The Strange Affair of Madeleine Smith

Victorian Scotland's Trial of the Century

Douglas MacGowan

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Paperback

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English

Birlinn Ltd
02 September 2021

Biography; True stories; True crime

Discover the true story of Victorian Scotland's trial of the century.

It was a case that rocked Victorian society. Emile L'Angelier was a working-class immigrant from the Channel Islands who began a clandestine affair with prominent Glasgow socialite Madeleine Smith. Six weeks after Emile threatened to show Madeleine's father their passionate letters, on 23 March 1857, he was found dead from arsenic poisoning. The evidence against Madeleine seemed overwhelming as she went to trial for murdering her lover.

Douglas MacGowan's vivid account reads by turns like a thriller, a love story and a courtroom drama. He quotes extensively from contemporary sources, notably the pathology reports, the trial testimony and the infamous correspondence between Madeleine and Emile, whose explicit content so shocked Victorian sensibilities. Ultimately it is up to the reader to judge Madeleine’s guilt or innocence.

By: Douglas MacGowan
Imprint: Birlinn Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm, Spine: 1mm
Weight: 232g
ISBN: 9781846975806
ISBN 10: 1846975808
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 02 September 2021
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Douglas MacGowan was born in Chicago in 1963 and has lived in California since 1968. He received a Bachelor of Public Administration degree from the University of San Francisco in 1988 and has contributed articles to the Scottish Journal, The Scotsman and Celtic Heritage. He has been married for ten years and currently lives on the San Francisco peninsula with his wife, far too many cats and one dog.

Reviews for The Strange Affair of Madeleine Smith: Victorian Scotland's Trial of the Century

'This case has it all - class, gender, the whiff of scandal and a whodunnit, all wrapped up in the hypocrisy of the legal system of Victorian Scotland' -- Professor Emeritus David Wilson 'absolutely compelling' * Evening Times * 'a meticulous overview of the evidence' * Sunday Herald * 'if you are... interested in true-life Victorian crime, then this is definitely the book for you' -- Graham Drew * Dundee Courier *