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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
challenging
dark
informative
medium-paced
In 1953 a tenant in a house in Notting Hill discovers the bodies of 3 women in a hidden space in the wall whilst doing some work on the house. Further investigation unveils the full horrors of 10 Rillington Place and leads Police to John Reginald Christie but a local reporter also thinks that Christie might hold the key to a miscarriage of justice.
I knew the basics about the murders at 10 Rillington Place and I’d seen a lot of good reviews for this when the hardback came out so I was excited to treat myself to a copy now it’s out in paperback.
I really enjoyed this. I’ve never read anything by Summerscale before but I was impressed by her level of research. I also liked that she kind of put a different spin on it with the story being told from the point of view of Harry Procter, a Fleet Street Journalist who had covered all the big crime stories of the day. Harry had covered the case of Timothy Evans back in 1950 who had also lived at 10 Rillington Place and had been hanged following the murder of his wife, Beryl, and baby daughter, Geraldine, although due a quirk in the legal system back then he was actually only convicted of the murder of Geraldine as you could only be tried for one murder at a time. This also brings us to the only downside of this book. Upon hearing of Christie’s crimes, Harry becomes convinced that Evans was actually innocent and that there has therefore been a huge miscarriage of justice and this then colours his actions from there on out and it’s very much a case of him desperately wanting to prove his hypothesis is correct.
I was very struck on the social context that Summerscale includes. These murders were not that long ago in the grand scheme of things and we see a time of horrific levels of racism, rampant homophobia and women dying from backstreet abortions. I think it’s easy for people in England to forget that these things were also an issue here and not that long ago. It also felt very apt to me to be reading about these issues at a time when far right extremism is on the rise and women’s healthcare is a contentious issue.
This book was long listed for the Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction and having read the book that won I would love to be able to speak to the panel that chooses these and see what goes into their selection process. I know reading is subjective but for me this was so much better than the winner. This is another reason I don’t generally make reading decisions based on awards.
Summerscale’s writing is detailed but didn’t feel bogged down by it. She is sensitive to the victims and their families and acknowledges the somewhat shady practices of Harry whilst he was trying to get the best story. I also felt she was realistic in what she could achieve within this book and stated clearly in the territory of facts.
I really enjoyed the pace and flow of the writing and would definitely be open to reading more of her work.
challenging
informative
medium-paced
dark
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
medium-paced
slow-paced
dark
informative
sad
fast-paced