Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book.
This is the story of Robert Coombs, a teenager in London, who killed his mother in her sleep in 1985. We discover that Robert loved to read the Penny Dreadfuls of the day - cheap magazines that glorified violence and boys setting off for far-flung islands. We follow the story of Robert and his brother through their trial and life afterwards.
What struck me was the thought that no matter how much things change, they stay the same. Substitute violent video games and the internet for corrupting today's youth in place of the penny dreadfuls. Family violence and abuse continues as does the public's quest for details. I was astounded to read of how many thousands of people came out to see prisoners walked to trial - in a day when news would only have spread by word of mouth.
The story is meticulously researched - maybe a bit too much. I felt the story dragged reading about the backstories of all Robert's associates. I did get satisfaction with how the asylum treated its patients - something we should maybe take stock of today.
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