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The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream: The Hunt for a Victorian Era Serial Killer by Dean Jobb
ambrose_7's review against another edition
3.0
If you like listening to crime podcasts, you’d probably thoroughly enjoy this book. It’s like a murder podcast but exponentially more in detail. Covering Dr. Cream a notorious poison murderer. My only qualms with this book are that sometimes the timeline is a little hard to follow as it jumps back and forth in time. Along with the fact that sometimes the book is overly descriptive about unnecessary things that make it a little boring. But overall a great read!
angorarabbit's review against another edition
4.0
I was very impressed both with the author's research and his not adding dialogue to fluff the story out. Fortunately England seems to have kept excellent criminal records. The author also was sensitive in discussions of Dr. Cream's choice of victims and their social economic status. He also does not sensationalise the story. Definitely a cut above the norm for the genre.
There were a few things I felt could have been explained more (perhaps there was no record so the author did not speculate or maybe I missed it).
Dr. Cream's family's thoughts on having a serial killer in the family. Why did they let him return to England after his last visit to Canada if his behaviour was so erratic? Did the family have any further communications with him after he left Canada?
Why did the pharmacy company allow Dr. Cream to purchase dangerous medicines? Did he still have a medical license after his stint in the Illinois pen for murder?
Was Dr. Cream's sole source of income while in England from his father's estate and the generosity of his brother?
There were a few things I felt could have been explained more (perhaps there was no record so the author did not speculate or maybe I missed it).
Dr. Cream's family's thoughts on having a serial killer in the family. Why did they let him return to England after his last visit to Canada if his behaviour was so erratic? Did the family have any further communications with him after he left Canada?
Why did the pharmacy company allow Dr. Cream to purchase dangerous medicines? Did he still have a medical license after his stint in the Illinois pen for murder?
Was Dr. Cream's sole source of income while in England from his father's estate and the generosity of his brother?
duchessofreadin's review against another edition
4.0
Everyone has heard of Jack the Ripper, and most people know about H. H. Holmes and the Bender family. But few have heard of Dr. Cream - who was a serial killer, hiding behind a doctor's license. Dr. Cream started out life with a bright future, a loving family, and prospects ahead of him - but that changed after the death of his mother. He seemed to become a bit unhinged after that happened, and after attending medical school, he began killing women, mostly prostitutes, with poison.
Not content with letting the crimes lag, he began sending blackmail notes, even getting his fiance at the time to write some of the notes, hoping that he would not be discovered. However, after two murder convictions, being released on parole, and then standing trial in England, he was finally given the sentence he deserved for his horrid crimes - death.
I really enjoyed this book! I had not heard of Dr. Cream before, but now I have a new research topic to dive into! This held my attention and was well-researched. Highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys true crime!
Not content with letting the crimes lag, he began sending blackmail notes, even getting his fiance at the time to write some of the notes, hoping that he would not be discovered. However, after two murder convictions, being released on parole, and then standing trial in England, he was finally given the sentence he deserved for his horrid crimes - death.
I really enjoyed this book! I had not heard of Dr. Cream before, but now I have a new research topic to dive into! This held my attention and was well-researched. Highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys true crime!
banng's review against another edition
slow-paced
2.5
Story was interesting, but didn’t need to be nearly as long as it was. Lots of tangents about people only mildly related to the case, and super long drawn out ways of getting to the actual murders.