Judy Allen

The Blue Death

The story of Dr John Snow’s search for the source of the sudden and dramatic outbreak of cholera – the blue death – in the Soho area of London in 1854. "The most terrible outbreak of cholera which ever occurred in this kingdom,’ John Snow wrote in the autumn of l854, ‘is probably that which took place in Broad Street, Golden Square, and the adjoining streets, a few weeks ago. Within two hundred and fifty yards of the spot where Cambridge Street joins Broad Street there were upwards of five hundred fatal attacks of cholera in ten days. The mortality in this limited area probably equals any that was ever caused in this country, even by the plague …"

“A good long read that evokes the Victorian period in a refreshing way.” The Guardian

“An unusual non-fiction book … by award winning author Judy Allen. The book is almost like a detective story … and all the gruesome realities of life in London are vividly depicted.” Writers News.