The Fatal Passion of Alma Rattenbury
TRUE CRIME
by Sean O'Connor
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Pub Date 1 Aug 2019 | Archive Date 11 May 2019
Simon and Schuster UK | Simon & Schuster UK
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Description
'Meticulously researched...superbly evocative and gripping...a narrative that builds with the intensity of an approaching thunderstorm.' The Spectator
'Sean O'Connor can't resist striking a theatrical note in this "biography of murder".' Sunday Times
Adultery, alcoholism, drugs and murder on the suburban streets of Bournemouth.
The Rattenbury case of 1935 was one of the great tabloid sensations of the interwar period. The glamorous femme fatale at the heart of the story dominated the front pages for months, somewhere between the rise of Hitler and the launch of the Queen Mary.
With painstaking research and access to brand new evidence, Sean O’Connor vividly brings this epic story to life, from its beginnings in the south London slums of the 1880s and the open vistas of the British Columbian coast to its bloody climax in a respectable English seaside resort.
The Fatal Passion of Alma Rattenbury is a gripping murder tale and a heartbreaking romance, as well as the biography of a vital, modern woman trapped between the freedoms of two world wars and suffocated by the conformity of peacetime. A startlingly prescient parable for our times, it is the story of a protagonist who dared to challenge the status quo only to be crucified by public opinion, pilloried by the press and punished by the relentless machinery of the British legal system.
With a wealth of fascinating period detail, from its breathtaking opening to its shocking conclusion, The Fatal Passion of Alma Rattenbury is a true story as enthralling, provocative and moving as any work of fiction.
Advance Praise
Praise for Handsome Brute:
‘In this fine, balanced book, which spares no details but avoids any hint of salacity, O'Connor has written something more valuable than a ‘whydunnit’. A fascinating portrait of a dreary, uncertain post-war world of drinking dens, cruddy hotels and hopes unfulfilled.’ The Times
‘An astute study ... Sean O'Connor's keenly intelligent book is essentially an attempt to fit these two Neville Heaths together ... O'Connor restores its human dimension, using evidence and witness statements from previously restricted Home Office and police files.’ Sunday Times
‘Sean O'Connor's brilliance is to sustain the horrific dramatic tension of these murders while providing a rich and detailed context of place and period. His tone is careful and dispassionate, his research painstaking and extensive.’ The Independent
‘The story of how this weak-willed conman and small-time fraudster turned from a former RAF playboy into a savagely sadistic sex killer makes fascinating reading in Sean O'Connor's meticulously researched book.’ Daily Express
‘O'Connor tells the whole story beautifully. It’s the best true crime book I’ve read for ages. His short description of Heath's execution at the hands of Albert Pierrepoint is superb.’ Evening Standard
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781471132711 |
| PRICE | US$16.99 (USD) |
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