Status
Available
Genres
Publication
New York : Atlantic Monthly Press, c2001.
Description
In 1875, the beautiful and vivacious widow Florence Ricardo wedded Charles Bravo, a daring barrister. The marriage seemed a happy one, although society gossips whispered that Bravo had married Florence for her fortune. Yet behind this charming public persona, Charles Bravo was a brutal and vindictive man, who dismissed Florence's steadfast companion Mrs Cox, and who regularly subjected his wife to violent abuse.
User reviews
LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
To be very honest, I first came across Florence Bravo, wife of murdered Charles Bravo, in the book by Mary S. Hartman called Victorian Murderesses so I had no idea what this book was going to be about before I picked it up and started reading. I have this thing about British murder cases past and
It ssems that Florence Bravo had married her husband Charles not out of love, but in order to restore her reputation in society. Florence had been married earlier to a Captain Ricardo, who beat her and treated her terribly. I mention this because Florence left home to go back to her family home, and eventually started the separation process. Rather than go back home, her parents convinced her to go spend some time at Malvern, in a sanitarium where hydrotherapy was all the rage, under the guidance of one Dr. Gully, who was physician to the likes of Disraeli and Charles Darwin. He was much older than Florence, but the two fell in love and started a love affair. Well, it just so happens that Florence's husband dies; she and Gully are still going strong and they get caught doing the do while guests of a friend. Word gets out - Gully is a married man and Florence is behaving in ways that women shouldn't. So Florence becomes a social pariah -- so when her companion, the very bizarre Mrs. Cox, sets her up with Charles Bravo. Florence sees a way out of her situation and marries him. But all is not happy in the Bravo household: Charles wants to take over the household, Florence's fortune left to her by her former husband, and Florence herself. Then Charles dies, but no one is ever charged with his murder.
Ruddick sets out to solve the question of who offed Charles & why. It turns out that there are several members of the household with motives to kill Charles along with Dr. Gully, Florence's ex-lover. Ruddick sifts through inquest testimony, visits the scene of the crime, interviews living descendants and works out a solution to the murder which I must say I found incredibly plausible and went along with what I thought the solution was myself. I won't give it away, but if you read very carefully it leaps out at you.
I'd definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy a good murder mystery and to people who enjoy Victorian crime and history. It is well worth every second you put into it.
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present, so this one was right up my alley, offering an inside look into a Victorian home, family & society. It seems that Mr. Charles Bravo was poisoned in a most grueling and painful way at his home and while there were more than a few people with a motive to off the guy, no one was ever arrested in connection with the case. So enter James Ruddick, journalist and author, who decides to tackle Bravo's murder by sifting through the court records (at the inquest), the sources from Scotland Yard, going to the actual scene of the crime, and following leads that he gets in the process. If you consider yourself to be an armchair detective (like me) you will certainly enjoy the trip through the book. I didn't want to stop reading once I finished it.It ssems that Florence Bravo had married her husband Charles not out of love, but in order to restore her reputation in society. Florence had been married earlier to a Captain Ricardo, who beat her and treated her terribly. I mention this because Florence left home to go back to her family home, and eventually started the separation process. Rather than go back home, her parents convinced her to go spend some time at Malvern, in a sanitarium where hydrotherapy was all the rage, under the guidance of one Dr. Gully, who was physician to the likes of Disraeli and Charles Darwin. He was much older than Florence, but the two fell in love and started a love affair. Well, it just so happens that Florence's husband dies; she and Gully are still going strong and they get caught doing the do while guests of a friend. Word gets out - Gully is a married man and Florence is behaving in ways that women shouldn't. So Florence becomes a social pariah -- so when her companion, the very bizarre Mrs. Cox, sets her up with Charles Bravo. Florence sees a way out of her situation and marries him. But all is not happy in the Bravo household: Charles wants to take over the household, Florence's fortune left to her by her former husband, and Florence herself. Then Charles dies, but no one is ever charged with his murder.
Ruddick sets out to solve the question of who offed Charles & why. It turns out that there are several members of the household with motives to kill Charles along with Dr. Gully, Florence's ex-lover. Ruddick sifts through inquest testimony, visits the scene of the crime, interviews living descendants and works out a solution to the murder which I must say I found incredibly plausible and went along with what I thought the solution was myself. I won't give it away, but if you read very carefully it leaps out at you.
I'd definitely recommend this book to people who enjoy a good murder mystery and to people who enjoy Victorian crime and history. It is well worth every second you put into it.
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LibraryThing member Kasthu
Death at the Priory is the true story of a murder. In 1876, a London lawyer named Charles Bravo was poisoned to death in his suburban home, the Priory. Suspects abounded—the man’s wife, Florence; her ex-lover, Dr. James Gully; the housekeeper, Mrs. Cox; and the groom. But the case was never
This fewer-than-200-page book began in the late 1990s as a series of research papers, by an investigative journalist. As a result, the book is highly readable, with short, snappy chapters. But because the book is so brief, it really fails to even scratch the surface of what Victorian domestic life was really like. And the author makes a lot of generalizations about the Victorians (“theirs was a heavy drinking age”), without backing it up. In addition, he tries to force modern ideas upon Florence. The author assembled parts of the story through talking to descendants of the people that were involved; Ruddick actually seems offended by the fact that Gully’s descendant (an MP, by the way) wouldn’t talk to him. Lots of people are forthcoming with their family’s history, but a lot of people, especially those in the public eye, would rather leave the past in the past.
But this is not by any stretch of the imagination a scholarly work, and the author does an admirable job of telling the Bravo story. I do think he backed up his theory remarkably well—and I have to say that after reading this book, I’m convinced by it. It’s amazing that nobody in 1876, given the paucity of suspects, actually figured out what happened.
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fully solved. In this book, James Ruddick offers a convincing solution to the mystery. The book is divided into two parts; the first covers the events of the murder and inquest, while in the second the author outlines his theory, narrowing the suspects down one by one.This fewer-than-200-page book began in the late 1990s as a series of research papers, by an investigative journalist. As a result, the book is highly readable, with short, snappy chapters. But because the book is so brief, it really fails to even scratch the surface of what Victorian domestic life was really like. And the author makes a lot of generalizations about the Victorians (“theirs was a heavy drinking age”), without backing it up. In addition, he tries to force modern ideas upon Florence. The author assembled parts of the story through talking to descendants of the people that were involved; Ruddick actually seems offended by the fact that Gully’s descendant (an MP, by the way) wouldn’t talk to him. Lots of people are forthcoming with their family’s history, but a lot of people, especially those in the public eye, would rather leave the past in the past.
But this is not by any stretch of the imagination a scholarly work, and the author does an admirable job of telling the Bravo story. I do think he backed up his theory remarkably well—and I have to say that after reading this book, I’m convinced by it. It’s amazing that nobody in 1876, given the paucity of suspects, actually figured out what happened.
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LibraryThing member Philotera
Wanting a break from fiction, I read Death at the Priory, which sounds like it ought to be a cozy but in fact is a non-fictional account of a domestic murder that rocked the late Victorian world. Like the Borden murders, the poisoning of Charles Bravo remains unsolved, not because there were no
Was it his wealthy, beautiful wife? Already notorious from having had an affair prior to this, her second marriage, with the much older Dr. Gully.
Was it Dr. Gully, who was still besotted with Mrs. Bravo?
Was it Mrs. Cox, the companion, who had been threatened with termination and faced destitution for herself and her three boys?
Was it Griffiths, the stableman, who Bravo fired and had vowed to revenge himself on his employer for casting himself and his wife out?
This author, like many others claims to have solved it. In fact, the murderer will go undiscovered for certain. What the matter did do is pull back the curtains on how, even in a wealthy, upperclass home, a man was free to be an abusive tyrant, and a woman, any woman, living under his roof had no recourse other than to submit to his brutality or find a more final solution.
The murder drew back the curtain on the domestic brutality of time. Marital rape, physical abuse, psychological torment. Social mores allowed no escape. A "good" woman was expected to submit. Or, as perhaps in this case, take justice into her own white hands.
A good reminder to be grateful we (as women) live now and not in earlier times. They were not romantic. They were damned unpleasant.
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suspects but because there were so many.Was it his wealthy, beautiful wife? Already notorious from having had an affair prior to this, her second marriage, with the much older Dr. Gully.
Was it Dr. Gully, who was still besotted with Mrs. Bravo?
Was it Mrs. Cox, the companion, who had been threatened with termination and faced destitution for herself and her three boys?
Was it Griffiths, the stableman, who Bravo fired and had vowed to revenge himself on his employer for casting himself and his wife out?
This author, like many others claims to have solved it. In fact, the murderer will go undiscovered for certain. What the matter did do is pull back the curtains on how, even in a wealthy, upperclass home, a man was free to be an abusive tyrant, and a woman, any woman, living under his roof had no recourse other than to submit to his brutality or find a more final solution.
The murder drew back the curtain on the domestic brutality of time. Marital rape, physical abuse, psychological torment. Social mores allowed no escape. A "good" woman was expected to submit. Or, as perhaps in this case, take justice into her own white hands.
A good reminder to be grateful we (as women) live now and not in earlier times. They were not romantic. They were damned unpleasant.
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LibraryThing member MegWesley
The first thing I thought when I picked up this book was "it deals with murder and the Victorian time period. It can't be that bad." And indeed, it wasn't that bad, but it isn't something that I would read again and again and again either.
This book is based off of the real unsolved murder of
The second part was less of an amusing re-telling of what happened and more of the author playing detective. It is still interesting, but it lacks the charm of the first part. I would believe the author more if he told you exactly where he found the evidence in the first place, but I understand his logic completely.
In all, this book is a good read. It will suck you in and you will get a good story out of it. I don't think it would be one to stay on my bookshelves forever, but it is a good one to pass around to friends and let them enjoy it as well.
This book is based off of the real unsolved murder of
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Charles Bravo. I just thought it was a fiction book, but it turns out to be a real circumstance. The first part was the best. The author gives you background information about Florence and her life, including information on her first husband, her companion, her lover, and her second husband. It is very engaging and interesting to read about. The second part was less of an amusing re-telling of what happened and more of the author playing detective. It is still interesting, but it lacks the charm of the first part. I would believe the author more if he told you exactly where he found the evidence in the first place, but I understand his logic completely.
In all, this book is a good read. It will suck you in and you will get a good story out of it. I don't think it would be one to stay on my bookshelves forever, but it is a good one to pass around to friends and let them enjoy it as well.
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LibraryThing member FionaRobynIngram
Charles Bravo (1845 - 21 April 1876) was a British lawyer who was fatally poisoned with antimony in 1876. The case is still sensational, notorious, and unresolved. It was an unsolved crime committed within an elite Victorian household at The Priory, a landmark house in Balham, London. The reportage
His wealthy wife Florence had previously been married but had been separated from her first husband (who later died) because of his affairs and violent alcoholism. The impetuous Florence had also enjoyed an extramarital affair with a fashionable society doctor, the much older Dr. James Manby Gully, who was also married at the time. Her affair became public knowledge and Florence fell out of favor with her family and society. In order to reenter society, she married Charles Bravo. The marriage appeared to be doomed from the start. It was whispered that Charles had married Florence for her money, but the wealthy Florence had opted to hold onto her assets, a choice provided by new laws in England at the time (Married Women's Property Act 1870). This financial imbalance led immediately to tensions within the marriage. Police enquiries in the case revealed Charles's behavior towards Florence as being controlling, mean, and violent. Florence also experienced several miscarriages in quick succession, but Charles brutally persisted in forcing her to keep trying for an heir. However, given the nature of the man, there was no shortage of people in the Bravo household with motives for poisoning Charles Bravo.
Two inquests were held and the sensational details were considered so scandalous that women and children were banned from the room while Florence Bravo testified. The first returned an open verdict. The second inquest returned a verdict of wilful murder; however, nobody was ever arrested or charged. The household broke up after the inquest ended and the twice-widowed Florence moved away, dying of alcohol poisoning two years later.
Over a hundred years later, author James Ruddick embarked upon his own in-depth investigations in a case that reads like a modern page-turner. Drawing on detailed court and newspaper records, archives, family papers and letters, and interviews with surviving relatives, he has unearthed a wealth of information that gives conclusive evidence as to various suspects' motives and opportunities. His travels locally and internationally yielded comments from surviving family friends and local inhabitants. Medical research also gives tantalizing hints as to why, if it was not suicide or accidental self-poisoning, Bravo did not say whom he thought was the poisoner. This is a fantastic read and I could not put the book down. The author has found such compelling evidence to exonerate some particular suspects, evidence that was never investigated all that time ago. It points out the flaws in policing methods of the day, as well as how social perceptions of the time influenced popular thinking. Ruddick give a deep and, at times, sensitive insight into the personalities of the main players, showing how they were trapped by their own natures (the headstrong spoiled Florence and the dominant Charles) as well as by the social mores and actual laws of the era. It is also a fascinating insight into the stultifying, repressive atmosphere of Victorian England, and the sad situation of many women of all social classes. Detective novel, historical docu-drama, and police thriller... call it what you will, I highly recommend this book to all readers with a penchant for detective and mystery novels. Draw your own conclusions...the author gives plenty of evidence for and against!
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eclipsed even government and international news at the time. Leading doctors attended the bedside, including Royal physician Sir William Gull, and all agreed it was a case of antimony poisoning. The victim took three days to die but gave no indication of the source of the poison during that time. Was it suicide, accidental self-poisoning, or murder? No one was ever charged for the crime.His wealthy wife Florence had previously been married but had been separated from her first husband (who later died) because of his affairs and violent alcoholism. The impetuous Florence had also enjoyed an extramarital affair with a fashionable society doctor, the much older Dr. James Manby Gully, who was also married at the time. Her affair became public knowledge and Florence fell out of favor with her family and society. In order to reenter society, she married Charles Bravo. The marriage appeared to be doomed from the start. It was whispered that Charles had married Florence for her money, but the wealthy Florence had opted to hold onto her assets, a choice provided by new laws in England at the time (Married Women's Property Act 1870). This financial imbalance led immediately to tensions within the marriage. Police enquiries in the case revealed Charles's behavior towards Florence as being controlling, mean, and violent. Florence also experienced several miscarriages in quick succession, but Charles brutally persisted in forcing her to keep trying for an heir. However, given the nature of the man, there was no shortage of people in the Bravo household with motives for poisoning Charles Bravo.
Two inquests were held and the sensational details were considered so scandalous that women and children were banned from the room while Florence Bravo testified. The first returned an open verdict. The second inquest returned a verdict of wilful murder; however, nobody was ever arrested or charged. The household broke up after the inquest ended and the twice-widowed Florence moved away, dying of alcohol poisoning two years later.
Over a hundred years later, author James Ruddick embarked upon his own in-depth investigations in a case that reads like a modern page-turner. Drawing on detailed court and newspaper records, archives, family papers and letters, and interviews with surviving relatives, he has unearthed a wealth of information that gives conclusive evidence as to various suspects' motives and opportunities. His travels locally and internationally yielded comments from surviving family friends and local inhabitants. Medical research also gives tantalizing hints as to why, if it was not suicide or accidental self-poisoning, Bravo did not say whom he thought was the poisoner. This is a fantastic read and I could not put the book down. The author has found such compelling evidence to exonerate some particular suspects, evidence that was never investigated all that time ago. It points out the flaws in policing methods of the day, as well as how social perceptions of the time influenced popular thinking. Ruddick give a deep and, at times, sensitive insight into the personalities of the main players, showing how they were trapped by their own natures (the headstrong spoiled Florence and the dominant Charles) as well as by the social mores and actual laws of the era. It is also a fascinating insight into the stultifying, repressive atmosphere of Victorian England, and the sad situation of many women of all social classes. Detective novel, historical docu-drama, and police thriller... call it what you will, I highly recommend this book to all readers with a penchant for detective and mystery novels. Draw your own conclusions...the author gives plenty of evidence for and against!
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LibraryThing member moonshineandrosefire
In December of 1875, the beautiful widow Florence Ricardo married a handsome and influential young attorney named Charles Bravo. The dissolution of Florence's first marriage as well as the revelation of her affair with prominent doctor James Gully, had led to her becoming a social pariah. However,
As the newlyweds settled into the Priory, Florence's posh mansion outside London, the couple seemed destined to live a charmed life together. But the marriage was far from happy, as Charles proved to be a brutal, vindictive and conniving man. He abused and tormented his wife and antagonized her servants, ultimately dismissing her housekeeper and loyal companion, Mrs. Cox, despite her years of service.
Then one night while preparing for bed, Charles Bravo suddenly collapsed. Although the greatest English physicians of the era - including the royal physician, Sir William Gull - were summoned to his bedside, they ultimately could do nothing to help him, and three days later Charles died an agonizing death. The doctors were unanimous in their diagnosis of the cause of his death: Charles Bravo had been poisoned.
The graphic and sensational details of the case would eventually capture the public imagination of Victorian England as the investigation dominated the press for weeks, and the list of suspects soon grew to include Florence; her former secret lover, the eminent doctor James Gully; her longtime companion and former housekeeper Mrs. Cox; and a recently dismissed stableman named George Griffiths.
Although press coverage of that era relied heavily on speculation surrounding the details of the case, the subsequent murder investigation was never resolved. No actual motive was ever discovered, and ultimately no murderer could be determined. And despite the efforts of numerous historians, criminologists, and many other esteemed writers since (including Agatha Christie), the case has remained unsolved for over a century.
Now James Ruddick retells this gripping story of love, greed, brutality and betrayal among the elite, offering an intimate portrait of Victorian culture and of one woman's struggle to live in this repressive society. Simultaneously a murder mystery, a colorful social history, and a modern-day detective tale, Death at the Priory is a thrilling read and a window into a fascinating time. As Agatha Christie once claimed: "One of the most mysterious poisoning cases ever recorded."
I really enjoyed reading this book - I found it to be meticulously researched; clearly and precisely written, and I appreciated that James Ruddick's writing was not in any way dry or technical - he had an easy and engaging way of stating the facts of the case. I would be delighted to learn that James Ruddick has written much more, because I thoroughly enjoy his economical writing style. I knew of the Charles Bravo Murder already, as I had read Elizabeth Jenkins' wonderful book, Dr. Gully's Story several years ago.
I give Death at the Priory: Sex, Love, and Murder in Victorian England by James Ruddick a resounding A+!
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her marriage to Charles Bravo was Florence's way of escaping the scandals of her past; and she fervently hoped that such a marriage would reopen certain doors which had formerly been closed to her.As the newlyweds settled into the Priory, Florence's posh mansion outside London, the couple seemed destined to live a charmed life together. But the marriage was far from happy, as Charles proved to be a brutal, vindictive and conniving man. He abused and tormented his wife and antagonized her servants, ultimately dismissing her housekeeper and loyal companion, Mrs. Cox, despite her years of service.
Then one night while preparing for bed, Charles Bravo suddenly collapsed. Although the greatest English physicians of the era - including the royal physician, Sir William Gull - were summoned to his bedside, they ultimately could do nothing to help him, and three days later Charles died an agonizing death. The doctors were unanimous in their diagnosis of the cause of his death: Charles Bravo had been poisoned.
The graphic and sensational details of the case would eventually capture the public imagination of Victorian England as the investigation dominated the press for weeks, and the list of suspects soon grew to include Florence; her former secret lover, the eminent doctor James Gully; her longtime companion and former housekeeper Mrs. Cox; and a recently dismissed stableman named George Griffiths.
Although press coverage of that era relied heavily on speculation surrounding the details of the case, the subsequent murder investigation was never resolved. No actual motive was ever discovered, and ultimately no murderer could be determined. And despite the efforts of numerous historians, criminologists, and many other esteemed writers since (including Agatha Christie), the case has remained unsolved for over a century.
Now James Ruddick retells this gripping story of love, greed, brutality and betrayal among the elite, offering an intimate portrait of Victorian culture and of one woman's struggle to live in this repressive society. Simultaneously a murder mystery, a colorful social history, and a modern-day detective tale, Death at the Priory is a thrilling read and a window into a fascinating time. As Agatha Christie once claimed: "One of the most mysterious poisoning cases ever recorded."
I really enjoyed reading this book - I found it to be meticulously researched; clearly and precisely written, and I appreciated that James Ruddick's writing was not in any way dry or technical - he had an easy and engaging way of stating the facts of the case. I would be delighted to learn that James Ruddick has written much more, because I thoroughly enjoy his economical writing style. I knew of the Charles Bravo Murder already, as I had read Elizabeth Jenkins' wonderful book, Dr. Gully's Story several years ago.
I give Death at the Priory: Sex, Love, and Murder in Victorian England by James Ruddick a resounding A+!
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LibraryThing member lauriebrown54
This is a non-fiction book in two parts: in the first half, the author tells what’s known about a murder that took place in 1875 England. In the second, he goes through the evidence and interviews descendants of the people involved and presents his theory of what happened.
Florence Campbell was
Ruddick’s examination of the evidence convinced me pretty well that he has fingered the right suspect. He was able to find out things from the descendants that never came out at the inquest. There were also presumptions about what people of different classes and sexes would and wouldn’t do that colored the minds of the investigators. Had this same crime been committed today, there would have most likely have been a conviction. An interesting piece of Victorian true crime.
Florence Campbell was
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the daughter of a well to do upper middle class family who had the worst luck in relationships. She married Alexander Ricardo, who was in the service, and demanded that he resign because she feared for his life in the military. He declined into total alcoholism and became abusive. When she left him and went home, her father refused to take her in, wanting her to ‘do the right thing’ and stand by her husband. For her to leave would reflect poorly on her family, of course, and he couldn’t have that. When she refused to go back to Ricardo, he agreed to send her to a sanitarium for a stay ‘for health reasons’. There she met Dr. Gully, the much older, married, owner of the sanitarium and they started an affair. During this time, Ricardo had the good grace to die, leaving Florence a rich widow. It did not do her much good, however, because word of her affair got out, ruining her in society. She was happy to marry Charles Bravo, as this made her acceptable to society again. He was happy to marry her, as she was very rich and let him spend her money freely. Bravo would have had it made had he not been a mean and greedy man, dismissing Florence’s servants and getting rid of everything that he personally had no interest in, such as the garden and the horses. He became emotionally, sexually, and physically abusive to Florence. Then one evening he became violently ill. Doctors were called and they realized he had swallowed poison. After three horrible days, he died. Was is suicide, as Florence’s paid companion claimed? Or had someone poisoned him? If so, who? There was no lack of people that he had angered. Despite an inquest, no one was ever charged with Bravo’s death. Ruddick’s examination of the evidence convinced me pretty well that he has fingered the right suspect. He was able to find out things from the descendants that never came out at the inquest. There were also presumptions about what people of different classes and sexes would and wouldn’t do that colored the minds of the investigators. Had this same crime been committed today, there would have most likely have been a conviction. An interesting piece of Victorian true crime.
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LibraryThing member bookishbunny
A wonderful quick read (one lazy day, for me). Angering at times when discussing the social climate for women in the Victorian era. It reads like a detective novel, keeping the answer for the end.
LibraryThing member fredalss
I was hoping for a well written book with facts supported by historical documentation. What I read was a first person opinion piece with little historical evidence supporting statements that on occasion are contradicted in the same paragraph or a few pages later.
The author contrives to mention
The author contrives to mention
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that he is an Historian many, many times. It's too bad he wasn't able to demonstrate that with this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member JBD1
A readable re-examination of the 1876 Charles Bravo murder, in which Ruddick claims to have proven the identity of the murderer. His historical overview of the case is well worth a read, and the new evidence he claims to have uncovered is certainly interesting. I even don't really have much of a
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problem with his ultimate conclusion about the case, which seems perfectly reasonable. I do, however, have to question a few of the speculative leaps he makes, and while interesting, I'm not entirely sure just how reliable I consider the oral traditions of distant descendants of the participants. Show Less
LibraryThing member Violetthedwarf
The book was fascinating, but I wasn't so keen on the authors writing. He seemed to go for sensationalism over good writing, and his tone often seemed dismissive.
LibraryThing member Cassandra2020
Death at the Priory by James Ruddick - good
What an interesting true story. Reminiscent of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher in that it reviews a Victorian Murder that no one was convicted for and tries to work out 'whodonit'.
Unlike Mr Whicher (which I found interesting but dry), this is a lively run
Florence Campbell marries Alexander Ricardo and soon regrets it. Somehow she manages to extracate herself from the marriage and falls into the arms of Dr Gully her physician and a man somewhat older than her. Later she drops him to marry Charles Bravo and it is Charles who is our murder victim. He is poisoned and suffers an agonising and lingering death. So who killed him? Florence who suffers at his hands, her lady companion that Charles was threatening with dismissal, Dr Gully through jealousy, or the coachman that Charles dismissed? The author researched meticulously and reaches his own conclusion, but not before he has drawn back the lace curtains on the Victorian upper-classes and their marriages.
I thought it was fascinating.
What an interesting true story. Reminiscent of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher in that it reviews a Victorian Murder that no one was convicted for and tries to work out 'whodonit'.
Unlike Mr Whicher (which I found interesting but dry), this is a lively run
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through of the facts about the murder, the people involved and the possible culprits. The author comes to a conclusion based on his research and modern understanding which I found plausible.Florence Campbell marries Alexander Ricardo and soon regrets it. Somehow she manages to extracate herself from the marriage and falls into the arms of Dr Gully her physician and a man somewhat older than her. Later she drops him to marry Charles Bravo and it is Charles who is our murder victim. He is poisoned and suffers an agonising and lingering death. So who killed him? Florence who suffers at his hands, her lady companion that Charles was threatening with dismissal, Dr Gully through jealousy, or the coachman that Charles dismissed? The author researched meticulously and reaches his own conclusion, but not before he has drawn back the lace curtains on the Victorian upper-classes and their marriages.
I thought it was fascinating.
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LibraryThing member aroradreem
Excellently written, easy read. Hard to put this one down. Ruddick's insight and research bring this true story and it's characters to life.
LibraryThing member nordie
This book covers a true life Victorian death under suspect circumstances and the Author's attempt to discover the true murderer.
In 1875, the wealthy widow Florence Ricardo marries ambitious barrister Charles Bravo. Less than six months later he was dead, as a result of poisoning by
Florence's first marriage was to a heavy drinker who was such a vile character that she left him and returned to her family, only to be put under terrible pressure to return to the marriage for the sake of appearences. He drinks himself to death and she retires to Malvern to recover under the direction of Dr James Gully. Older than her, they however have an intense affair which scandalises society. He aborts the baby that she ends up carrying.
She marries Charles Bravo as a way of restoring her social position. It was not a good marriage - she was headstrong, wishing to control her own substantial finances, and be in control of her own body (and knowing that the abortion had already weakened her system). He was a bully and typical Victorian male - seeing his wife, and her money and body as simple possessions that he could do with what he wanted. He drank heavily, sexually abused her (both raping and sodomising her), and demanding "conjical relations" whether or not she was phyiscally or emotionally ready for it after the failure of two subsequent miscarriages.
The inquest determined that Antimoney (a remedy still used today to make people sick when they've drunk alcohol) was used to kill Bravo, essentially in such a large quantity that it burned his insides. It was never determined who killed him, mainly because there were too many suspects. Ruddick attempts to pull things together, including the original inquest transcripts, letters to/from some of the suspects and their families, and testimony from their descendants. He presents what he believes is those responsible for the murder (and their motives) and it's up to you to decide whether he's correct.
In 1875, the wealthy widow Florence Ricardo marries ambitious barrister Charles Bravo. Less than six months later he was dead, as a result of poisoning by
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antimony.Florence's first marriage was to a heavy drinker who was such a vile character that she left him and returned to her family, only to be put under terrible pressure to return to the marriage for the sake of appearences. He drinks himself to death and she retires to Malvern to recover under the direction of Dr James Gully. Older than her, they however have an intense affair which scandalises society. He aborts the baby that she ends up carrying.
She marries Charles Bravo as a way of restoring her social position. It was not a good marriage - she was headstrong, wishing to control her own substantial finances, and be in control of her own body (and knowing that the abortion had already weakened her system). He was a bully and typical Victorian male - seeing his wife, and her money and body as simple possessions that he could do with what he wanted. He drank heavily, sexually abused her (both raping and sodomising her), and demanding "conjical relations" whether or not she was phyiscally or emotionally ready for it after the failure of two subsequent miscarriages.
The inquest determined that Antimoney (a remedy still used today to make people sick when they've drunk alcohol) was used to kill Bravo, essentially in such a large quantity that it burned his insides. It was never determined who killed him, mainly because there were too many suspects. Ruddick attempts to pull things together, including the original inquest transcripts, letters to/from some of the suspects and their families, and testimony from their descendants. He presents what he believes is those responsible for the murder (and their motives) and it's up to you to decide whether he's correct.
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Subjects
Awards
Edgar Award (Nominee — Fact Crime — 2003)