeared in 1941. In this digital edition, two of the very best Famous Trials have been selected, introduced and further abridged by criminal barrister and author Alex McBride to provide modern readers with the most compelling versions yet of these court-room classics.
Alex McBride is a criminal barrister. His book Defending the Guilty: Truth and Lies in the Criminal Courtroom was shortlisted for the 2010 Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction and is available in Penguin. He has written for the Guardian, Independent, Prospect and New Statesman, and has contributed to various BBC programmes, including From Our Own Correspondent.
'Expert, authoritative, hilarious - an insider's fearless account of life at the criminal bar'Times Literary Supplement Books of the Year on Defending the Guilty
Brilliant detective work, very well told.
—— Evening StandardDisturbing and meticulously researched, this is a vital book for the #MeToo era.
—— Stylist, Best True Crime Books Ever WrittenAn important and necessary book that tells a complicated, uncomfortable story clearly and with great power.
—— i paperWith meticulous forensic detail, this true story is as disturbing as it compelling.
—— Sunday MirrorA well-written, profoundly rational analysis of the trial and, more specifically, the lawyers who conducted it.
—— USA TodayEngrossing . . . Toobin's insight into the motives and mind-set of key players sets this Simpson book apart from the pack.
—— PeopleAn insightful account of what went on at the most notorious murder trial in American history.
—— HeatThe People V O.J. Simpson is a completely fascinating, in-depth book … whatever you think you know about the O.J. Simpson case, you don’t know the half of it … this book provides a captivating look at the trial of the century, which is as compelling today as it was 20 years ago.
—— Culture FlyThe book is excellent…highly recommended for anyone interested in this case or indeed in real life cases generally. Well written and informative.
—— Liz Loves BooksThis is a book to read regardless of whether you've seen the show or not. Because even if you don't intend to watch, after you read this, you will.
—— Irresistable TargetsAs eerily persuasive a read as you'd expect from one of the country's top barristers... Kennedy lays bare a panoply of injustices that explain the rage unleashed post-Weinstein... Kennedy’s vivacious prose and plentiful research yields a pacy, important read that both elucidates the current climate and offers sage pointers on where to go next
—— Gwen Smith , iA passionately argued eye-opener…both a deeply depressing read and a hugely energising wake-up call for anyone concerned with justice, diversity and human dignity
—— Gemma Simmonds , The Tablet, **Books of the Year**Compelling… The marginal advances that have been secured fade into irrelevance in comparison with the horrific chronicle of shortcomings that exist for women in the courts…bang up to date… Kennedy writes well and illustrates her cases with heartrending individual examples
—— Julia Langdon , The Tablet
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