*Many thanks to Danny Adams and NetGalley for ARC in exchange for my honest review.*
The College Farm Mystery is one of those Victorian murder mysteries that may never be solved, just like the Whitechapel Murders. This non-fiction describes a murder of Thomas Webb, who was employed at the farm and lived there, and died in the wake of a shot he sustained at his neck. An inquiry was launched into Webb's death under the supervison of CI Henry Moore who conducted the investigation into the so-called Jack the Ripper Murders.
Mr Adams' book was meticulously researched. He draws on all sources of information and includes it into his book. An interesting fact is that the Author is distantly related to Mr Webb, and wanted to get to the bottom of the mystery also for personal reasons.
The amount of research done is imposing, however, the writing style seemed rather dry to me. The mystery itself is well-presented, and I especially should praise all detailed descriptions regarding the lifestyle the inhabitants of Finchley Farm had.

Dark mystery that sucks you into a different place. A nightmare where no one wants to be. Good read. Can’t put it down. Wondering where it’s going to go And which way to turn

I really enjoyed this book. It has great main characters and a really good story line. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.

When Danny Adams was researching his family history he came across the tale of the “College Farm Mystery” – an event to which his family was marginally linked. In this relatively slight true crime book he uses now easily accessible records to give the story with a little background. In January 1898 Thomas Webb - senior cow-man at College Farm – staggers home after his evening rounds and dies of a bullet wound to the neck. This book will cover the events, the police enquiry, the inquest and the response in the press. It will also expand on the Webbs’ background and life in Finchley.
There will be interest for some readers in the location. College Farm was a model dairy farm that produced milk for the nearby growing London but the parish – now built over was still substantially rural in character. Almost by accident the author reveals not just the roles of the locals but how they fitted into this place. Where they lived, how they worked and commuted for instance.
But the meat is in the crime, a shooting of Webb. Police investigation follows headed by Chief Inspector Henry Moore on his last case -he of the unsuccessful investigation into the “Whitechapel Murders”. In this case there will be a decision of accidental shooting – hence the book’s title – mystery rather than murder. This in spite of a spate of reported shootings immediately before and after the Webb attack. The newspaper reports quoted give a reflection of the local and wider community’s views on these, unfolding events, their significance and the possible motive.
All crime’s have at least one victim - so the book is a good place to explore local people – Webb, we are told, came from a collapsing rural economy in Wiltshire. As far as possible the author will track the lives of as many of the mentioned – many with links from elsewhere who have moved to London’s hinterlands. There will be an afterword of where they ended..But it must be said it is a basic retelling and overall the book has very little historical depth of background or analysis. As a family researcher, it might be unkind to compare it with the suite of other fine books out there – you could probably name a goodly collection - that take a murder or other incidents to explore so much more. In that sense it can only be described as disappointing. But accept its limitations and it is an interesting tale.If you are interested in the place, press reporting, or historical social violence this might be the book for you..

*thank you to Netgalley and Author, Danny Adams, for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

3 stars.

I'm on the fence with this one, so to speak. I did enjoy it but I didn't love it. It was interesting and what I enjoyed most about it was that its a true story and that its historical as well. I think if I had of had any knowledge prior to reading this about the Finchley murder, then I would have enjoyed reading it more. But it does do well as a standalone and I think it was well written. Also its a short quick read if that's something you are looking out for too.

A true crime story from the 19th century, the story is compelling. However, the many typographical and syntax errors make this a difficult read. Mercifully, it is short in length.

I was given a free copy of this book by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

First I would like say I don't if this was the final edition of the book or if it was still in editorial process the book if this was the final version then it was very higglety pigglety and needs a lot of work. The book has a be habit of jumping from one story to another which a bit confusing.

If you put this to one side The College Farm Mystery is very well researched and informative was reader of historical true crime I find it an interesting insight into a crime I had not read about before.

If the the book is reorganised and re-edited in the coming months I would happily recommend it to true crime readers.

I received a free e-copy of The College Farm Mystery: The True Story of the Finchley Murder of 1898! by Danny Adams from Net Galley in exchange for my review.

I love true crime, but haven’t read much about crimes in the 1800s, so I was very interested to read this book and learn about police investigations at that time. Unfortunately, that wasn’t what I got with this book.

While the author obviously did meticulous research for this book, the book itself is scattered and disjointed. I think Adams would have benefited from working with someone to better organize his writing. There were some very good moments and pieces throughout the book, but there were more confusing passages and it focuses on too many crimes, touching on each briefly, so it becomes muddled.

This wasn’t a good read for me, but I do think the author has talent - he just needs to work on his presentation and organization a little bit more.