Over 10 days during the summer of 1895, 13-year-old Robert Coombes and his 12-year-old brother Nattie pawned family valuables to fund trips to the theatre and the seaside. During this time nobody saw or heard from their mother, though the boys told neighbours she was visiting relatives. As the sun beat down on the Coombes’ house, an awful smell began to emanate from the building. When the police were finally called to investigate, what they found sent the press into a frenzy of horror and alarm.

This book tells a fascinating true story of one of the most shocking criminal trials to take place in Victorian London. It’s hard to say too much about the plot without giving away what happens, but suffice to say that this shocking story of violence and morality is sure to satisfy your true crime cravings.

Through the story of Robert and Nattie, Summerscale branches out to take a look at the wider context of Victorian life. We not only see the culture of the time – the penny dreadfuls and trashy novels that were said to inspire both murders and suicides – but also what life would have been like for those who were trapped by their circumstances of birth. We glimpse life in the claustrophobic alleys of east London, children’s experience of school, life working aboard a freight ship, the routines of a mental asylum, and fighting on the front line in World War II.

These combine to give us a fascinating overview of life in Victorian times, with one consequence being that we sometimes lose sight of the characters at the heart of the book. There were obviously large parts of the story where Summerscale couldn’t find much research about Robert and Nattie – at least not in their own words – and there are times when the detail becomes a little overwhelming (do we really need to know the history of the cricketers playing when the brothers went to Lord’s?).

Summerscale does a fantastic job of presenting all sides of the story so the reader is forced to make up their own mind about what they think really happened. The story takes us beyond the crime itself, through the trial and the aftermath and the ripple effect it had on all those involved. We learn what the newspapers were printing about the story, the theories medical experts put forward, and the shock and suspicion it aroused among the public. The period detail is fantastic and the real-life story of redemption Summerscale tells makes it all the more fascinating.

I would highly recommend this book to true crime fans. Some might find the lack of answers annoying, but I found it to be an entertaining and absorbing read.