DOCTOR MOON

Hardback. A True Crime novel. A compelling fictionalised account of one of the most notorious murder cases in British history - the 1910 Crippen case. Originally published in the UK as 'Henbane' in 1934, the novel reimagines the life and crime of Dr. Hawley Harvey Crippen — here called Doctor Moon — a mild-mannered American homeopathic physician living in London. The story follows the gentle, unassuming Moon as he endures a toxic marriage to his flamboyant, domineering, and adulterous wife, Flora. Her relentless nagging, financial control, and emotional cruelty slowly erode his affection until he finds genuine love with his quiet, devoted typist, Marion. Trapped by financial desperation and marital misery, Moon resorts to murder by poison, dismembers the body, and attempts to flee to Canada with his mistress disguised as a boy — events mirroring the real Crippen and Ethel Le Neve’s dramatic transatlantic escape. The author portrays Moon as a meek, likable man driven to desperation rather than a monster, while vividly depicting Flora’s vulgar vitality and the tender, childlike bond between Moon and Marion. The novel builds cumulative psychological pressure toward the inevitable tragedy, devoting little space to the trial itself and focusing instead on the domestic horror and emotional complexities that made the case so fascinating. 313pp. 8vo. h/back. With a personal b/plate to fpd, fr. hinge just about beginning to show, v. lightly foxed edges, v.v. sl. faded sp. o/w a Vg+ copy of a scarce 'Crippen' related title.