When I was in Secondary school, I went through a period where I binged lots of true crime books. Even though I don’t read as much of the genre now, I still enjoy them.

Unlike many true crime mysteries, which focus on famous cases, Pretty Jane and the Viper of Kidbrooke Lane is about the murder of Jane Clouson, a maid-of-all-work at the Pook house. Investigations showed that Jane and Edmund Pook were said to be in a relationship and were supposed to elope together. When the police found blood on Edmund’s clothes, they arrested him. Unfortunately, much of the investigation was bungled and this book is an examination of the investigation and the trial, with the last chapter focusing on the truth behind his murder.

Although Jane was a nobody, her death and the trial of her alleged murderer captured the public imagination. Girls like Jane, who worked as maids of all work, were in a precarious situation. They were made to do insane amounts of work, while being expected to know their place in the social scale (often to people who were only slightly higher on the social ladder than them) and to adhere to a strict moral code set by their employers. Her tragic and gruesome death became a rallying point, as shown by the plan for her pallbearers to wear the uniform of maids-of-all-work, to show that “Jane Clouson’s life had meaning and value not in spite of her humble status, but because of it.” (Sadly, the plan was cancelled due to rain)

The last chapter of the book not only sums up the case, but also uses what was found to persuasively argue that Edmund Pook was indeed Jane Clouson’s killer. A few pieces of evidence that were thrown out, such as eyewitness accounts, are woven together with the accounts of blood splatter on Edmund Pook’s clothes to tie everything together.

Pretty Jane and the Viper of Kidbrooke Lane is a clear and compelling account of this tragic case, stopping occasionally to look at the issue in the broader context but never losing focus. If you’re interested in Victorian society and true crime, I think you’d be interested in this book.