Conan Doyle for the Defence
A Sensational Murder, the Quest for Justice and the World's Greatest Detective Writer
Published on 21. June 2018
Book
Hardback
344 pages
978-1-78125-356-4 (ISBN)
Description
Just before Christmas 1908, Marion Gilchrist, a wealthy 82-year-old spinster, was found bludgeoned to death in her Glasgow home. A valuable diamond brooch was missing, and police soon fastened on a suspect - Oscar Slater, a Jewish immigrant who was rumoured to have a disreputable character. Slater had an alibi, but was nonetheless convicted and sentenced to death, later commuted to life imprisonment in the notorious Peterhead Prison.
Seventeen years later, a convict called William Gordon was released from Peterhead. Concealed in a false tooth was a message, addressed to the only man Slater thought could help him - Arthur Conan Doyle. Always a champion of the downtrodden, Conan Doyle turned his formidable talents to freeing Slater, deploying a forensic mind worthy of Sherlock Holmes.
Drawing from original sources including Oscar Slater's prison letters, this is Margalit Fox's vivid and compelling account of one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in Scottish history.
Seventeen years later, a convict called William Gordon was released from Peterhead. Concealed in a false tooth was a message, addressed to the only man Slater thought could help him - Arthur Conan Doyle. Always a champion of the downtrodden, Conan Doyle turned his formidable talents to freeing Slater, deploying a forensic mind worthy of Sherlock Holmes.
Drawing from original sources including Oscar Slater's prison letters, this is Margalit Fox's vivid and compelling account of one of the greatest miscarriages of justice in Scottish history.
Reviews / Votes
Like a good murder mystery, Conan Doyle for the Defence is a fast-paced read that twists and turns with the panache of a Holmes short story. -- Paula Byrne * The Times * This is a first-class book: pacy, insightful and lucid -- James McConnachie * The Sunday Times * lucid and engaging -- Allan Massie * Scotsman * True-crime writing at its finest... a real page-turner... definitely a must for fans of Sherlock Holmes * Belfast Telegraph * Fox's judgement is faultless -- Katharine Grant * The Tablet * True crime writing at its finest. -- Ryan Ward * I Paper * [An] engrossing book -- Nick Rennison * The Daily Mail * Margalit Fox has chosen a cracking story -- Jane Ridley * Spectator * [Fox] has researched her fascinating, fast-paced story with impressive acuity, sketching an informative portrait of the Edwardian mindset. -- Simon Humphreys * Mail on Sunday * Conan Doyle for the Defence is the best true crime book you will read this year -- Declan Hughes * The Irish Times *More details
Edition
Main
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Product notice
Trade binding
Illustrations
Black and white photos and illustrations
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 144 mm
Thickness: 34 mm
Weight
564 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-78125-356-4 (9781781253564)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Margalit Fox
Conan Doyle for the Defence
A Sensational Murder, the Quest for Justice and the World's Greatest Detective Writer
E-Book
06/2018
Profile Books Ltd
€15.49
Available for download
Person
Margalit Fox is an award-winning senior writer at The New York Times. Her previous book, The Riddle of the Labyrinth (Profile, 2013), about the decipherment of the mysterious Bronze Age script Linear B, received the 2014 William Saroyan Prize for Nonfiction. Find her on Twitter @margalitfox