The Case of Madeline Smith

Artist Richard Geary has made a grim career of illustrating the careers of historic killers. Killers like Herman Mudgett and Jack the Ripper are his bread and butter. The trick is, the books are actually well-researched and surprisingly tasteful. Geary’s artwork tends toward the spare, all pen and ink without even graytones. It’s a combination that has served him well in the past, and continues to do so in this story of a mid-19th century Scottish poisoner. This story is a little different from that of the typical murderer – the young woman at fault seems almost as much a victim of the strict social customs of the era as of her own perdition.