The Case Of The Murderous Dr. Cream: The Hunt For A Victorian Era Serial Killer by Dean Jobb

(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book!)

 

about book:

In the late 1800s, one of the first international serial killers murdered as many as ten people in the United States, Britain, and Canada. Over the span of fifteen years, Dr. Thomas Neill Cream targeted vulnerable and desperate women who came to him for medical advice, using his knowledge of poisons to conceal his crimes. Now, in the definitive account of his life, Dean Jobb’s THE CASE OF THE MURDEROUS DR. CREAM (Publication Date: July 13, 2021) exposes the flawed detection methods, bungled investigations, corrupt officials, and stifling morality of Victorian era society that allowed Dr. Cream to prey on victims undetected, time after time. 

 

“When a doctor does go wrong he is the first of criminals,” Sherlock Holmes observed during one of his most baffling investigations. “He has nerve and he has knowledge.” Incredibly, at the time these words appeared in print, a real-life Victorian era doctor was well on his way to becoming one of the most prolific serial killers of his time. Dr. Cream had been a suspect in the deaths of two women in Canada and had killed as many as four people in Chicago, where he spent time in Joliet Prison but was released, arriving in London in 1891. There, he began using his signature method, pills laced with strychnine, to stalk and kill women. Jobb transports readers to the late nineteenth century as Scotland Yard tracks Dr. Cream’s movements through Canada and Chicago and finally to London, where new investigative tools called forensics were just coming into use and most investigators could hardly imagine that serial killers existed—the term was unknown. As the Chicago Tribune wrote, Dr. Cream’s crimes marked the emergence of a new breed of killer: one who operated without motive or remorse, who “murdered simply for the sake of murder.”

“Five years of research, travel, and writing took me to crime scenes, museums, courthouses, and archives in the United States, Canada, and England in search of overlooked evidence, forgotten documents and fresh insights,” says Jobb, a three-time winner of Atlantic Canada’s top journalism award, whose work as an investigative reporter has been nominated for Canada’s National Newspaper and National Magazine awards. “My goal was to tell, for the first time, the complete story of Dr. Cream’s horrific crimes, and the Scotland Yard investigation, expert testimony, and pioneering lab tests that finally brought him to justice. I wanted to see, first-hand, what survives of his world, and to expose the sexism, hypocrisy, and corruption that allowed one of history’s most prolific murderers to evade justice in three countries.”  

 

An unforgettable true crime story by a master of the genre, THE CASE OF THE MURDEROUS DR. CREAM is “a brilliant evocation of an age and a fascinating dissection of a serial killer’s crimes” (Lindsey Fitzharris, author of The Butchering Art: Joseph Lister's Quest to Transform the Grisly World of Victorian Medicine.)

my thoughts:

Wow. What a book! I am in love with Dean Jobb's latest true crime tome, The Case Of The Murderous Dr. Cream. It is fascinating, addictive, and so damn good. 

First off, I just love the title - it brings to mind a good mystery yarn. Secondly, a story about a doctor who murdered prostitutes sounds unreal, but real.  Also, makes me think of Jack the Ripper. And third, the author, knows how to write, and I mean write well. Yep, all of his research most definitely paid off, because he has created a story that will hook you right from the start and have you gasping in fright and indignation. Did I mention that the doctor was always suspected, but yet because of his race, economic and social status he was not charged? I tell you this book will have you outraged with the ways in which this murderer was able to evade capture for so long. It is unbelievable. And, you will just love getting to read all about the late 1800s - the culture, cities, and people.  Jobb's does an amazing job with all of the historical tidbits and photographs he includes in his book. This is one book you will definitely enjoy getting lost in. 

I would happily recommend The Case Of The Murderous Dr. Cream to fans of Jobb's and to anyone looking for their next great read.  It's such a thrilling story. 

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book!