On 20 January 1931, Julia Wallace was battered to death in her home in Liverpool.
In April, her husband William Herbert Wallace was found guilty of her apparently motiveless murder, and sentenced to death by hanging. But one month later, the sentence was overturned and the question of who killed Julia Wallace has remained unanswered.
A frequent pitfall for authors of true crime historiographies is that often the subject matter and the style can make the prose somewhat dull. John Gannon has avoided these quandaries magnificently well and has, in doing so, delivered not only a compelling and intriguing account of one of the twentieth centuries most puzzling cases, but also come up with a theory that might well be the answer experts have so long been searching for.
Building on the work of prior investigators of this famous and fiendishly intriguing case, Gannon is able to present a fresh analysis, offering new evidence, revealing answers and convincing proofs. A compelling examination of what transpired leading up to, during and following the night of the gruesome murder, The Killing of Julia Wallace is the bloody, tragic and shocking story of what happened, who did it, and why.
That Gannon’s research has been painstaking would be an understatement as the author delivers a full background on all of the people involved in and around the case. His grip on the sense of place not only heightens the intrigue, it also places the reader right amongst the thick of the investigation, and becomes quite shocking in places.
This is an excellent read that should leave true crime fans enthralled from start to finish, whilst keeping them guessing throughout.
I reviewed this on Amazon. I
I reviewed this on Amazon. I know John Gannon and have worked with him. His 'solution' is the only one that brings everything together and makes sense and is based on painstaking research. Please change the bit where you say that 'the sentence' was overturned - it wasn't, it was the verdict - today it would be said it was 'unsafe'. I'm writing a novel based on this case but with fictional characters, following closely John's line.