The Five

By the Baillie Gifford prize-winning and No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of THE FIVE'A fascinating expose of the seamy side of eighteenth century life' MAIL ON SUNDAY'Rubenhold's pages practically reek with smelly, pox-ridden Georgian Soho' GUARDIAN-------------------------------------------------------In 1757, a down-and-out Irish poet, the head waiter at the Shakespear's Head Tavern in Covent Garden, and a celebrated London courtesan became bound together by the publication of a little book: Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies. This salacious work - detailing the names and 'specialities' of the capital's sex-workers- became one of the eighteenth century's most scandalous bestsellers.Yet beyond its titillating passages lies a glimpse into the lives of those who lived and died by its profits - a tragicomic opera of the Georgian era, motivated by poverty, passionate love, aspiration and shame.In this modern and visceral narrative, historian Hallie Rubenhold reveals the story behind Harris's List of Covent Garden Ladies, and the legion of ordinary women whose lives in the sex trade history has chosen to ignore. 'Scrupulously researched' DAILY TELEGRAPH'Crackles with drama and tension' GUARDIAN'Compelling and ingenious' INDEPENDENTWHAT READERS ARE SAYING:'This book is an absolute 'must'-read for any person interested in English social history' 5 ****'Fascinating' 5 ****'Brilliant. Full of intelligent insight which brings this period to vibrant life' 5 ****________**PRE-ORDER THE AUTHOR'S BRAND NEW WORK, STORY OF A MURDER**'Terrific' Ian Rankin'I dare you to put it down' Lucy Worsley'Fascinating' Val McDermid

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERThe new page-turning, feminist retelling of the historical true-crime story of infamous wife-murderer Dr Crippen, brought to justice by an extraordinary group of women.FROM THE AWARD-WINNING, SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING HISTORIAN AND AUTHOR OF TRUE CRIME SENSATION THE FIVE: THE WOMEN KILLED BY JACK THE RIPPER, WINNER OF THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION.___________'Thoughtful, humane, gripping. The kind of popular history you devour in one sitting' Sunday Times, Dominic Sandbrook'A finely layered portrait of a hypocritical Edwardian society' Financial Times'An exceptional achievement. I was gripped from the very first page' The Secret Barrister, Sunday Times bestselling author'I couldn't put it down' Bonnie Garmus, bestselling author of Lessons in Chemistry'Under her pen, history comes alive' Professor Dame Sue Black___________No murderer should ever be the keeper of their victim's story ...On 1 February, 1910, vivacious music-hall performer, Belle Elmore, suddenly vanished from her north London home, causing alarm among her circle of female friends, the entertainers of the Music Hall Ladies' Guild who demanded an immediate investigation.They could not have known what they would provoke: the unearthing of a gruesome secret, followed by a fevered manhunt for the prime suspect: Belle's husband, medical fraudster, Dr Hawley Harvey Crippen.Hiding in the shadows of this evergreen tale is Crippen's typist and lover, Ethel Le Neve - was she really just 'an innocent young girl' in thrall to a powerful older man as so many people have since reported?In this epic examination of one of the most infamous murders of the twentieth century, prizewinning social historian Hallie Rubenhold gives voice to those who have never properly been heard - the women.Featuring a carnival cast of eccentric entertainers, glamorous lawyers, zealous detectives, medics and liars, STORY OF A MURDER is meticulously researched and multi-layered, offering the reader an electrifying snapshot of Britain and America at the dawn of the modern era.___________PRAISE FOR STORY OF A MURDER:'Gripping and eye-opening' I-news, Book to Watch Out For'Reads like a great thriller. I inhaled it' Bella Mackie, bestselling author of How to Kill Your Family'A unique combination of sleuthing, storytelling and compassion' Lucy Worsley, bestselling author and historian'Fascinating. It's about time Belle became the hero of her own story' Val McDermid, bestselling author of the Karen Pirie series'As compelling as any crime drama' S J Parris, bestselling author of the Giordano Bruno series'I had my hand over my wide-open mouth...I can't recommend it more: I will be thinking about it for a very long time. Rachel Joyce, bestselling author of The Homemade God and Harold Fry'Takes us beyond the world of Dr Crippen into the lives impacted by him and the society in which he moved. Terrific' Ian Rankin, bestselling author of the Rebus series'Compelling to the very last page' Denise Mina, award-winning author of Reese's Book Club pick, Conviction'Does for the Crippen Murder case what THE FIVE did for the victims of Jack the Ripper. Forensic research and insistent sympathetic writing. I loved it' PROFESSOR DAVID WILSON, BBC 1, The CrimeSquad'Breathtaking. Rubenhold has not only produced a thrilling reassessment of a notorious crime, but an impressive portrait of an age' Spectator

Five women who were killed by Jack the Ripper are imbued with the proper human complexity often removed from their parts in accounts of the notorious Victorian crime. Praised by the "Spectator" as 'an outstanding work of history-from-below'. (lib)