The Romford Outrage: The Murder of Inspector Thomas Simmons, 1885

by Linda Rhodes, Kathryn Abnett

Following the success of their prize-winning account of the infamous killing of PC George Clark - The Dagenham Murder - Linda Rhodes and Kathryn Abnett now reconstruct, in vivid detail, another sensational Victorian murder case. Inspector Thomas Simmons was shot and fatally wounded near Romford in January 1885, and the search for his killers culminated in a second police murder, this time in far-off Cumbria. In tracing the course of the crime - and the country-wide manhunt, court cases and executions that followed - the characters and methods of Simmons and his fellow officers are revealed, as are the desperate criminal careers of the killers. This meticulously researched, graphic and highly readable case study gives a rich insight into the dark side of late Victorian England.

Linda Rhodes and Kathryn Abnett are the authors of two previous true crime books. The Dagenham Murder, written in collaboration with Lee Shelden, won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction in 2006. Their most recent title is Foul Deeds and Suspicious Deaths in Barking, Dagenham & Chadwell Heath, published by Wharncliffe in October 2007.

259 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 20, 2012

Reviews

[Pauly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating look at a crime commited not far from where I live 133 years ago. This crime was completely unknown to me, so it has been a real eye-opener. The authors have done a great deal of research in to the crime itself and the backgrounds and eventual fates of all involved.

This probably wouldn't grab most as much as me, but it is fascinating to read of events down roads, junctions and pubs that I know well so many years ago.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Romford Outrage by Linda Rhodes and Kathryn Abnett is set in the year 1885 and tells the story of Inspector Thomas Simmons who was shot whilst on duty.

Having a interest in reading true crime books especially those written about crimes committed in the 1800s,I was quite surprised and pleased to came across a case I haven't heard of or read about before. And I was not disappointed the book was well researched and well written. The writers do a wonderful job of bring the characters, sights, sounds and smells of Victorian Romford to life. They describe in detail the difficulties faced by the Victorian police force in the pursuit of criminals in an age before forensic science.

Highly recommended

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting, gripping account of the murders of two police officers in Victorian times. As a former local I was interested to read about what Romford was like in Victorian times.