Someone must have known what happened to Matilda Hacker.
For someone in that house had killed her.
So how could the murderer prove so elusive?
Standing four storeys tall in an elegant Bloomsbury terrace, No. 4,
Euston Square was a well-kept, respectable boarding house. But beneath
this genteel Victorian London veneer lay murderous intrigue. On 9 May
1879, the body of a former resident, Matilda Hacker, was discovered by
chance in the coal cellar. The ensuing investigation - led by Inspector
Charles Hagen, rising star of the recently formed CID - stripped bare
the dark side of Victorian domesticity.
In this true-crime story, Sinclair McKay meticulously evaluates the
evidence in first-hand sources. His gripping account sheds new light on
a mystery that eluded Scotland Yard.
'With the gusto of a penny dreadful, Murder at No. 4 Euston Road
dodges any stodgy courtroom testimony that can weigh down true crime
stories and sticks to the juicy details. It is hard to avoid the
comparison with Kate Summerscale's The Suspicions of Mr Whicher and it
has similar historical richness and plot twisting...' The Spectator
'Sinclair McKay is an accomplished and talented author with a rare
skill... True crime fans and history buffs will enjoy this book, coming
away with an enthralling true crime story and a new knowledge and
understanding of Victorian London.' Crime Traveller
'Gripping, gothic and deeply poignant' Mail on Sunday
'A meticulously researched book' - Brian Viner, Daily Mail
