They Hanged My Saintly Billy

The author of I, Claudius tells the tale of a notorious nineteenth-century poisoner: “A must for true-crime addicts” (Kirkus Reviews).   A self-confessed forger, cheat, thief, and petty criminal, William Palmer was also a surgeon and a racehorse owner during the Victorian era who doped horses, fixed races, philandered unapologetically, and generally behaved as an all-around rogue. But the crime for which he was condemned was altogether more serious: poisoning numerous members of his family as well as a close friend. Based on the historic trial of a man characterized as a sociopath and a serial killer, Robert Graves tells the story of a man who was deeply flawed but ultimately not beyond redemption.  They Hanged My Saintly Billy is brimming with humor, emotion, and social commentary. Told through the eyes of both friends and enemies, Palmer comes to life as a not-unsympathetic antihero.

The author of I, Claudius tells the tale of a notorious nineteenth-century poisoner: “A must for true-crime addicts” (Kirkus Reviews).   A self-confessed forger, cheat, thief, and petty criminal, William Palmer was also a surgeon and a racehorse owner during the Victorian era who doped horses, fixed races, philandered unapologetically, and generally behaved as an all-around rogue. But the crime for which he was condemned was altogether more serious: poisoning numerous members of his family as well as a close friend. Based on the historic trial of a man characterized as a sociopath and a serial killer, Robert Graves tells the story of a man who was deeply flawed but ultimately not beyond redemption.  They Hanged My Saintly Billy is brimming with humor, emotion, and social commentary. Told through the eyes of both friends and enemies, Palmer comes to life as a not-unsympathetic antihero.