A Tale of Two Murders

November 5, 2018
Thompson (Agatha Christie: A Mysterious Life) provides the definitive look at a British cause célèbre in this riveting and multifaceted study of the notorious Thompson-Bywaters murder, the first such study to make use of all the Home Office files on the case. Edith Thompson (no relation to the author) was charged with plotting the murder of her husband, Percy, a crime actually carried out by Edith’s lover, Francis Bywaters, on October 2, 1922. Edith and Percy were walking home after attending a theatrical performance in London when Percy was fatally stabbed by a man later identified as Bywaters. Though there was no strong evidence that Edith had foreknowledge of the murder, her lies to the police about her relationship with Bywaters led her to be charged. The pair were convicted, and both were executed. Thompson leaves no doubt of Edith’s innocence, no matter what she expressed in letters to her paramour that were made public at trial, and makes a convincing case that Edith’s execution was tantamount to a second murder. Thompson’s detailed description of prevailing attitudes about the role of women in British society gives the book a broader social relevance than most true crime books.