The Case of Madeleine Smith (A Treasury of Victorian Murder) (v. 8) [Paperback]

Rick Geary (Author)

Book Description

Series: A Treasury of Victorian Murder | Publication Date: February 1, 2007

A scandalous secret affair in 19th century Scotland between an upperclass woman and a gentleman of lower standing ends in his murder by poison...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This latest in Geary's lovingly researched and illustrated Treasury of Victorian Murder series relates the case of Madeleine Smith, a well-to-do architect's daughter who is willingly courted by Emile L'Anglier, a man of lesser means. Perhaps influenced by the flowery depictions of love found in overwrought romantic novels and certainly longing to escape the strangling mores of the day, Madeleine's fantasies come true during her affair with L'Anglier, thrills that burgeon when spurred by her family's disapproval of the situation. Things take a sinister turn when Madeleine finds a more appropriate suitor and tires of L'Anglier's attentions. She continues the fantasy-driven relationship with the added spice of slowly poisoning her lover via arsenic in his tea, a crime that she would most likely get away within the stringently class oriented society of Victorian Glasgow. Saying more would spoil the true-life outcome for those unfamiliar with the case, but as always Geary provides a quaintly drawn time warp that is both entertaining and educational, including maps and diagrams that bring the case to life. Every bit as much fun as its predecessors, this volume is a welcome and intelligent change of pace from the usual comics fare. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up–Gearys story, set in 19th-century Scotland, tells of the scandalous affair between an upper-class woman and a lower-class man that ended with his gruesome death. Smith was an architects daughter and the graduate of a London finishing school. Emile LAnglier was a seed merchants son, a clerk with a history of bad relationships. Their attraction to one another was instantaneous, and they began to correspond. The book is filled with excerpts from their letters; as much as Madeleine pushed Emile away, she clearly needed him, since nearly 200 of her letters were later found in his possessions. But their love was doomed because of the tension involved in keeping their relationship private. After years of turmoil, Madeleine became engaged to another man and Emile threatened to send her letters to her father. The poisoning began in cups of hot chocolate that she gave to Emile. The pen-and-ink images artfully convey this gripping story, notably in the scene in which the lovers eyes first meet and later when a veiled Madeleine walks up a staircase through a door in the courtroom floor. This book maintains the level of excellence set by the other volumes in this series, and would be an asset to any collection.–Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: NBM Publishing (February 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1561634689
• ISBN-13: 978-1561634682
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #142,549 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > History > Europe > Scotland
  • #16 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Crime & Criminals > Criminology
  • #58 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > True Accounts > Murder & Mayhem

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good look at a mid-Victorian scandal, August 23, 2006

By 

Eric Oppen (Iowa Falls, IA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Case of Madeleine Smith (A Treasury of Victorian Murder) (v. 8) (Hardcover)

This book is a graphic-novel overview of a murder case that gripped the attention of mid-nineteenth-century Britain: Did Madeleine Smith, Glasgow socialite, poison her inconvenient lover, Pierre L'Anglier, or didn't she?

Geary does not come down on the side of innocence or guilt; he presents the facts of the case, in his own inimitable drawing style, and lets the reader come to his or her own conclusions. I would say that the clue to innocence or guilt is there, but you have to be paying attention to see it---and I won't spoil the book for others by pointing it out. It's just one small fact that can't be explained otherwise.

This book's recommended for anybody interested in the case, or in true crime or classic crime in general. About the only reason I didn't give it five stars is that Geary apparently swallowed the story of Madeleine living her old age out in New York City out whole, without checking it out. It could be, but it also might not be, the truth---and without digging the corpse in question up and checking its DNA with known relatives of Smith, there's no way to know.

3.0 out of 5 stars Hard to engage, July 10, 2010

By 

wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Case of Madeleine Smith (A Treasury of Victorian Murder) (v. 8) (Hardcover)

Geary's fascination with Victorian murder mysteries, the kind that really happened, could have manifested in many fascinating ways. I just couldn't latch onto the approach that he took, however. The narrative style sounds more like a police or news report than a story; the artwork has a stiff style that reminds me of those uncomfortable looking Victorian photo portraits.

I can certainly see how the storytelling and artwork suit the material and its era. As with the other book I've read from this series, however, this just didn't move me visually or in the story it presented. Too bad - it could have been such a gripping drama.

-- wiredweird

4.0 out of 5 stars Bad Madeleine, Mysterious Placemat Promoter, March 9, 2009

By 

TawnTawn (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Case of Madeleine Smith (A Treasury of Victorian Murder) (v. 8) (Hardcover)

The story of a young woman and a man in his thirties, who apparently always has gotten burned in love....Madeleine writes Emile L'Anglier at least 198 letters in 2 years (he keeps them - none of his to her are found, except some drafts he kept)...theirs must be a secret love, as her architect father hates him (because he's just a clerk) and will never approve of their marriage. Madeleine manages to keep him on a string with her provocative words, insisting that she loves only him...however, she becomes engaged to a man her father approves of and wants her letters and likeness returned to her.

Laid out in this simple format, it's plain to see that this is the story of many, many women and men...believing in someone they love, who tells them what they want to hear - but who is meanwhile actually behaving in a completely unloving, self-centered manner. When the person does look at the behavior, the manipulator sweet talks them back to where he/she wants them to stay - on the back burner, just in case, and hopelessly in love with them.

L'Anglier is so in love (or is he just being stubborn?) that he believes that showing the letters to her father, will end her relationship with her new fiance...this frightens Madeleine because she will lose her wealthy fiance, and she believes, the support of her family...which is obviously more important to her than her great love for L'Anglier. She becomes desperate. Although she tells him she is engaged to another and wants all her letters back, she continues to write him passionate notes so that he will meet with her, and drink the hot chocolate she offers him - although he knows he gets sick every time he drinks it.

Madeleine has purchased arsenic in two different places, on three separate occasions, giving her reason as to eliminate rats and vermin. But when she is arrested for L'Anglier's murder (enough arsenic found in his body to kill 40 men), she tells the police something different - it's to make up a wash to beautify her hands, arms and face. Because of her calm and poised demeanor, she fascinates the public, and Geary certainly draws her as always looking quite under control. The type of person who could easily get rid of someone who tried to thwart her plans.

Unlike other true crime, I will remember this book for its drawings as well as the writing.