Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of The Devil's Gentleman: Privilege, Poison, and the Trial That Ushered in the Twentieth Century

The Devil's Gentleman: Privilege, Poison, and the Trial That Ushered in the Twentieth Century
boomerbooklover avatar reviewed on + 441 more book reviews


Story of the son of a beloved Civil War officer who is tried for the murder of a rival by poison. Includes many facets of the Victorian age, including the limitations of medical knowledge; patent medicines and free samples of dubious substances offered by mail order; private mailbox rentals; the early days of handwriting analysis; and the general public's fascination with the well-to-do, and with violent crimes, as promoted by the yellow journalism of the day.