Hallie Rubenfeld’s book The Story of a Murder is about Dr Crippen’s murder of his wife, his flight to America with his lover, and his eventual capture and execution. It’s a story that has been told a few times by those who enjoy true crime but there’s little real mystery as most people accept that Crippen murdered his wife, although how much his lover was involved is open to question.
When this author looks at true crime, however, she concentrates on the victim and the women in the story more than the perpetrator and it is this focus that makes this book so readable and interesting. In many ways this is a book of social history, as it opens our eyes to how women were treated and the general view of society about the crime.
The author starts with looking at Crippen’s background and especially his complete lack of medical qualifications and his history selling quack medicines, that he knew didn’t work. She also explores his first marriage and the death of his wife which may, or may not, also have been murder. When Crippen married his second wife, Belle, she was an ex-music hall performer who still retained links to the profession – it was her friends who first alerted the authorities to Belle’s disappearance when Crippen had said that she had left him. Crippen’s story, that Belle was abusive and nagging, has been the received view of her for many years but this book looks at the evidence that she was an organised, committed and loyal woman.
People other than me have studied this murder and have views about whether Crippen really committed it. I haven’t read any more about it but, although the author believes that he was the murderer, she put other opinions in the book for me to consider. What I found fascinating was the story of the lives of the people involved and the times in which they lived. I also thought that the book was well written and very readable. It was one of my non-fiction books of the year for 2025 – see here.
Anne Is Reading 