True crime is not my usual genre, in fact, I think Devil in the White City is the only other true crime book I’ve read. For fans of that book, I recommend you give Collins a try.
Blood and Ivy has that interesting narrative style of a lot of modern history books like Devil in the White City. Collins has an extensive list of references—over 60 pages of notes and sources at the end of the book—and judging by his acknowledgments, it took him a lot of time to pull it all together into something readable.
Besides the grisly details and unraveling of the murder, the history of Boston, Cambridge, and specifically Harvard around 1849 was interesting to me. I was surprised by how many famous authors were connected to this case, either because they were faculty at Harvard, they knew Webster, or simply because they were alive during the trial and its aftermath. The Epilogue notes that the case was inspiration for Dickens’s The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which I didn’t know.
The legal precedents that came out of this case were fascinating too, particularly what became known as the “Webster charge,” based on the judge’s definition of reasonable doubt for the jury. It endured over 100 years after the trial, and Massachusetts didn’t decide to modernize it until 2015.
The history is by turns sad, perplexing, and disturbing. Collins did a nice job incorporating historical detail into his linear narrative of the investigation and trial. It was truly worth the read, and I’m interested in checking out his other work. ( )

A typically Collinsian treatment of a historical incident, this time the brutal 1849 murder of George Parkman by John White Webster. Well written, engaging, and expertly researched. ( )

I listened to this book on a playaway from my local library. Very different rather then reading it. But I liked this experience. Would recommend trying it as an audiobook! ( )

Interesting story of a murder that took place in Boston in 1849. Dr. Parkman was a wealthy doctor and landlord who suddenly disappears on what seemed to be an average morning for him. In keeping with the culture, discretion prevents too much of a public notice, but eventually, it becomes known that the man has disappeared and rewards are offered by the family. Dr. Parkman was a Harvard graduate as were anyone who was anyone at that time in Boston.

Dr. John Webster was a chemistry professor at Harvard and in debt to Dr. Parkman. The janitor in the medical building where Dr. Webster taught along with Dr. Oliver Wendal Holmes becomes suspicious of Dr. Webster and takes it upon himself to find evidence. Parts of a human skeleton and torso are found.

The rest of the book outlines the trial of Dr. Webster. One of the most interesting themes of the book is the influence of Harvard on the culture of the times. The Harvard men were proud, wealthy, privileged, entitled, and almost everyone from the poorest to the richest believed that to be true.

The book is based on vast research and the notes and sources take up many pages at the end. An altogether interesting and fascinating read. Collins has a knack of bringing history alive along with all the minor details that provide a close look at the time. ( )

This historical, true crime narrative relates the story of the murder of Dr. George Parkman, a Harvard-educated physician and philanthropist, and from a prominent Boston Brahmin family. The murderer is revealed to also be a well-born man, John White Webster, a chemistry professor at Harvard Medical College. I'm familiar with the story since it is central story of Boston By Foot's Dark Sie of Boston tour, but it's not a well-known historical incident these days. At the time though, the social class of both murderer and victim, and their connections with Harvard University made it an international scandal. Even 18 years later, English author Charles Dickens asked to visit the murder site on his visit to Boston.

Collins details the murder, investigation, trial, and conviction of Webster, but also focuses on the case's place within the chasms among Boston's social classes. Initial blame for Dr. Parkman's disappearance was directed at the Boston's Irish immigrant population, then swelling due to the famine in Ireland. Even after Webster is brought to trial, the defense's main strategy is to deflect attention to Ephraim Littlefield, the Harvard Medical College janitor who is the main witness. The class mores of the time saw the working man Littlefield as someone who better fit the mold of murderer.

Collins also explores the innovations that emerged from the case. These include dental forensics as Parkman's dentist was able to use dental molds to identify Parkman's remains. The judge, Justice Lemuel Shaw, also gave instructions to the jury regarding the definition of "reasonable doubt" that became widespread in American jurisprudence, and weren't updated in Massachusetts until 2015!

This book is a good introduction to this remarkable case for those unfamiliar with the story. As someone who has read quite a bit about the Parkman murder, I also picked up quite a few new tidbits. ( )