Death in Disguise: The Amazing True Story of the Chelsea Murders

By Gary Powell

Victorian Chelsea was a thriving commercial and residential development, known for its grand houses and pleasant garden squares. Violent crime was unheard of in this leafy suburb. The double murder of an elderly man of God and his faithful housekeeper in two ferocious, bloody attacks in May of 1870 therefore shook the residents of Chelsea to the core. This volume examines the extraordinary case, one which could have leapt straight from the pen of Agatha Christie herself: the solving of the crime relied on the discovery of a packing box dripping with blood, and the capture of a mysterious French nephew. Compiled by a former detective, it looks at the facts: no direct evidence to place the suspect at either of the crime scenes; no weapon recovered; no motive substantiated. It lets you, the reader, decide: would you, on the evidence presented, have sent the same man to the gallows?

• Language: English
• Publisher: The History Press
• Release date: Oct 6, 2014
• ISBN: 9780750960397

Gary Powell

Gary Powell is a former London detective who served with the British Transport Police, retiring after thirty-three years’ service. He is a frequent public speaker on his favourite subject: Britain’s criminal history. He is also a guide at St Paul’s Cathedral. He now lives in North Norfolk with his wife, Karen.