Book description
In 1955, former nightclub manageress Ruth Ellis shot dead her
lover, David Blakely. Following a trial that lasted less than two
days, she was found guilty and sentenced to death. She became the last
woman to be hanged in Britain, and her execution is the most notorious
of hangman Albert Pierrepoint's 'duties'.
Despite Ruth's infamy, the story of her life has never been fully
told. Often wilfully misinterpreted, the reality behind the headlines
was buried by an avalanche of hearsay. But now, through new interviews
and comprehensive research into previously unpublished sources, Carol
Ann Lee examines the facts without agenda or sensation. A
portrait of the era and an evocation of 1950s club life in all its
seedy glamour, A Fine Day for a Hanging sets Ruth's gripping
story firmly in its historical context in order to tell the truth
about both her timeless crime and a punishment that was very much of
its time.
Carol Ann Lee is an acclaimed biographer and has written extensively
on the Holocaust. Her most recent publications are
Evil Relations
, the story of David Smith, chief prosecution witness in the Moors
Murder case, and the bestselling
One of Your Own
, which focused on the life and death of Myra Hindley.
