The Last Woman to be Hanged: The Ruth Ellis Story

by Robert Hancock

On the eve of her hanging, Ruth Ellis wrote to a 'I must close now but remember I am quite happy with the verdict, but not the way the story was told, there is so much that people don't know.' Ruth Ellis was the last woman to be hanged in Britain. This is her story.

In July 1955 Ruth Ellis was sentenced to death for the shooting of her lover, motor-racing driver David Blakely. Barely three months later she was executed at Holloway prison. In this book, Robert Hancock sets the record straight. Using official documents including the transcript of her trial at the Old Bailey, he unlocks the full, secret background to the story of the last woman to be hanged in Britain.

Meticulous and fair in its analysis, The Last Woman to be Hanged is an absorbing portrait of the tragic life of a young woman, a vivid snapshot of an era and a gripping account of a notorious case that shocked the nation.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime

256 pages, Paperback

Published February 8, 2022

Reviews

[Saturday's Child]

Read a paperback copy of this one.

[Katie Hazel]

This is not what I thought it was going to be. I was expecting the build up to the execution etc, but this was just the background of the woman, Ruth Ellis, who killed her lover - and then was sentenced to hanging.
Good, but not what I was expecting, and I think it could have been executed (no pun intended) better.

[Hannah Powell]

Fascinating and doesn’t miss a single detail of the events leading up to Ellis’ execution but very matter of fact with little emotion behind it.

[ellie]

fell asleep after one chapter and had literally the worst nap of my life

should have been longer, maybe this is my fault but I was expecting more engagement with the debate around capital punishment and the ethics surrounding that rather than just a straightforward account of Ruth's life
was hoping for more discussion and analysis of the moral debates surrounding this case
despite this being "The Ruth Ellis Story" it felt very detached and individuals felt like caricatures or characters in a story rather than real people
evidence would be directly quoted within the book then a few pages later when being referenced rather than paraphrasing and engaging in analysis Hancock would just simply repeat what the primary source already said
overall I feel like this is probably a rather outdated analysis and will be interested to see if there are any books published more recently on this topic for me to check out

[Mark Beer]

A really interesting read. Was written some time ago so I found some of the language a struggle to start but soon got into it. Ultimately it is a tragic love story and it is very clear that things would be very different if it was nowadays. Ruth Ellis was troubled long before this happened and it is clear to see why. A turbulent life, surrounded by alcohol and alcoholics was only going to end in tragedy. Unfortunately, many lives were destroyed in the process. I definitely have been left with a thirst to read more about Ruth Ellis so will be on a hunt!

[Terri Stokes]

2 and a 1/2 stars.

I have to admit that I found this book a little hard to get in to, I found it a little dry at times, I don't know if that is due to the time era that it was written in or if it was down to the style of the writing of the author's.

Ruth Ellis is a name that will forever be in the know when it comes to British history and of crime, of the woman who was the last one to be hung within the country. I think that there is always going to be people on both sides of things when it comes to her and her crimes, of her story and history.

[Charles Nightingale]

Good read.

This book was an interesting read about a case I recall following at the time it was in the news. My main reservation is that I felt that there was some padding in the form of unnecessary detail put in to boost up the length to a reasonable book size. A good read nevertheless.

[elizabeth turner]

Re-released 2007 but written in the 70s , the defences advantages show

I was interested in this book, the story and the real life characters but the writing style albeit aged was masochistic and bordering on offensive at times that this detracted from the story.
It was very repetitive and not an way of engaging read.

[Rachel]

Well....this women! What can I say. Lunatic. Obsessive behaviour, not a good mother to her kids, self centered, control freak. She sold her body for money and had no time for her kids. I get the feeling in her mind she thought if he doesn't want me then nobody is going to have him. She cheated on him!! And openly aborted. Do I think she deserved what she got? Yes...yes I do.

[donna craig]

I was quite bored reading this hence it took so long to read.i don't believe Ruth should of been hung and I believe her solicitor didn't do a very job questioning witness .She was a very confused and believed David love her when really he was only using her

[Charlie]

Intriguing insight into the life of ruth ellis. Hancock provides facts with good writing to weave together the lives of those involved and situations that led to the conviction and hanging of ruth ellis.

[christine spurrier]

3.5 stars

[Vicky Elise]

A very interesting account of Ruth Ellis, the last woman to be hanged in Britain. Her backstory and all the timeline leading up to her crime. Very fascinating read!

[Miss Sarah]

Really interesting account of what happened with a mixture of first hand accounts, court transcripts and the authors own research. Highly recommended.

[Emma MacKenzie]

It’s a bit presumptuous to say that she’s the last woman to be hung.

[Joyce Ellis]

Could tell this book was written in the 70s. Didnt enjoy the flowery language, and writing style. Very emotionless. Gave up after a few chapters.