The Bermondsey Murder - Scotland Yard’s First Great Challenge and Dickens’ Inspiration by Angela Buckley provides thorough and well researched insights into events that inspired Bleak House by Charles Dickens. The Victorian era was awash with scandal and horror and an almost insatiable hunger for Penny Dreadfuls and stories of the darker side of Victorian life and the Bermondsey Murder ticked each and every box

The crime was shocking even for Victorian times. Patrick O'Connor was a dock worker, popular and well-liked, but when he disappeared, it was out of character and as such, his friends alerted the authorities almost immediately, having last seen him in the company of Maria and Frederick Manning

A fascinating account, detailed and intriguing, thoroughly researched and compiled for a contemporary audience and perfect for fans of true crime and Victoriana. Absolutely fantastic!

Thank you to Pen & Sword | Pen & Sword True Crime and Angela Buckley for this brilliant ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinionsa are my own

Marie Manning nee de Roux hailed from Lausanne, and entered domestic service in England.She was maid to Lady Palk of Haldon House, Devon, and then Lady Blantyre at Stafford House, London, in 1846.On 27 May 1847 she wed Frederick George Manning. Mr Manning's background was chequered; he had worked on the railways but was discharged on suspicion of being involved in several robberies.After the marriage, Marie continued her friendship with Patrick O'Connor, a gauger in the London Docks. He was also a moneylender who charged extraordinary interest.On 9 August 1849, O'Connor dined with the Mannings at their home, 3 Miniver Place, Bermondsey.The Mannings murdered their guest by shooting him at close range in the back of the head and buried his body under the flagstones in their kitchen, where it was found a week later on 17 August when a police officer noticed a damp corner stone on the floor, around which the earth was soft. That same day Mrs Manning visited O'Connor's lodgings at Greenwood Street, Mile End Road, stealing the dead man's railway shares and money.She returned the next day to complete the robbery.However, it is apparent that the couple had planned to double-cross each other;Marie fled with most of the loot, Frederick fled with the smaller portion.Marie was tracked down to Edinburgh, where she was caught after trying to exchange some of O'Connor's property.Elsewhere, Frederick was caught on the island of Jersey. Scotland Yard stationed its first plainclothes police agents on duty in 1842. Before this, Scotland Yard was criticised for its lack of investigative prowess.In 1849,a cholera outbreak ravaged London.Against this nauseating backdrop, the Detective Branch tackled its first major case. For London’s weary inhabitants, the sordid love triangle that became known as ‘the Bermondsey Horror' proved a welcome distraction from endless stories of disease.The Mannings were found guilty and hanged at Horsemonger Lane Gaol on 13 Nov 1849.Charles Dickens wrote to The Times criticising the mob's conduct during the execution.Dickens later based one of his characters—Mademoiselle Hortense, Lady Dedlock's maid in Bleak House—on Marie's life.

I found the story about the Bermondsey Murder and the look at life during that time period interesting, and very informative, however there is a glaring error in the book - the author refers to Burke and Hare as graverobbers, they were in fact serial killers.

Due to health issues cannot write a proper review now even if I enjoyed this book. and found it well researched and informative
A more extensive review will follow
Recommended.Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

When Patrick O’Connor went missing in August 1849, suspicions quickly fell on Swiss-born Maria Manning and her husband, who were last seen with him in Bermondsey. After his remains were discovered under their kitchen floor, the couple fled, sparking a manhunt that captivated the Victorian public and even inspired Charles Dickens' *Bleak House*. The Bermondsey Murder became a legendary case for Scotland Yard, marking a pivotal moment in the history of crime-solving in mid-nineteenth century London.

True crime is always interesting. I’d never heard of this crime, but found it interesting that this was the case that helped solidify Scotland Yard’s ability to solve crime. There was no real great mystery with this one. The evidence was overwhelming that Maria and Frederick Manning did the crime. It was interesting that they went to their deaths insisting that they were innocent. She pointed the finger at friends of her husband. He pointed the finger at his wife.

The sources from the time bring the court scene to life. It is also interesting to see how this case influenced Charles Dickens (though I confess I have not seen or read Bleak House.)

Overall, this was an interesting read. Readers who enjoy true crimes will enjoy this one.

4.5 stars rounded down

This was a great, informative review of the murder of Patrick O’Connor by the nefarious Mannings. There is detailed information provided on Patrick’s life, the day of the crime, the investigation itself, the Manning’s attempts to flee, the trial, and the results. I had never heard of this crime before and felt I had a good grasp on it by the end.

Angela Buckley clearly did a great deal of research and prevented this crime in a very approachable and readable way. Enjoyed is perhaps not the best word, but I found the story of Patrick’s demise to be fascinating and this novel gave a wonderful insight into life during in London in the 1800s and the development of criminology tools. I highly recommend this work to those interested in historical true crimes.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

When Patrick O’Connor disappears, suspicion falls on his neighbors, the charming Maria Manning and her husband Frederick, leading to a tense manhunt and shocking courtroom revelations. This true-crime book unravels the complex lives of the victim and the accused, exposing their secrets and shedding light on a sensational Victorian-era case that captivated the public and inspired Charles Dickens.

Gripping and easy to read, this book brings to life a horrifying and cold-blooded murder that revolutionized criminal investigation.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

When Patrick O'Connor goes missing, it is out of character for him. Immediately, his friends raise the alarm and begin looking into his whereabouts. What they uncover will shock a nation, and lead to one of the biggest trials for the murderers.

There are sooo many things I want to say about this book - but to give too much away would be an injustice for the reader. I have been fascinated by this case for a while, and have read multiple books about it. Yet, it never disappoints. There are clues, persons of interest, and a clever pair of cons who manage to take advantage of a kind person.

This book was enjoyable to read, and the author does a great job of keeping in line with the facts, sharing the theories that were abounding, all while keeping the thread going through the case. With the search for the murderers on, it was only a matter of time before they were caught.

Well done! Loved this one!

A minute dissection of a sensational, real-life, 19th century, murder mystery.
This non-fiction book is an in-depth account of the murder of Patrick O’Connor, by Maria and Frederick Manning. The murder caused a sensation at the time (August 1849) and every development of the investigation followed avidly in the press. This press coverage comprises part of the detailed retelling of events, along with other contemporaneous accounts.
It is not a spoiler to say the Maria and Frederick eventually hung for their crime, which is made plain early on. This is not a whodunnit, so much as a howdunnit, and a fascinating glimpse into early police procedures at a time when crime scene analysis involved checking for footprints, the position of the body, obvious signs of trauma and the victims identity. With no dedicated police forensics, it was a matter of calling for the local doctor to examine the body in situ. And said doctor promptly pocketed the victim’s false teeth (after washing them first) – which must have current forensics specialist groaning aloud.
The Mannings are portrayed with an unbiased eye, indeed, I found myself wanting the author to express an opinion. It felt like the author must have a viewpoint, given the depth of the research, and I would have enjoyed hearing it. However, this is more a personal want than a major detraction.
I found it fascinating how Maria was portrayed by a Victorian stereotype as a femme fatale. Indeed, press accounts of her varied to fit the narrative of the article; reported as attractive and feminine in one article, then later as mannish and grotesque. Not that Maria was above manipulation herself, with what we would describe in modern terms as “curating her image.”
A 4 star read: plus points are the engrossing true story, the depth of research, and contemporaneous sources. Minor niggle: I would like to feel more connected to the author’s inner thoughts arising from her research.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in return for an honest and unbiased review.

Unfortunately this was not for me. I struggled right from the beginning, I could not get into the story and was reluctant to finish it I’m afraid.

Although this didn’t work for me, it may for you.

Rating: 4 ★★★★'s
Thank you NetGalley and Pen & Sword for granting my wish to read this book!! I'm a major fan of true crime, particular Scotland Yard stories!!

-> Review <-
As a fan who already has heard of the Bermondsey Murder, Angela Buckley does an amazing job retelling one of Scotland Yard's most notorious cases! The book centers on the 1849 murder of Patrick O'Connor. I don't want to go into details because I REALLY think you should read this book to hear the whole story! This case is famous for it's first-time use of the telegraph for a murder case, and because one of the murders is inspiration for Charles Dickson's Bleak House! Charles Dickson himself attended the hanging, and wrote an article about why we should no longer hold public hangings, he uses this scene as inspiration for Bleak House.

Overall Angela Buckley did an amazing job of telling this whole story, including the lives of every person involved and even the famous the detectives who solved this case. This book came out last week and I highly recommend you buy!!

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have followed this case for many years. I enjoyed this account, and I look forward to reading more from this author.

In August 1849, Patrick O'Connor mysteriously goes missing and immediately his friends are suspicious. He was last seen with a couple in Bermondsey, unfortunately, as the police discovered his body under the kitchen floor, the couple had already fled.

Angela Buckley's book gives a thorough, in-depth look into the Bermondsey murder from the unfortunate victim, Patrick O'Connor, to his murderers, Maria and Fredrick Manning, and their fate. I found The Bermondsey Murder an interesting book that doesn't shy away from the police failings within the case and the newspaper sensationalism led by none other than Charles Dickens. What also fascinated me was how Dickens incorporates Maria Manning into one of his characters in Bleak House, serialised only two years later.

As a historical true crime lover, I thoroughly recommend The Bermondsey Murder: Scotland Yard's First Great Challenge and Dickens' Inspiration to any other true crime fan, and to those who want to read where the lines blur between literature and real life when an author becomes embroiled in murders and crime.

Thank you, NetGalley and Pen & Sword for sending me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

When Patrick O’Connor went missing in August 1849, his friends were suspicious. The London dock worker was last seen in the company of Swiss-born Maria Manning and her husband in Bermondsey. By the time police officers discovered his remains under the kitchen floor, the couple had fled.

This book gives an in-depth look at the murder of Patrick O’ Conner and that of his murderers, Frederick and Maria Manning. With a very thorough take on the actual events leading up to the murder and then ending with the eventual arrest of the manning’s and the trial, which ended in their hangings.

Charles Dickens was also involved in the newspaper publications, and the story of this murder, never seemed to fully leave his mind and Maria Manning’s description was also portrayed in his book, Bleak House.

This is fascinating, learning the police failings, which had led to the Detective division at Scotland Yard, which is what we all know today. It is a detailed account of the murder which happened 175 years ago but is still prominent and an historical homicide. To learn of how things happened in those days and the desperate ways in which the Manning’s tried to escape their fate is mind blowing.

If you love True Crime, this is a total must for you!! I found it so interesting and learning a bit of History that I did not even know. 100% recommend this book to anyone.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pen & Sword for the ARC.

I really enjoy historical true crime. It's exciting in a way that modern true crime can't be because of the technical limitations of that era, often creating the processes used today out of a desperate need. This book fit that bill, going over the first major crime handled by the Scotland Yard. The research and reporting done is incredibly thorough. Maybe too thorough? The evidence and witnesses are gone over once during the initial investigation, again during the deposition, and a third time for the actual trial. Not much changes between each round, and I feel like unless more was revealed, the second and third times could be summarized more concisely. I also wish we got more of the connection between this case and Charles Dickens' writings. It only really came into play at the end, and I expected a bit more throughout the whole book when it's teased in the subtitle on the cover.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6699735654

https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/017b6570-cdf3-426e-b00b-cb9e151f278e

If you've heard of Maria and Frederick Manning, this book is a full account of their murder of Peter O'Conner and subsequent trial. Angela Buckley clearly does a lot of research into newspapers and the trial records of the time to give readers a pretty day-by-day account once the trials start. The problem is that a lot of this gets repetitious, with everyone giving the same evidence or versions of the same evidence over and over again.

The first part of the book, where Buckley looks into more of how the crime was discovered, how the Mannings were tracked down, how the detective's branch of Scotland Yard was formed was much more interesting to me. Anyone looking for some quick reading on early detectives cases in Scotland Yard's history will be interested in this one.

This is a pretty quick and easy read, some of it repetitious, but interesting. Buckley clearly does her research on both the Mannings and early Scotland Yard and does a good job of bringing the reader into the world.
If you're interested in seeing how criminal cases from both the detective's side and the court side looked in the mid-1800s, this is a good book to check out.
If you already know a lot about the Mannings, I don't know that it brings anything new to the picture, but if you don't know a lot, this is a great book to start with.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

I had not heard of the Bermondsey murders before so it was really informative to learn about the crime in so much detail.

Thank you NetGallery and the publisher for letting me read this advanced readers copy. This was an interesting read about a case that shocked England. Two fugitives are brought to justice for the murder of a friend. Charles Dickens even witnessed and wrote about the execution. I gave this book 3 stars because, for me, it was a little repetitive. I also feel like the author got off topic in several places. All in all it was a solid read and I would recommend.

This is the first book I've read on this subject, most of what I've read has been short stories in books with other crime stories. An interesting book.

It's always interesting to see how police procedurals differ. Even in the mid 1800's, Scotland Yard's investigative process was very different from that of the US, where I live. In some ways, the Yard was more advanced, in others not so much. This true crime story centers around the murder of Patrick O'Connor by the Mannings. It's obvious Angela Buckley dug deep to research not only this murder in Bermondsey, but the many other crimes committed by the Manning couple. Their background clearly shows the escalation of their crimes as they evaded capture for so long. But in the end, consequences caught up to them and both were hung for their crimes. At only 200 pages, this was a quick read, no more than a long afternoon, but it did cause me to research some of the names and places in the book. I'd recommend to anyone interested in this period of time or the history of Scotland Yard.