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Blood & Ivy: The 1849 Murder That Scandalized Harvard
On November 23rd of 1849, in the heart of Boston, one of the city’s richest men simply vanished. Dr. George Parkman, a Brahmin who owned much of Boston’s West End, was last seen that afternoon visiting his alma mater, Harvard Medical School. Police scoured city tenements and the harbor, and leads put the elusive Dr. Parkman at sea or hiding in Manhattan. But one Harvard janitor held a much darker that their ruthless benefactor had never left the Medical School building alive.
His shocking discoveries in a chemistry professor’s laboratory engulfed America in one of its most infamous The Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. John White Webster. A baffling case of red herrings, grave robbery, and dismemberment, it became a landmark case in the use of medical forensics and the meaning of reasonable doubt. Paul Collins brings nineteenth-century Boston back to life in vivid detail, weaving together newspaper accounts, letters, journals, court transcripts, and memoirs from this groundbreaking case.
Rich in characters and evocative in atmosphere, Blood Ivy explores the fatal entanglement of new science and old money in one of America’s greatest murder mysteries.
His shocking discoveries in a chemistry professor’s laboratory engulfed America in one of its most infamous The Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. John White Webster. A baffling case of red herrings, grave robbery, and dismemberment, it became a landmark case in the use of medical forensics and the meaning of reasonable doubt. Paul Collins brings nineteenth-century Boston back to life in vivid detail, weaving together newspaper accounts, letters, journals, court transcripts, and memoirs from this groundbreaking case.
Rich in characters and evocative in atmosphere, Blood Ivy explores the fatal entanglement of new science and old money in one of America’s greatest murder mysteries.
366 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 17, 2018
210 people are currently reading
3335 people want to read
About the author
Paul Collins
13 books279 followersPaul Collins is a writer specializing in history, memoir, and unusual antiquarian literature. His ten books have been translated into a dozen languages, and include Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books (2003) and The Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime that Scandalized a City and Sparked the Tabloid Wars (2011). He lives in Oregon, where he is Chair and Professor of English at Portland State University.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews
February 6, 2020
This almost reads like fiction....finding a dead body in a building dedicated to dead bodies....the dissecting lab of Harvard University Medical School. This crime rocked the city of Boston and Harvard U in 1849, especially when the body was that of a Harvard physician who was considered, as most Harvard men in that time were, a Brahmin (the upper class of society in Boston). To add insult to injury, the suspected murderer was also a Harvard professor and doctor. This just couldn't happen at Harvard.
Oh but it certainly did and Dr. John Webster, proclaiming his innocence, was arrested for the murder of Dr. George Parkman, even though the body was found in sections which could not be identified as a whole. The trial became a landmark for the introduction of forensic evidence to prove the identity of the victim.
The author does an admirable job of telling this strange and compelling history and even the trial descriptions keeps the reader on the edge of the seat. He does not even hint at the verdict until it is revealed at the very end......keeping the reader in suspense since it appears to be a toss-up between guilty/not guilty. Recommended for the fan of true crime.
Oh but it certainly did and Dr. John Webster, proclaiming his innocence, was arrested for the murder of Dr. George Parkman, even though the body was found in sections which could not be identified as a whole. The trial became a landmark for the introduction of forensic evidence to prove the identity of the victim.
The author does an admirable job of telling this strange and compelling history and even the trial descriptions keeps the reader on the edge of the seat. He does not even hint at the verdict until it is revealed at the very end......keeping the reader in suspense since it appears to be a toss-up between guilty/not guilty. Recommended for the fan of true crime.
January 7, 2019
Goodreads giveaway win
You had me at murder committed in 1849, Goodreads.
Dr. George Parkman disappeared after missing an appointment in the area of Harvard University. No one knew with whom the appointment was, not where he could have gone after leaving a head of lettuce on hold at a local store. A reward was offered and Harvard was searched. When the body was finally found and a suspect named the town was rocked to its core. Money of course was the motive. Parkman has much; the suspect bizarrely had none.
Dental evidence was introduced to identify the victim, which had never been used in an American capital case. The verdict was unanimous.
I found this case fascinating. Coming right off the scandal of buying bodies a little too fresh for dissection at the medical college, Harvard was once again making headlines it could not afford. It always amazes me that people think they can get away with murder. Shake my head.
You had me at murder committed in 1849, Goodreads.
Dr. George Parkman disappeared after missing an appointment in the area of Harvard University. No one knew with whom the appointment was, not where he could have gone after leaving a head of lettuce on hold at a local store. A reward was offered and Harvard was searched. When the body was finally found and a suspect named the town was rocked to its core. Money of course was the motive. Parkman has much; the suspect bizarrely had none.
Dental evidence was introduced to identify the victim, which had never been used in an American capital case. The verdict was unanimous.
I found this case fascinating. Coming right off the scandal of buying bodies a little too fresh for dissection at the medical college, Harvard was once again making headlines it could not afford. It always amazes me that people think they can get away with murder. Shake my head.
August 9, 2018
True crime is not my usual genre, in fact, I think Devil in the White City is the only other true crime book I’ve read. For fans of that book, I recommend you give Collins a try.
Blood and Ivy has that interesting narrative style of a lot of modern history books like Devil in the White City. Collins has an extensive list of references—over 60 pages of notes and sources at the end of the book—and judging by his acknowledgments, it took him a lot of time to pull it all together into something readable.
Besides the grisly details and unraveling of the murder, the history of Boston, Cambridge, and specifically Harvard around 1849 was interesting to me. I was surprised by how many famous authors were connected to this case, either because they were faculty at Harvard, they knew Webster, or simply because they were alive during the trial and its aftermath. The Epilogue notes that the case was inspiration for Dickens’s The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which I didn’t know.
The legal precedents that came out of this case were fascinating too, particularly what became known as the “Webster charge,” based on the judge’s definition of reasonable doubt for the jury. It endured over 100 years after the trial, and Massachusetts didn’t decide to modernize it until 2015.
The history is by turns sad, perplexing, and disturbing. Collins did a nice job incorporating historical detail into his linear narrative of the investigation and trial. It was truly worth the read, and I’m interested in checking out his other work.
Blood and Ivy has that interesting narrative style of a lot of modern history books like Devil in the White City. Collins has an extensive list of references—over 60 pages of notes and sources at the end of the book—and judging by his acknowledgments, it took him a lot of time to pull it all together into something readable.
Besides the grisly details and unraveling of the murder, the history of Boston, Cambridge, and specifically Harvard around 1849 was interesting to me. I was surprised by how many famous authors were connected to this case, either because they were faculty at Harvard, they knew Webster, or simply because they were alive during the trial and its aftermath. The Epilogue notes that the case was inspiration for Dickens’s The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which I didn’t know.
The legal precedents that came out of this case were fascinating too, particularly what became known as the “Webster charge,” based on the judge’s definition of reasonable doubt for the jury. It endured over 100 years after the trial, and Massachusetts didn’t decide to modernize it until 2015.
The history is by turns sad, perplexing, and disturbing. Collins did a nice job incorporating historical detail into his linear narrative of the investigation and trial. It was truly worth the read, and I’m interested in checking out his other work.
May 21, 2018
Thank you to NetGalley and WW Norton Publishing for gifting me with an ARC of Blood & Ivy by Paul Collins. In exchange I offer my unbiased review.
I absolutely loved this true crime account. Collins skillfully and artistically draws the reader into the mid 19th century and the exclusive halls of Harvard University. In 1849 Dr. George Parkman, a Harvard graduate and benefactor of the esteemed university left his home to run some errands and never returned. Foul play was quickly suspected and within a week the culprit arrested. The book goes about describing the victim, the accused, the trial and the aftermath. I was riveted from page one and completely mesmerized by the startling conclusion.
Paul Collins extensive research was evident as this nonfiction account read like fiction with all the astonishing details, newspaper headlines, letters and journals.Appearances from Harvard alumni, Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes and poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow really added to the drama and mystery. Evocative and exhilarating this is a must read for all true crime fans and history buffs!
I absolutely loved this true crime account. Collins skillfully and artistically draws the reader into the mid 19th century and the exclusive halls of Harvard University. In 1849 Dr. George Parkman, a Harvard graduate and benefactor of the esteemed university left his home to run some errands and never returned. Foul play was quickly suspected and within a week the culprit arrested. The book goes about describing the victim, the accused, the trial and the aftermath. I was riveted from page one and completely mesmerized by the startling conclusion.
Paul Collins extensive research was evident as this nonfiction account read like fiction with all the astonishing details, newspaper headlines, letters and journals.Appearances from Harvard alumni, Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes and poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow really added to the drama and mystery. Evocative and exhilarating this is a must read for all true crime fans and history buffs!
June 2, 2020
Loved the historical setting of a true crime in privileged Boston mid 19th century. Taking place as it does in Boston and Cambridge (Harvard) you’d expect the best legal and medical minds of the time and you get them. Famous literary figures are also prominent here. Everyone is related to everyone else by marriage and profession.
It’s fascinating to see the beginnings of medical forensics and how well the trial was conducted even without our most modern technology.
It’s fascinating to see the beginnings of medical forensics and how well the trial was conducted even without our most modern technology.
November 27, 2018
Blood & Ivy is about the case of a missing doctor after visiting his alma mater, Harvard Medical School, a scandal that the school would love to avoid at all costs. This is a slow story that reminds me of The Devil in the White City but not as detailed or riveting. Sadly, I was not impressed.
June 10, 2018
A real life crime of the century brought to grisly exquisite life!
Take your reading scalpel to this one and get dissecting!
Take your reading scalpel to this one and get dissecting!
December 13, 2022
I cannot remember how this book got on my shelf, but I am awfully glad it did!
Not only a murder mystery, but a great history of a role in the American legal system. This is the very first time certain forensic evidence was used (I won't say what, you need to read the book!), and for the history of Chief Justice's (Robert Gould Shaw) instructions to the jury regarding reasonable doubt. "Webster Charge" became the norm across the country and it was not until 2015 that the state of Massachusetts Supreme Court decided that it should be updated.
Well researched and well written, enough so that I really was not sure the accused was guilty or not guilty until the very end of the book.
Recommended not only for non-fiction readers but those of you who love a mystery.
Not only a murder mystery, but a great history of a role in the American legal system. This is the very first time certain forensic evidence was used (I won't say what, you need to read the book!), and for the history of Chief Justice's (Robert Gould Shaw) instructions to the jury regarding reasonable doubt. "Webster Charge" became the norm across the country and it was not until 2015 that the state of Massachusetts Supreme Court decided that it should be updated.
Well researched and well written, enough so that I really was not sure the accused was guilty or not guilty until the very end of the book.
Recommended not only for non-fiction readers but those of you who love a mystery.
November 9, 2020
Did someone say murder?? This book will not disappoint! Get ready for something that feels like it could not have possibly happened - sensational murder, a prominent member of society - and a college embroiled in intrigue.
I could not put this one down! It was amazing, and I would highly recommend to anyone that enjoys true crime! Perfect for weekend reads!
I could not put this one down! It was amazing, and I would highly recommend to anyone that enjoys true crime! Perfect for weekend reads!
June 7, 2020
Excellent.
Anyone is capable of murder given the right set of circumstances, whether you have a pedigree or not.
Professor Webster, chemistry professor at Harvard, inherited a tidy sum of $40,000 (equivalent to $1,178,800 today) and married a woman who had money but somehow wound up in debt. He had the experience of seeing a friend, an immigrant from Italy, also a professor/teacher, who went into bankruptcy and was fired for shaming the college. And he got further and further into debt. And was being hounded by Dr. Parkman who wanted to be paid.
Dr. Parkman turns up missing. Professor Webster was one of the last to see Dr. Parkman alive. There is a big search on - they are dragging the river, searching every house.
The first part of the book involves background on the principals - Professor Webster, Dr. Parkman, the sheriff with a questionable past. The second part focuses on the trial - one of the first involving legal forensics. Chief Justice Shaw issues a definition of "reasonable doubt" which has stood until just recently. Actually, it still stands but the State of Massachusetts thought it needed to be updated. Supreme Court Justice Kennedy thought it embarrassing that the best statement on reasonable doubt had been issued in 1849.
Anyone is capable of murder given the right set of circumstances, whether you have a pedigree or not.
Professor Webster, chemistry professor at Harvard, inherited a tidy sum of $40,000 (equivalent to $1,178,800 today) and married a woman who had money but somehow wound up in debt. He had the experience of seeing a friend, an immigrant from Italy, also a professor/teacher, who went into bankruptcy and was fired for shaming the college. And he got further and further into debt. And was being hounded by Dr. Parkman who wanted to be paid.
Dr. Parkman turns up missing. Professor Webster was one of the last to see Dr. Parkman alive. There is a big search on - they are dragging the river, searching every house.
The first part of the book involves background on the principals - Professor Webster, Dr. Parkman, the sheriff with a questionable past. The second part focuses on the trial - one of the first involving legal forensics. Chief Justice Shaw issues a definition of "reasonable doubt" which has stood until just recently. Actually, it still stands but the State of Massachusetts thought it needed to be updated. Supreme Court Justice Kennedy thought it embarrassing that the best statement on reasonable doubt had been issued in 1849.
August 14, 2018
An elegant, beautifully structured tale from real life. Fascinating characters, just the right amount of detail, and a crystal-clear evocation of life in the Boston of 1849. I could smell it.
Paul Collins is a modern master.
Paul Collins is a modern master.
June 21, 2020
Collins offers the reader a glimpse of who's who in American literature in
dropping the names of Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., Herman Melville, and Henry Longfellow. That was an added and unexpected bonus as Collins examines an 1849 murder of one of Boston's prominent, Harvard educated physicians. This little book is jammed packed with amazing research and is well documented, all the while reading like a great true crime novel. Collins spends the time to set up the story and examine and introduce the characters.
Dr. George Parkman disappeared on 11/23/1849 after he was seen entering the Medical College on the Harvard campus. Parkman, while a doctor, was more interested in maintaining his vast rental properties so he was often seen in the West End of Boston. Once it was discovered he was missing, local City Marshall began an investigation and a search was commenced. The family, concerned offered a 3000.00 reward, then 1000 for the body, 100 for his watch.... The body was discovered by the janitor, Littlefield who was suspicious of John White Webster, a distinguished professor of chemistry. The body or A body was later discovered in Webster's lab in a state of dismemberment. Webster was tried and convicted and hung for his crime.
The book is touted as a forensic investigation, and there were experts called to testify at the trial. I enjoyed the amount of detail given with regard to the actual investigation, searches, and the legal procedures they followed. Amazingly enough, the main forensic expert was on handwriting, and in fact, the prosecution called two witnesses. There was little else to go on based on the degradation of the dismembered remain and the attempt to cremate them and of course some limitations of knowledge at the time. I had not considered the difficulty in obtaining appropriate cadavers to use to teach during this puritanical time, it sounded very similar to the methods used at Edinburgh to acquire cadavers (snatched from graves or sold by the authorities to the medical school).
I really enjoyed the book, it was direct and concise while entertaining, sort of an academic adventure novel. Well done!
5 stars for sure!
Happy Reading!
dropping the names of Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., Herman Melville, and Henry Longfellow. That was an added and unexpected bonus as Collins examines an 1849 murder of one of Boston's prominent, Harvard educated physicians. This little book is jammed packed with amazing research and is well documented, all the while reading like a great true crime novel. Collins spends the time to set up the story and examine and introduce the characters. Dr. George Parkman disappeared on 11/23/1849 after he was seen entering the Medical College on the Harvard campus. Parkman, while a doctor, was more interested in maintaining his vast rental properties so he was often seen in the West End of Boston. Once it was discovered he was missing, local City Marshall began an investigation and a search was commenced. The family, concerned offered a 3000.00 reward, then 1000 for the body, 100 for his watch.... The body was discovered by the janitor, Littlefield who was suspicious of John White Webster, a distinguished professor of chemistry. The body or A body was later discovered in Webster's lab in a state of dismemberment. Webster was tried and convicted and hung for his crime.
The book is touted as a forensic investigation, and there were experts called to testify at the trial. I enjoyed the amount of detail given with regard to the actual investigation, searches, and the legal procedures they followed. Amazingly enough, the main forensic expert was on handwriting, and in fact, the prosecution called two witnesses. There was little else to go on based on the degradation of the dismembered remain and the attempt to cremate them and of course some limitations of knowledge at the time. I had not considered the difficulty in obtaining appropriate cadavers to use to teach during this puritanical time, it sounded very similar to the methods used at Edinburgh to acquire cadavers (snatched from graves or sold by the authorities to the medical school).
I really enjoyed the book, it was direct and concise while entertaining, sort of an academic adventure novel. Well done!
5 stars for sure!
Happy Reading!
January 22, 2020
A fascinating true crime novel that did a lot to inform more current court proceedings and practices as well as some cool historical facts and introduced readers to the fancy elite of Harvard including names of people we already knew.
It was enjoyable to listen to, though I'm sure I would have learned a little more if I read it rather than listened to it but who doesn't love a good crime novel based on copious research and intrigue!
It was enjoyable to listen to, though I'm sure I would have learned a little more if I read it rather than listened to it but who doesn't love a good crime novel based on copious research and intrigue!
December 5, 2023
Positively gripping. My heart was jumping awaiting the verdict.
If any of the following interests you - I highly recommend: True crime, the atmosphere of Old Boston, the evolution of Harvard Medical School, human anatomy, the waning days of quackery (phrenology), the advent of forensic science, the history of American law (landmark cases influencing the definition of “guilt beyond a reasonable doubt” and the death penalty), literary friends of the defendant (Longfellow, Emerson, Twain) - the opinions they formed on this case and the inspiration it provided for their work (Dickens).
Truth being stranger than fiction.
If any of the following interests you - I highly recommend: True crime, the atmosphere of Old Boston, the evolution of Harvard Medical School, human anatomy, the waning days of quackery (phrenology), the advent of forensic science, the history of American law (landmark cases influencing the definition of “guilt beyond a reasonable doubt” and the death penalty), literary friends of the defendant (Longfellow, Emerson, Twain) - the opinions they formed on this case and the inspiration it provided for their work (Dickens).
Truth being stranger than fiction.
September 1, 2018
For the most part I enjoyed this one. It was kind of cool to read about Cambridge and Boston in the late 1840s. The author did a great job of setting the tone for the true crime story about the murder of a prominent Harvard professor. It was the first case in the US to use dental evidence as well as making a case for reasonable doubt. Worth a read, however it is a little slow.
January 21, 2019
An interesting read about the murder of a Harvard professor back in 1849, whose dismembered body was found within the medical college. The case was scandalous at the time for another Harvard professor was ultimately charged with the crime. The book is a whose who of famous individuals of government, literature and education, particularly for this time in Massachusetts, for many were either friends of the victim or the accused, or were involved in the court case in some fashion. Author Collins did a wonderful job integrating these personalities within the main plot and there is a great narrative voice throughout the novel which does give it a feel of something written in an bygone era. There are legal precedents which were established by this case, including the judge's description of what constituted "reasonable doubt" which was utilized for decades afterwards and the utilization of what would today be described as both forensic dentistry and forensic anatomy. Overall well researched novel that speaks of darker past within the hallowed walls of Harvard which captured the minds of Bostonians at the time.
June 16, 2018
Blood & Ivy is another smart true crime book from Paul Collins. A slew of new types of evidence for the time and this great subject matter (a case that inspired Dickens!) will engage his existing fans and should bring a legion of new readers.
Many thanks to NetGalley, W. W. Norton & Company, and Mr. Collins for the advanced copy for review.
Full review can be found here: https://paulspicks.blog/2018/03/17/bl...
Please check out all my reviews: https://paulspicks.blog
Many thanks to NetGalley, W. W. Norton & Company, and Mr. Collins for the advanced copy for review.
Full review can be found here: https://paulspicks.blog/2018/03/17/bl...
Please check out all my reviews: https://paulspicks.blog
April 6, 2021
Interesting but I feel like it could have been shorter...
December 12, 2018
Another fascinating historical true crime account, this one set at Harvard's august medical school in 1849. School benefactor and graduate George Parkman, who made his fortune in real estate, goes missing in November 1849, last seen visiting a colleague in the medical school. (Others, like me, may more easily recognize his literary brother, Francis Parkman, of Oregon Trail fame). Police and everyone are out looking, as Parkman is socially connected. The investigation ends up back at the medical school with the colleague he visited there, chemistry professor John White Webster, charged. In the ensuing trial, dental records were used for identification for the first time (Webster destroyed the body in ways villains in mystery novels have imitated since--equally unsuccessfully) and the nature of "reasonable doubt" was also established. Collins is a good storyteller--there are lots of historical, medical, social details--but this reads like a good novel. Webster was seriously in debt, to Parkman and others, in part because of the tiny salaries Harvard paid. Collins portrays a fascinating cast from the dour Parkman to Littlefield, the school janitor who discovered the murder technique and murderer, and Webster. For fans of true crime and gritty historical novels.
March 4, 2020
Great Mystery
Very detailed story about a beloved professor committed a murder that almost wasn't solved.
The early use of forensic science helped solved the crime and demonstrated that science can be of great help in law enforcement.
The city of Boston was shaken up by learning the disappearance of a great professor and how he seemed to dropped off the face of the earth.
How a curious janitor provided the first lead into solving the crime.
But his discovery only lead to more questions than answers
Very detailed story about a beloved professor committed a murder that almost wasn't solved.
The early use of forensic science helped solved the crime and demonstrated that science can be of great help in law enforcement.
The city of Boston was shaken up by learning the disappearance of a great professor and how he seemed to dropped off the face of the earth.
How a curious janitor provided the first lead into solving the crime.
But his discovery only lead to more questions than answers
February 24, 2022
Having worked at Harvard Medical School for 8 years, I, like many long-time Boston residents, was familiar with the names of many of the physicians and movers and shakers mentioned herein and enjoyed having them come alive. I found the description of how medicine was taught at that time interesting; it was presented without knocking the reader over the head with the author's knowledge. The reader would have benefitted by (better and more) street maps of the relevant sections of Cambridge and Boston; I was sorely disappointed by their absence. The telling of the story was very good, with a very good flow and suspense, characters well fleshed out.
February 4, 2025
An interesting case. Collins does an excellent job contextualizing the time, though there are times when the context feels like it verges on padding. There are also some pretty frustrating moments where the historic indignation of "Gentlemen of Harvard" raises its head, but that's hardly Collins' fault. The men involved in this case are all Harvard folks, and the indignation that one of their own would be suspected of such a callous murder etc. etc.
A remnant of a different time, one when you'd almost expect the murderer to escape this story with his life. *spoilers for a 170 year old case* - He doesn't. Justice actually prevails, the murder doesn't get pinned on the college caretaker who discovered the body. Forensic evidence is used successfully.
That's a happy ending, in my book.
A remnant of a different time, one when you'd almost expect the murderer to escape this story with his life. *spoilers for a 170 year old case* - He doesn't. Justice actually prevails, the murder doesn't get pinned on the college caretaker who discovered the body. Forensic evidence is used successfully.
That's a happy ending, in my book.
September 13, 2018
Another exceptional historical true crime book from the author of MURDER OF THE CENTURY. The research is excellent, and here's an example of the writing quality: "Webster's writ was really something of a scarecrow made of lots of little straws bound together to appear frightful, on closer inspection, it was still merely...straw."
January 31, 2019
This is another gripping historical true-crime book by Collins, set at Harvard in the time of Oliver Wendell Holmes. The crime chronicled purportedly inspired Charles Dickens to write The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Sinister, creepy, and sometimes kinda gross. I enjoyed it!
August 4, 2018
The book starts out focusing on cadavers but soon turns into a first rate murder mystery. The trial subsequent to the crime offers up the first clarification of the term 'reasonable doubt'. This is a terrific read from a terrific author. I look forward to more writings from him.
November 7, 2018
Distinguished, rich, and important Dr. Parkman disappears. Despite numerous handbills offering rewards and law enforcement searches, he can’t be found.
During the early 1850’s when Harvard Medical School was was beginning to produce fine doctors, the doctor who donated the land for the medical school was missing. However, a janitor at the medical school began to suspect that one of the professors there may have caused Parkman’s death.
Collins’ book details the primary parties, the investigation, and trial. His book is well documented and authoritatively sourced. Reading about the trial and the prosecution’s use of forensic evidence and the motive behind the murder makes for fascinating reading.
During the early 1850’s when Harvard Medical School was was beginning to produce fine doctors, the doctor who donated the land for the medical school was missing. However, a janitor at the medical school began to suspect that one of the professors there may have caused Parkman’s death.
Collins’ book details the primary parties, the investigation, and trial. His book is well documented and authoritatively sourced. Reading about the trial and the prosecution’s use of forensic evidence and the motive behind the murder makes for fascinating reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 24, 2021
Blew through this. Love a good old-timey murder book.
November 28, 2018
Paul Collins, who never disappoints, follows the historical footprints of a killer who considered himself too smart to be caught—after all, he WAS a Harvard professor. However, his attempts to cover it up were the “dead giveaway”. Also, the grisliest part.
July 13, 2019
Terrific courtroom drama that took place in real life. Spellbinding, with great historical backdrop.
July 9, 2018
Paul Collins sets you squarely in the insular 1840s Harvard, and pages fly by as you're drawn in to the story of how a murder rocked this staid society. I picked up this book having some familiarity with the case, but the whole thing turned out to be so much more than I knew! Recommended for true crime, Harvard/Boston history, or legal history enthusiasts.
I received a digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley.
I received a digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews