THE RED BARN MURDER. Some New Evidence on an Old Murder

Hardback. The author examines, in great detail, the Red Barn murder - and his investigations produced some unexpected new evidence which turned an apparently clear-cut case into a fascinating mystery. The story of Maria Marten's murder in Polstead in 1827 is perhaps best known through melodrama, and it is generally accepted that the crime was an obvious case of cold-blooded, brutal murder by a monstrous scoundrel. However, Maria Marten and William Corder do not quite fit their oft-depicted roles; Maria was not the innocent maiden, nor was Corder the complete blackguard. The author's research deals with the puzzle of how Maria's stepmother came to dream of the exact place where Maria had been buried, and he discusses the previously unexplained riddle of how Maria was not only shot but also stabbed. Even more surprisingly the author introduces a new witness into this strange tale of illicit love in a Suffolk village: Thomas Griffiths Wainewright, art critic, forger, and poisoner. Illus., Bibliog. and Sources + Index. 206pp. 8vo. h/back. From the library of true-crime writer, Wilfred Gregg, with his personal b/plate. Light stains to fore-edge. Vg. in frayed G++ dw.