Why a Booktrail?
1910: The story behind the infamous Dr Crippen
Story of a Murder
What you need to know before your trail
On 1 February, 1910, vivacious musichall performer, Belle Elmore, suddenly vanished from her north London home, causing alarm among her circle of female friends, the entertainers of the Music Hall Ladies’ Guild who demanded an immediate investigation.
They could not have known what they would provoke: the unearthing of a gruesome secret, followed by a fevered manhunt for the prime suspect: Belle’s husband, medical fraudster, Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen.
Hiding in the shadows of this evergreen tale is Crippen’s typist and lover, Ethel Le Neve – was she really just ‘an innocent young girl’ in thrall to a powerful older man as so many people have since reported?
In this epic examination of one of the most infamous murders of the twentieth century, prizewinning social historian Hallie Rubenhold gives voice to those who have never properly been heard – the women.
Travel Guide
From the USA to Pentonville Prison
The story of Dr Crippen and Cora Crippen take place largely in London but their early life is very much set in the USA – San Francisco and then New York but this is the build up to the main story as we follow Cora especially and see what took her to London.
Hawley Harvey Crippen (11 September 1862 – 23 November 1910) was an American homeopath, ear and eye specialist and medicine dispenser who was hanged for the murder of his wife, Cora Henrietta Crippen. He was the first criminal to be captured with the aid of wireless telegraphy. Crippen was fleeing to America on board the Montrose who was spotted by the captain who then telephoned authorities in England.
BookTrail Boarding Pass: Story of a Murder
Destination/location: London, USA, Michigan Author/guide: Hallie Rubenhold Departure Time: 1910
Back to ResultsWhere Next?
