The Invention of Murder

Murder in the 19th century was rare. But murder as sensation and entertainment became ubiquitous - transformed into novels, into broadsides and ballads, into theatre and melodrama and opera - even into puppet shows and performing dog-acts. In this meticulously researched and compelling book, Judith Flanders - author of THE VICTORIAN HOUSE - retells the gruesome stories of many different types of murder - both obscure and famous. With an irresistible cast including Jack the Ripper and Sweeney Todd, THE INVENTION OF MURDER is both a gripping tale of crime and punishment, and history at its most readable.