In 1908, Marion
Gilchrist, a reclusive, elderly woman, was murdered in her home in
Glasgow. Oscar Slater, a German Jew and a gambler who lived with a
prostitute, was arrested, tried and convicted. He had the misfortune
to pawn a brooch resembling one that was stolen from Gilchrist. The
police were having no success finding the real killer, so they
fastened on Slater in spite of his having an alibi.
Conan Doyle was
brought into the case because Slater managed to smuggle a letter out
of prison in 1925 asking for his help. The obvious prejudice against
Slater gave Conan Doyle the excuse he needed to take up the case.
Although he didn’t personally like Slater, he continued to pursue
justice until Slater was released.
The case itself is
interesting, but the best part of the book is the detail about the
criminal justice system in Britain in the early twentieth century.
The book details the methods of criminal investigation and the role
prejudice and dislike of outsiders played in dispensing justice. The
horrific prison conditions in Scotland are also discussed at length.
This is not a book
about Conan Doyle although his activities to proved Slater innocent
are the main story-line. The book is a detailed expose of the
criminal justice system in the early days of the twentieth century.
It’s fun to read about Conan Doyle, but the background descriptions
are invaluable.
I received this book
from Net Galley for this review.
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