Introduction & Acknowledgements

The term ‘crime of passion’ usually refers to a violent crime, especially murder, which is committed because of sudden strong impulse, rather than as a premeditated crime. Sometimes described as a ‘red mist descending’, it frequently results from an overwhelming rush of emotion, such as jealousy or anger, or after extreme provocation and is often said to occur ‘in hot blood’, the perpetrator acting immediately upon the rise of passion, without the time for contemplation or for allowing the blood to cool.

The following is a collection of true historical accounts of murder committed in so-called hot blood, drawn entirely from the contemporary newspapers listed in the bibliography at the end. Although, much as today, not everything was reported accurately and there were frequent discrepancies between publications, with differing dates and variations in names and spelling, a common theme emerges – in the blink of an eye, lives are needlessly terminated and men and women are left to rue the consequences of a momentary loss of self-control.

I would like to thank Matilda Richards, my commissioning editor at The History Press, for her help and encouragement in bringing this book to fruition and, as always, my husband Richard remains a constant source of support and constructive criticism.

Every effort has been made to clear copyright; however, my apologies to anyone I may have inadvertently missed. I can assure you it was not deliberate but an oversight on my part.

Nicola Sly, 2013