| Location | Phoenix, AZ |
| Website | simonreadwriting.com |
| Remember | 2 1/2 oz. London dry gin. 3/4 oz. dry vermouth (preferably Dolin). Shake over ice. |
A book made from the skin of the notorious William Burke, who murdered at least 16 people in Edinburgh in 1828 and sold the bodies to medical schools, is on display at the city's Royal College of Surgeons. (Image: Surgeon Halls' Museum)
"The Road to Degradation and Death." Who was the diabolical fiend who poisoned four women in south London between October 1891 and April 1892?
It was the nefarious Dr. Thomas Neill Cream, who preferred strychnine to the blade and murdered at least 10 people in the United States, Canada, and Britain. He met his end on the gallows on Nov. 15, 1892.
#truecrime #history #London #crime #murder #Victorian #research #writing #amwriting #nonfiction
The unsolved May 26, 1838, murder of prostitute Eliza Grimwood—known as “The Countess” due to her elegant manner—is believed to have inspired the brutal death of Nancy in "Oliver Twist" by Charles Dickens.
Eliza was found in her room off Waterloo Road with her throat cut. So savaged was her body, The Daily Telegraph would recall her murder 50 years later when the Jack the Ripper killings began.
#truecrime #literature #history #amwriting #writing #research #London
A map published in the Daily Telegraph on Sept. 11, 1888, showing four murders attributed to the man known as "Leather Apron." The name "Jack the Ripper" would not enter the lexicon until the end of the month.
#truecrime #history #London #murder #research #amwriting #writing
Hit 100,000 words last night (not including the 6,277 words of Source Notes). Five chapters to go until the first draft is done. The hundred-thousandth word, fittingly for this book, is “mutilation.”
Scotland Yard Inspector Charles Frederick Field. The detective was good friends with Charles Dickens and the inspiration for Inspector Bucket in Dickens’ “Bleak House.”
#Books #literature #victorian #Dickens #classics #Reading #truecrime #charlesdickens #history
Oh, dear. Someone has a rat problem. (The Illustrated Police News, date unknown).
Home Office Pathologist Dr. Sir Bernard Spilsbury--"Britain's living successor to mythical Sherlock Holmes," according to a May 1934 article in Time.
Spilsbury performed more than 20,000 autopsies and testified for the prosecution in 200 murder cases--but not without controversy.
His ego prevented him from taking other viewpoints into consideration, and he believed his opinion to be infallible.
The cover to Stephen King's upcoming (out in September) is gorgeous and wonderfully atmospheric. Take my money now.