Some people, even today, think that Dr. Crippen was wrongly convicted and should never have been hanged for the murder of his wife, Belle Elmore. The incomplete remains found in the basement of 39 Hilldrop Crescent on Wednesday 13th July, 1910 were not enough for an absolute identification, although given that Crippen along with his lover, Ethel Le Neve, had apparently fled by boat to Canada, there seemed to be damning circumstantial evidence. As his ship entered Quebec they were both arrested by Walter Dew, an experienced Scotland Yarder who had been involved with the ‘Jack the Ripper’ investigation. He had been tipped off as to their presence by the vessel’s captain, who had made the first recorded use of the new Marconigram resulting in the capture of a murderer. The subsequent trial at the Old Bailey was a sensation never again to be repeated.
Here for the first time you can read both sides of the story. First the definitive facts of the case as outlined by award winning Sunday Times journalist, David James Smith, whose book, Supper with the Crippens, is widely recognised as being the last word on the subject. Then there is the clever fiction weaved by master story teller, Val Andrews in which he yet again proves, as Sherlock Holmes stated, that ‘It may seem to point very straight to one thing, but if you shift your own point of view a little, you may find it pointing in an equally uncompromising manner to something entirely different’. It is left to the reader to decide which version of events of 100 years ago they prefer to accept.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
During his life Val Andrews wrote over thirty new Sherlock Holmes adventures and was always at his best when writing about the world of entertainment, in which he worked as a writer and performer for fifty years. From a theatrical background, he had been in his time a professional vaudeville artiste, ventriloquist, magician and scriptwriter to Tommy Cooper, Benny Hill and other comedy legends of stage and television. He could even count among his friends the likes of Orson Welles.
Val Andrews was born in Hove near Brighton on the 15th February 1926 only a few hours after Valentine’s Day and hence his Christian name. He was the son of an architect and indeed it was his father who introduced him to magic, a fascination that was to last a lifetime and was to result many biographies on the great magicians and numerous writings on magic in general.
He died from a heart attack on the 12th October 2006 and will be missed, but at least his name will live on through his books that continue to thrill old and new murder mystery enthusiasts alike.
David James Smith was born in south London and has been a journalist all his working life. His definitive account of the James Bulger case, The Sleep of Reason was published in 1994 by Century, Random House. He wrote for the monthly magazine Esquire before joining the Sunday Times Magazine for whom he has travelled around the world writing cover stories, investigative articles, reportage and profiles. It was an article for the Magazine that led to his second book, All About Jill: The Life and Death of Jill Dando, which was published by Little Brown in 2002. Supper with the Crippens, about the notorious Edwardian crime, was highly acclaimed when it was published by Orion in 2005. One Morning in Sarajevo made a gripping non-fiction thriller out of the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in June, 1914. It was published by Weidenfeld & Nicholson in June, 2008. David’s latest book, Young Mandela, was published in the United Kingdom by Weidenfeld in June 2010. He continues to write for the Sunday Times Magazine and has been a finalist several times in the feature writer of the year category at the British Press Awards. He lives in Lewes, East Sussex with his partner and their four children.
Here for the first time you can read both sides of the story. First the definitive facts of the case as outlined by award winning Sunday Times journalist, David James Smith, whose book, Supper with the Crippens, is widely recognised as being the last word on the subject. Then there is the clever fiction weaved by master story teller, Val Andrews in which he yet again proves, as Sherlock Holmes stated, that ‘It may seem to point very straight to one thing, but if you shift your own point of view a little, you may find it pointing in an equally uncompromising manner to something entirely different’. It is left to the reader to decide which version of events of 100 years ago they prefer to accept.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
During his life Val Andrews wrote over thirty new Sherlock Holmes adventures and was always at his best when writing about the world of entertainment, in which he worked as a writer and performer for fifty years. From a theatrical background, he had been in his time a professional vaudeville artiste, ventriloquist, magician and scriptwriter to Tommy Cooper, Benny Hill and other comedy legends of stage and television. He could even count among his friends the likes of Orson Welles.
Val Andrews was born in Hove near Brighton on the 15th February 1926 only a few hours after Valentine’s Day and hence his Christian name. He was the son of an architect and indeed it was his father who introduced him to magic, a fascination that was to last a lifetime and was to result many biographies on the great magicians and numerous writings on magic in general.
He died from a heart attack on the 12th October 2006 and will be missed, but at least his name will live on through his books that continue to thrill old and new murder mystery enthusiasts alike.
David James Smith was born in south London and has been a journalist all his working life. His definitive account of the James Bulger case, The Sleep of Reason was published in 1994 by Century, Random House. He wrote for the monthly magazine Esquire before joining the Sunday Times Magazine for whom he has travelled around the world writing cover stories, investigative articles, reportage and profiles. It was an article for the Magazine that led to his second book, All About Jill: The Life and Death of Jill Dando, which was published by Little Brown in 2002. Supper with the Crippens, about the notorious Edwardian crime, was highly acclaimed when it was published by Orion in 2005. One Morning in Sarajevo made a gripping non-fiction thriller out of the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand in June, 1914. It was published by Weidenfeld & Nicholson in June, 2008. David’s latest book, Young Mandela, was published in the United Kingdom by Weidenfeld in June 2010. He continues to write for the Sunday Times Magazine and has been a finalist several times in the feature writer of the year category at the British Press Awards. He lives in Lewes, East Sussex with his partner and their four children.
