Crimes of Passion: An Unblinking Look at Murderous Love

by Howard Engel

For the second time, celebrated crime-fiction writer Howard Engel turns his hand to non-fiction. This time he leads us on a riveting and spectacular journey through the murky passages of criminal law to the places where love and murder intersect. Setting out in the nineteenth century, Engel travels from France and England to Canada and the United States, with engaging detours along the way. As he discovers, le crime passionnel , a concept originating in France, has a special place in many legal codes around the world. Someone who has suddenly or unexpectedly been betrayed by a loved and trusted partner, even in an illicit relationship, is rarely treated as a common murder. In Crimes of Passion , Engel explores more than twenty-five classic, infamous and still unresolved cases. With the elegant flair and penetrating insight of a novelist, he brings the victims and perpetrators to life in remarkable detail. Ruth Ellis (the last woman hanged in England), OJ Simpson (the football star), Juliet Hulme (the writer Anne Perry), Jean Liger ("the hungry lover") and Jean Harris (the headmistress) are just a few of the intriguing characters you'll meet along the way. The result is a wonderfully eclectic investigation -- complemented by more than forty illustrations and photographs -- into the strange, tragic, world of passion and murder. Love, lovers, loss, and lingering malice combine in this emotional volume, sure to thrill any crime fan or historian. Praise for Howard Engel and his earlier book Lord High Executioner "...a born writer, a natural stylist...a writer who can bring a character to life in a few lines."
- Ruth Rendell "...morbidly fascinating (and strangely lively)..."
- The Washington Post "Engel writes compassionately and well, with a novelist's eye for detail."
- The Spectator (U.K.)

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, History, Psychology, Crime

240 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Howard Engel was a pioneering, award-winning Canadian mystery and non-fiction author. He is famous for his Benny Cooperman private-eye series, set in the Niagara Region of Ontario.

He and Eric Wright are two of the authors responsible for founding Crime Writers Of Canada. He had twins Charlotte and William with authoress, Marian Engel. He has a son, Jacob, with his late wife, authoress Janet Hamilton: with whom he co-wrote "Murder In Space".

A stroke in 2001 famously caused "alexia sine agraphia". It was a disease that hampered Howard's ability to comprehend written words, even though he could continue to write! He retired in Toronto, where he continued to inspire and mentor future authors and writers of all kinds. Maureen Jennings, creator of the Murdoch novels and still-running television series, is among them.

Unfortunately, he died of pneumonia that arose after a stroke. True animal-lovers: Howard's beloved living cat, Kali, is included by their family in his obituary.

Reviews

[Eva Müller · Rating 2 out of 5]

She was a twenty-two-year-old blonde beauty, who could drink most men under the table, if she wasn't already under the table with one of them herself

Well, that was a mess. In a few chapters the author actually points out that he doesn't consider those crimes of passion. Now in some of those the press did treat them as crimes of passion during in their coverage which means there's still some justification in having them in the book. But then there's also a case of a couple who killed a third person just to show they could and he brings up Lizzie Borden. Who apparently killed her parents because they stood in the way of a relationship. Proof? A reason why he thinks so? LOL nope.
The quality of those chapters that deal with real crimes of passion also vary. A lot. Some really give a good and comprehensive overview of the case. But others jump back and forth chronologically, loose themselves in pretentious comparisons to literature (every single husband who killed his wife out of jealousy gives the author a reason to tell us how well he understood Othello), aren't really a complete narrative but some quotes from other sources that got thrown together and barely have any linking narration inbetween, or miss out some information on the case. (In one chapter he only mentions that the suspected murderer is free now, without saying if he was acquitted or given just a very short sentence).

[Mary]

Currently reading

[Deanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting series of historic cases where passion seems to play a part. Some are well known cases such as Dr Crippen others are less well known.

[. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not the best true crime anthology I've ever read.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

book was informative but the author didn't understand women very well.

[Amie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad read, but I would have preferred a more in depth dive in some of the cases and I feel like some of them could have been omitted.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just meh. Basically just endless case studies of crimes of passion and the circumstances of each case. Interesting enough, but quite repetitive after a while. It was infuriating, however, to see how biased the courts have been towards men who kill their wives over the reverse. It's scary that even today there are still issues where men can get away with killing their wives while women get heavier penalties for killing their husbands.

[Jennifer Giles Hinojosa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book had some interesting cases but I found it hard to get past the author's pretentiousness. Most of the cases were not well known and hardly any facts about the crimes were given. I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.

[ava · Rating 3 out of 5]

Style is a bit shoddy and facetious, but the case studies show impressive historical and situational range. I did not get any ideas.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Choppy, sometimes lyrically written, but mostly seemed more like a senior thesis that needed some more organizing and fleshing out.

[andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty sad actually but interesting too