Death at the Priory
I just finished Death at the Priory: Sex, Love, and Murder in Victorian England by James Ruddick. I liked this book more than Fasting Girl. Same time period, but different subject matter and the mystery is solved in the end - sort of. Ruddick starts by telling the story of the murder by poisoning of Charles Bravo. The story has a little bit of everything, a torrid pre-marriage affair between Florence Campbell and Dr. Gulley (a man old enough to be her father), not one - but two abusive husbands, servants who are not what they appear. The author uses the last half of the book to summarize how he did his research and his conclusions on who the murderer was. While his theory is sound enough, it is the delivery of his conclusions that bothers me. He makes his statements in absolutes, as though there are no other explanations that fit the circumstances of the crime. I found myself thinking, "but what about..." . It really seems to me that there are several possible solutions to this mystery, and after reading the book, I don't feel that Ruddick got any closer to the truth than previous investigators. It was an enjoyable read though.
1 comment:
I read this book as a project, and I thought it was really good. I felt he had explained most everything throughly, but there were a few unanswered questions. I would recommend this to read.
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