The Wicked Boy: True Crime Story of Victorian London Murder | Historical Nonfiction Book for True Crime Fans & History Buffs | Perfect for Book Clubs & Dark Tourism Enthusiasts

In the summer of 1895 London was rocked by news of yet another "Crime of the Century," the inevitable catchphrase used by nineteenth century newspapers seeking to increase their readership in a population whose literacy rate had increased dramatically thanks to universal state education. The Plaistow Tragedy was particularly gruesome: a thirteen year old boy and his twelve year old brother had apparently murdered their mother while she slept in their small East London home. Their father was halfway across the Atlantic working as a ship steward, and the boys were on their own for about ten days, attending cricket matches, going to the seashore and the theater, and eating in coffee houses. When a suspicious aunt finally forced her way into the house she was horrified to find their mother's decomposing body still in her bedroom.The investigation and trial that followed was covered in great detail by the London newspapers. Almost immediately 13 year old Robert Coombes was singled out as the actual murderer. During his trial allegations of family violence and abuse of the boys alternated with lurid speculation on the role Robert's natural depravity (his brain was said to be too large for his skull by one doctor) and on the effect reading sensational penny dreadfuls had on the nation's youth. So-called experts claimed that an entire generation of working class youth had been ruined by being educated above their station. In the end Robert was found guilty of murder and then sent to the insane asylum at Broadmoor. He was released after 17 years and eventually emigrated to Australia, where he joined the armed forces and served at Gallipoli and in France, then returned to Australia where he lived quietly gardening and keeping to himself until, towards the end of his life, he was able to assist a young boy in an intolerable situation.Kate Summerscale excells in her ability to research and relate the stories of long forgotten Victorian tragedies. The Wicked Boy is as compelling a read as her earlier The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher. Readers learn a great deal about late Victorian society and about life in London's East End, where even middle class families like the Coombes were relegated to meager existences in long rows of identical small houses, working in noisy factories and dealing with squalor on all sides.I could hardly put The Wicked Boy down. While it is impossible to say for certain what actually caused young Robert to murder his mother in 1895, Summerscale's research, which is evident in her lengthy and fascinating Notes, does allow us to speculate. I was intrigued to learn that Broadmoor's administrators actually tried to help their inmates rather than just keeping them locked away from society, and the sections on Robert's life in Australia and his service in World War I were equally interesting. Most of all, I enjoyed reading about Robert's role in saving a young boy from a brutal home life. The Epilogue, in which Summerscale describes her efforts to track that boy (now an elderly man) and his family down, will undoubtedly leave readers wiping away a tear or two.