The Greatest Criminal That Ever Lived: A Barrister's Defence

By Montagu Williams

THE GREATEST CRIMINAL THAT EVER LIVED: A Barrister's Defence

Victorian London, 1862. When respected barrister Montagu Williams takes on the defence of Catherine Wilson-a nurse accused of murdering her elderly patients with poison-he expects a difficult case. What he doesn't expect is to defend what the judge will privately call "the greatest criminal that ever lived."

As Williams investigates, a chilling pattern emerges: seven or eight suspicious deaths, convenient bequests, symptoms that mimic natural disease. Wilson presents herself as a respectable nurse, wrongly accused. But behind her composed facade, Williams glimpses something terrifying-a complete absence of conscience, a predator who weaponized trust itself.

Bound by duty to provide vigorous defence even for clients he believes are guilty, Williams must argue for the life of a woman he suspects is a serial killer. The case will define his career, challenge everything he believes about justice, and force him to witness the last public execution of a woman in London-before a crowd of 20,000.

Based on the true case of Victorian England's "nurse poisoner," this is a meditation on duty, evil, and the terrible burden of defending the indefensible.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0G5291434
• ISBN13: 9798232054502
• Release Date: December 2025
• Publisher: Silverback Books
• Length: 444 Pages
• Weight: 1.12 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.5" x 8.5"