Murder at No. 4 Euston Square: The Mystery of the Lady in the Cellar
Sep 2018 · Quarto Publishing Group USA
4.5star
2 reviewsreport
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331
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About this ebook
A chilling true crime story of a baffling boarding house murder in Victorian London and the stunning secrets revealed by the investigation.
Someone must have known what happened to Matilda Hacker. For someone in that house had killed her. So how could the murderer prove so elusive?
Standing four storeys tall in an elegant Bloomsbury terrace, No. 4, Euston Square was a well-kept, respectable boarding house. But beneath this genteel Victorian London veneer lay murderous intrigue. On 9 May 1879, the body of a former resident, Matilda Hacker, was discovered by chance in the coal cellar. The ensuing investigation—led by Inspector Charles Hagen, rising star of the recently formed CID—stripped bare the dark side of Victorian domesticity.
In this true-crime story, Sinclair McKay meticulously evaluates the evidence in first-hand sources. His gripping account sheds new light on a mystery that eluded Scotland Yard.
Praise for Murder at No. 4 Euston Square
“With the gusto of a penny dreadful, Murder at No. 4 Euston Road dodges any stodgy courtroom testimony that can weigh down true crime stories and sticks to the juicy details. It is hard to avoid the comparison with Kate Summerscale’s The Suspicions of Mr Whicher and it has similar historical richness and plot twisting.” —The Spectator (UK)
“Sinclair McKay is an accomplished and talented author with a rare skill. . . . True crime fans and history buffs will enjoy this book, coming away with an enthralling true crime story and a new knowledge and understanding of Victorian London.” —Crime Traveller (UK)
“Gripping, gothic and deeply poignant.” —The Mail on Sunday (UK)
“A meticulously researched book.” —Brian Viner, Daily Mail (UK)
Someone must have known what happened to Matilda Hacker. For someone in that house had killed her. So how could the murderer prove so elusive?
Standing four storeys tall in an elegant Bloomsbury terrace, No. 4, Euston Square was a well-kept, respectable boarding house. But beneath this genteel Victorian London veneer lay murderous intrigue. On 9 May 1879, the body of a former resident, Matilda Hacker, was discovered by chance in the coal cellar. The ensuing investigation—led by Inspector Charles Hagen, rising star of the recently formed CID—stripped bare the dark side of Victorian domesticity.
In this true-crime story, Sinclair McKay meticulously evaluates the evidence in first-hand sources. His gripping account sheds new light on a mystery that eluded Scotland Yard.
Praise for Murder at No. 4 Euston Square
“With the gusto of a penny dreadful, Murder at No. 4 Euston Road dodges any stodgy courtroom testimony that can weigh down true crime stories and sticks to the juicy details. It is hard to avoid the comparison with Kate Summerscale’s The Suspicions of Mr Whicher and it has similar historical richness and plot twisting.” —The Spectator (UK)
“Sinclair McKay is an accomplished and talented author with a rare skill. . . . True crime fans and history buffs will enjoy this book, coming away with an enthralling true crime story and a new knowledge and understanding of Victorian London.” —Crime Traveller (UK)
“Gripping, gothic and deeply poignant.” —The Mail on Sunday (UK)
“A meticulously researched book.” —Brian Viner, Daily Mail (UK)
Ratings and reviews
4.5
2 reviews
Janice Tangen
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October 30, 2018
historical-places-events, historical-research, crime, women, social-history, London, England ***** This is a revisiting of a complex murder case discovered in 1879. The victim was found eighteen months after her death in the coal cellar of a rooming house in a respectable area of London,England. With due diligence the identity of the murdered woman was discovered, a process made unusually difficult because she preferred to dress and behave as an ingenue regardless of present age, took up residence under an interesting variety of names and had the finances to support this lifestyle. The family owning the house was put through intense scrutiny, potential murderers were put forth, and the new CID and its detectives were trampled by the press. There is much related about the era, the plight of skilled immigrants, and the great divide between classes. It quickly becomes evident that a whole lot of research has been done and turned into a book that is infinitely more readable than a thesis on historical criminality. I requested and received a free ebook copy from Quarto Publishing Group-White Lion Publishing via NetGalley.
About the author
SINCLAIR MCKAY is the acclaimed author of history and historical true crime including the best-selling The Secret Life of Bletchley Park. HIs previous Aurum titles include Mile End Murder, The Lost World of Bletchley Park, The Secret Life of Fighter Command and The Secret Listeners for Aurum, as well as histories of Hammer films and the James Bond films. He writes features for the Daily Telegraph and the Mail on Sunday and lives in London.
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