REVIEWS: Very English Murders

Two infamous murder cases get reexamined by the best true crime writers working today. Hawley Harvey Crippen and John Reginald Christie each committed homicides that stunned their neighbors, captivated a nation, and overshadowed the lives of the victims at the time. These books seek to train the spotlight back on those that were lost rather than revel in the gory crimes themselves.

REVIEW: The Undoing of Violet Claybourne

Set in 1938 England, the story is steeped in the very particular interwar setting, with dozens of connotations. Crucially, it’s the year Rebecca was written (and set). Like the classic Du Maurier novel, this book focuses on a shabby manor house, a young woman who struggles to fit in, and a crumbling aristocracy intent on covering up dark secrets.