Famous Trials (3): Browne And Kennedy; Sidney Fox; Mrs Florence Maybrick; Steinie Morrison; Dr Buck Ruxton: v. 3

This is the fourth volume in the classic Famous Trials series. It covers the trials of: convicted poisoner Harold Greenwood, who may well have got away with it if he hadn’t been so keen to re-marry; William Joyce, for whom the offence of treason abroad was effectively created; Ley and Smith, the ‘chalk pit murderer’ former justice minister and wealthiest paranoid schizophrenic in Broadmoor; Dr. Pritchard who apparently murdered both his wife and his mother-in-law to further his relationship with his parlour maid. And lastly the apparently innocuous Robert Wood, accused of brutally murdering a prostitute. His was a particularly fascinating case and one that I suspect will never be satisfactorily resolved.For any lover of true crime, and anyone who is will already know that truth is much stranger than fiction, this series is a must-read. Greenwood and Wood were both defended by the great defender Marshall Hall (see my review of his biography). Whilst he didn’t succeed in the case of Greenwood, the neon-lit trail of circumstantial evidence leading to Wood took his every effort to defeat. William Joyce (Lord Haw-Haw) may well have given propaganda broadcasts for the Germans quite willingly, but the case exposed an interesting dichotomy in law: had he refused to carry out the broadcasts for the Germans he would have been shot; having carried them out he was hanged by the British.Published in 1954, the language is looking rather dated by now of course. But for all its faults and harshness, it seems the judicial process of the time was more consistent and better understood than the seemingly softer, more arbitrary and politically influenced decisions of today. I have no hesitation in recommending the book to anyone seriously interested in the history of true crime.

The Penguin Crime - Famous Trials is one of an excellent series. Each case book is very hard to obtain.The trial of William Joyce, alias Lord Haw Haw, set a legal precedent, Harold Greenwood was convicted of poisoning his wife - mostly because he married a young woman within four months of his wife's death. Ley and Smith carried out the chalk Pit Murder and Robert Wood was convicted of murdering a prostitute in London in 1907; finally, Dr Pritchardwho poisoned his wife and her mother, was the last man to be publicly hanged in Glasgow. How could you not love the book. The seller was excellent too.

Bought this for Brides in the Bath & Crippen cases, but found the other trials just as interesting. Lord Haw-Haw & Crippen cases in particular raised interesting questions for me regarding how just the outcomes were.Different authors for each case, but all are well-written - academic, but very readable.

Very informative about social background and ordinary people’s way of life as well as being an interesting case book.

I have a series of these books which give an insight into some particularly infamous cases. Supplier delivered quickly.