#TopTenTuesday Historical True Crime Novels #TuesdayBookBlog

Posted on by whatcathyreadnext

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish and now hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.

The rules are simple:

  • Each Tuesday, Jana assigns a new topic. Create your own Top Ten list that fits that topic – putting your unique spin on it if you want.
  • Everyone is welcome to join but please link back to That Artsy Reader Girl in your own Top Ten Tuesday post.
  • Add your name to the Linky widget on that day’s post so that everyone can check out other bloggers’ lists.
  • Or if you don’t have a blog, just post your answers as a comment.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is a freebie on the topic of Genre. I’ve gone for historical true crime fiction, in other words novels based on or inspired by real life crime cases. Links from each title will take you to my review or the book description on Goodreads.

Benbecula by Graeme Macrae Burnet – based on the case of Angus MacPhee, a labourer on the island of Benbecula, who murdered his father, mother and aunt in July 1857
A Granite Silence by Nina Allan – based on the murder of eight-year-old Helen Priestly in Aberdeen in 1934
Green Ink by Stephen May – based on the case of Victor Grayson who vanished one night in September 1920, the circumstances around his disappearance remaining unknown to this day
The Mouthless Dead by Anthony Quinn – inspired by the murder of Julia Wallace in 1931, a crime which remains unsolved to this day
This Mortal Boy by Fiona Kidman – based on the case of Albert Black who was sentenced to death for killing a man in apparent self-defence in 1955
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent – the story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, condemned to death for the murder of two men and who became the last woman put to death in Iceland
The Manningtree Witches by A. K. Blakemore – based on the case of a group of women accused of witchcraft by the so-called Witchfinder General, Matthew Hopkins, in 17th century England
Hear No Evil by Sarah Smith – inspired by the 19th century case of a young deaf women, Jean Campbell, accused of the murder of her child
The Murder of Harriet Monckton by Elizabeth Haynes – inspired by the case of 23-year-old Harriet Monckton found dead by poison in the privy behind the chapel she attended in Bromley, Kent in November 1843
The Unspeakable Acts of Zina Pavlou by Eleni Kryiacou – inspired by the true story of Hella Dorothea Christofis who was murdered by her mother-in-law in July 1954

Are there other historical novels based on real life crime cases you’ve read?

24 thoughts on “#TopTenTuesday Historical True Crime Novels #TuesdayBookBlog”

  1. I immediately thought of Harriet Monckton when I saw your topic so I’m glad to see it on your list. I’ve been meaning to re-read Burial Rites for ages, and will definitely check out some of the other ones.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Just ordered Hear No Evil, sounds intriguing.

    There was an interesting interview with Lottie Moggach yesterday on BBC Radio 4 Start the Week. Her historical novel Mrs Pearcey was inspired by a Victoria real life crime. It’s set in Camden, North London. .

    Liked by 1 person

      3. Prime example – I’ve just seen your review of The Shock of the Light. I felt sure I would love it and I just couldn’t get into it at all. I had to DNF (maybe I’ll revisit it another time).

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