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Book Review of The Dead Duke, His Secret Wife, and the Missing Corpse: An Extraordinary Edwardian Case of Deception and Intrigue

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Fascinating account of a British court case that dragged out over a decade. An old woman claims her father in law, T.C. Druce, wealthy owner of a department store in London, did not die as reported, and that lead was placed in his coffin in lieu of his body. More astonishing, she claims he wasn't even who he said he was, but rather was the extremely eccentric Fifth Duke of Portland, and thus even more fabulously wealthy. This story, and the efforts to prevent opening of the coffin, lead to speculations and accusations which filled the tabloids for years. As one reviewer put it, this story is like Downton Abbey meets the Addams Family.