I read the first the first few chapters, and than lost interest. I don't think it was bad writing or anything, just a bit bland. It may have become more interesting if I continued with it, but I have a pile of unread books, so I'm giving up.

Undoubtedly a fascinating late Victorian murder trial, but I feel that this book takes this popular mini-genre a step too far. Firstly, I found the lengthy novelistic descriptive passages irritating. If you want to turn a real life case into a novel then do so (as was done successfully with 'A Pin to See the Peepshow) but if you're writing popular history, stick to the facts.
Secondly, this is another example of a book in severe need of a good editor. It's about 100 pages too long. The author's musings on the position of middle class women, their unhappy marriages and public attitudes to their sexual behaviour are interesting but repeated several times in the book. Thirdly, the trial itself lacks tension because of the lengthy and repetitive detail of all the medicines/poisons administered or not .
Since it's obvious from the start that the author doesn't think Florence Maybrick murdered her husband, the book would have been better titled 'Will they find her guilty?'.
Having said all that, it's not a bad read - especially when explaining the extraordinary range of semi-lethal medicines available to hypochondriac Victorians containing strychnine, arsenic, opium or cocaine. ( )

This story was satisfying in the way it was researched, and frustrating in that Florence is convicted based on her sexuality more than her guilt of murder. One would like to believe that in today's courts that a woman could not be convicted on such evidence. It seems to me there just wasn't enough proof to even establish that her husband James was murdered, let alone by Florence.

I think I would recommend this book for people who enjoy a historical research novel, and those who are passionate about women's issues and the progression of women's rights.
( )

Well I still don't know. The author presents all the evidence from the time and some that came out later and still doesn't know. Her husband didn't display all the symptoms of Arsenic poisoning, and in fact he was taking Arsenic before that as a medicine, he seems to have been a hypochondriac and is possibly a good example of fatal drug interactions, leading to death.

Florence Maybrick was a southern belle, whose mother brought her to England to find a husband, which she did. James Maybrick was older than her and his servants didn't really like her, so when another man showed her some affection she embraced a chance at love. This didn't work and then suddenly her husband becomes ill and begins a marathon illness where her care was questioned and suspicions of murder build.

During the case there was a lot of emphasis on her adultery, making her dishonest and makes the judge convinced of her guilt. His competence is later questioned.

Interesting real-life murder mystery with no solution. ( )

A riveting story of a famous British criminal trial -- I read it in 2 evenings. ( )