Please join us virtually for a discussion of a true crime story of Victorian era serial killer Dr. Cream by Dean Jobb.
In the span of fifteen years, Dr. Thomas Neill Cream poisoned at least ten people in the United States, Britain, and Canada, a death toll with almost no precedents. Structured around Cream’s London murder trial in 1892, when he was finally brought to justice, The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream exposes the blind trust given to medical practitioners, as well as the flawed detection methods, bungled investigations, corrupt officials, and stifling morality of Victorian society that allowed Cream to prey on vulnerable and desperate women, many of whom had turned to him for medical help.
Dean Jobb vividly re-creates this largely forgotten historical account against the backdrop of the birth of modern policing and newly adopted forensic methods, though most police departments still scoffed at using science to solve crimes. But then most police departments could hardly imagine that serial killers existed—the term was unknown at the time. As the Chicago Tribune wrote then, 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.
Click here to place a hold on a copy:
Mystery Book Club meets on the second Wednesday of each month from 3:00 PM to 4:30 PM. It is a monthly book discussion group through the Burke Branch Library. Please note that the meeting will be held on the second Thursday this month.
This program will take place by Zoom and registration is required. After registering, you will be e-mailed the link to join this Zoom meeting. If you have questions about the program or need help with set up, please contact Caroline at cpak@alexlibraryva.org.
AGE GROUP: | Seniors | Adults |
EVENT TYPE: | Book Discussion Groups |
TAGS: | true crime | nonfiction | history | biography |
Please register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0udemhqzkoHNDF0DyIOzYgT-l7CYJ28pv8
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
