Review by Elizabeth C. Bunce
In the small-but-crowded field of Victorian true crime, Paul Thomas Murphy′s 2016 release Pretty Jane and the Viper of Kidbrooke Lane: A True Story of Victorian Law and Disorder presents a notable installment in the genre. Covering a lesser-known crime that was the sensation of its day, Pretty Jane and the Viper of Kidbrooke Lane details the brutal murder of Jane Clouson, a sixteen-year-old London maid-of-all-work, and the legal fiasco that followed, including—but hardly limited to—the murder trial of suspect Edmund Pook. Murphy begins his account like a thriller, a police procedural of a bygone era of evolving law enforcement and burgeoning forensics. His heroes are the detectives, witnesses, and doctors who come forward to uncover the truth of Clouson’s attack—and the identity of her attacker. Pretty Jane and the Viper of Kidbrooke Lane is available now in a paperback edition.
In his riveting step-by-step analysis of the investigation, Murphy paints a vivid picture of 1870s London—its law enforcement, its residents, and the neighborhoods torn apart by the culture clash of young Clouson’s murder. This section of the book really shines, offering both an excellent overview of period forensic science and police procedure, as well as enticing tidbits like the cost of a photograph or the unexpectedly fascinating workings of a ironmonger’s shop from the era.
The second part of Murphy’s tale, leading readers through the labyrinth of the 19th century English justice system, loses a bit of momentum, although that’s as much the challenge of presenting the welter of material about the case (four separate steps to the murder trial and all the attendant solicitors, barristers, judges, and witnesses) as the challenge of making the mystifying Victorian trial process understandable. That said, it’s unclear who the audience for the book is meant to be—American readers wholly unfamiliar with the byzantine and confusing steps of a Victorian murder trial; or English readers who will find the basics—if not the details (which have changed substantially in the intervening 145 years)—relatable. Readers brand-new to the subject will likely find themselves lost and confused by references to the Treasury Department (which handled many public prosecutions until the 1980s) and similar trappings, and may struggle to stick with the book through the legal morass. It is not a spoiler to note that Pook was acquitted of the murder, but the legal battles surrounding him were far from over. Murphy offers up a cast of characters who, beyond mere professional adversaries, become almost mortal enemies as the many facets of the case churn on.
Murphy hits his stride once more when he briefly steps out of the Pook murder trial to broaden the scope of the book to include two other contemporary trials held at the same time, returning to his skillful survey of the cultural landscape. And the beguiling promise of the book? To identify Jane Clouson’s real killer? Murphy’s case is skillfully, convincingly, and—dare I say zealously—presented, and his conclusion may come as a satisfying surprise. Don’t let the “Law and Disorder” in the subtitle fool you into thinking there is any comedy here–this is a real murder albeit mishandled, a real tragedy, and handled as such.
Pretty Jane and the Viper of Kidbrooke Lane is recommended reading for experienced students of Victorian criminology and jurisprudence, and will reward determined readers of true crime, British history, and Victoriana with new discoveries and a deeper understanding of this period in legal history. Published by Pegasus Books, it’s available now in paperback here at Amazon.
