'A
riveting read … a dark story of murder and deceit with verve and
insight'
John Woolf, author of The Wonders
THE LIFE AND DEATH OF A
19TH-CENTURY CIRCUS AND AMUSEMENT PARK LEGEND
On 28 November 1911 a retired
showman died violently at his home in North London. Known to the
world as Lord George Sanger, he was once the biggest name in show
business, and was venerated as a national institution. He was
co-founder of what would become Dreamland in Margate - Hall by the
Sea.
The death of Britain's wealthiest
showman read like a popular crime thriller: a merciless killer; a
famous victim; sensational media headlines; a desperate manhunt
laced with police incompetencies and a dramatic denouement few could
have anticipated. But for over a century, questions have persisted
about the murder.
Weaving in the story of George's
rise to fame and the history of Britain's entertainment industry,
The Killing of Lord George uses previously unpublished archive
material to reconstruct the events leading up to the death and
reveal the true story behind the brutal crime that shocked Edwardian
England.
Karl Shaw is an author and
journalist. His previous books include Mad, Bad and Dangerous to
Know, Abject Quizzery and The First Showman. He lives in North
Staffordshire.
Karl Shaw's enjoyable book takes
us into the often tawdry sawdust rings of Victorian showmanship …
compelling.
Literary Review
Karl Shaw has delivered a
riveting read, weaving together the extraordinary biography of
George Sanger – Britain's answer to PT Barnum – alongside the
Edwardian investigation into his tragic and violent demise. With
twists and turns along the way, and providing a unique insight into
Victorian and Edwardian Britain, Shaw takes us into a dark story of
murder and deceit with verve and insight backed with thorough
research.
John Woolf, author of The Wonders: Lifting the Curtain on the
Freak Show, Circus and Victorian Age
Fascinating
Newbury Today |
