"You are a bad, wicked boy," she told Robert. "You knew your Ma was dead in the room and you ought to have told me." 
 "Auntie," he replied. "Come to me and I will tell you the truth and tell you all about it." 
 At 13, Robert Coombes was convicted of killing his mother. Her body was kept locked up in the upstairs bedroom for 10 days before the death was discovered. 
 Kate Summerscale's straightforward narrative non-fiction account is an interesting peek into Victorian London and follows Robert through to his death. While the story of the murder is equal parts fascinating and horrifying, it is only part of what the book has to offer. We the readers get to experience turn of the century England, its judicial system, working environs, asylums, the Great War and a redeeming third act in the life of Robert Coombes. 
 Recommended for true crime fans that enjoy coming to their own conclusions on a case.