True life Victorian crime set in Great Yarmouth

Submitted: 15th February 2024

The Mysterious Mrs Hood – Mr Donovan

True life Victorian crime set in Great Yarmouth – oh bring me a book that takes me back to the past and highlights a forgotten, real life case! Learn about a crime that history has hidden or forgotten through the eyes of an author who has painstakingly recreated the scene….

Map of locations in The Mysterious Mrs Hood

BOARDING PASS INFORMATION

Destination : Great Yarmouth

Author guide: Kim Donovan

Genre: historical/true crime

Food and drink to accompany: candyfloss from the seafront

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A novel to transport you to Great Yarmouth

Map of locations in The Mysterious Mrs Hood

There’s something very unique about Victorian crimes and when they are retold years later. This is a very interesting case and I picked it out immediately.

It looks at the real life case of a woman named Mary Jane Bennett who was found dead on the beach at Great Yarmouth in 1900. The saddest part of the story is that no one claimed her – no one had reported her missing. That broke my heart! Thank goodness for Detective Inspector Robert Lingwood who takes it upon himself to get to the truth. Made me think of Grissom in CSI who used to say the dead couldn’t fight for themselves so he did. I then continued to think of Robert Lingwood looking very Grissom like throughout this book!

Anyway, I digress. The investigation into the woman and how and why she died is fascinating. Baring in mind this is 1900 and we didn’t have the technology we do now. The way the police track clues, research and think is very interesting to see. Never mind the press at the time! By the time we get to the trial, the case has taken on a life of its own. But then when you realise that there is a dead woman who no-one seems to have missed at the centre of all this, you can’t help feeling a sadness in your gut.

Map of locations in The Mysterious Mrs Hood

Then something amazing happened. I hadn’t read the full blurb before digging into this so when I realised the murdered woman is the author’s great great aunt, this took the book to a whole new level. Utter respect for writing this story and for giving your great great aunt a voice.

A fascinating case and one with an additional personal story makes it all the more human and more poignant. Let’s get Mary’s story out there!