In this fascinating work of historical nonfiction, readers explore a murder and the ensuing trial and outcome in 1930s Bude, a town in Cornwall. A series of poisonings which inspired acclaimed mystery writer Agatha Christie, readers follow a series of suspicious arsenic poisonings that revolve around the same household and one person still alive after all of it -- Annie Hearn. As the autopsies and police investigations continue, readers follow the inquest into Annie Hearn, digging up her backstory, the other poisonings, and other local secrets. Perfect for historians and true crime lovers, readers follow along with the case through long excerpts from the trial documents. With Hearn’s trial and the arsenic poisonings later memorialized by the great Agatha Christie, readers get to uncover the history behind the mystery and the murders. Oates uses a fantastic amount of detail and primary sources to delve into the history of Annie Hearn, and his prose builds upon the primary sources to create a larger narrative. By combining strong, detailed primary documents with concise, useful prose, Oates turns this historical event into a digestible, interesting, and entertaining read. Good for Christie fans and historians alike, Oates’ latest book brings some historical true crime to life.

A book I recommend to anyone who loves Golden Age mysteries and Agatha Christie above all.
Well researched and gripping.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Lewannick, Cornwall in 1930 was the scene of a suspicious death. Mrs Alice Thomas was taken ill after a trip to seaside town, Bude. Initially thought to be food poisoning, Mrs Thomas refused hospital treatment & was looked after at home. Her companions on the daytrip had been her husband, William Thomas, & neighbour, Annie Hearn. Hearn had provided some of the refreshments for the journey, namely fish sandwiches & chocolate cake. Although William & Annie said they felt momentarily unwell, only Alice became really ill. William asked Annie to stop on at their home & help look after his wife, who seemed to rally briefly before becoming ill once more. Taken into hospital towards the end, the doctors there realised that this was a case of arsenic poisoning &, as it had been administered more than once, it was unlikely to be accidental. Rumours began to abound that William & Annie were rather too close - & as the authorities started to look into Annie Hearn, they realised that people had a habit of dying in her care. The case became so infamous that it even inspired one of the Agatha Christie's books.

A well-researched look at the case of Annie Hearn - did she commit several murders of expedience? It did struggle to keep my attention in a couple of places, the beginning was quite slow-paced & the courtroom scenes had lots of verbatim transcripts from the trial - which in places were stultifying dull for a murder case. Witnesses & experts appeared to contradict themselves & most seemed to have the memory span of a goldfish. If that was an example of a well-thought out prosecution case, I am surprised anyone was ever found guilty. I tend to agree with the author's conclusions & the final chapter on the apparent use of aspects of the case in 'Sad Cypress' by Agatha Christie was very interesting. 3.5 stars (rounded up)

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Pen & Sword True Crime, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

As a writer of true crime myself I can see what work has gone into the book.

The research is detailed and shows many years of work. The story in itself is something I have not heard of which makes the best crime novels.

The book is easy to read as it provides a novel-like feeling with the way the story unfolds. The work is so well referenced though you never forget you are reading a true crime case.

Loved this book if that is the right thing to say about this type of book I look forward to checking more out from this author.

Widely Researched,,
Widely researched and impeccably compiled account of a series of poisonings by arsenic and strange disappearances following an innocuous afternoon tea in the small town of Bude, Cornwall, 1930. As survivor, Annie Hearn, swiftly disappears so begins an investigation into her and her whereabouts. Billed as the case which inspired the Agatha Christie classic, ‘Sad Cypress’, it develops into an intriguing mystery as layers are peeled back and more dark secrets come to light. Engaging, compelling and well written.

In the murders of Annie Hearn murders that influenced Agatha Christie by Jonathan Oates we get the first hand account and eyewitness testimony from those who were there. It starts with a picnic with salmon sandwiches in the death of Annie Hearns good friend but that isn’t where it stops nor do the experts believe that’s where it started they even tried to help her to get away and escape Justice. Because it is actual documentation from that time the language may seem old to some but as for people like me I love that and love first hand accounts and that is what this whole book is don’t give up on this great True Crime history story because there is twist interns and you will never guess the ending. Mr. Oates has made his living in True Crime history an even have books in my favorite True Crime history series Fowll Deeds and I learned early on if it was a book by him I would not be disappointed he lets the acts and deed speak for them self and does not dress them up for 21st-century sensitivities letting the reader make up their own mind something so valuable in a non-fiction writer. I truly enjoyed this book and want to thank Pen and Sword True Crime for my free arc copy via NetGalley please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

After a day spent in the coastal town of Bude on the north coast of Cornwall, followed by tea and sandwiches, Mrs. Alice Thomas fell seriously ill and later died on November 4, 1930. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas were accompanied by their neighbor Annie Hearn, who prepared the sandwiches, and after it was determined that Mrs. Thomas had perhaps died of arsenic poisoning, an investigation was begun.

What followed was an inquest, a disappearance, a trial, and questions still remain over 90 years later. Agatha Christie used the poison sandwiches as a plot device in her 1940 novel Sad Cypress but the case in general has been lightly covered in true crime movies, videos or books.

In a nutshell, Annie Hearn claimed she was married and quickly widowed, but it appeared none of this was true. Annie was a caregiver for her family, several of whom may have died due to arsenic poisoning. After Mrs. Thomas died, Annie disappeared, leaving the impression that she is going to commit suicide. She was found, was tried for Mrs. Thomas' murder .... and was found not guilty.

The author has done extensive primary research, uncovering newspaper articles, inquest and trial transcripts in order to piece together the events and the bibliography is very extensive.

But I sorely missed a cohesive narrative throughout this book. At times, the lawyer's cross examinations of witness are basically reprinted, without any commentary or insight. An in-depth examination of Annie Hearn's personality and psyche is needed, as we get details about WHAT she did and said, but not WHY. There is a list of arsenic poisoning symptoms, but no discussion of what arsenic does to the human body, how it kills, why some symptoms are not always understood or correctly perceived by doctors, etc. The account of the horrific death of Annie's sister is heartbreaking, especially since the doctor who examined her didn't have a clue about what was causing her symptoms, and didn't suspect poisoning.

3.5 stars for The Murders of Annie Hearn. The mere facts of this case are compelling and disturbing, and while the author's research is admirable, a strong narrative would have greatly improved this true crime re-telling.

I received a free copy of, The Murders of Annie Hearn, by Jonathon Oates, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Is Annie Hearn innocent or a murderer? Did Annie Hearn poison people or not? This was a good read, about a very interesting subject.

The Murders of Annie Hearn by Jonathan Oates is a must-read for anyone who is a lover of a good mystery. (What could be more intriguing, more compelling, than the true story that inspired Agatha Christie, the matriarch of the Mystery genre to write "Sad Cypress" one of her most popular Poirot novels

Back to the origins, the facts and we are treated to a fascinating journey into murders by arsenic poisoning in Bude, Cornwall, beginning with that of Alice Thomas, a protracted poisoning from 18 October 1930 to her eventual demise on 4 November 1930. It was at the point of the coroners report and at the funeral that Annie Hearn confided to her friend Mrs Spear that she was under suspicion, but no such thing was officially recorded at that point. So why would she claim this to be the case? Why would she conduct such a crime?

Annie Hearn proceeded to fake her own unaliving to escape investigation. However, When Alice's post mortem returned a cause of death as arsenic poisoning, it was ordered that the bodies of both Annies Sister and Aunt were to be exhumed and tested, again, it was found they had been involuntarily unalived through arsenic poisoning

However, despite all of the evidence put before the judge, Annie Hearn was released due to lack of eveidnce, the evidence available being labelled as circumstantial at best.

Were there just three vistims or more? This book delves deep into the avaiolable evidence, the history of Annie Hearn and the investigation of the case. The book is highly detailed and extensively researched, written almost in the form of a police investigation and as such, very easy to follow. A perfect account for lovers of True Crime and Mysteries both factual and fictional

Thank you to Netgalley, Pen & Sword | Pen & Sword True Crime and the author Jonathan Oates for this fantastic ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

✨ Synopsis:

Three companions gathered for tea in the small town of Bude, Cornwall. After one died via arsenic poisoning, suspicions began surfacing regarding Annie Hearn, one of the remaining three, for some other deaths. Pinning responsibility for those murders on Annie Hearn proved difficult.

✨My thoughts:

The numerous details gathered for this non-fiction book was most impressive, considering the lies Annie told, such as when she was born, that she was married, her name, and so much more. Furthermore, even though I had no doubt regarding Annie Hearn’s guilt, after finishing the true crime book, i have been left with the sense that I can’t be entirely certain about so much. Moreover, this is a case of how to get away with murder.

I really enjoyed how good this was, it was interesting to read the events that inspired Agatha Christie. It does a great job in bringing this event to life. It had that mystery element that I was looking for and thought it had a suspenseful feel that I wanted. I could see why Agatha Christie was inspired by this. Jonathan Oates wrote this perfectly and I was glad I got to read this.

In 1930s Cornwall, an afternoon tea leads to a horrific case of arsenic poisoning. Survivor Annie Hearn vanishes, and the press exposes her disquieting past. This true-crime story is fascinating and intriguing, well-paced and easy to read.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This book gives a thorough and insightful look at a fascinating case. I have read Agatha Christie’s fictional take, but am glad I was afforded the opportunity to read a true account.
Ofcourse I think there would be a very different verdict if this was a contemporary crime.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book.
I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book.

DNF
This was not for me. I do not do well at all reading about certain things, so I couldn’t get far into this book.
One thing that I got from the little I read is that Sad Cypress - one of my favorite Agatha Christie books - was apparently inspired by the case that this book discusses.