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The Wicked Boy

the Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer
Sep 30, 2016uncommonreader rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
This is an interesting biography of Robert Coombes, a working class lad from the East End, who killed his mother in 1895 and went on to live a rather surprising life. It is set at the time of early studies of criminality and mental illness and explores such issues as the impact of "penny dreadfuls" on the youth of the day. The book is well-researched, but Summerscale used everything she unearthed, sometimes of questionable relevance.