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Death at the Priory: Love, Sex, and Murder in Victorian England Paperback – November 27, 2002

by James Ruddick (Author)
4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 48 ratings
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In 1875 the beautiful widow Florence Ricardo married the handsome and successful young attorney Charles Bravo, hoping to escape the scandals of her past. But Bravo proved to be a brutal and conniving man, and the marriage was far from happy. Then one night he suddenly collapsed, and three days later died an agonizing death. His doctors immediately determined that he had been poisoned. The graphic and sensational details of the case would capture the public imagination of Victorian England as the investigation dominated the press for weeks, and the list of suspects grew to include Florence, her secret lover the eminent doctor James Gully, her longtime companion the housekeeper Mrs. Cox, and the recently dismissed stableman George Griffiths. But ultimately no murderer could be determined, and despite the efforts of numerous historians, criminologists, and other writers since (including Agatha Christie), the case has never been definitively solved. Now James Ruddick retells this gripping story of love, greed, brutality, and betrayal among the elite -- offering an intimate portrait of Victorian culture and of one woman's struggle to live in this repressive society, while unmasking the true murderer for the first time. Simultaneously a murder mystery, colorful social history, and modern-day detective tale, Death at the Priory is a thrilling read and a window into a fascinating time. "An impressively researched retelling ... Death at the Priory reads as a historical intervention, crime novel, and sensational docudrama." -- Zarena Aslami, Chicago Tribune "A suspenseful and stimulating read." -- Merle Rubin, Los Angeles Times "Enjoyable; Ruddick has done much admirable sleuthing." -- Paul Collins, The New York Times Book Review
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Previous page
  1. Print length
    224 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Grove Press
  4. Publication date
    November 27, 2002
  5. Dimensions
    5.56 x 0.6 x 8.26 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    0802139744
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0802139740
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grove Press (November 27, 2002)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 224 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0802139744
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0802139740
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9.6 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.56 x 0.6 x 8.26 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars 48 ratings

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James Ruddick

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4.1 out of 5 stars
4.1 out of 5
48 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

S. L.
5.0 out of 5 stars Good book!
Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2013
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This was an interesting read and I have loaned the book to friends and am waiting for them to finish it so we can discuss it. I believe the author's conclusions are quite plausible, but I do not believe his proof of evidence is neccesarily iron-clad. I have since read on the internet of another possibility (as to "who dunnit") which actually makes a lot of sense. But I do not wish to give anything away about the ending or possibly who commited the crime so as to not spoil the reading for those who have not read it. It was truly a thought-provoking read, though I would have preferred it to be fleshed-out a bit more. I had many unanswered questions that research probably would have provided. But, all-in-all, an enjoyable read and I did not put it down until I had read it through.
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Debra Hamel
4.0 out of 5 stars Nearly un-put-downable popular history
Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2003
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In the spring of 1876 Charles Bravo, a thirty-year-old barrister, was murdered at the Priory, his home in south London. His death was a particularly horrific one as the poison that was used, a massive dose of tartar emetic (a derivative of antimony), is a highly corrosive substance. In the three days it took Bravo to die, the poison "burned through the tissue lining his alimentary canal" and ate away at his large intestine until it had all but disintegrated. The police eventually determined that Bravo's death was not a straightforward case of suicide, but who among Bravo's household or acquaintances had the means and motive to kill him? There were numerous suspects: the coachman George Griffiths, whom Bravo had recently dismissed and who had publicly prophesied his former employer's death; Bravo's wife Florence, who had suffered two miscarriages already in their five-month marriage and whom Bravo was eager to impregnate again; Florence's former lover James Gully, the respected doctor who numbered among his patients Charles Darwin and Florence Nightingale; Florence's female companion and mother figure, Jane Cox, whom Bravo had also threatened with dismissal. Despite the abundance of likely suspects, however, the Bravo murder investigation, one of the Victorian era's most infamous cases, was never solved.

Over the more than 120 years since Bravo's murder, the case has attracted considerable attention, with armchair detectives, among them Agatha Christie, attempting to puzzle out a solution to the unsolved crime. James Ruddick follows in this tradition, although he differs from his predecessors in using as evidence not only the records of the Coroner's inquest from which they derived information, but also original police records and the testimony of surviving relatives of the principals. Ruddick claims to have uncovered in his research evidence which has enabled him finally to expose the murderer. The evidence Ruddick offers is perhaps not as definitive as he suggests--while it does appear to exculpate one of the suspects, it does not prove the guilt of the person he fingers for the crime--but the author's reconstruction of the murder is indeed a persuasive one.

Death at the Priory is an example of popular history at its finest. It is fast-paced and suspenseful. The prose is highly readable. (My favorite sentence: "An unhappy woman with easy access to weedkiller had to be watched carefully.") And the story Ruddick tells--of the murder and its investigation, and of Florence's abusive first marriage and scandalous affair with James Gully--is inherently fascinating. There were occasions, however, when I wanted more information. What, for example, *was* that notorious Victorian malady "brain fever" that Florence was thought to be suffering from at one point? And what was so "famous" (as Ruddick refers to it) about the Bridge of Sighs that separated the men's quarters from the women's at Dr. Gully's clinic? (And is this bridge indeed famous, or has Ruddick transferred the epithet from the better known Bridge of Sighs in Venice?) I also had some questions, not necessarily damning, about Ruddick's reconstruction of the crime. (Why, for example, given his reconstruction, did Jane Cox go to such lengths to try to revive Charles Bravo after his collapse?) These might have been resolved at once had Ruddick been across the room from me while I was reading, but, strangely, he was not.

These minor issues aside, Ruddick's contribution to the literature on the Bravo cases makes excellent, nearly un-put-downable reading.

Reviewed by Debra Hamel, author of Trying Neaira: The True Story of a Courtesan's Scandalous Life in Ancient Greece
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Magda Denes
5.0 out of 5 stars Victorian life as you don't want it!
Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2012
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A great murder mystery, very well written set in the Victorian era. I've often yearned for those kinder, quaint times during the late 1800s, early 1900s. Maybe, after reading this book, I'm no longer so eager. Social conventions could strangle the life out of a girl, force her into flawed marriages and more. Florence was brought up as a spoiled, rich girl. Nevertheless, when her first marriage failed, her father turned his back on her. To save her name and her social position, she married a man who was cunning and conniving personified. You won't be disappointed by the true life twists and turns this story offers.
4 people found this helpful
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N.D. Casalino
5.0 out of 5 stars I could not put it down....
Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2011
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I get the criticism of this book, especially the detective work. Ruddick as an author also seems a tad thrilled with his own brilliance (and the use of italics). That said -- I literally could not put this book down. It sucked me right in, and I felt I really got a glimpse of the Victorian world of love and sex (as well as murder). I did think the first half, which described the crime and their lives up to it, was EXTREMELY well written. Incredibly enjoyable!
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Angela H.
2.0 out of 5 stars unsupported speculation
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2022
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His actual suggestion of who done it might be correct -- no one knows what actually happened & there weren't many people involved from whom to choose the culprit, & his choice doesn't seem impossible. We will never know if he was right.

But he keeps presenting as historical fact -- either about the people involved or Victorian England in general -- things which after reading further or looking at his footnotes or even doing a quick google search, are found to be completely unfounded -- just made up because it would support what he's saying at the moment, & some of his justifications are quite tortuous. Pretty soon you doubt everything he writes, which makes for an irritating read.

But I suppose a true story involving sex and murder among the wealthy in Victorian England might be entertaining to many readers, whether the commentary is plausible or not.
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sblevine
3.0 out of 5 stars Ordinary writing and mediocre detecting
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2010
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Ruddick's writing is workman like, journalistic but never very exciting. His "solution" to the crime is based upon the slimmest evidence as he accepts and rejects information as it best suits his goals. The interviews of the families and the "clues" obtained, 130 years after the events are a bit ridiculous. The book is very short and might have been better had it been written by someone who knows how to write true crime.
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Top reviews from other countries

Marguerite Silver
5.0 out of 5 stars The most credible solution.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 2, 2018
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Ever since reading Iseult Bridges' excellent account published some 60 plus years ago, I've been fascinated by the mystery of who murdered a young barrister, in 1876, in the heart of respectable middle-class Victorian London. Or did he accidentally poison himself? Excellent as Bridges' theory was as to how the death came about, she didn't have access to all the information painstakingly obtained and researched by James Ruddick, and I personally believe that he has finally presented readers with the answer to the riddle of who committed the murder. Bridges was writing for an audience far more inhibited than today's and much information on what occurred in the victim's marriage had either to be inferred or was just not available to her. Victorian middle-class women had an appalling time in many ways, subject to their husbands' financial and sexual control, with very few rights over their lives or their bodies. Above all, they were expected to remain "respectable", no matter what the suffering to themselves in so doing. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this 150 year old mystery. I won't spoil the read for other people by giving away in this review the conclusion Ruddick reaches. Buy yourself a copy and find out!
2 people found this helpful
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Cleopatra
4.0 out of 5 stars Victorian Crime Whodunit
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 8, 2014
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Poison was a familiar murder weapon in Victorian England with many a tale abounding of arsenic used to gain a fortune, do away with a rival or an inconvenient spouse.

In this book James Ruddick believes he has uncovered the real truth of the perpetrator of Charles Bravo’s death by poison in 1876. Charles Bravo was a rich man who suffered an agonising death spread over three days. Poison was the culprit and the inquest into his death lasted a lengthy five weeks with journalists sending stories to all corners of England’s vast empire, but no-one was ever convicted of his murder, the problem was there were just too many suspects.

This is a fascinating portrait of the time as well as being a real life murder mystery. Ruddick begins by detailing the facts as they were presented to the inquest, scandalous evidence that included adultery and abortion but also the more prosaic truth of the hardships of a Victorian woman, even if she was rich which Florence Draco was. Her companion Mrs Fox was not and worse she had three young sons to support. Both women could be considered victims of circumstance and both were suspected, but never charged with, Charles Draco’s murder.

In the second part of the book Ruddick examines the evidence and details his efforts to trace the descendants of al the main parties in an attempt to flush out the truth. Does he succeed? Well some of the discrepancies highlighted, I had spotted by reading the evidence in the first part and I’m not entirely convinced about some of the ‘evidence’ that the families provided although one crucial piece does shed a different light on the matter. On balance I agreed with the author.

This was well-written and informative and far beyond the investigation a fascinating portrait of Victorian Britain.
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David Smith
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 8, 2014
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Excellent telling of a true story. You really get a sense of the characters, the act and of the period from Ruddick's writing. Definitely worth a read.
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Mr. C. Folwell
5.0 out of 5 stars A real historical who done it
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 3, 2018
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A very enjoyable read.
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bob abel
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast delivery great
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 9, 2018
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Great
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