This
may contain spoilers
Author:
M.J Trow.
Title:
The Wigwam Murder.
Genre:
biography & true accounts, true crime, criminals, biography, true
accounts, murder and mayhem,murder, mayhem,
I
got this book for free in exchange for an honest review. I got this
book from T Squared Books.
First
of all l would like to say a big thank you to M.J Trow for sending me
this book and giving me a chance to read it. I would also like to say
a big thank you to T Squared Books for letting me be apart of their
book reviewing team.
I
would tell people that you should step outside your comfort zone with
books because it is good to add more authors and genres to your
reading portfolio even if you do not read books like this.
I
normally read books of this genre but l also stepped outside my
comfort zone I am so glad l did because l have read so many great
books and come across some great authors.
I
highly recommend this book.
Book
Dedication: to Mam, with thanks for her reminiscenes of the war ( and
for teaching me to write!).
This
book has 220 and 12 chapters.
Acknowledgements:
my thanks to all who have contributed to this book.
To
those who lived in the thursley area in 1942. - ex – pc a W. Bundy,
Miss P.J Dummer, Mr A.E Gale.
To those who knew Joan Wolfe. - Mrs R. Durrant, Mrs Betty Holliday and
others.
To
'the Canadians'. - Carl Goodard, Carol White of the personnel records
centre, national archives of Canada and Mrs Helen McKay of the
battleford branch library.
To
Linda Findlay of the surrey police headquarters press office.
To
Michael Page of the archivist's department, surrey country council.
To
Joan Charman, librarian of the goldalming trust.
To
G.R Cpllyer, editor of the surrey advertiser.
To
all authors and publishers from whose works l have quoted.
To
my wife, Carol, for all her hours of labour ate the keyboard and her continued help and support.
Synopsis:
The wigwam murder – as the case against August Sangret came to be
known – was one of most brilliant pieces of detection and forensic
science then on record Drs Keith Simpsons, Eric Gardner and Gerald
Roche Lynch worked together to present a comprehensive body of work
that convinced and shocked the jury. It was the first time that a
human skull had been produced in a British court room. It belonged to
Joan Pearl Wolfe, a nineteen-year-old runaway and vagrant who hung
around Canadian army camps, particularly in the hankley common,
Surrey, area. The man who went to the gallows in April 1943 for the
capital crime of murder was August Sangret, a french – Canada metis Indian despite the amazing forensic work, the evidence against him
was purely circumstantial 'no, sir, I never killed that girl,
somebody did it and I guess I will have to take the rap,' he said. In
this compassionate re – telling of the short and tragic
relationship between the two young misfits, M.J Trow builds on his
reputation as a chronicler of human failings and bringer of the light
of day in to the cold pragmantism of the courtroom with a foreword
and afterword to give the 21st century reader some
additional insight in to both the time of the murder and the time of
the original research of twenty years ago, this book is a gripping
and at times heartrending tale of two lost people in a world torn by
war.
Review:
I found this book really easy to get in to and hard to put down once
l started reading it. I was hooked on this book after reading the
first page. I can not put in to words how great this book is l would
tell people to read it for themselves to know how great this book
really is. This book is really a great read and it did not take me
long to finish this book. I reviewed this book on goodreads, amazon
UK and US and on my blog. I got this book in paperback but it is available in kindle edition. I was sad to read about Joan Pearl Wolfe
murder I hope the police catch who murdered her I would love to read
more from this storyline and more from the author I wish this book
would not finish. This book is truly gripping it will leave you
wanting more. I hate how a person can take a life of another person.
I am glad this book is on my bookshelf. I was really sad to finish
this book. I was sad that Joan did not get to turn 20 years old and
her baby never got a chance to live outside the womb. Joan sounded
like a sweet girl. I wish she had got to go home to see her family
again. I feel for Joan's mother no mother should have to bury their
children I wish Joan's mother had got to see her daughter become a
mother and she got to see her grandchild. I was sad to read that
Joan's father gassed himself I wish they knew why he committed suicide
I think Joan would have been different if her father was still alive
to help. Her mother tried everything to get her beloved daughter to
come home but nothing made Joan want to come home which l thought
Joan would want to be around her family at the time so she would not
be alone while she was pregnant. When I was reading this book I would
put some essential oils in my humidifier and put the lights on my
humidifier and chill on my bed and listen to magic or something on
spotify or something on TV or netflix l also put on my christmas
lights on that are on my christmas tree. I sometimes light a candle
when l was reading this book. I really enjoyed reading this book. I
could not get enough of this book. I do not understand if August did
not murder Joan why would he take the blame like August Sangret did
if was me l would not take the blame for something l never did. I was
wondering if Joan's skull was buried with the rest of her body after
reading that it was shown in court l hope it was and she has a nice
spot in the graveyard where her family can go and remember their
beloved family and her unborn baby and put flowers on the grave. I
was sad that Joan's life was cut short and in a violent way and it
was upsetting that she was not discovered for a few weeks and that
maggots and rats had been eating away at her so they could not tell
if she was pregnant because her womb had been eaten. I loved this
book I would happily read this book again because l really enjoyed
it. Sometimes it is good just to chill reading a good book when you
are not well or in pain like l am with arthritis. I also took a
picture of this book to share it to my Instagram that l made just for
pictures of my books it is called donnareviewsbooks.
Afterword:
Since the writing of the Wigwam murder, the world has turned, but
nothing new has emerged in this particular case. The aftermath of let
him have it, Chris was astonishing not only was the murder conviction
against Derek Bentley overturned, but the laws that made it possible,
that of joint felonious enterprise, has been repealed the Bentley
decision, the hanging of an educationally subnormal boy for a murder
he did not commit, was controversial from day one. The Wigwam case
was not there was a war on, newsprint itself was in scarce supply and
the jury was sufficiently swayed by the evidence to find August
Sangret guilty. Despite their recommendation to mercy, no mercy was
extended to the outsider, the loner without any real friends in the
book you have just read, I find the evidence against Sangret
circumstantial and the verdict unsafe, but l concede I may be in a
minority of one. Thames television, as they then were, contacted soon
after publication. The story of an Indian living in a Wigwam in rural
surrey intrigued them (though I suspect they may have had their wires
crossed with grey owl, Archibald belaney, 1888 – 1938) and l
're-enacted' the murder on location, swinging a birch branch towards
the camera lens and scrabbling through the undergrowth since this was
a local news 'feature', there was no fee and l am not even sure if it
was ever shown very belatedly, l was contacted by a member of the
Sangret family who expected payment because l had 'used' his forebear
in a book l decided not to reply to tell him that. That was not how
publishing worked! Years later still, I was asked by the historical
society at Scotland yard to talk to them on the case. The evening was
well attended, I showed my power. Point presentation and l hope a
good time was had by all. The famous 'black museum' which I have now
visited twice, thanks to the metropolitan police's good offices,
could not help with the Sangret case because it came under the
jurisdiction of the surrey police at the time the most bizarre follow
up to the Wigwam murder was a letter out of the blue from a man who
claimed to be August Sangret's son, he could not understand how l
could have got my facts so wrong because his mother had told him that
Sangret was his father and he had not been born until 1950. since
this was some seven years after the metis execution, I could not
understand that either welcome to the world of true crime!
About
The Author: M.J Trow (the 'M' as most people know stands for Meirion,
a welsh name few can manage, so he writes as M.J, is known by all and
sundry as Mei, rhyming with 'My') has been writing for many years,
with his first book – the adventures of inspector Lestrade –
being published in 1984 by Macmillan. More Lestrades followed and
then some true crime and somehow it all snowballed so now he has many
historical biographies and three other crime series (Maxwell, Marlowe
and Grand and Batchelor, the latter two written with his wife,
writing as Maryanne Coleman, though her name is Carol, actually!) to
his credit. He claims to be retired, but that is just from teaching.
In fact he has never been busier and is sought after 'ghost' these
days as well as historian and novelist, with many different subjects'
stories having been told through him. He has recently started
collaborating on fiction projects ( with someone other than his wife,
that is) and finds it a really exciting and pleasurable experience.
To relax he... actually, that's a bit tricky, as he does not really
ever relax. He has been know to garden, he is a keen cook and artist
and likes to travel. This is rather easier these days as he is a
popular speaker on cruise ships – in fact his profile picture was
taken on a very gusty day in cape town, setting off on a long voyage
home to southampton through some of the scariest seas he and his wife
have had the pleasure to meet! It really was the calm before the
storm, despite being a force 9 just leaving the bay. Family is
important and he is very proud of his wife, Carol ( aka Maryanne
Coleman) for her own books and also the ones they write together, the
Kit Marlowe series. His son, Taliesin, know as Tali, is a writer who
has written a biography of the tudor explorer Martin Frobisher as
well as collaborating with Mei on several biographies. An exciting
series is in the melting pot at the moment and will hopefully be
appearing soon; remember where you heard it first. Tali is also a
musician, playing various instruments with some acclaimed bands;
Gemma Hayes, the coal porters, circulus and currently acid-folk
ensemble the lords of thyme. He also records and tour-manages. His
crystal vocals enhance everything he does and it is just as well
someone in the family can sing, as it is the first thing anyone asks
a welshman!.
About
The Book: I really like the bookcover and the colours used on the
cover are really nice they are not too bright and not too dark. I
really like that some of the writing is in grey and some is in white
as it makes it stand out more.
Star
Rating: Five Out Of Five Stars.
I
wish l could rate this book more than five stars because it is worth
more than the five stars l rated it.
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