Best Constance Kent books?

A kind CLEWS visitor writes seeking an opinion on the best books ever published about the case of Constance Kent.

She writes --

 I bought The Suspicions of Mr Whicher for my husband for Christmas. The lady in the book store mentioned that there were some older books written about this same murder that she had read and that it was really interesting to see how the conclusions on the case evolved over the years. I didn't get any details from her but thinking about it later I think my husband would love to read the books and see the evolution of thought / evidence on the verdict....

My problem is that I got no details from the lady on the books and when I have googled to find different books they are all quite old and pricey and I don't want to spend that kind of money if the books are all very much the same .... do you know anything of the books in this area?

I'm sorry to say nothing jumps to mind, a shame since according to WorldCat, there are 26 books about Constance Kent!

If you've read of this case, which book(s) did you read? Do you have an opinion on a good gift for Sinead's husband?

Comments

[Foose]

The first one I read on the case was Yseult Bridges' "The Murder at Road House" (which I understand was originally published as "Saint - with Red Hands?"). I also have since read John Rhode's "The Case of Constance Kent" and "Cruelly Murdered," by Bernard Taylor.

Roughead examined the case, but I can't remember which of his many books the Kent case is in. Mary S. Hartmann's "Victorian Murderesses" gives prominent attention to Constance Kent.

For fictional treatments of the case, Norah Lofts' "Out of the Dark" (also published as "Emily," and Francis King's "Act of Darkness" (with the action transferred to colonial India) are engaging reads.

[Foose]

Sorry, the Norah Lofts book is also published as "Charlotte," not "Emily."

[Lisa]

I would say Bridges' book mentioned above is a "must read" for anyone interested in the case, simply because, whatever its faults may be, it is the only account of the murder I've seen that offers a "contrarian" view to the generally accepted scenario.

Awhile ago, when I was searching the web to see what was available about the murder (the story is one that particularly fascinates me) I noticed that an Australian woman named Noeline Kyle was writing a book about Constance Kent that would include never-before-published information about her life after she left prison. From what I read about it, the book sounded like it should give a fairly interesting perspective. It was supposed to be published this year, but I've been unable to find any indication yet that it's available.

[Mark Daniels]

I'm guessing many of the other books are now out-of-print, and have to be ordered through a used books service. Hence them being "pricey."

I loved "Suspicions of Mr. Whicher," and the only other treatment I've read is William Roughead's. His 12-essay collection "Classic Crimes" includes his take on the case: "The Conscience of Constance Kent." Fortunately, the Roughead book has been re-printed in a wonderful and reasonably priced volume.

[LJ]

Great suggestions!

In addition to the out-of-print true crime booksellers (see the right-hand column of this website & scroll down), some good sources to check for out-of-print books are abebooks.com and addall.com. I've bought a lot of books from addall.com; I've also ordered things from Clifford Elmer & Patterson Smith & have been very happy with price, service, & esp. knowledge of the genre.

[Noeline Kyle]

For readers interested in further works on Constance Kent and the Road Murder I will be publishing my book A Greater Guilt: Constance Emilie Kent and the Road Murder later this year. You can find details on my website at:

http://www.familyhistorywriting.bigpondhosting.com/
You can email me at: [email protected].
Noeline Kyle

[EMS]

There is also an old, out-of-print book by Eleanor Hibbert (Victoria Holt, Jean Plaidy are two of her pen names) written under the pseudonym Elbur Ford. It was originally entitled Such Bitter Business but also published under Evil in the House. It gives her take on the story in novelized form and may be at your library or on an out-of-print books website.

[Wendy Walker]

My book about Constance Kent, BLUE FIRE, has just been published by Proteotypes, and can be ordered at
http://proteusgowanus.com/main/proteotypes

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