Sir David Napley - The Camden Town Murder - Weidenfeld and Nicolson - 1987

 

Sir David Napley - The Camden Town Murder - Weidenfeld and Nicolson - 1987

In the W&N `Great Murder Trials of the 20th Century` series

This non-fiction book came to me as a spontaneous gift from my son, who spotted it on a charity book stall in a supermarket.

Prior to that, I had no knowledge of either the author or the case in question. 

I did google Sir David Napley out of curiosity but I avoided reading anything else about the case in question until I had finished the book.

The book concerns the 1907 trial of Robert Wood, accused of murdering a young prostitute.

Sir David provides an articulate and readable account, stopping along the way to explain various points of interest relating to British legal history that have bearing on the case.

Those of you who have read accounts online that suggest Mr Wood was provided with a dazzling defence by Marshal Hall KC may feel that the truth is rather different.  

I`m not going to mention the outcome of the trial but I would certainly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in historical non-fiction crime/criminology.