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A review by literarywinner
The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer by Kate Summerscale
3.0
The Wicked Boy is one of those books that drew me in with its cover. It is very reminiscent of The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson, another non-fiction story of a historical crime. However, The Wicked Boy is a much different story, occurring in a different culture and continent.
I was interested to learn about how matricide is not just a product of current American culture. Robert Coombes’ crime happened over a hundred years ago, in a time and world far different than how we live now. We are privy to much of the trial information; as such, I learned much about how British courts operated in the late 19th century, especially in regard to minors.
What I found most fascinating about the information we received about the suspect was how readers of the newspaper accounts just had to believe the reporters. There were no such things as photos, so if the report stated that Coombes’ sneered or looked evil, than that was how he must be. Now we have courtroom artists, and usually actual photographs and video, of our notorious trials. Even the author noted that in one instance, an account noted the Coombes’ brothers in certain complexions, when in actuality, it was reversed.
I didn’t really start to enjoy the book until we arrived at the part detailing Robert’s life after he is sentenced to the infamous Broadmoor mental asylum. I recently watched a documentary about Broadmoor and was interested to see how it operated at the turn of the 20th century and how Robert fared as a child resident. We also learn about his service to Australia in World War II and his adoption of a neighbor child. Robert was able to live in anonymity after his release from Broadmoor, a fate that would not be possible today. Perhaps the lack of photographs was a blessing for those who were able to atone for their crimes.
While I didn’t love The Wicked Boy, I did like it and felt I finished the book having learned something. Others who are interested in historical crimes and its parallels to modern crime would probably enjoy this book.
I received this book as part of my involvement with Netgalley. All thoughts are my own.
I was interested to learn about how matricide is not just a product of current American culture. Robert Coombes’ crime happened over a hundred years ago, in a time and world far different than how we live now. We are privy to much of the trial information; as such, I learned much about how British courts operated in the late 19th century, especially in regard to minors.
What I found most fascinating about the information we received about the suspect was how readers of the newspaper accounts just had to believe the reporters. There were no such things as photos, so if the report stated that Coombes’ sneered or looked evil, than that was how he must be. Now we have courtroom artists, and usually actual photographs and video, of our notorious trials. Even the author noted that in one instance, an account noted the Coombes’ brothers in certain complexions, when in actuality, it was reversed.
I didn’t really start to enjoy the book until we arrived at the part detailing Robert’s life after he is sentenced to the infamous Broadmoor mental asylum. I recently watched a documentary about Broadmoor and was interested to see how it operated at the turn of the 20th century and how Robert fared as a child resident. We also learn about his service to Australia in World War II and his adoption of a neighbor child. Robert was able to live in anonymity after his release from Broadmoor, a fate that would not be possible today. Perhaps the lack of photographs was a blessing for those who were able to atone for their crimes.
While I didn’t love The Wicked Boy, I did like it and felt I finished the book having learned something. Others who are interested in historical crimes and its parallels to modern crime would probably enjoy this book.
I received this book as part of my involvement with Netgalley. All thoughts are my own.