Book recommendations.

[Herlock Sholmes]

In terms of reading, I am currently in The US too.

Rural Utah to be precise.

Am in the middle of Norman Mailer's "The Executioners Song".

It's a behemoth, so I'm going to be hanging out in Mormon country for a while longer!

It is superbly written and completely gripping so far.

Thanks for the above tips.

I like the sound of the Poe one.

Will take a closer look at it when I'm splurging on Amazon!

The Executioner’s Song is a classic Ms D although it’s been many years since I read it.

[Ms Diddles]

Both good ones Abby. I’ve just started Lincoln by David Herbert Donald and have ordered two books today, Wyatt Earp: The Life Behind The Legend, and Almost A Miracle: The American Victory In The War Of Independence, so reading-wise I’m spending more time in The States than in the UK lately.

In terms of reading, I am currently in The US too.

Rural Utah to be precise.

Am in the middle of Norman Mailer's "The Executioners Song".

It's a behemoth, so I'm going to be hanging out in Mormon country for a while longer!

It is superbly written and completely gripping so far.

Thanks for the above tips.

I like the sound of the Poe one.

Will take a closer look at it when I'm splurging on Amazon!

[Herlock Sholmes]

thanks herlock. both sound fascinating.

Both good ones Abby. I’ve just started Lincoln by David Herbert Donald and have ordered two books today, Wyatt Earp: The Life Behind The Legend, and Almost A Miracle: The American Victory In The War Of Independence, so reading-wise I’m spending more time in The States than in the UK lately.

[Abby Normal]

I’ve got 21 biographies of Arthur Conan Doyle and none are better than ‘Teller Of Tales’ by Daniel Stashower, so when I saw two other books of his I thought that I’d give them a go. I’m glad that I did.

The first was The Beautiful Cigar Girl: Mary Rogers, Edgar Allan Poe and The Invention Of Murder.

The body of Mary Rogers was found floating in the Hudson River in July 1841. She’d previously achieved local celebrity status when she worked in a well known cigar/tobacco store where she was known for her beauty and charm. Her murder was never solved but Edgar Allan Poe decided that his fictional detective C. Auguste Dupin would solve it in a follow up to ‘The Murders In The Rue Morgue,’ called ‘The Mystery Of Marie Rogêt.’ Although it was a work of fiction Poe claimed that it would get to the truth of what had happened. Stashower’s book follows two strands; the investigation into the murder and Poe’s life, work and attempt at getting at the true solution and he does a brilliant job of it.

The second book was The Hour Of Peril: The Secret Plot To Murder Lincoln Before The Civil War.

This one is even better in my opinion. It chronicles Lincoln’s train journey to Washington for his inauguration and the fears of a secessionist plot to kill him based around Baltimore. There’s plenty of interesting stuff about Allan Pinkerton and how he and his agents worked to identify the plotters. It’s fast-paced stuff and it really illustrates how unpopular Lincoln was purely because of his views on slavery and how far the pro-slavery confederates were willing to go to prevent him becoming President. Excellent book.

thanks herlock. both sound fascinating.

[Herlock Sholmes]

I’ve got 21 biographies of Arthur Conan Doyle and none are better than ‘Teller Of Tales’ by Daniel Stashower, so when I saw two other books of his I thought that I’d give them a go. I’m glad that I did.

The first was The Beautiful Cigar Girl: Mary Rogers, Edgar Allan Poe and The Invention Of Murder.

The body of Mary Rogers was found floating in the Hudson River in July 1841. She’d previously achieved local celebrity status when she worked in a well known cigar/tobacco store where she was known for her beauty and charm. Her murder was never solved but Edgar Allan Poe decided that his fictional detective C. Auguste Dupin would solve it in a follow up to ‘The Murders In The Rue Morgue,’ called ‘The Mystery Of Marie Rogêt.’ Although it was a work of fiction Poe claimed that it would get to the truth of what had happened. Stashower’s book follows two strands; the investigation into the murder and Poe’s life, work and attempt at getting at the true solution and he does a brilliant job of it.

The second book was The Hour Of Peril: The Secret Plot To Murder Lincoln Before The Civil War.

This one is even better in my opinion. It chronicles Lincoln’s train journey to Washington for his inauguration and the fears of a secessionist plot to kill him based around Baltimore. There’s plenty of interesting stuff about Allan Pinkerton and how he and his agents worked to identify the plotters. It’s fast-paced stuff and it really illustrates how unpopular Lincoln was purely because of his views on slavery and how far the pro-slavery confederates were willing to go to prevent him becoming President. Excellent book.

[Ms Diddles]

I'm sure that the True Crime buffs among you will already be aware of these books, but following a recommendation by a friend I've been reading Gordon Burn.

I'm not really an avid reader of true crime (other than JtR) as I find some titles a bit salacious and distasteful, but I heard that these books were extremely well written and interesting, employing an approach more akin to Truman Capote's In Cold Blood than the usual tabloid style sensationalism.

Somebody's Husband, Somebody's Son is an account of Peter Sutcliffe's family background, upbringing and crimes.

Burn embedded himself in the Sutcliffe family for two years, conducting in depth interviews with family, friends and neighbours, giving a real sense of time and place.

Well worth a read, if you've not already done so.

Happy Like Murderers employs a similar technique to the Fred & Rose West case.

This is also extremely well researched and written, but I personally found the absolutely relentless abuse and violence quite hard to stomach.

Given the subject matter, I didn't expect it to be a barrel of laughs, but every time a scene was described when an extended family member or friend visited Cromwell St, I found myself naively hoping that they would realise what's going on and blow the whistle.

Nope! They merely participated in the ongoing child abuse.

The introduction describes it as "a book to be endured" and I'd say that's spot on!

Insightful and well written, but TBH I may have preferred to live without such insight.....

[Herlock Sholmes]

This one could be a cracker. It’s out in September.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1250041163?SubscriptionId=AKIAJKOKUN4EWQH6OEPQ&tag=123pc-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953

Stashower wrote one of the best biographies of Conan Doyle.

[Herlock Sholmes]

I just finished American Predator by Maureen Callahan which is the story of serial killer Israel Keyes.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0143129708?SubscriptionId=AKIAJKOKUN4EWQH6OEPQ&tag=123pc-21&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&ref_=nav_signin&returnFromLogin=1&

It’s not that often that I read books on modern true crime but I saw this one online and the reviews were all excellent. I’d never heard of Keyes but he’s the kind of serial killer that they make movies about. This is another really good one. Recommended.

[c.d.]

which one?

Oops! I suppose the title would help.

"The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit" by Michael Finkel.

https://www.amazon.com/Stranger-Woods-Extraordinary-Story-Hermit/dp/1101911530/ref=sr_1_1?crid=H9I3D1DBTLQ7&keywords=the+stranger+in+the+woods+by+michael+finkel&qid=1648500580&sprefix=the+stranger+in+the+wood%2Caps%2C1903&sr=8-1

c.d.

[Abby Normal]

Finished the book. A fascinating story. This guy was a hermit for 27 years. During that time he spoke once to a hiker he inadvertently met on the trail. He said "hi." That was the extent of his human interaction during that time. It was like being given insight into the mind of an alien. How could someone be so different from other human beings? Good book.

c.d.

which one?

[c.d.]

That’s a strange story. Should be an interesting book.

Finished the book. A fascinating story. This guy was a hermit for 27 years. During that time he spoke once to a hiker he inadvertently met on the trail. He said "hi." That was the extent of his human interaction during that time. It was like being given insight into the mind of an alien. How could someone be so different from other human beings? Good book.

c.d.

[Abby Normal]

I finished the Monster of Florence book.

What a strange, twisty-turny case!

I really enjoyed it, so thanks for the tip.

On a related note, this article appeared in the paper today.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...droidApp_Other

yoir welcome! yeah it really is. ive got it with zodiac and the ripper as one of the weirdest, craziest and biggest unsolved serial murder cases. thanks for posting that article. not sure why the case would be closed to begin with.hopefully they will reopen and catch the bastard, but with the track record of the italian LE im not holding my breath.

[Ms Diddles]

the one by preston amd spezi

I finished the Monster of Florence book.

What a strange, twisty-turny case!

I really enjoyed it, so thanks for the tip.

On a related note, this article appeared in the paper today.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...droidApp_Other

[Herlock Sholmes]

In an old post you announced your 55th. American dates. Oh well, very early birthday greetings then.

Cheers, George

The Queen has 2 birthdays so maybe I could too.

[RManny]

I would like to recommend the book, Bitten by Witch Fever: Wallpaper & Arsenic in the Victorian Home by Lucinda Hawksley. The edition that I purchased is a reprint, but it is quite an interesting book. The textblock consists of examples of wallpapers that had been created using arsenic-based pigments, with the chapters' text placed between groupings the wallpapers. The chapters are narrower in width than the wallpaper exemplars themselves and that results in "newspaper" column-sized chapters. And, the font that is selected tends to cause my eyes to become weary, but I understand that all of this is an aesthetic choice.

That said, I have thoroughly enjoyed the book, and highly recommend it. Mrs. and Mr. Maybrick even make an appearance early on as a discussion on homicidal poisoning by arsenic. The book is engaging and is well referenced for a book that is more about the historical significance of the use of arsenic as a pigment, than about science, crime, or forensics. This is one of those books that has helped to illustrate a unique focus in toxicologic history for me, and it is a pleasure to hold and read.

I will include a link to Amazon and the publisher's sites with this brief post.

Cheers,
R

Bitten By Witch Fever: Wallpaper & Arsenic in the Nineteenth-Century Home: Hawksley, Lucinda: 9780500518380: Amazon.com: Books

Thames & Hudson USA - Book - Bitten By Witch Fever: Wallpaper & Arsenic in the Nineteenth-Century Home (thamesandhudsonusa.com)