Read Yes
Length 368
Quick Review A creepy and thoughtful researched look into a dark period in London’s history; Death in the Air is the story of a smog and a serial killer let loose on an already devastated city.
London did not recover quickly after World War II. The city had been devastated by the war. Thousands of people did not come home from the war, and many people died in the home front, especially in London during the raids. As the city was struggling to recapture their past glory, circumstances and poor decisions had something much darker in store for the city.
1952 was not a great year for London. Death in the Air is an apt title because the smog hanging over the city was literally killing people just for breathing.
Coal is a great fuel to keep homes warm, but it was and still is a valuable resource. England was in debt after WWII. Instead of keeping the much needed coal within the country, it was exported to create a reliable revenue stream. Londoners used nutty slack, which was a cheaper coal consisting of coal pieces and brown dust. It was the best most people could afford after the war, even though it was far inferior to coal. An anticyclone trapped pollution for five days, and London stopped functioning. Planes didn’t leave the ground. Cars were abandoned on the road. Public transportation ceased running. Boats on the Thames couldn’t move. The smog ended up killing 12,000 people from poisonous air. The smog enveloping the city was created by a deadly combination of weather and pollution.
The smog was not the only killer invading the streets of London. John Reginald Christie was a mild man living in Notting Hill with his wife during 1952. He would venture out in the foggy cover to lure women back to his home. These women were not missed because they were poor or already forgotten by the world. Christie almost got away with his killing spree.
I don’t usually like books about serial killers because I just don’t. I do, however, love London and history. I like nothing less than a book with sub par research, and this book does not disappoint. Kate Winkler Dawson is not just journalist but a scholar. Death in the Air is beautifully written and researched. She brings people’s lives and struggles to life on each page creating a compelling book difficult to put down.
Death in the Air explores two of the most interesting and deadly events in modern history. The 1952 smog is the most deadly pollution incident ever. John Reginald Christie was an almost forgotten yet completely terrifying serial killer. Kate Winkler Dawson brings these lives events to life.
Memorable Quotes
“This is the parallel story of two killers. As different as these murderers were, their similarities were striking. Both strangled their victims. Both eluded suspicion. And both nearly escaped justice. Each changed law in Britain and, in many ways, around the world.”
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Title: Death in the Air
Author: Kate Winkler Dawson
Publisher: Hachette Books
Copyright: 2018
ISBN: 9780316506830
