On the morning of 9 January 1923, a brutal and horrifying execution took place at Holloway Prison in London. The condemned young woman screamed and cried, but no last minute reprieve arrived. Long after she was dead, her story would inspire authors like James Joyce, E.M. Delafield, Dorothy L. Sayers and Sarah Waters, and you can find traces of it in many detective novels published in the decades since.

This is the story of Edith Thompson.

Find more information about this episode and links to the books discussed at shedunnitshow.com/ediththompson. The podcast is on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Instagram as @ShedunnitShow, and you can find it in all major podcast apps. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss the next episode. Click here to do that now in your app of choice.

Books mentioned in order of appearance:

—Bella Donna by Robert Hichens

—Criminal Justice: The True Story of Edith Thompson by Rene Weis

—Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

—The Golden Age of Murder by Martin Edwards

—Messalina of the Suburbs by E.M. Delafield

—The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E. M. Delafield

—As for the Woman by Francis Iles (aka Anthony Berkeley)

—The Anatomy of Murder by the Detection Club

—The Documents in the Case by Dorothy L. Sayers and Robert Eustace

—Crooked House by Agatha Christie

—Before the Fact by Francis Iles (aka Anthony Berkeley)

—A Pin to See the Peepshow by Fryn Tennyson Jesse

—The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters

Find a full transcript of this episode at shedunnitshow.com/ediththompsontranscript

NB: Links to Blackwell’s are affiliate links, meaning that the podcast receives a small commission when you purchase a book there (the price remains the same for you). Blackwell’s is a UK independent bookselling chain that ships internationally at no extra charge.

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