• About
  • Book Recommendations
  • Sebastian
  • The Black Eagle Inn
  • The Luck of The Weissensteiners

writerchristophfischer

~ Books, Reviews and bookish thoughts

writerchristophfischer

Tag Archives: murder

Mystery Mondays “The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer”

16 Monday Jan 2017

Posted by Christoph Fischer in Uncategorized

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

history, Kate Summerscale, murder, review, The Economist, Victorian

 

Source: The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer

Mystery Mondays: The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer

Posted by Nicholas C. Rossis in History, Interviews Features and Reviews

 

While I wait for your feedback on what kind of posts to focus on this year, I will kick off this year’s posts with a seemingly unusual question: What do you get when you combine history with a murder mystery?

Answer: The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer; a true story of redemption and a well-researched book by Kate Summerscale.

The Wicked Boy by Kate Summerscale | From the blog of Nicholas C. Rossis, author of science fiction, the Pearseus epic fantasy series and children's books

Click to view on Amazon

In the summer of 1895, Robert Coombes (age 13) and his brother Nattie (age 12) were seen spending lavishly around the docklands of East London — for ten days in July, they ate out at coffee houses and took trips to the seaside and the theater. The boys told neighbors they had been left home alone while their mother visited family in Liverpool, but their aunt was suspicious. When she eventually forced the brothers to open the house to her, she found the badly decomposed body of their mother in a bedroom upstairs. Robert and Nattie were arrested for matricide and sent for trial at the Old Bailey.

Robert openly confessed to having stabbed his mother, but his lawyers argued that he was insane. Nattie struck a plea and gave evidence against his brother. The court heard testimony about Robert’s severe headaches, his fascination with violent criminals and his passion for ‘penny dreadfuls’, the pulp fiction of the day. He seemed to feel no remorse for what he had done, and neither the prosecution nor the defense could find a motive for the murder.

At his trial, Robert said it was because their mother had been beating Nattie. Emily was known to vacillate between doting indulgence and violent rages. As he faced the prospect of hanging, he became “skittish, excited”, but despite the urgings of the gutter press, who branded him a “half-formed monster”, the jury was merciful. He was declared insane and sent to Broadmoor, joining 11 other men committed for matricide.

As described in The Economist, late-Victorian Broadmoor is portrayed by Summerscale as a pastoral idyll, where patients, free of all responsibility, entered a “suspended existence, with little reference to the past or the future”. The tranquil setting and dependable pattern of the days seem to have had a steadying effect on Robert. He learned tailoring, and to play the violin and cornet. In 1912, when he was 30, he was released. He emigrated to Australia, then served with distinction as a stretcher-bearer at Gallipoli.

And there this strange tale might end, except that Summerscale is able to add one final, heart-stopping twist, and the murderer Robert Coombes finally wins our admiration and affection.

[tweetthis]The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer[/tweetthis]

Advertisement

“Murder Most Deadly” by Simon Okill

02 Friday Jan 2015

Posted by Christoph Fischer in Reviews

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

horror, Humour, murder, review, Simon Okill

“Murder Most Deadly” by Simon Okill is a fun-filled horror story that will have you in stitches. 23634121

Blurb: “It is an earthy British horror comedy in the style of Carry On, Monty Python, Blackadder all wrapped up in a Hammer Film.

Bianca Penhale, celebrity author, has a dark secret that must be protected at all costs. Her delightful Cornish fishing village is proud to have her, but the gossips have already started. Then Maldini the Magician discovers her secret and blackmails her. This triggers Bianca’s dark side but Maldini has a few tricks up his sleeve.

Bianca’s troubles go viral when her conniving cousin, Hugh, arrives begging for money. His devious antics attract all manner of problems that soon spirals out of control, sending poor Bianca into despair.

And if things weren’t bad enough, she must do battle with witches, ghosts, werewolves, vampires, zombies and Piskies. Bianca’s once cosy life has been turned upside down. Can she hold on to her dark side and survive the onslaught?”

Just like the publicity for this story promises, there is a distinct hint of Hammer Horror in this, although better plotting and characters that are a little more evolved than Hammer occasionally delivered.
Set in Cornwall, which has its own history of ghosts and spook, the story centers around the Bianca and her boyfriend, failed Magician Maldini, who soon turns into an enemy. This murderous and thrilling mayhem will scare you as well as it entertains and keeps you at the edge of your seat. Okill has a unique talent for combining hilarious fun with darker elements and proves that genre crossing can work.
A truly great read and a must for fans of hammer, horror and dark comedies.

Find the book on Amazon UK and Amazon US

Link to my interview with Simon and a link to my feature on his other work

Simon on Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/tassyoneill
his website
http://facebook.com/simondokillwriter
twitter username
SimonOKill

SImon author pic
Simon Okill lives with his wife, Shirlee Anne in a pretty coastal town in South Wales, UK. After a serious accident at work, he was forced into early retirement due to disability. Simon used his newfound skills as a writer to help with his depression. His writing became more serious as certain A-list actors expressed interest in his scripts.He is presently working on his teen adventure series Phantom Bigfoot Series.Phantom Bigfoot Strikes Again is book #1 of the series where superhero Duane Dexter has to use all his powers to save the day in Big Beaver.Phantom Bigfoot & The Vampettes from Venus is #2 where Duane must use his powers to save Big Beaver from sexy space vampire.Phantom Bigfoot & The Haunted House #3 has Duane outfoxed by a devious spook, full of paranormal romance.

Luna Sanguis is the story of Eternal, a 19 year old woman – an amnesiac vampire treated in an asylum in France 1925.

Luna Aeturnus follows hot on its heels as Eternal must face her dreaded enemy in a battle of the vampires.

SSteppenwolf is a supernatural retelling of WWII involving the Occult Warfare department run by Himmler.

‘Flip Side’ is one of Simon’s most exciting screenplays to date with its unusual slant on a supernatural gangster story that encompasses music and dynamic dance sequences to portray the action. The script has been optioned by Tasha Bertram of Brodie Films and Stuart St Paul has come on board to direct and co produce this fascinating piece of work.

Apart from ‘Flip Side’ Simon has several screenplays all in varying stages of development and predevelopment.

‘Nightmare Circus’ is a supernatural revenge mystery script set in the Australian outback.

‘Dark House’ another of Simon’s screenplays set in Massachusetts, US, where a lonely female artist must overcome her agoraphobia to escape from three kidnappers holed up in a haunted house.

‘Circus of Blood’ is a horror script set in Rome AD79.

‘Hunter’s Moon’ is a contemporary supernatural western script set on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall.

The Last Warlord is set during WWII and tells of Major Stewart of MI6 who must find the Nazi’s secret Atlantis base in Antarctica or the entire world will be doomed. Currently in the hands of a major Hollywood producer.

 

“The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club: Unleashed” by Duncan Whitehead

25 Saturday Oct 2014

Posted by Christoph Fischer in Reviews, Uncategorized

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

author, Duncan Whitehead, Gordonston, Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club, Humour, murder, review, Savannah, suspense, thriller, writer

51EvEZGANPL._AA278_PIkin4,BottomRight,-46,22_AA300_SH20_OU01_ “The Gordonston Ladies Dog Walking Club: Unleashed” by Duncan Whitehead is a long awaited sequel and one that does not disappoint.

Once again we are served a cocktail of clever plotting, comic and suspenseful entertainment and colourful characters in an intriguing and original setting.
This time we start with a secret nightly burial, setting the tone for the secretive and murderous atmosphere in the outwardly peaceful neighbourhood of Gordonston, Savannah. Who does not have a secret, hidden agenda or a mysterious past in this novel?
A lot is going on in the neighbourhood these days, for example. Elliott is running for Major, Cindy expects her nephew returning from Africa and the gossip still focuses on missing people and romantic liaisons – so life is busy as usual.
The same can be said for a certain organisation that, for a fee, will resolve some of your problems for you, and which – lately – is getting a lot of business from the Gordonston neighbourhood. images
“Unleashed” is fantastic as a sequel. It brings back some of the familiar and successful formula of intrigue, suspense, great characters and the hugely entertaining dynamics of the dog walking club; yet it introduces new characters, new themes and then blends them with the old through some unexpected twists, connections and turns of events. The plotting is excellently done and surprised me many times throughout reading the book. I would have been happy with a simple formula repetition since I enjoyed the first book so much, but Whitehead has simply used it as a stepping stone for a much more evolved and complex novel, unleashing the full potential of old and new. Threads you thought were tied up are not, so always expect the unexpected. There are some great stereotypes and hilarious moments but don’t fear that it is all mindless entertainment. Some characters show depth and serious reflections, adding a more thoughtful note and class to the story. 
Sharp, witty and well written this should sweep awards and nominations as easily as its predecessor did. For fans of crime fiction with a humorous tone I couldn’t recommend this highly enough and this is saying something since I don’t often get excited over crime fiction. 
Six out of five stars.
download
Find the book on Amazon US and Amazon UK
and my previous posts on Duncan and Book One in the series and The Reluctant Jesus
Links:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16174821-the-gordonston-ladies-dog-walking-club

http://www.amazon.com/Gordonston-Ladies-Walking-Club-ebook/dp/B00AHHODH2/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1375203238&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Gordonston-Ladies-Walking-Club-ebook/dp/B00AHHODH2/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1375203266&sr=1-1

http://www.thegordonstonladiesdogwalkingclub.com/
https://www.facebook.com/TheGordonstonLadiesDogWalkingClub 
https://twitter.com/DuncanWhitehead
http://www.amazon.com/Duncan-Whitehead/e/B00AQIPK2O
DUNCAN WHITEHEAD
AUTHOR
THEGORDONSTONLADIESDOGWALKINGCLUB.COM
THE GORDONSTON LADIES DOG WALKING CLUB ON AMAZON  

THE GORDONSTON LADIES DOG WALKING CLUB ON FACEBOOK

FOLLOW ON TWITTER

download (1)

Duncan was born in England in 1967. After a successful career in the Royal Navy where he served in British Embassies throughout South America and saw service in the Gulf War he joined the world of super yachts as a Purser onboard some of the world’s largest private vessels, working for many high profile individuals, being fortunate enough to visit some of the world’s most luxurious and exotic places.

Eventually retiring to Savannah, Georgia, he began to partake of his greatest passion, writing. Initially writing short stories he finally put pen to paper and wrote THE GORDONSTON LADIES WALKING CLUB, inspired by the quirky characters and eeriness of his new environment. The book, a thriller, which boasts an assortment of characters and plot twists, is set in the leafy neighborhood where he lived.

His passion for comedy saw submissions to many online satire news sites and a stint performing as a stand- up comedian.

He is a former boxer, representing the Royal Navy and an English under 19 team as an amateur and is a qualified teacher of English as a foreign language as well as a former accomplished children’s soccer coach.

In 2011 Duncan returned to South America, spending six months in Brazil and a few months in Paraguay before travelling to the Middle-East and Europe before returning to the United States to settle in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

He is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese and lists his hobbies and passions as cooking, the Israeli self defense art of Krav Maga and the pressure point martial art Dim- Mak.

Duncan has written over 2,000 spoof and comedy news articles, under various aliases, for an assortment of web sites both in the US and UK. images (1)

Follow writerchristophfischer on WordPress.com

Recent Posts

  • Book review – Over My Dead Body: Murder at #Eurovision by Christoph Fischer
  • Into The Fire: A Poet’s Journey through Hell’s Kitchen
  • New Novel – Emmet and Me
  • 2021 Programme
  • Review: “Adventure in Mythopeia” by John Dolan

Archives

  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • March 2012

Categories

  • Reviews
  • Uncategorized

Meta

  • Register
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy
  • Follow Following
    • writerchristophfischer
    • Join 3,046 other followers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • writerchristophfischer
    • Customize
    • Follow Following
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...