Paul Thomas Murphy

An excellent history of the assassination attempts against Queen Victoria and the individuals making the attempts. I think the book is somewhat overly long with some unnecessary information included. The author goes off in some different directions to provide discussions of the politics during the Queen’s reign, as well as the social and cultural setting. Although I believe that some of that is necessary, I think too much has been included, making the book somewhat bloated beyond what is necessary. The author did include a recap of the lives of the would-be assassins after their capture and sentences began, which satisfied a great curiosity. I still enjoyed the book, but would rather it had been less detailed in some areas.… (altro)

Queen Victoria apparently spent a lot of time ducking. This is the history of seven boys and men who made more-or-less serious attempts on the life of the queen. Most of them were demented, although there were one or two attempts by Irish nationalists that didn't get very far. Each of these attempts resulted in a surge of popular support for the monarchy, and Victoria and Prince Albert were sharp enough to work with that. The series of attempts also drove changes to laws governing insanity pleas, and contributed to the growth and professionalization of the detective police. Well-written and a pleasure to read.… (altro)