Woman at the Devil's Door

The Untold Story of the Hampstead Murderess

By: Sarah Beth Hopton

Narrated by: Kate Mulligan

On October 24, 1890, a woman's mutilated and lifeless body was discovered on a pile of rubbish in Hampstead, North London. Her arms were lacerated, her face crushed and bloodied, and her head almost completely severed from her body. A mile away a blood-soaked stroller was found leaning against a residential gate. The dead baby's body, hidden beneath a nettle bush, was not located until the following morning.

So began the incredible story of the Hampstead Tragedy.

Eventually, Scotland Yard knocked on the door of 2 Priory Street, home to Mary Eleanor Pearcey, the pretty 24-year-old mistress of the victim's husband, whose crimes inspired speculation that Jack the Ripper was a woman, and whose dying request was as bizarre and mysterious as her life.

The first full-length examination of the extraordinary case, Woman at the Devil's Door is a thrilling look at a notorious murderess and the webs she wove.

©2018 Sarah Beth Hopton (P)2018 Blackstone Publishing

Good, quick read

Great job by both the author and narrator. They did well on bringing to life the people involved in the case.

Worth a listen if you enjoy history

fascinating story about a case I had never heard of before. the story does go out of order of events a bit, and there are so many names included, which both make the story hard to follow. but the history nerd in me loved the references to forensics and psychology in the Victorian Era.

Captivating story but over extended

I was kept interested during the entire book, waiting to hear if the husband or another was an accomplice. Although, overall thought the story was dragged on and could’ve been concluded sooner.

captivating

I loved this story. it points out that gouls of today and yesterday are not that far apart. people are people no matter when they are people. I wish there were more information about the men in this story and why they failed the women.

Amazed

somehow I can't help but feel conflicted for Mary Eleanor. and her mother Charlotte bless her heart! she is the victim along with the siblings and parents of Phoebe. it's always interesting to me how the law was handled during this time because it's so long ago but still very recent. if you're a murderino or murderina you should give this account a chance.

Good story, but...

Too much time was spent on explaining epilepsy in great detail in Chapter 5. Aside from that, the story was well-written overall.

Very well researched

I honestly wasn’t expecting TOO much because I’m not that interested in older crime stories, but I was really surprised to find myself interested. It was really thoroughly researched. I had no problem with the narrator’s style; I dislike a ton of inflection and when the narrator tries to “do a voice” and I prefer just to hear the facts and conversations that are known and recorded rather than extra stuff like “she took a deep breath and looked out the window at the dew on the grass..” if you like things to read like a novel then you will probably dislike this., but I liked it a lot and found myself conflicted about the alleged murderess.

interesting

I am epileptic as well. disturbing but enlightening. glad I live now and not in the 19th century

wrongly hung

I do honestly think Mary Percy was guilt however not of murder I do believe Frank killed his wife and Mary help cover it up and took the blame.

Really Interesting

It was written in a way that you get super involved in the story early on. It gives both sides which I like, and kind of leaves you to decide from there. It was really interesting and I had never heard of this case before. Good for true crime fans.