Deadly Triangle set in England and Canada – Susan Goldenberg

Submitted: 17th October 2022

A Deadly Triangle of a true story

The 1935 murder of architect Francis Rattenbury, designer of the iconic Parliament Buildings in Victoria, British Columbia, and the arrest and lurid trial of his wife, Alma Rattenbury, and George Stoner, their chauffeur (also her lover and half her age), became one of the twentieth century’s most sensational cases.

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Boarding Pass Information : Deadly Triangle

Destination : Canada, England

Author guide: Susan Goldenberg

Genre: True story!

Food and drink to accompany: Waffles with Canadian maple syrup

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A novel to transport you deep inside a real life scandal

This story fascinated me from the beginning since it is about a real life scandal which happened back in 1935. It’s a tale of two countries – Canada and England and a man who tried to run from scandal.

Francis Mawson Rattenbury was a famous architect who designed the iconic Parliament Buildings and Empress Hotel in Victoria, British Columbia , Canada. He was married to someone else but then he started an affair with Alma who was some 30 years younger than him. Canadian society sent them packing in shame and they headed to Bournemouth in England.

When there, Alma starts an affair with their chaffeur George. Well, the affair captivated both English and Canadian society. Francis went mad quite frankly but with everything that was going on, it was perhaps not surprising. Alma and George had a very passionate affair right in front of Francis and their young son – one being deaf and the other a child who slept a lot. Imagine! Not one sense of decency between them.

We head off to the Old Bailey criminal court in London for the trail of the century. All the salacious gossip that comes from this! The media went mad and the papers spoke of nothing else for weeks, months even. This made people talk and comment on the scandal, the social mores of the time, how women and men who had affairs were looked on differently and so much more.

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This would give bookgroups a lot of material to discuss. Given that it’s a real life case, it’s even more fascinating. I enjoyed learning about the iconic work of Francis and what he built in Canada. I’ve seen them in real life and they are truly stunning. To think that the man who did all that would end up murdered by his wife and her lover.

A gripping read.