Did She Kill Him?: A Victorian Tale of Deception, Adultery, and Arsenic

By Kate Colquhoun

In the summer of 1889, young Southern belle Florence Maybrick stood trial for the alleged arse-nic poisoning of her much older husband, Liverpool cotton merchant James Maybrick. The “Maybrick Mystery” had all the makings of a sensation: a pretty, flirtatious young girl; resentful, gossiping servants; rumors of gambling and debt; and tor-rid mutual infidelity. The case cracked the varnish of Victorian respectability, shocking and exciting the public in equal measure as they clambered to read the latest revelations of Florence’s past and glimpse her likeness in Madame Tussaud’s.

Florence’s fate was fiercely debated in the courtroom, on the front pages of the newspapers and in parlours and backyards across the country. Did she poison her husband? Was her previous in-fidelity proof of murderous intentions? Was James’ own habit of self-medicating to blame for his de-mise? Historian Kate Colquhoun recounts an utterly absorbing tale of addiction, deception and adultery that keeps you asking to the very last page, “Did she kill him?”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Release date: Oct 30, 2014
• ISBN: 9781468310344

Kate Colquhoun

Kate Colquhoun lives in west London and is a keen gardener. ‘A Thing in Disguise’ is her first book.

Reviews for Did She Kill Him?

[wyvernfriend · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Well I still don't know. The author presents all the evidence from the time and some that came out later and still doesn't know. Her husband didn't display all the symptoms of Arsenic poisoning, and in fact he was taking Arsenic before that as a medicine, he seems to have been a hypochondriac and is possibly a good example of fatal drug interactions, leading to death.Florence Maybrick was a southern belle, whose mother brought her to England to find a husband, which she did. James Maybrick was older than her and his servants didn't really like her, so when another man showed her some affection she embraced a chance at love. This didn't work and then suddenly her husband becomes ill and begins a marathon illness where her care was questioned and suspicions of murder build. During the case there was a lot of emphasis on her adultery, making her dishonest and makes the judge convinced of her guilt. His competence is later questioned. Interesting real-life murder mystery with no solution.

[jlsimon7 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This story was satisfying in the way it was researched, and frustrating in that Florence is convicted based on her sexuality more than her guilt of murder. One would like to believe that in today's courts that a woman could not be convicted on such evidence. It seems to me there just wasn't enough proof to even establish that her husband James was murdered, let alone by Florence.

I think I would recommend this book for people who enjoy a historical research novel, and those who are passionate about women's issues and the progression of women's rights.

[stephengoldenberg · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Undoubtedly a fascinating late Victorian murder trial, but I feel that this book takes this popular mini-genre a step too far. Firstly, I found the lengthy novelistic descriptive passages irritating. If you want to turn a real life case into a novel then do so (as was done successfully with 'A Pin to See the Peepshow) but if you're writing popular history, stick to the facts.
Secondly, this is another example of a book in severe need of a good editor. It's about 100 pages too long. The author's musings on the position of middle class women, their unhappy marriages and public attitudes to their sexual behaviour are interesting but repeated several times in the book. Thirdly, the trial itself lacks tension because of the lengthy and repetitive detail of all the medicines/poisons administered or not .
Since it's obvious from the start that the author doesn't think Florence Maybrick murdered her husband, the book would have been better titled 'Will they find her guilty?'.
Having said all that, it's not a bad read - especially when explaining the extraordinary range of semi-lethal medicines available to hypochondriac Victorians containing strychnine, arsenic, opium or cocaine.

[bhowell_35 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A riveting story of a famous British criminal trial -- I read it in 2 evenings.