Shadow of the Noose

1894: a body in a trunk, bludgeoned to death. A desperate crime - long before the trial, public opinion has condemned the accused to the gallows. Who then will speak for Marie Hermann ? The brief is refused by many leading barristers before it is finally offered to a man with little experience in the defence of the charge of murder.

A severe illness means a long absence from the Bar, and Marshall Hall needs a case that will bring him back to public notice. What could be better than a sensational high-society scandal? Lord Russell is prosecuting his mother-in-law Lady Scott for criminal libel, and Marshall Hall appears once more for the defence.

Annie Dyer 's baby is found smothered. Was it an accident or a deliberate act of murder? And how will Marshall Hall react to a case that has uneasy parallels with the story of his first tragic marriage?

The South African War, treason, a woman found strangled on the sands at Great Yarmouth - and connecting all these is Herbert Bennett. womaniser and conman. For Marshall Hall , everything will turn on an alibi.

A violent struggle, a gun fired twice, and a woman lies dying. Edward Lawrence , a wealthy brewer, is charged with murder. In his dramatic defence. Marshall Hall introduces his celebrated 'scales of justice' act.

The actress Hettie Chattell claims that she has been libelled by an item of 'greenroom gossip' in the Daily Mail. A trivial case, it seems. But a chance remark is to bring Marshall Hall before a hostile Appeal Court, to the brink of financial ruin and a broken career.

Emily Dimmock , known as 'Phyllis', is found savagely murdered. A drawing on a postcard provides the clue that links the crime to Robert Wood , a young glass painter. Marshall Hall is briefed for the defence - and he needs a great victory to restore his fortunes at the bar.

The accused man is Hawley Harvey Crippen. The solicitor is Arthur Newton. Marshall Hall quite naturally expects to be briefed for the defence.