He gave his wife poison and sent her to sleep,And cut up her body and buried it deep.John Boyne has written a very entertaining account of Dr Crippen’s life and crime. Yes, just the one crime, it seems. I’d always been under the impression that he was a serial killer but he ‘only’ murdered one of his wives for which he was hanged in 1910. I also thought he was English but he was an American who had lived in London for many years. Finally, I thought he was a medical doctor but he wasn’t a qualifi...

3.5~4★“ ‘I myself, however, received my degrees from two medical colleges, one in Philadelphia and one in New York, so you need have no worries about me in that regard.’‘From America,’ she exclaimed breathlessly. ’Indeed,’ he said. He had taken to renaming his diplomas as degrees these days; it made things simpler, he believed.”‘Dr.’ Hawley Harvey Crippen said and did many questionable things to make life simpler. Only fair, he thought, disadvantaged as he was by not having enough money to atten...

Im Jahr 1910 macht ein Mordfall in London große Schlagzeilen: Dr. Hawley Crippen soll seine Frau Cora Crippen kaltblütig ermordet und ihre zerstückelte Leiche im Keller vergraben haben. Der Mord ist damals tatsächlich geschehen, jedoch gibt es wohl bis heute immer noch Unklarheiten, wie genau und wer den Mord tatsächlich begangen hat.John Boyne hat diesen alten Fall aufgegriffen und einen Roman darüber geschrieben. Die Geschichte in diesem Buch basiert also auf wahren Begebenheiten, jedoch wurde...

This is historical fiction with a murder mystery and a little true crime.Based on the real-life case of Dr Crippen and the murder of his wife Cora Crippen in 1910, John Boyne has built around this event a cast of characters and a plausible theory as to what really happened! I am a big John Boyne fan and really enjoy his storytelling. As with all his writing this is so immersive and absorbing. The historical elements add a depth and interest to a story that is ultimately about the nature of hu...

More damn good storytelling by John Boyne. A murder mystery, an odd lot of characters sailing off from Antwerp to Canada, which includes the good “Doctor” Crippen and his mistress/lover, Ethel, in disguise as father and son. There’s a reason for their disguise and identity change. The story starts off with those boarding the SS Montrose, taking stock of their surroundings and fellow passengers. Each has their own agenda, whether looking for relaxation, love, violence, running away from secrets. ...

This is a novel to burrow into and one for the Autumn / Winter list. My 10th Novel by John Boyne and I really do find that this author has a talent for creating memorable characters and bringing history to live. Pure entertainment and great stroytelling.Each of his novels are uniquely different, engaging and enthralling and I love picking up a John Boyne Novel as you never really know where his books are going to take you.I didn't even read the blurb of this novel and was presently surprised wh...

4.5 Stars.Oh Boy.....CRIPPEN is a dam good murder-mystery and another great read off my list from John Boyne. I really should just leave it at that, but I can't! What is the real truth here? And who was this Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen? (I see a work of non-fiction in my near future.) The story begins with Hawley as a young man leaving home to pursue his dream of becoming a doctor, but with zero dollars from his unsupportive parents, the going gets tough and fabrications result as we meet lots.......

I love this author's stuff and this book was so good. The writing, the pacing, the historical feel of this story, all of it. I was not familiar the real Dr. Crippen so this read as a bit of a thriller for me as well.

Well, where to start? How about with just one word: WOW! Crippen is quite one of the most gripping crime faction novels I’ve ever read. That’s the short version.You want the long version? OK, here goes…This fictionalised account of a real and infamous crime that gripped the English-speaking world is nothing short of brilliant. The characters are sympathetically drawn, yes, even that of Dr Hawley Crippen himself. Boyne has taken one of Britain’s most notorious and mysterious killers and made him ...

4 solid stars.I’m surprised that I have not heard of this book before, which was the author’s debut in America, back in 2004.This is a work of fiction loosely based on some facts.As for any work of fiction, you should not expect accuracies. Everything in this book is fruit of the author’s rich imagination.The writing is superb.The storyline is gripping or absorbing. The structure is perfect and skillfully built.I was so absorbed and transported to that era (London, 1910), as I was living that mo...