The Peculiar Case of the Electric Constable by Carol Baxter

Baxter's research, while not footnoted, appears thorough and dogged, and she doesn't seem inclined to invent facts or conjecture about the case if facts are unknown.

Frankly, the telegraph plays a minor role here but does allow a well-researched and well-written story to be told about a dodgy Quaker, his former servant/mistress, his wife, a few vaguely corrupt scientists, and a vial of prussic acid (hydrogen cyanide).

The 'electric constable' referred to is the electric telegraph, which made it possible for the suspect in this bizarre and scandalous murder case to be apprehended-the first time in the nation's history that this method was successful in such a case. It's not a strictly academic work but rather a fascinating glimpse into a point in time in England's history, when things were about to change. A full-time writer and speaker, she lives in Sydney.Baxter's ( An Irresistible Temptation: The True Story of Jane New and a Colonial Scandal) latest historical title reads like a novel. She is a Fellow of the Society of Australian Genealogists and an adjunct lecturer at the University of New England (NSW). These helped her to discover the subjects for her tales of true crime. Previously, she was General Editor of the Biographical Database of Australia and, before that, Project Officer of the Australian Biographical and Genealogical Record, in which roles she edited many records relating to convicts transported to Australia to serve out their sentences. A full-time wri Carol Baxter is the prize-winning author of three popular histories with a criminal bent – ' An Irresistible Temptation', ' Breaking the Bank' and ' Captain Thunderbolt and His Lady' – all of which have been published to critical acclaim in her native Australia. Carol Baxter is the prize-winning author of three popular histories with a criminal bent – ' An Irresistible Temptation', ' Breaking the Bank' and ' Captain Thunderbolt and His Lady' – all of which have been published to critical acclaim in her native Australia.

The Peculiar Case of the Electric Constable by Carol Baxter