The Trial of Dr Crippen: A Drop of Poison ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Trial of Dr Crippen: A Drop of Poison by Matt Richards


NetGalley

A Trial of the Century witnessed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

In the dock: a quiet American doctor accused of mutilation and murder.

A 90-minute standalone audiobook in the tradition of a radio play.

In 1910, Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen stood trial for the murder of his wife, the music-hall performer Belle Elmore, after human remains were discovered beneath the cellar floor of their London home. What followed was one of the first great media manhunts of the twentieth century: a transatlantic pursuit to Canada aboard a steamship, the revolutionary use of wireless telegraphy, and a trial watched by a public gripped by fascination and unease.

Drawn from the original Old Bailey trial transcripts and contemporary reporting, this production recreates the key exchanges between prosecution and defence: the forensic examination of the remains, the testimony surrounding a troubled marriage, and the steady, methodical dismantling of the accused in open court. The proceedings reveal not only the legal strategies deployed on both sides, but also the atmosphere of Edwardian London as science, celebrity, and sensational journalism converged.

The Trial of Dr Crippen is the second title in the Trials of the Century series, following The Trial of Leopold and Loeb and preceding The Trial of Patty Hearst (released Summer 2026).

Genre: History, Mystery & Thriller, True Crime, Non Fiction

The How/Why: NetGalley Sponsored Spotlight :Listen Now:
It's a quick one so I thought it would be a good bridge between my last thriller and my next fiction. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

🎉 Overall Enjoyment? 🎉🎉🎉🎉

🎣 Did it grab and keep my attention? 🎣🎣🎣🎣

🗣️Would I recommend it to anyone? Maybe 🤷 If you like historical true crime on trial

🕮 Would I want a sequel? No ➖ Not necessary

📚 Would I want to read more books by this author? Maybe 🤷 

💣💥 📢 Content Warnings? Google says: MŪrdɇr, DɇaṪh, Vi0lɇncɇ

🌶 Spice? No

🌪 Plot Twist? No

👟 Pace? Good

💻 Tidbits ~ Interesting case. 1910 murder trial. His wife disappeared. Human remains were found in his home. He left the country with his young mistress. 

Forensic science lead to his conviction and he was sentenced to death by hanging. He maintained his innocence and made no last minute confession. 

Not a spoiler because it's history: In 2007, modern DNA technology results indicated the remains could not have been those of his wife's as there was no match to any of her relatives. Even worse... the remains were of a male!!!

That leaves two unanswered questions: What happened to Belle Elmore and whose dissected body was in Dr. Crippen's home?

I deducted one star because, although I enjoyed the Radio Drama Style and the cast of narrators was good, I had no idea who was speaking until well into their dialogue. Except the girlfriend because she had a young squeaky voice. That made it distracting as I was trying to figure out who it was rather than focusing on the conversation. 
Solid 4 stars for the fascinating trail being played out.  

🎧 Narrator: Cast

🎧1:15 hours 🕮 82 pages

Recently published March 27, 2026 but still available on NetGalley.

Thank you NetGalley and Classic Crime for the free ALC in exchange for my honest review.

A close-up of a logo AI-generated content may be incorrect.






15 and counting 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Weekend Crashers ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Image
The Weekend Crashers by Jamie Brenner G👀dreads A knitting retreat gets knotty in this humorous and poignant novel about love, second chances, and the unyielding bonds between mothers and daughters. Maggie Hodges and her daughter Piper are looking forward to a restful knitting retreat in the picturesque village of New Hope, Pennsylvania. But instead, they are surprised to find themselves sharing their charming riverside inn with a rowdy bushcraft bachelor party. Undaunted by the clash of interests and personalities, Maggie suggests a lighthearted competition—a battle of crafts—that sparks a rivalry between the two groups, and perhaps something more. But as the weekend unfolds, old mistakes and buried resentments begin to surface, threatening to destroy Maggie and Piper’s cherished connection. In knitting, one can easily fix mistakes by picking apart each stitch and starting anew. But life’s tangles aren’t so easily mended. With tensions rising and the retreat coming to a close, Maggie ...
Read more

The Woman with the Cure ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Image
The Woman with the Cure   by Lynn Cullen  G👀dreads In 1940s and ’50s America, polio is as dreaded as the atomic bomb. No one’s life is untouched by this disease that kills or paralyzes its victims, particularly children. Outbreaks of the virus across the country regularly put American cities in lockdown. Some of the world’s best minds are engaged in the race to find a vaccine. The man who succeeds will be a God. But Dorothy Horstmann is not focused on beating her colleagues to the vaccine. She just wants the world to have a cure. Applying the same determination that lifted her from a humble background as the daughter of immigrants, to becoming a doctor – often the only woman in the room-she hunts down the monster where it lurks: in the blood. This discovery of hers, and an error by a competitor, catapults her closest colleague to a lead in the race. When his chance to win comes on a worldwide scale, she is asked to sink or validate his vaccine—and to decide what is forgivable...
Read more

The Siren's Cursed Kiss ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Image
The Siren's Cursed Kiss by Kat Kinney  A.R.T. =  Tiffany Vanlandingham's  Audiobook Review Team pick. I received this audiobook as member of her ART in exchange for an honest review. G👀dreads EVERWOOD FALLS… a small supernatural community tucked up in the Colorado Rockies where witches, werewolves and vampires can live without fear of discovery, and those with curses they can’t control are sent to keep the existence of magic from being revealed to Mundanes. Green witch Sage Summers is no stranger to curses. The night her power manifested, the park outside her apartment devoured a strip mall. Classified by the Magic High Council as too dangerous to live in the Mundane world, she’s made a life for herself in Everwood Falls with her organic produce, a weekly stand at the farmer’s market, and the best group of friends a witch could ever hope for. But isolation has also meant the loss of her family, as well as an ex-fiancé who decided to put her and Everwood Falls in his rear...
Read more