A Serpent in Eden

by James Owen

Night comes quickly to the Bahamas. That of 7 July 1943 was unpleasantly close and humid, for though the rains were nearing their end, the air was heavy with an approaching storm. It struck Nassau soon after midnight. By the time it had blown itself out, one of the world's richest men, Sir Harry Oakes, had been murdered in his own bedroom. He had been burned alive, then had his skull broken by four blows to the head. When the body was found at daybreak, bloody handprints marked the walls of the room, while a fan stirred small white feathers that clung to the charred corpse on the bed. Beyond it, the window stood wide open. Even in the middle of wartime, Oakes's death commanded front-page headlines in the world's newspapers, and began a series of events whose protagonists included the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Ernest Hemingway, two French aristocrats, a suspected Nazi and a grey Maltese cat, and which culminated in the sensational trial and acquittal of Oakes's own son-in-law for the crime. Owen's brilliant telling of the story stands alongside James Fox's WHITE MISCHIEF as a true-crime classic as well as an extraordinary portrait of a glamorous and corrupt society.

Paperback

First published July 6, 2006

Reviews

[John Pye · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a story which held a great interest for me... the murder in 1943 in The Bahamas of Sir Harry Oakes (the then richest man in the world). The book was not the most delightful of reads but it seems that most of the known facts were there. It is a very interesting tale, particularly so for those wanting to know more about Edward & Wallace Simpson. Edward was, at the time, Governor-General of The Bahamas following his abdication as King. His involvement in the investigation was 'odd' to say the least, with more than one hint in his own involvement in the actual murder. There is not really a lot written about this case and so this book is quite useful albeit not grippingly written.

[Ivo Le Maistre Smith · Rating 2 out of 5]

Billed as an exciting nail biter, I found the whole book not much more than a plodding recounting of the trial of one man, hinging of the reliability of one tiny piece of disputed evidence, with a bit of local background added in. Owen throws a wet blanket over any suggestions of solutions to the murder that might make interesting reading and suggestions of voodoo or mafia involvement are dismissed before we’ve even been allowed to hear why they were made. There are better true crime stories than this. Much better.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read. A thorough and entertaining examination of a famously, infamous murder in Wartime Nassau. It is meticulously researched, yet still manages to thrill. I found myself transported to another time and place - one where solicitors wore white wigs and women were required to wear hats whilst in the courtroom. I highly recommend this intelligently written, yet enjoyable, book.

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-researched and well-written. Historic, fully explanative, and his conclusions seem reasonable and satisfying.