Ruxton

The First Modern Murder

By: Tom Wood

Narrated by: Steve Worsley

Two dismembered bodies discarded in the borderlands of Scotland, hideously mutilated to avoid identification. Forty-three pieces of rotten flesh and bone wrapped in rags and newspaper. A jigsaw puzzle of decomposing human remains. A glamorous young wife and her dutiful nursemaid missing. A handsome, mild-mannered town doctor insanely jealous of his wife’s friendships with other men.

It is 1935, and the deaths of Isabella Ruxton and Mary Rogerson would result in one of the most complex investigations the world had ever seen. The gruesome murders captured worldwide attention, with newspapers keeping the public enthralled with all the gory details. But behind the headlines was a different, more important story: the groundbreaking work of Scottish forensic scientists who developed new techniques to solve the case and shape the future of scientific criminal investigation. With access to previously unseen documents, this book re-examines the case and reveals for the first time the incredible inside story of the investigation and its legacy. This is the first modern murder.

©2020 Tom Wood (P)2023 Tom Wood

Fantastic Telling of “The First Modern (UK) Crime”

I first heard of Tom Wood on a true crime podcast, but you don’t need to be a true crime fan to enjoy this book.

This is a well written recount of a 1930s murder of two women by the town doctor (& husband to one of the murdered women). It is told by a now retired Scottish police detective and read by a great narrator who despite an accent, is easy to understand.

Thoroughly researched, it contains sufficient detail without putting you to sleep. It kept my interest throughout the book, although admittedly I lost track of who was who by the time the author describes their lives and careers after this landmark case.

If you like true crime, a little history of forensics and police work, and the awful things that can result from a passionate but possessive love, this book is for you. If you like Ann Rule, Jeffrey Toobin, Dominic Dunn or even Sherlock, you’ll love this.

I highly recommend this listen.

Thorough and Detailed

This was a thorough and detailed account of the players, the murders, the solving of the crimes, and the trial. The author put the events into historical context and wrapped things up by describing how each player’s life worked out after the events. There were many people in law enforcement involved and I wish I could have kept better track of their roles as the story progressed.

Hard to put down

This is a very well written book about a historical crime, that turned out very gory, therefore it’s not for the faint of heart.

If you can stomach gory detailsalg it is in all its horror an interesting case that began almost as a fairytale with love and success, but turned sour due to jealousy and mistrust.

Actually the gruesome details gave me a bit of Black Dahlia vibes.

It’s very clear the author has put a lot of research into this case before penning this book.

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