The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream: The Hunt for a Victorian Era Serial Killer
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- Create Date：2021-07-14 17:31:11
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Dean Jobb
- ISBN：1616206896
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Reviews
Jackie
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The way he shortens Arthur conan doyle's name annoyed the hell out of me。 Something about the way this guy writes just bugs me in general， the epilogue was awful。 The way he shortens Arthur conan doyle's name annoyed the hell out of me。 Something about the way this guy writes just bugs me in general， the epilogue was awful。 。。。more
Casey Marlow
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This book gives a comprehensive account of a doctor in the late 1800s who poisoned women across continents for 15 years before being caught。 It is rich with detail on the backstory， investigation， and trial of this disturbing man。 Plus it includes photos and maps which transport you into the Victorian Era （note: the narrative and photos are NOT graphic。）The most unsettling part is how prejudice and corruption allowed Cream to get away with murdering women seeking his help for far too long。 The h This book gives a comprehensive account of a doctor in the late 1800s who poisoned women across continents for 15 years before being caught。 It is rich with detail on the backstory， investigation， and trial of this disturbing man。 Plus it includes photos and maps which transport you into the Victorian Era （note: the narrative and photos are NOT graphic。）The most unsettling part is how prejudice and corruption allowed Cream to get away with murdering women seeking his help for far too long。 The harmful attitudes and investigative mistakes are devastating。My main critique is that the bouncing through time and place negatively impacted the flow。 Also I appreciate the immense detail， but some of the passages felt a bit too tangential。 I definitely recommend this for true crime fans， especially those interested in early forensic and investigative techniques。 。。。more
Diane
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True crime readers will find The Case of the Murderous Dr。 Cream an interesting but very chilling and compelling read。 The investigative techniques used back then verses how it is now is also interesting and informative。 This was definitely a page turner。
Eustacia Tan
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I haven’t taken part in a blog tour in years because I hate scheduling posts （and this tour is on Instagram！）， but I made an exception for The Case of the Murderous Dr Cream because it’s historical true crime and I’ve never heard of Dr Cream before。Thomas Neill Cream was a Canadian born in Scotland who， like Jack the Ripper， targeted random prostitutes。 Unlike Jack the Ripper （as far as we know）， Cream had not one but two killing sprees。 He started in Canada， as an abortionist with a suspiciousl I haven’t taken part in a blog tour in years because I hate scheduling posts （and this tour is on Instagram！）， but I made an exception for The Case of the Murderous Dr Cream because it’s historical true crime and I’ve never heard of Dr Cream before。Thomas Neill Cream was a Canadian born in Scotland who， like Jack the Ripper， targeted random prostitutes。 Unlike Jack the Ripper （as far as we know）， Cream had not one but two killing sprees。 He started in Canada， as an abortionist with a suspiciously high fatality rate， and after being released from prison， travelled to London and continued killing。 The Case of the Murderous Dr Cream is the story of all these murders。The Case of the Murderous Dr Cream is a meticulously researched book that closely follows Cream through various historical records。 It’s honestly horrifying how the London police managed to overlook all the poisonings even though Cream also engaged in blackmail， which raised his profile。 I wonder whether， if they had been more alert， if more deaths could be prevented。In terms of the structure， the book starts with the release of Cream from the Canadian prisons and how he travels to London to immediately start killing again。 We only get to hear about his criminal beginnings later on in the book， when the British police are looking into Cream’s past。 I understand why this structure was taken， but I personally wasn’t a huge fan of it because that meant that Cream’s past was sandwiched between his London murders and his trial， and with the number of victims in this book， I needed a refresher when the trial started。For those of you who like illustrations， this book has many pictures and drawings that are relevant to the section （vs being in the middle of the book as a separate section of pictures） and I thought that it helped in adding context to the case。Overall， this was a fascinating look into a Victorian serial killer and I have to say that given the time period and number of victims， I’m surprised that Cream has not achieved the same notoriety as Jack the Ripper。Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher， but all thoughts in this review are my own。This review was first posted at Eustea Reads 。。。more
Paz
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It’s an interesting story/piece of criminal history that I had no idea of。 It was fun reading and learning about true crime。 It was pretty easy to read and follow。 I enjoyed the lay out with pictures throughout the book。
Valerity （Val）
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Review to follow。
Natalyn Houk
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“The Case of the Murderous Dr。 Cream” by Dean Jobb is the story of the Victorian age serial killer Dr。 Cream。 Cream used his position as a doctor to gain his patients trust， and to gain the poison he needed to kill his victims。 Victimizing marginalized groups of people， primarily poor women， Cream was able to go untraced for much longer than expected。This book was brimming with interesting details and facts。 The Victorian age was a time of medical advances and criminology advances。 The combinati “The Case of the Murderous Dr。 Cream” by Dean Jobb is the story of the Victorian age serial killer Dr。 Cream。 Cream used his position as a doctor to gain his patients trust， and to gain the poison he needed to kill his victims。 Victimizing marginalized groups of people， primarily poor women， Cream was able to go untraced for much longer than expected。This book was brimming with interesting details and facts。 The Victorian age was a time of medical advances and criminology advances。 The combination created more cunning killers， but also a growing police force to attempt to trace these killers。 People were fascinated by killers， so the newspapers give details and opinions on any and every case， but even the death sentence drew a crowd of onlookers。Cream’s story feels like a “Criminal Minds” case just waiting to be cracked。 At this time， the technology was on his side。 As he was suspected， his job position and social standing counted him out。 Even traceable things like handwriting and appearance were easily changed。 Or worst case， he could always move （which he did）。 Different cases weren’t connected until much later and by then his count was higher。Ultimately， this book was an interesting study into a cunning killer who was able to evade the law time and time again。 I gave the book 4 stars。Thanks to NetGalley and Algonquin Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review！ 。。。more
Mary Ellen Anaka
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Highly Recommend for those who love True Crime！
Francis M。 Torres
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Being a true crime fanatic， and I am saying it lightly， because I LIVE FOR TRUE CRIME， this book was actually awesome。 I love reading true crime books， but this one reads like a documentary， which makes it even better。 Being that I know about Jack the Ripper and his crimes， the cross reference between Jack and Cream was amazing。 The mystery still lingers， why did Cream do it？ Why did he kill why did he kill women？？ Prostitutes at that？？ There are a lot of other speculations， but not anything fro Being a true crime fanatic， and I am saying it lightly， because I LIVE FOR TRUE CRIME， this book was actually awesome。 I love reading true crime books， but this one reads like a documentary， which makes it even better。 Being that I know about Jack the Ripper and his crimes， the cross reference between Jack and Cream was amazing。 The mystery still lingers， why did Cream do it？ Why did he kill why did he kill women？？ Prostitutes at that？？ There are a lot of other speculations， but not anything from Cream himself。 This is what I love about true crime， this book is worth the read。I love that this book has references in the back so you can look up everything if you wanted to， loved that。 Thanks Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book， cant wait until its out in stores。 True Crime lovers will love this。 。。。more
Jenny Lawson
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Macabre medical true crime。 A fascinating story and well-told。 4。5 stars。
Caitlin
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Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review！The Case of the Murderous Dr。Cream is a true crime novel about Dr。Cream， a doctor who doubled as a serial killer across Canada， the US， and and the UK。 I requested this one as I was interested to see an early Canadian serial killer， and was curious about someone who could have such a wide range of victims， and still not be a well known name when you hear true crime fans talk。 Now that I’ve read this， I see why Dr。Cream isn’t on Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review！The Case of the Murderous Dr。Cream is a true crime novel about Dr。Cream， a doctor who doubled as a serial killer across Canada， the US， and and the UK。 I requested this one as I was interested to see an early Canadian serial killer， and was curious about someone who could have such a wide range of victims， and still not be a well known name when you hear true crime fans talk。 Now that I’ve read this， I see why Dr。Cream isn’t one of the more popular killers in history。 He really wasn’t anything we haven’t heard before。 Doctors really like poison。 I do have to give a nod to Jobb for managing to make this book interesting and engaging， despite it following a man who I didn’t find particularly interesting。 The research and information within was well done， managed to be keep you interested and never felt dry even when sifting through dry parts of Dr。Cream’s past。 The writing is what made this book what it was。 True crime can fall into the trap of being too technical， or too dry， and even too heavy， but this managed to feel concise and interesting。 I appreciated the writing more than anything else， and am interested to read other works by Jobb。 I’m just not really interested in reading more about Dr。Cream。 。。。more
Amy Imogene Reads
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Happy Publication Day！4。5 disturbed starsAmongst Jack the Ripper， Sir Arthur Conan Doyle， H。H。 Holmes， and the birth of the modern medical movement。。。 there was another man murdering prostitutes and women of no means in London and Chicago。 His story has somehow faded in the background of more sensationalized figures—and yet his reign of murders was no less terrifying。 Research: ★★★★★Ease of reading: ★★★★Contextualization: ★★★★★"Enjoyment": ★★★★★"In the span of fifteen years， Dr。 Thomas Neill Cre Happy Publication Day！4。5 disturbed starsAmongst Jack the Ripper， Sir Arthur Conan Doyle， H。H。 Holmes， and the birth of the modern medical movement。。。 there was another man murdering prostitutes and women of no means in London and Chicago。 His story has somehow faded in the background of more sensationalized figures—and yet his reign of murders was no less terrifying。 Research: ★★★★★Ease of reading: ★★★★Contextualization: ★★★★★"Enjoyment": ★★★★★"In the span of fifteen years， Dr。 Thomas Neill Cream poisoned at least ten people in the United States， Britain， and Canada， a death toll with almost no precedents。 Structured around Cream’s London murder trial in 1892， when he was finally brought to justice， The Case of the Murderous Dr。 Cream exposes the blind trust given to medical practitioners， as well as the flawed detection methods， bungled investigations， corrupt officials， and stifling morality of Victorian society that allowed Cream to prey on vulnerable and desperate women， many of whom had turned to him for medical help。"I've pulled right from the book's blurb above because I think it's a near-perfect way to describe the contents of this piece of research。 Are you aware of London's Jack the Ripper？ Of course。 But are you aware of Dr。 Thomas Neill Cream？ You should be， as he was worse。The only way I can describe my reading experience for this book is: baffling and horrifying。 Here was a white man from a rich Canadian family hiding behind a doctor's degree in the late 1800s—who managed to evade justice for literal decades of murdering across three countries。 He was suspected， questioned， arrested， and identified as a predator on multiple occasions throughout his reign of global terror。。。 and yet money， corruption， sexism， racism， and more kept him on the streets。 How did he do it？ HOW did he get away with it， when his murders were nearly identical， he was tied to the scenes of the crime and the victims， and his mental state gave him away at nearly every turn with erratic behaviors and letters of confession sent to the police？ Author Dean Jobb takes us on this chilling， ominous journey through immaculately researched chapters and photos detailing every leg of Dr。 Cream's life。 In a similar manner to The Devil and the White City， this work includes direct quotations in a narrative style—all sourced—and play-by-play journeys from each of Dr。 Cream's murderous explorations。 The writing style with dialogue and descriptions made for an easy， almost fictional/narrative read， but this is no work of fiction。 I found it chilling to see Dr。 Cream in photos， and even more disturbing to read the blackmail letters he sent to the police and the documents written down about him at the time。 Seeing the plight of the Victorian single woman—often existing at society's fringes in prostitution， one of the few lucrative positions available to her—and her fatal encounters with a doctor whom she thought she could trust。。。 chilling。 Dean Jobb has done a fantastic job with this work。 I put it right up there with Devil in the White City and The Butchering Art， both nonfiction works dealing with similar subject matter。 The only elements of this work that I wish the author had provided more context for were the discussions on sexism and race that played out in Dr。 Cream's ability to evade justice。 He preyed on white female prostitutes， and in one particular court case his lawyer was easily able to discredit a witness because she was a Black woman。 Jobb discusses the sexism at work during these times in an afterword at the end—most likely as a way to keep the editorialization minimal within the "narrative" timeline—but he does not go into detail on the levels of racism at play。 Even though we as readers could reasonably take it as a given， due to the time period， it would have been appropriate to give that topic more airtime。 Thank you to Algonquin Books for my copy in exchange for an honest review。Blog | Instagram 。。。more
Christina
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Thank you to Algonquin books for the gifted review copy。The Case of the Murderous Dr。 Cream is the perfect blend of true crime and history。 The book is broken up into six parts that introduce us to Cream’s victims， the investigation and detectives involved， then the subsequent trial once Cream is finally caught。 We’re given a detailed examination of late 19th century forensic science and investigative techniques and explore the failings that led to Cream’s ability to get away with so many murder Thank you to Algonquin books for the gifted review copy。The Case of the Murderous Dr。 Cream is the perfect blend of true crime and history。 The book is broken up into six parts that introduce us to Cream’s victims， the investigation and detectives involved， then the subsequent trial once Cream is finally caught。 We’re given a detailed examination of late 19th century forensic science and investigative techniques and explore the failings that led to Cream’s ability to get away with so many murders。This book was made to be a true crime documentary （at least it should be）。 I loved the addition of photographs and sketches taken from the original newspapers covering the case。 If you’re like me and love binge watching Forensic Files and other true crime documentaries on tv， then this is the book for you。 。。。more
Wrapped Up in Books
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This is the true story of a Victorian serial killer （before the term was invented） named Dr Thomas Neill Cream。 Cream poisoned his victims， mostly female prostitutes in London and some of them were pregnant。 He allegedly began his killing spree before the famous murderer HH Holmes as well as within the same time frame as Jack the Ripper， and he went to medical school around the same time as Sherlock Holmes。 The book is very thoroughly researched and the author used records， some completely origi This is the true story of a Victorian serial killer （before the term was invented） named Dr Thomas Neill Cream。 Cream poisoned his victims， mostly female prostitutes in London and some of them were pregnant。 He allegedly began his killing spree before the famous murderer HH Holmes as well as within the same time frame as Jack the Ripper， and he went to medical school around the same time as Sherlock Holmes。 The book is very thoroughly researched and the author used records， some completely original， that were found across a couple provinces of Canada to the State or Illinois to the City of London。 The level of detail is amazing and is a result partially of luck to be able to have all these records remaining intact and mostly due to the excellent detective work of the author that researched this book。 After I received my advanced release ebook copy， I read all to the end before realizing there was a “Cast of Characters” list for this narrative nonfiction novel。 I LOVE character lists and I wish I saw it sooner。 I did my best to keep up with the names of characters。 There were several minor characters named Joseph， and a fair number with similar “H” last names。 G。F。 Harvey is the medicinal company， and Haynes is the American acquaintance and Harper is the falsely accused medical student。 There’s also inspector Harvey and of course， Louisa Harvey， a target of Cream’s， unrelated to the inspector or the medicinal company。 Despite the heavy and gruesome subject matter， the book was also a look back into history and the way society lived， and the prevalent viewpoints of the majority。 There was an interesting discussion of abortion practices; a topic that is taboo to this day。The story was set in different points of Cream’s life。 I personally prefer a more linear story。 The story starts at a particular point in Cream’s criminal history， moves forward， and then goes back。 For me， it would have worked better if rather than putting months and years at the start of each chapter， if the author wrote “two years earlier” or “one month later”， etc。Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC。 This book gets released July 13th from Algonquin publishers。 4 stars and I would read more by the author。 Releases on July 13th 。。。more
Brent Hale
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Outstanding historical reporting of a little or unknown transatlantic serial killer and the times in which he lived。 Compelling enough to read in two days。 For anyone who enjoys true crime or historical narratives。
Maryam Mallick
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It is a great book there was other histories that connects to the story to get a feel of the Victorian era。 I know all about Victorian Art but reading about serial killer was interesting to know， at that time it was interest court trials。 and the punishment to hang until death that sense for me was interesting because the public， including children， were paying to see Cream's last moment。 It is a great book there was other histories that connects to the story to get a feel of the Victorian era。 I know all about Victorian Art but reading about serial killer was interesting to know， at that time it was interest court trials。 and the punishment to hang until death that sense for me was interesting because the public， including children， were paying to see Cream's last moment。 。。。more
Katie Frewin
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Loved every second of this beautifully written， wonderfully unique and incredibly in-depth account of Dr。 Cream。 Very glad I heard about it via my favourite podcast。
John V
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An interesting， macabre story。 Reminded me of THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY， but the storytelling is not at Erik Larson's level。 The presentation is somewhat plodding， hampered by overquoting of sources， and should have been reordered in order to make the pacing more dramatic。 Dr。 Cream was evidently a sex addict who blamed， denigrated， abused， and sometimes killed the prostitutes he couldn't resist， because he couldn't control his urges （Jobb could have made this point more explicitly）。 In that r An interesting， macabre story。 Reminded me of THE DEVIL IN THE WHITE CITY， but the storytelling is not at Erik Larson's level。 The presentation is somewhat plodding， hampered by overquoting of sources， and should have been reordered in order to make the pacing more dramatic。 Dr。 Cream was evidently a sex addict who blamed， denigrated， abused， and sometimes killed the prostitutes he couldn't resist， because he couldn't control his urges （Jobb could have made this point more explicitly）。 In that respect， the story foreshadows the recent case of the fundamentalist Christian guy who murdered massage parlor workers in Atlanta， because he couldn't resist their "sinful" services。 And there surely have been many other such cases since Dr。 Cream supplied a model of such a depraved， heinous syndrome。 。。。more
Ramona Jennex
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I could not put it down- meticulously researched and presented in an engaging narrative。 You may forget you are reading a historical factual book it is so well written。 It is interesting how murderers are remembered- everyone knows the name of Jack the Ripper when the evil of Dr。Cream seems to have missed the same notoriety。 Dean Jobb brings the story of Dr。Cream forward along with the crime solving culture of the time。 Fascinating！ Do yourself a favour and add this one to your reading list。
Sarah
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Highly readable。 Incredibly well researched。 4。5/5。
Virginia Van
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Born in Scotland but raised in Quebec， Dr。 Thomas Neill Cream was a graduate of McGill University's prestigious medical school。 In the next 15 years he would go on to poison at least ten people in the United States， Britain， and Canada， including， probably， his wife in Waterloo， Quebec。 It was his poisoning of London prostitutes that finally lead to his arrest and 1892 murder trial。 This book sets the case in its historical context of classism， repressive Victorian morality， blind trust in docto Born in Scotland but raised in Quebec， Dr。 Thomas Neill Cream was a graduate of McGill University's prestigious medical school。 In the next 15 years he would go on to poison at least ten people in the United States， Britain， and Canada， including， probably， his wife in Waterloo， Quebec。 It was his poisoning of London prostitutes that finally lead to his arrest and 1892 murder trial。 This book sets the case in its historical context of classism， repressive Victorian morality， blind trust in doctors and and untrained police force ay a time when the concept of serial killers was yet un known。。 For fans of "The Devil in the White City"。 。。。more
Nancy
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“Crime and murder were obsessions in the nineteenth century，” Dean Jobb notes。 Crime stories filled the newspapers， and novelists churned out horrid tales。 The detective genre was basically invented by Edgar Allan Poe and was perfected by Arthur Conan Doyle in Sherlock Holmes。 Charles Dickens and his friend Wilkie Collins wrote novels centered around crime and Scotland Yard’s detectives。Holmes told Watson that “when a doctor goes wrong， he is the first of criminals。” And in Dr。 Thomas Neill Crea “Crime and murder were obsessions in the nineteenth century，” Dean Jobb notes。 Crime stories filled the newspapers， and novelists churned out horrid tales。 The detective genre was basically invented by Edgar Allan Poe and was perfected by Arthur Conan Doyle in Sherlock Holmes。 Charles Dickens and his friend Wilkie Collins wrote novels centered around crime and Scotland Yard’s detectives。Holmes told Watson that “when a doctor goes wrong， he is the first of criminals。” And in Dr。 Thomas Neill Cream， we discover the ‘first’ of criminals， a serial killer of unfortunate women， a man who faced the bar and walked out to kill again。 And again， before a Scotland Yard detective crossed two continents to chase down Cream’s history and finally brought him to justice。Cream was a model youth and young man: a Sunday School teacher who had memorized the Gospel of Matthew; a wealthy man who dressed well; a graduate of the esteemed Royal College of Edinburgh University。 While a student he picked up the vile habits of smoking， drink， drugs， and women。He was an abortionist， setting up practice in the poorer neighborhoods among women reduced to prostitution。 His crimes precipitated from arson for insurance fraud and broken engagements to the abandonment of the wife he was forced to marry after he aborted their baby。 He perfected his craft of murder with poison， obtaining the drugs by posing as a salesman to pharmacists。As scandal surrounded him， Cream relocated across Canada， the United States， and Britain， setting up his practice and grooming his next victim。 Who knows how many more he would have poisoned had not Scotland Yard Inspector Frederick Smith Jarvis followed Cream’s trail across continents。Cream’s convoluted career raises questions: How did a privileged， educated， and religious man become so vicious？ Did he believe he was ridding the world of fallen women？ Was he a sociopath who hid under a conventional façade until free to act out his perverse desires？True Crime aficionados and mystery lovers will enjoy this book。 Also， readers of Victorian Age history。I received a free egalley from the publisher through NetGalley。 My review is fair and unbiased。 。。。more
Gerry
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I received a free ARC from the publisher， and really liked this。 I had not heard of Dr。 Cream and his poisonings。 This book is very well researched and extremely interesting。 Well done！
Jeff Harper
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If you read one book this summer， make it this one。 Researched to perfection， Jobb transports you to the dark streets of Lambeth， in the shadows of Jack the Ripper's London。 Jobb paints an expert picture of the era， social structure， and policing of the time period。 The Case of the Murderous Dr。 Cream is roller coaster of true crime that will certainly earn it's place on your bookshelf between In Cold Blood and The Devil in the White City。 If you read one book this summer， make it this one。 Researched to perfection， Jobb transports you to the dark streets of Lambeth， in the shadows of Jack the Ripper's London。 Jobb paints an expert picture of the era， social structure， and policing of the time period。 The Case of the Murderous Dr。 Cream is roller coaster of true crime that will certainly earn it's place on your bookshelf between In Cold Blood and The Devil in the White City。 。。。more
Judy Beetem
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The Case of the Murderous Dr。 Cream is a true crime story that reads like a novel。 Dean Jobb， a master of true crime writing， centers the story around the doctor's murder trial in 1892。 Dr。 Cream poisoned 10 or more people in the U。S。， Canada and London in his role as a medical doctor。 He used the trust that people give to their doctors to prey on women who were forced to turn to Dr。 Cream for help with their medical issues。 His murder spree went unchecked until he was finally apprehended in Lon The Case of the Murderous Dr。 Cream is a true crime story that reads like a novel。 Dean Jobb， a master of true crime writing， centers the story around the doctor's murder trial in 1892。 Dr。 Cream poisoned 10 or more people in the U。S。， Canada and London in his role as a medical doctor。 He used the trust that people give to their doctors to prey on women who were forced to turn to Dr。 Cream for help with their medical issues。 His murder spree went unchecked until he was finally apprehended in London during the time when forensics were just being discovered。 Jobb tells an amazing story especially of how a medical professional was able to get away with murdering women for so long。 Fans of the Devil in the White City， fiction works like the Alienist and anything Sherlock Holmes will love this book。 I'm not a big fan of true crime， but this was excellent， and very， very creepy。 Many thanks to Net Galley for the opportunity to read the ARC。 。。。more
Brandon
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Also known as the Lambeth Poisoner， Dr。 Thomas Neill Cream spent the better part of a year hunting and eliminating prostitutes in and around London in the early 1890s。 Once Scotland Yard narrowed in on who they believed to be their suspect， Inspector Frederick Smith Jarvis was sent to North America to dig into Cream’s past。 What he would uncover would lead Scotland Yard to believe Cream was their man。Through interviews with key figures in Cream’s past as well as good， honest， boots-on-the-ground Also known as the Lambeth Poisoner， Dr。 Thomas Neill Cream spent the better part of a year hunting and eliminating prostitutes in and around London in the early 1890s。 Once Scotland Yard narrowed in on who they believed to be their suspect， Inspector Frederick Smith Jarvis was sent to North America to dig into Cream’s past。 What he would uncover would lead Scotland Yard to believe Cream was their man。Through interviews with key figures in Cream’s past as well as good， honest， boots-on-the-ground investigative work， Jarvis was able to paint a clearer picture of the man Doctor Thomas Neill Cream had been before arriving in England。 Uncovering blackmail schemes， multiple murder trials and a stint in an Illinois state prison， Inspector Jarvis had no doubt Cream was the man behind the recent poisonings in London。Author Dean Jobb actually stumbled upon Thomas Cream during research for another project and decided to see where it would take him。 As Cream’s murders happened shortly after Jack the Ripper’s killing spree， Cream appeared to be largely forgotten。 While his victims died in a less sensationalistic way than those who fell under Jack， Cream’s murders were no less cruel。 Targeting his victims through strychnine – a deadly poison that went hand-in-hand with an agonizing death – Cream took advantage of his standing as a medical professional， allowing his victims to trust him when prescribing medication。Throughout the book， I never understood how Cream stayed on the lam for as long as he did。 Even before being locked up in the 1880s， he had left several paper trails that could have easily led back to him， as he appears to have been completely disorganized at times。 It certainly helped that the justice system in the Victorian Era was less than perfect， so it made it easy for someone to slip through the cracks。 However， like all serial killers， Cream was arrogant， which led him to believe he likely wouldn’t be caught。 It’s amazing that even after two murder trials （only one of which led to a conviction） in the United States， Cream was released and allowed to leave the country and start up again across the Pond。 Jobb exposes the faults in the US criminal justice system that allowed this to happen through political pressure and alleged bribes after Cream had originally been sentenced to life behind bars。As much as this book is about the crimes of Dr。 Cream， it is also about an era in time in which someone like this could move around so freely。 As the justice system evolved （at one point， Jobb discusses the practice of measuring body parts of criminals as a means of identifying repeat offenders）， it was only a matter of time before Cream’s past would catch up with him as he continued along this path。 Dean Jobb’s exhaustive research paints a portrait of a career criminal who wrote a prescription for his own downfall。 。。。more
Teri
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Wow， disturbing true crime novel about a doctor who becomes a notorious serial killer。 A well written， accessible and fascinating glimpse into the mind of a psychopath。**I received an electronic ARC from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review of this book。
Lorraine
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Very detailed and very well written！ Extraordinary tale！
Rachel
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*I received a free ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*I have not read a lot of true crime， but have spent the past year watching more true crime shows than is probably good for me。 I was immediately drawn into this story and had trouble putting it down。 The author does a great job of giving context for the time in which these crimes were committed including other high profile crimes as well as popular culture。 Everyone has heard of Jack the Ripper but not D *I received a free ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*I have not read a lot of true crime， but have spent the past year watching more true crime shows than is probably good for me。 I was immediately drawn into this story and had trouble putting it down。 The author does a great job of giving context for the time in which these crimes were committed including other high profile crimes as well as popular culture。 Everyone has heard of Jack the Ripper but not Dr。 Cream despite the fact that these serial killers were active so close together。 The research that went into this book is clear and there is so much detail to Cream's history and early years。 It was also really interesting to learn more about the early days of police investigations and evidence testing。 There were so many times I wanted to reach into the past and shake the police for doing such a terrible job of taking the murders seriously or just communicating with different divisions within the same department！ 。。。more
Suzanne
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