A Fine Day for a Hanging, A by Carol Ann Lee

A Fine Day for a Hanging, A by Carol Ann Lee

In 1955, former nightclub manageress Ruth Ellis shot dead her lover, David Blakely. Following a trial that lasted less than two days, she was found guilty and sentenced to death. She became the last woman to be hanged in Britain, and her execution is the most notorious of hangman Albert Pierrepoint's 'duties'. Despite Ruth's infamy, the story of her life has never been fully told. Often wilfully misinterpreted, the reality behind the headlines was buried by an avalanche of hearsay. But now, through new interviews and comprehensive research into previously unpublished sources, Carol Ann Lee examines the facts without agenda or sensation. A portrait of the era and an evocation of 1950s club life in all its seedy glamour, "A Fine Day for a Hanging" sets Ruth's gripping story firmly in its historical context in order to tell the truth about both her timeless crime and a punishment that was very much of its time.

"Worthy of Truman Capote" -- Laurence Marks, Playwright And Screenwriter "Wonderful.. it will become the standard reference on Ruth Ellis" -- Stewart P. Evans, Crime Historian "A forensically researched book [that] casts a haunting new light on the last woman to be hanged in Britain" Daily Mail "A brilliantly researched epilogue of the doomed relationships that produced two children and one divorce and Ellis's catastrophic final days ... All the compelling detail is here in Lee's overwhelming story, which puts Ellis's life into perspective" Camden New Journal

Carol Ann Lee is an acclaimed biographer and has written extensively on the Holocaust. Her most recent publications are Evil Relations, the story of David Smith, chief prosecution witness in the Moors Murder case, and the bestselling One of Your Own, which focused on the life and death of Myra Hindley.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781780575261
ISBN 10	1780575262
Title	A Fine Day for a Hanging, A
Author	Carol Ann Lee
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Transworld Publishers Ltd
Year published	2012-09-06
Number of pages	448
Prizes	Short-listed for CWA Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction 2013
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
Note	Unavailable