When I’m researching historical murders, I like to read old true crime books, which are good for interesting leads and information, (which I need to verify). For the Charles Bravo case, I’m reading this title by Yseult Bridges from 1956. I can’t wait to see what she made of this mysterious case…

For my next writing project, I'm investigating the mysterious death of Charles Bravo from antimony poisoning in 1876, for which there were three suspects. I've started by reading the reports of the inquest, which lasted 5 weeks. I'm halfway through and uncovering all kinds of fascinating details...

📢 I'm delighted to announce that a second anthology of Detective Jerome Caminada's memoirs are now available on Kindle (and KU), which includes fraudsters, arsonists, scuttlers, dynamite conspirators and an account of how he solved the Manchester Cab Mystery in record time 🔗 tinyurl.com/2sfm7duc

I’m really looking g forward to this!

I’m really looking forward to chatting to @gbpoliceadvisor.bsky.social about his fascinating work and excellent crime fiction.

Occasionally, when I need a break from screens (and the news!), I like to do a jigsaw. I bought this one at the Agatha Christie Festival and I really enjoyed piecing it together.

I had a wonderful time last night chatting with @lucindahawksley.bsky.social about Dickens and the detectives.

Today's the first day this week that I've managed to get to my desk to do some writing and I’m working on a case from Liverpool in 1895, in which bookseller Edward Moyse was brutally murdered. The only eyewitness was a young lad who was also an intended victim of the killer. Here’s the crime scene.

In my latest post for The Detective's Notebook, I'm offering a free copy of my edited anthology of Manchester's Sherlock Holmes Detective Jerome Caminada's first volume of memoirs to all paid subscribers 🔗 drangelabuckley.substack.com/p/detective-...

Brading Roman Villa was looking stunning in the glorious sunshine today. It’s such a lovely place to attend trustee meetings.

I couldn’t resist buying these two brand new volumes of short stories during my Agatha Christie weekend.

I had a wonderful time at @agathafestival.bsky.social - fantastic talks from Kemper Donovan, Dr John Curran, @victoriadowd.bsky.social, David Brawn and a fabulous evening at a LIVE recording of @christietime.bsky.social with @markaldridge.info and Gray Robert Brown. A great weekend!

It was great to visit Agatha Christie’s home, Greenway, again this morning, despite the rain.

I love coming across blue plaques as I wander about, and I’ve just spotted this one on the side of the Torbay Hotel.

Happy to be hanging out with the Queen of Crime.

I’m getting ready to travel to Torquay for this year’s @agathafestival.bsky.social which I’m really looking forward to! 🔗 www.iacf-uk.org

My daughter bought me a ‘sopa de letras’ book on her recent trip to Spain, and it’s proving to be an excellent way to improve my vocabulary!

This week's posts in The Detective's Notebook cover my work on Manchester's Sherlock Holmes, Jerome Caminada, who is still my favourite Victorian police detective. You can find out about his crime-busting career here 🔗 drangelabuckley.substack.com/p/manchester...

It was great to be back at the Society of Genealogists today, where I gave a talk on crime and policing in Victorian London.

If you're looking for some escapism from this terrible world, I highly recommend @drangelabuckley.bsky.social's substack on the history of crime, policing, and forensics. Who doesn't want to read about "death by chloroform?"

📢 Join me and @lucindahawksley.bsky.social for a lively conversation about Dickens and the Detectives, at Medina Bookshop, Cowes on Thurs 25 September. All welcome! There are still some tickets left... 🔗 medinabookshop.com/event/dicken...

I'm back at my desk this morning, after my travels, and I'm finalising my talk on crime and policing for Victorian London Week at the Society of Genealogists, which starts today 🔗 portal.sog.org.uk/Event/view/1...

As a follow up to my post on Adelaide Bartlett, who was suspected of having poisoned her husband with chloroform in 1885, I've investigated the use of chloroform as a historical means of murder in The Confidential Files (for paid subs only) 🔗 drangelabuckley.substack.com/p/death-by-c...

I love a poison garden and was delighted to come across this one at the Jardin Botanique in Montreal.

Trade Card of Nathaniel Longbottom, “Supplier of Skeletons in St. Thomas's Street, Southwark,” late 18th century. Longbottom would likely have had interactions with bodysnatchers (or “resurrectionists”) to help him procure skeletons for his shop. Image: Wellcome Collection

I’ve had an amazing time onboard Seabourn Sojourn - I gave six talks on crime history and enjoyed many conversations with guests about murder!

I’m really looking forward to interviewing Martin, and hosting him on the crime panel.

This is a cell door from the historic prison at the Plains of Abraham above Quebec City. Built in 1861, the prison remained open until 1967, and it was an internment camp during WW2. The door is on display at the Musée de la Civilisation.

This is the iron gibbet cage of Marie-Josephe Corriveau, who was executed in Quebec City in 1763 for the murder of her husband. The cage was buried with her and then dug up in 1851, after which it was exhibited by PT Barnum as a ‘gruesome artefact’.

When Edwin Bartlett died of chloroform poisoning on New Year's Eve in 1885, his wife was suspected of his murder, especially as she was likely in a relationship with Methodist minister George Dyson. Would she be convicted of Edwin's murder? Find out here: drangelabuckley.substack.com/p/a-convenie...

This is Deadman’s Pond near St John’s, Newfoundland, which is named for Frederick Weston Carter, who lost his life while trying to save the lives of two young children who sadly also drowned. It is overlooked by Gibbet Hill, which is the site of only one known ‘gibbeting’ in the early 1790s.

The building which houses the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador was completed in 1904 in St John’s. The last public hanging in the city took place in 1836, near to the site of the current courthouse, when John Flood was executed for highway robbery.

I’m thrilled to be #29 Rising in History. Thank you so much to all my fantastic readers and supporters! drangelabuckley.substack.com

I'm delighted to be chairing this year's Red Wine and Bloody Murder event at the Isle of Wight Literary Festival, when I'll be chatting about murder to fantastic crime writers Martin Edwards, Graham Bartlett and Vaseem Khan. 🎟️ Tickets are now on sale: www.ticketsource.co.uk/isle-of-wigh...

Out today in The Confidential Files (for paid subs) is a potted history of the legendary Bow Street Runners, whose century-long history is complex and can be quite bewildering – even Charles Dickens got confused! drangelabuckley.substack.com/p/the-bow-st...

New dinosaur discovered on the Isle of Wight news.sky.com/story/new-di...

First glimpses of Greenland. The landscape is breathtaking.

First talk on aboard Seabourn done, which was a murder tour through Iceland’s crime history, including a brutal Viking warrior, a relentless witchfinder, a 16th century serial killer and two cases of passion and secrets with fatal consequences.

The Troll Seat is a depression in the hillside, formed at the end of the last ice age, overlooking Ísafjörður. The legend is that it was created by a troll who was running to avoid sunlight (which turns them into stone). She rested in the shadows of the cliffs to cool her feet in the water.

Very exciting to find an Icelandic poison bottle in the heritage museum at Ísafjörður. Pity I couldn’t take it for my collection!

New in The Detective's Notebook, a report on legendary Bow Street Runner (and also deputy constable of Manchester City police), Stephen Lavender. His exploits included investigating bank thieves, illegal gamblers, highway robbers and escaping Frenchmen! drangelabuckley.substack.com/p/the-exploi...

It’s lovely to be on Seabourn Sojourn again as a guest speaker - I’m looking forward to chatting with the guests about murder!

I love this Icelandic word - we could do with something similar in UK English!

Enjoying an evening in Reykjavik before setting sail tomorrow.

I'm really looking forward to chatting with the wonderful @lucindahawksley.bsky.social about 'Dickens and the Detectives' on Thursday 25 September, at Medina Bookshop in Cowes, IOW. If you'd like to join us, tickets are available here: medinabookshop.com/event/dicken...

This afternoon I went onboard Seabourn Sojourn (which was visiting Cowes) to drop my case off prior to joining the ship next weekend in Reykjavik ready for 16 days’ sailing across the Atlantic during which I’ll be giving lectures on murder!

Today I've been finishing a new talk on crime and policing in Victorian London and my last section was on my own ancestor. My 2 x great-grandfather, Jordan Nottage, joined the Met as a constable in 1857. His 30-year career wasn't particularly illustrious but it has been fun finding out what he did.

This week on The Detective's Notebook is the tragic case of Adeline Quinn who was shot during a fracas at her home in Liverpool in 1877. Before she died, she managed to give an account of what happened. I came across her dying declaration in the archives: drangelabuckley.substack.com/p/caught-in-...

Today I've reading about Elizabeth Margaret Burch who was a con artist in the 1890s. Her modus operandi was to buy copies of reports from charitable institutions and then use the lists of subscribers to write letters asking for money for social causes and national disasters. She became very wealthy!