Chickenfeed

The subject is a true story : in 1920s East Sussex, the corpse of Elsie Cameron is discovered in a chicken run. The man found guilty of the crime, her fiancé Norman Thorne, was sentenced to death and hanged. At the time of his death, doubts were cast on the verdict, and it is very much Walters' concern to address those doubts here. We're given a fascinating and detailed study of two lives : Norman, living under cramped conditions, is struggling against heavy odds to make a living as a chicken farmer.
And Elsie, prickly and self obsessed, finds it difficult to get on with her family and workmates. Marriage to Norman is the one thing that will change her life. Norman can't take the pressure - he meets someone else, and Elsie disappears !