For over a century, a mysterious figure from 1870s California, going by the name of Major Harry Larkyns, has been written off as little more than a liar, seducer and cheat. And he is only remembered at all these days because he was shot dead by the magnificently strange photographer Eadweard Muybridge. A rural court would exonerate the unrepentant murderer, in contravention of all existing laws; and the conduct of the case has barely been questioned since. But was either the killer or the victim quite what he seemed?

In the autumn of 2015, Rebecca Gowers uncovered the startling fact that Harry Larkins, lost brother of her own great-great-grandmother, Alice Larkins, was one and the same as the Harry Larkyns coldly executed by Eadweard Muybridge. Provoked by this into extensive researches, Gowers is now able to lay bare the long-concealed and extraordinary truth about this 'brilliant waif'.

Part biography, part crime account, The Scoundrel Harry Larkyns shows how, after a catastrophic childhood, Harry grew up handsome, fragile, courageous, and a beguiling reprobate to boot. The exploits of his tragically short life would span three continents, and range from a stint as an adolescent army cadet in India, through a louche spell in Second Empire Paris, to his days as a Bohemian rogue in the American Wild West. He found himself behind bars more than once, won glory in battle, and, hardly less dangerously, had a fondness for chasing notorious women. But what would seal his fate was to fall in love with another man's wife.

About the Author
Rebecca Gowers is the author of The Swamp of Death, a narrative analysis of a striking 1890 murder case, shortlisted for the CWA non-fiction Gold Dagger award; and of two novels, When to Walk and The Twisted Heart, both longlisted for the Orange Prize. In 2014, she became the fourth editor of Plain Words, classic guide to the use of English by her great-grandfather, Sir Ernest Gowers; and she followed this with her own, anti-establishment guide to the misuse of English, Horrible Words. The Scoundrel Harry Larkyns takes her back to her fascination with nineteenth-century literature, history and crime, and is both a non-standard biography, and a radically new exploration of a seminal murder.

Reviews
Gripping, cinematic, tragic and tender, THE SCOUNDREL HARRY LARYNS is a belated contender for one of the best books of the year * IRISH TIMES *
There's much to enjoy in this painstakingly researched account of a forgotten and troubled ne'er-do-well; it's a story that is as eventful as it is tragic * GUARDIAN *
This is a cold case investigation into a true crime of passion with a family history twist that more than 140 years later finally puts the unlucky Larkyns' side of the story * FAMILY TREE MAGAZINE *
Strange, brilliant, quirky and illuminating, books such as this remind us, if we need reminding, that books matter. Nothing else can take you away, take you back, take you to places you've never known, to meet people you would never meet * COUNTRY LIFE *
Harry Larkyns's life at times reads like fiction . . . Full marks to Rebecca Gowers for bringing this contradictory and little-known figure properly under the lens -- Max Decharne * SPECTATOR *
Rebecca Gowers's gripping tale of a 19th century rogue is a masterpiece of historical detective work -- Keith Lowe
Enthralling writing . . . this is a book that stays with you -- Alex Von Tunzelmann
Gowers has taken the cold embers of Harry's life and rekindled them to create a portrait of a fascinating, contradictory figure * THE OLDIE *
A fascinating piece of historical detective work . . . that brings the extraodinary Larkyns to life -- HWA Non-Fiction Crown Judges



Book Information
ISBN 9781474606424
Author Rebecca Gowers
Format Hardback
Page Count 384
Imprint Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Publisher Orion Publishing Co
Weight(grams) 600g
Dimensions(mm) 240mm * 162mm * 36mm