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Did She Kill Him?
Did She Kill Him?: A Victorian tale of deception, adultery and arsenic | Kate Colquhoun
In the summer of 1889, young Southern belle Florence Maybrick stood trial for the alleged arsenic poisoning of her much older husband, Liverpool cotton merchant James Maybrick. 'The Maybrick Mystery' had all the makings of a sensation: a pretty, flirtatious young girl; resentful, gossiping servants; rumours of gambling and debt; and torrid mutual infidelity. The case cracked the varnish of Victorian respectability, shocking and exciting the public in equal measure as they clambered to read the latest revelations of Florence's past and glimpse her likeness in Madame Tussaud's. Florence's fate was fiercely debated in the courtroom, on the front pages of the newspapers and in parlours and backyards across the country. Did she poison her husband? Was her previous infidelity proof of murderous intentions? Was James' own habit of self-medicating to blame for his demise? Historian Kate Colquhoun recounts an utterly absorbing tale of addiction, deception and adultery that keeps you asking to the very last page, did she kill him?
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charl08
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...What is clear is a mute, vacant despair and the apparently insurmountable divide between her and the male justice system.

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charl08
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In books knew - letters were always getting lost or misdirected, destroyed, withheld or exploited. Many of Florence's own favourite novels emphasised the potential of letters to be the carriers or interceptors of deception: they had a destiny as well as a destination. If only she had decided to drop her own incriminating letter into the postbox herself.

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suvata
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Pickpick

Did She Kill Him?: A Victorian tale of deception, adultery and arsenic

What is this book about? The title tells you all you need to know about that. I have no idea why this book only averages a 2-star rating on Goodreads. I thoroughly enjoyed this true crime story. One thing I learned for sure is that it was not a good idea to “follow the science“ in Victorian England.

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suvata
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Wait! What? Oh, to live in Victorian times ....

Josee.lit.a.lu.et.lira 😮😅🤪🤩 4y
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suvata
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No words ...

Suet624 Wow 4y
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TheBookkeepersApprentice
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About halfway through-such an interesting look at crime and how women were viewed in Victorian England.

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Chuquizuta
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Just started this one!! So far so good