The Curious Habits of Doctor Adams: A 1950's Murder Mystery

by Jane Robins

'Was rich Mrs Gertrude Hullett murdered at her luxurious 15-room home on Beachy Head? Detectives are tonight trying to establish the cause of the 50-year-old widow's sudden death . . . ' Daily Mail , 1957

In July 1957, the press descended in droves on the south-coast town of Eastbourne. An inquest had just been opened into the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of Mrs Bobbie Hullett. She died after months of apparent barbiturate abuse - the drugs prescribed to calm her nerves by her close friend and doctor, Dr John Bodkin Adams.

The inquest brought to the surface years of whispered suspicion that had swept through the tea rooms, shops and nursing homes of the town. The doctor's alarming influence over the lives, deaths and finances of wealthy widows had not gone unnoticed - it was rumoured that the family doctor had been on a killing spree that spanned decades and involved 300 suspicious cases. Superintendent Hannam of Scotland Yard was called in to investigate.

The Curious Habits of Dr Adams brilliantly brings to life the atmosphere of post-war England, and uses a wealth of new documents to follow the twists and turns of an extraordinary Scotland Yard murder enquiry. As expertly crafted as the best period detective novel, this book casts an entertainingly chilling light on a man reputed to be one of England's most prolific serial killers.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, History, Crime, Biography

368 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Jane Robins began her career as a journalist with The Economist, The Independent, and the BBC. She has made a specialty of writing historical true crime and has a particular interest in the history of forensics. She has published three books of nonfiction in the UK, Rebel Queen (Simon & Schuster, 2006), The Magnificent Spilsbury (John Murray, 2010), and The Curious Habits of Doctor Adams (John Murray, 2013). More recently, she has been a Fellow at the Royal Literary Fund.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am not sure whether you should say that you 'enjoyed' a book about a real life murder trial, but I thought this was absolutely gripping from start to finish. It is the story of family doctor, John Bodkin Adams, who was accused in 1957 of murdering a patient in the hopes of inheriting her Rolls-Royce. If the charge seems bizarre, then so was much about Dr Adams - who had "curious habits" indeed, and who was the focus of much gossip and innuendo long before the case he was accused of went to trial.

Jane Robins does a masterful job of recreating this era and making you feel you are actually in Court during the trial. However, she begins with a brief biography of Dr Adams, who eventually became a GP in genteel Eastbourne. There are then several case histories of the doctor and how he treated elderly patients, who seemed to die with some regularity and under odd circumstances. Staff were suspicious of the GP - of how regularly he ended up in their wills, of how he took 'keepsakes' and the amount of drugs he gave them. These cases go all the way back to 1935 and the author has really done an excellent job in recreating events about these patients and their treatment, discussing several cases in great detail. However, the widowed lady who died, and who eventually caused the police to become interested in the doctor, was Bobbie Hullett and that was the murder he was initially accused of.

This was an interesting time for GP's, as most had resisted joining the recently founded NHS and were, at the time of Dr Adams arrest, considering going on strike. When Dr Adams was arrested, by the wonderfully named Superintendent Herbert Hannan, the case was seen as both personal and political. If a GP was blamed for the death of his elderly patients, more could be accused. Were the claims sensationalist, or were they more than rumour, blame and gossip? Some, like journalist Percy Hoskins, of the Daily Express, felt the press were taking events and making them sound worse than they were. Very like the case of Harold Shipman, opinions in the town where Dr Adams worked were highly divided. Some of his patients felt he was the best doctor they had ever known - caring, compassionate and hard working. Others felt he was money grabbing, rude and, in some cases, downright dangerous.

The trial took place at the Old Bailey in 1957 and it is recreated in fantastic detail. You will have to read the book yourself, follow the evidence and then decide whether or not you feel that Dr Adams was guilty or innocent. This book will certainly give you enough evidence to make your own opinions about the case and this would certainly be an excellent choice for reading groups - I am sure opinions will be as divided as they were at the time and it would lead to interesting discussions.

I have one complaint about this kindle book - the illustrations were included, but they are so small as to lose all of their detail and the writing is virtually unreadable. A publisher would not bring out a hardback copy of this book with the illustrations virtually lost - so, why do so in a kindle version? Kindle books are popular and often outselling paper copies and it is time the publishers treated kindle readers with the respect they deserve and produce the book properly - not as a poor second, with quality lost and the experience marred by shoddy work. Other publishers manage to produce illustrations properly, so it obviously can be done - and should be, or the price dropped accordingly. That aside, this is a truly riveting read and if you enjoy historical true crime books, this is one of the best I have read.

[Cleopatra Pullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh how I love a well-researched piece of historical crime and was very impressed by this author’s account of George Smith the ‘Brides in the Bath’ murderer and Dr Spilsbury who was an expert witness at this man’s trial in her book The Magnificent Spilsbury and the case of The Brides in the Bath. It was only natural then to seek out this, her next book about a Doctor who was a suspected serial killer.

John Bodkin Adams was born in Ireland, a God-fearing man born of devout parents and moved to Eastbourne with his sister and mother in 1922 where he took up a post as a General Practitioner. It must be remembered that these were the days before the NHS and so the practice was populated by the wealthier patient than a typical GP would see these days. He soon made his mark as a doctor who would turn out at any time of the day or night to attend his wealthy patients. So fond of them, especially the elder ladies, was he, that he often paid visits whether his attendance was needed or not. Jane Robins gives us an account of his years in practice, including his rather dire performance as an anaesthetist at the local hospital.

As interesting as this background is of course I wanted to know about the investigation and subsequent trial. It all started in July 1956 Eastbourne Police received a call about the death of one Gertrude known as Bobbie Hullett who had died, unexpectedly whilst in Dr Adams care, she was only 50 years old. A month later the Metropolitan Police took over from the local force. Detective Superintendent Herbert Hannam and Detective Sergeant Charles Hewett interviewed many residents of genteel Eastbourne where all manner of rumours were uncovered reaching back to the 1930s of inheritance of money and cars and other strange bequests but equally there were testimonials from those who adored the portly doctor. So death certificates were examined, as were wills because Hannam was convinced that Dr Adams was killing for cash and so began the laborious task of sifting through the paper trail.

Jane Robins is brilliant at presenting the facts and opposing views of this trial without seemingly steering the reader’s opinion one way or another for the bulk of the book. This could have been really heavy going with prescriptions for heroin, morphine and other sedatives frequently appearing as evidence along with bequests or presents of the odd gold pen here or a Rolls Royce there and a seemingly never-ending ream of elderly ladies doting on Dr Adams, but it wasn’t I just became more and more fascinated by the tale told complete with contemporary news stories and advertisements and a brilliant reconstruction of the world of the genteel inhabitants of Eastbourne at that time. All of this served to increase my interest in the hidden character of the man. And that is where the author comes into her own when at the end of the book, after the trial and when life in Eastbourne had recovered from all the excitement, she examined the psyche of the Doctor and presented her conclusions, with the help of a couple of expert witnesses of her own.

An absolutely brilliant read which I can’t recommend enough and for those of us who remember the more recent trial and conviction of Dr Harold Shipman, there are plenty of comparisons to be made.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

When wealthy widow Bobbie Hullett died in the 1950s suspicion fell on her doctor. And the more people thought about it, the more they realised that he'd cared for a fair number of wealthy widows who had suddenly died and left him money or expensive items in their newly changed wills. Adams was the Harold Shipman of the 1950s, a Doctor Death allegedly easing sick people's passing. This is such a well-researched and engagingly written book that reads so much like a crime novel. It's a fascinating tale of life in postwar Britain and the reforms brought about in society relating to healthcare and crime & punishment.

[Ant Koplowitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gripping account of the largely forgotten Dr Adams case from the 1950s. In this well-researched book, Jane Robins retells the story in meticulous detail and comes up with a cogent and compelling analysis of the guilt or innocence of Dr John Bodkin Adams. Recommended.

© Koplowitz 2025

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's lovely when you spot a book and everything falls into place. The title caught my eye, the cover made it look promising, and when I placed that name Jane Robins I knew that I was in safe hands. I had been very taken with her book about the case of the brides in the bath. I'd known of that case - though I'd not known much about it - before I picked the book up, but I had no idea at all who Doctor Adams was.

I was to find out ....

John Bodkin Adams was born and raised in Ireland, the son of a strict, religious mother. He set out to raise himself, and to make his mother proud by going to medical school. It soon became clear that his ambition and aspirations outstripped his talents, but he managed to qualify as a doctor, and to establish himself in a medical practice in Eastbourne.

It did not take very long at all for Doctor Adams to acquire all of the trappings of wealth. He had a grand house; his staff included a chauffeur, gardener and housekeeper; and his fleet of cars included a Rolls Royce. However did a general practitioner fund such a lavish lifestyle?

It seems that Doctor Adams had a particular speciality, a gift for taking care of elderly widows. He knew that most of their problems came from being fragile, from being troubled by their nerves, and so he prescribed them sedatives, in increasing amounts. He visited them daily, he reassured them, looking after their house, their staff, advising their solicitors, relieving them of all their worries. They loved him. At least, most of them did.

In the end though, they all died. And it was natural that there would be a legacy for the doctor ....

There was a great deal of gossip about Doctor Adams, and in time the police became suspicious. The doctor was horribly secretive about how he was treating his patients. He was quick to sign a death certificate that recorded a natural death, declaring that he would not benefit from the deceased’s will even when he knew that he would. And he even organised the funerals, over the heads of family and friends, usually arranging for the body to be cremated.

Jane Robins told the stories of so many women, clearly and lucidly, and with a keen eye for signoficant details. The window left wide open on a cold day, the nurse sent out of the room for no good reason, the valuable 'gifts' taken home by the doctor while his patients lay unconscious in their beds. Those details were telling, and at times heart-breaking.

There was no doubt that Doctor Adams was unprofessional and self serving. That he was arrogant, insensitive, hostile to criticism, and driven by a need for money, status and social position. But was he killing his patients? There was a great deal of evidence, so much of it was circumstantial, the situation was sensitive, and it all hung on the doctor's intent ....

It didn't help that at the time - after the war but before the NHS - doctors were regarded with great reverence and respect, and that it was unthinkable to question a doctor's treatment of his patients. Other local doctors - even though they surely must have questioned many aspects of his behaviour - closed ranks and refused to help the police.

A senior officer from Scotland Yard to be assigned to the case, a Home Office pathologist identified 163 suspicious cases, and after many months and two exhumations Doctor Adams was charged with murder. Just one case, the case that police thought most likely to bring about a conviction, but second charge was prepared, and would be made if the first charge failed.

The account of the investigation, the arrest and the trial is just as striking, just as compelling as what came before.

The facts were very well presented, the research was clearly as thorough as it possibly could be, and there were so many questions to be asked about the handling of the investigation and the trial.

I drew my own conclusions, and at the very end Jane Robins drew hers. We agreed.

Though neither of us can ever know ...

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

How do you find this man - guilty or onnocnet?

In 1957, Dr John Adams, a general practitioner from Eastbourne, was tried for the murder of an elderly patient, ostensibly because he hoped to inherit her Rolls Royce. The investigation leading up to the trial was a press sensation, with rumours abounding that Adams had murdered as many as 300 patients. This book tells the story of the investigation and trial, and Jane Robins asks the reader to judge whether the eventual verdict was right or wrong – was Adams a mass-murderer in the mold of Harold Shipman or was he a maligned man?

After the trial the police files were sealed, but a decade ago they were re-opened following a successful Freedom of Information request. Robins has based much of the book on these files and on the record of the trial, and has also spoken to some of the children of the alleged victims. She tells us how the press reported the story, before and after the trial, and sets the book in its historical context by reminding the reader of what other events were happening around the same time as the deaths under investigation – the coronation of the Queen, the Suez crisis etc.

Adams himself was either a hard-working, caring GP who went out of his way to be available to his patients at all times of the day or night; or he was a scheming manipulative murderer who preyed on the elderly people, mainly women, who trusted him. He was either a kind man who popped in to see these often lonely people without being specifically asked; or he was an unscrupulous monster, forcing unnecessary medical treatments on people too weak and needy to refuse. He was either generous enough with his time to help these old people to manage their financial affairs; or he was an avaricious crook, using his position to force them to make him a beneficiary in their wills and then hastening their deaths to prevent them changing their minds.

Robins handles the mass of information available to her well, telling the complex story clearly and plainly. She brings the various participants to life – the police officer investigating the case, the journalists reporting on it and the various residents of Eastbourne who were either for or against Adams. The picture of Adams himself is of course crucial and Robins shows him through the eyes of both his supporters and accusers, leaving the reader to judge the truth of the man.

The trial itself was apparently a huge sensation, the longest murder trial that had ever been held in Britain at that time, and the description of it is fascinating. Robins shows us each witness and how they held up under the questioning of the defence team, led by noted barrister Geoffrey Lawrence. Since I didn’t know the outcome of the trial, the tension built nicely and I found myself arguing along with both prosecution and defence at different points. The judge wrote about the trial years later and this allows Robins to show us what his opinion was, not just of Adams, but also of the evidence and the conduct of the case. And finally, Robins wraps up with the aftermath of the case in terms of politics, the press and the people involved; and only then does she give us her own verdict on Adams.

All-in-all, I found this a fascinating, absorbing read. I have carefully tried to avoid spoilers since, although obviously the case and its outcome is a matter of public record, I assume there will be other people like myself who don’t know about it, in which case this can easily be read as an intriguing mystery as well as a thoroughly researched and very well told history of a true investigation. Highly recommended.

www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Añother 3.5 really. This case caused much comment and excitement in the late 50s, with an old-fashioned GP in Eastbourne accused of murdering an elderly patient, one of many whom he seems to have helped out of this world with astonishingly high levels of powerful drugs such as heroin and morphine. Other peculiarities included very controlling behaviour, helping himself to trophies such as gold pens from among his patients' possessions, and suggesting things he might like to be left in their wills (he was fond of cars). In the end the evidence was not enough to condemn him, but although the case papers were supposed to be closed for 75 years an FOI request resulted in some of them being made available. Thorough look at the case afresh in the light of the papers and, of course, of the more recent case of Dr. Harold Shipman, whose behaviour was rather similar. One or two slight proofreading isues (e.g. where someone changes name a few times), and I think perhaps the author is unduly harsh on some of the witnesses in the trial. Particularly interesting is the list of people whose deaths were certified by Dr. Adams, which show a much larger % than might be expected ascribed to coronary thrombosis - which may be sinister or may just indicate that he wasn't good at diagnosis. (The list includes the Duke of Devonshire, who was not that old and whose untimely death caused significant financial problems for his heir). On balance, it's hard to say whether he was actually guilty, but I think perhaps he was lucky.

[Shauna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched and intelligently written account of the circumstances surrounding the trial of Dr John Bodkin Adams in the 1950's. He was suspected of killing off many of his rich, elderly patients in Eastbourne. Was he a doctor genuinely trying to ease the passage of his patients, an incompetent practitioner or a mass-murderer? Jane Robins gives you all the details and allows you to make your own mind up. A very interesting book.

[Sobriquet · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book started out well, detailing the psychopathic behavior of Doctor Adams who had a habit of taking valuable tokens from his patients sometimes before they had actually died. His prescriptions of dangerous quantities of barbiturates and the suspicious deaths of so many elderly widows who mentioned him in their wills. However the second part which deals with his trial spends a lot of time lauding the oratory and cleverness of the defense barrister Sir Reginald Manningham-Buller and the Judge Lord Devlin. This along with the superior scorn poured over the witnesses becomes quite cringing. The conclusion is rather fence sitting and unsatisfying.

[Adam Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping account of a real life Agatha Christie-style murder, with a suspicious kindly doctor, country houses, wills, drugs and Scotland Yard. Jane Robins writes in a wonderfully evocative way, especially in the courtroom scenes - not an easy part to write. She leads you back and forth between agreeing with the prosecution and agreeing with the defence, before Dr Adams is given the verdict of.... well you'll have to read the book for that. The final chapter offers her personal analysis, based especially on a comparison with the similar crimes of Harold Shipman. The book also raises questions about the role of doctors and the nature of euthanasia. Cosy true crime at its best.

[Booksforall93 · Rating 4 out of 5]

So everyone who knows me knows that I am fascinated by true crime, but this case I had never heard of.

This is a really fascinating story of a doctor who was arrested for the murder of two of his patients but subsequently got let off. In my personal opinion, he is guilty of murdering the two patients he was charged for and guilty of multiple other murders.

I think Jane Robins has done a good investigation into this case despite it occurring between 1946 and 1956, so this is an old case but to me from the information that Robins has found it is clear that he is guilty. Maybe not for financial gains but I feel like he wanted to be a part of the higher class.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extremely informative and interesting read. The facts were clearly laid out along with the conclusions of Jane Robins. It was quite gripping especially as she didn't give the game away as to whether Dr Adams had been found guilty or not. The Bibliography could have been a little more detailed but she had obviously researched the story in great depth.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m sure we have all heard of Dr Harold Shipman, I along with everyone else sat stunned in front of the television news as the events unfolded – and the revelations dating back years started to roll in. So it seemed incredible that I had never heard of a potentially earlier version of Harold Shipman, surely such a person would be just as infamous? The reason why I – and maybe you – hadn’t previously heard of Dr John Adams – is detailed in this fascinating work by Jane Robins, whose book The Magnificent Spilsbury: and the case of the Brides in the bath I read and enjoyed some time ago.

“After the trial, the police files were closed. All the details of the investigation – the mountain of witness statements, the forensic reports, Scotland Yard’s internal documents – were to be hidden from the public for seventy-five years. Conspiracy theories started to take root and were later encouraged by the catalytic combination of the internet and the imposed secrecy around the case. Some thought Dr Adams was the most prolific serial killer in British history, worse than Harold Shipman, and suggested that dark forces were at work, keeping the terrible truth about the scale of his crimes hidden. Others were fiercely loyal to the doctor. For them, it was more likely that the mysterious closed files contained evidence of a witch hunt, revealing that Dr Adams was a persecuted man, innocent all along, and the victim of an over-zealous investigation by Scotland Yard’s murder squad”

dradamsDr Adams was trained in the 1920’s and soon after finishing his training he went to Eastbourne to begin his career in general practice. Adams was not a particularly talented doctor, but he was ambitious, and quite prepared to put the time in. Dr Adams treated a lot of patients over the next thirty years and – possibly partly due to his location – many of those patients were elderly ladies, some of those elderly ladies left Dr Adams bequests in their wills. Dr Adams worked long hours – visiting his elderly patients at all hours – often more than once a day, and many of these people really loved Dr Adams. Many of those patients needed injections of Morphine, and many spent their last weeks in a state of almost complete coma. Adams was secretive about his treatments and guarded his patients jealously, taking a very dim view when others close to his patients acted against his wishes. Over the decades the people of Eastbourne fell into two camps – those who adored Dr Adams –and for whom he could do no wrong and those who were deeply suspicious of him, and who helped circulate the rumours and gossip which surrounded him.

In 1957 an inquest was opened into the death of one of Dr Adams patients the wealthy Mrs Bobbie Hullett she had died after months of barbiturate use, drugs prescribed for her by her good friend and doctor Dr John Bodkin Adams. The inquest unleased a storm of interest, the press descended on the seaside town and speculation about Dr Adams’ activities was rife. At one point it was suggested that there were around 300 suspicious cases involving Dr Adams going back over thirty years. Superintendent Hannam of Scotland Yard was called in to investigate.

Life for wealthy women in 1950’s Eastbourne as documented by Jane Robins was really quite pleasant – and Robins faithfully recreates the atmosphere of this post war time. It is easy to imagine how the rumour mill worked, eventually going into overdrive – but equally how a man from such a revered profession was able to get so close to so many elderly women – who treated him as a friend as well as a doctor hanging on his every word. Dr Adams drove around Eastbourne in a Rolls Royce – employed a chauffeur and quite definitely liked the finer things in life. He lived in a grand house himself, employed a gardener and a housekeeper. A life-long bachelor; he was a wealthy man – a lot of his money having come from the patients he had treated and to whom he had even given financial help and advice.

eastbourneJane Robbins brilliantly shows how difficult a case this was to investigate, although there was little in the way of actual evidence, there was compelling suggestion on both sides of the question. There were those who simply couldn’t believe Dr Adams could kill for often relatively small sums of money – when he was already so well off, and then there were the deaths of people who hadn’t left him a penny which confused the issue. However he had also successfully arranged for many of his patients to be quickly cremated, and had lied about his own pecuniary interests on a number of occasions. Dr Adams maintained his calm unconcerned attitude throughout the investigation and the trial that came later. With access to a mass of documents from the time, Jane Robbins lifts the lid on a fascinating and complex case. She also tells the stories of many women who were treated by Dr Adams, women who trusted him, relied upon him and who needed increasingly higher doses of Morphine and Heroin – prescribed in unusually large amounts by their friend and physician. This was an enormously compelling and readable book, Robin’s precise and detailed research allowing us to get as close to the facts as is probably possible.

[Magpie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cheryl Bookclub 2015

[Michelle Paton · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing book that had a real twist at the nd enf

[Emily Isaacs · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good informative book.

[Damaskcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew nothing about the famous case of Dr John Bodkin Adams until I read this truly fascinating book and because I knew nothing about the case – beyond the name of the main character – it came as a total shock to me to discover he was actually found not guilty of murder. Reading the book I had the clear feeling that he would be guilty.

The author writes in an easy accessible style and really brings the events and the characters to life. Other possible victims are studied in detail as well as the whole of Dr Adams life. There is so much circumstantial evidence against Dr Adams that it seemed to me that he would be found guilty. Doctors in the 1950s were regarded with reverence and few would have dared to question his treatment of his patients – even his professional colleagues closed ranks and this helped to protect Adams.

Dr Adams was – to me – a singularly unpleasant character. His reactions to any hint of criticism were extreme and yet at the same time he displayed a huge sense of humility and believed he was doing God’s work in helping sick people. Anyone who has read anything about Dr Harold Shipman will recognise the type of personality – controlling, proud, inflated sense of his own importance which was fuelled by the culture of the time. He got on well with elderly ladies and many of his patients loved him and remembered him in their wills – just as they did with Shipman. Adams was also prone to taking keepsakes from the homes of his patients who had just died.

With hindsight maybe the police picked on the wrong case to take to court as there were others which were perhaps more clear cut. If they had chosen one of the more recent ones he might have been convicted. Looking at the case post Shipman they were hampered by the state of forensic knowledge of the time which served the police well in the Shipman case. They were also hampered by the closing of the ranks, on the instructions of the BMA, among doctors in Eastbourne where Adams had his practice.

The book concludes with an interesting and though-provoking chapter about the author’s own opinion of the case and about her conversations with experts today including those involved in the Shipman case. There are comprehensive notes on the text, an index and a bibliography. There are also illustrations – which do not display well in this Kindle edition - and a list of cases of death certified by Dr Adams.

[Gonzaga Escauriaza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining and surprising.

The doctor is very peculiar and nuts.

He could not react the way he does if he was not insane.

Anyway i read it very nicely.

[Clare · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened to in audio format.

I had never heard of Dr Adams especially when his case was as striking as Dr Harold Shipman. Unlike Shipman who was found guilty, Adams got away with murder.


In 1957 Dr John Bodkin Adams appeared at the Old Bailey charged with the murder of Bobbie Hullett.

Dr Adams was a GP working in Eastbourne. His MO was to befriend wealthy widows that he was treating. Many of the widows named him in their wills or named him as power of attorney. He was fond of cars and would ask the victim to mention it in their wills.

Like Dr Shipman quite a lot of his older patients died in suspicious circumstances and rumours followed him for years. Bobbie Gillett had a stroke and was prescribed Huge doses of morphine and heroin when she was in no pain.

This was in interesting book. The book described Adams early life and a detailed transcript of his Old Bailey trial.

An interesting account of his life.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good. I didn't know much about John Bodkin Adams other than he was supposedly one of the worst serial killers in history who got away with murder.

The book is a bit more reticent than that, but ultimately it's hard to understand Adams behaviour in any other way other than him being a killer by any legal or moral definition of the word. Part of why he got away with it maybe is that everyone (the police, the press, the prosecutor) probably misunderstood WHY he did it.

There is always a degree or bias in any book like this, but the author is pretty even handed and gives a good level of detail while still being readable.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed a previous book by Jane Robins on the Brides in the Bath murders, and hoped this would be as good. It was even better - gripping from start to finish, brilliantly researched and very well written.
The Afterword by the author was excellent too (for what it's worth I completely agree with her views on the good Doctor and her opinion as to whether he was innocent or guilty).
Do hope Robins is starting work on another true crime. Why would you read crime fiction when real life is always so much more exciting!

[Deanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting though not well known case, a pre-runner to Harold Shipman. Dr Adams has a large circle of rich, elderly widows who have a habit of laving him money and cars. He also seems to hand out drugs like gummi bears, but can he be guilty of murder.
Was amazed at the reaction of the medical profession, the trial is a surprise. A book which presents the story and ultimately left me puzzled, I know what I think.

[Laura Hannaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was fascinating! The author has a lovely writing style that meant I flew through the pages (which I find is often not the case with nonfiction books unfortunately). It certainly helped that the subject matter was was such a terrifying concept. Sleepy Eastbourne at the mercy of Dr Adams for all those years! What was truly startling was the comparisons it draws with the Shipman murders fifty years later! Highly recommended!!

[Mark A Simmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

An compelling true crime mystery, told with an urgency you don't usually find in a non-fiction work. I found myself pulled into the events surrounding Dr John Bodkin Adams, who I only knew as a footnote in the discussion around a similar modern criminal case, with equal horror and fascination. To say more would be a major spoiler : I fully recommend that you don't look up anything about the good Doctor prior to reading Robins's masterwork.

[Av · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure I really enjoyed this book but it was a fascinating read. At times it seemed that I wasn't reading a book based on a true story. Some of the cases and facts written were so bizarre it seemed like I was reading fiction. The books is focused on as many facts that are available and very few opinions are put forth until the end.

[Stephen Goldenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating case, pre-Harold Shipman, which I had never heard of. It's a very thorough account of the history and the subsequent trial. For me, what was almost more interesting than the murder case issues was the fascinating insight it gave into middle class life in the early 1950s in south coast England.

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a treat: an old-fashioned real-life murder mystery told in a highly readable but non-sensational manner. The author's prose is darkly entertaining yet she never loses track of her aim to present a seriously researched account of the case. Couldn't fault it!

[Anita · Rating 2 out of 5]

Far, far too long.

[Sarah Harkness · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was probably much more technical than I wanted or needed, i got really bogged down in the section on the trial...but not a bad read

[Mandy Setterfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another real-life murder story. Gripping, particularly because of the ambiguity of the evidence. Shipman-esque psychopath. I can't get enough of this type of book!