Specify About Books The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective
| Title | : | The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective |
| Author | : | Kate Summerscale |
| Book Format | : | Hardcover |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 360 pages |
| Published | : | April 27th 2020 by Walker & Company |
| Categories | : | Nonfiction. History. Crime. True Crime. Mystery. Historical. Victorian |
Rendition Supposing Books The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective
The dramatic story of the real-life murder that inspired the birth of modern detective fiction.
In June of 1860 three-year-old Saville Kent was found at the bottom of an outdoor privy with his throat slit. The crime horrified all England and led to a national obsession with detection, ironically destroying, in the process, the career of perhaps the greatest detective in the land.
At the time, the detective was a relatively new invention; there were only eight detectives in all of England and rarely were they called out of London, but this crime was so shocking, as Kate Summerscale relates in her scintillating new book, that Scotland Yard sent its best man to investigate, Inspector Jonathan Whicher.
Whicher quickly believed the unbelievable—that someone within the family was responsible for the murder of young Saville Kent. Without sufficient evidence or a confession, though, his case was circumstantial and he returned to London a broken man. Though he would be vindicated five years later, the real legacy of Jonathan Whicher lives on in fiction: the tough, quirky, knowing, and all-seeing detective that we know and love today…from the cryptic Sgt. Cuff in Wilkie Collins’s The Moonstone to Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade.
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher is a provocative work of nonfiction that reads like a Victorian thriller, and in it Kate Summerscale has fashioned a brilliant, multilayered narrative that is as cleverly constructed as it is beautifully written.
Details Books During The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective
| Original Title: | The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective |
| ISBN: | 0802715354 (ISBN13: 9780802715357) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Constance Emilie Kent, Francis Savile Kent, Detective Jonathan Whicher |
| Setting: | Rode, Somerset, England,1860(United Kingdom) |
| Literary Awards: | Macavity Award Nominee for Best Nonfiction/Critical (2009), Anthony Award Nominee for Best Critical Nonfiction (2009), Agatha Award Nominee for Best Nonfiction (2008), Galaxy British Book Awards for Book of the Year (2009), Edgar Award Nominee for Best Fact Crime (2009) Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction (2008) |
Rating About Books The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective
Ratings: 3.45 From 18085 Users | 1983 ReviewsCrit About Books The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective
I expected a detective story set in the Victorian era and instead I got this great and extremely accurate historical novel that percolate into current times. I enjoyed reading about Mr. Whicher and I suffered with him when the public opinion dragged him down. But what I enjoyed the most is being taken through the genesis of something we take for granted nowadays: the police force. The tale is surprisingly modern: the media jumped on the story from the start, complaint about the detective workTerrific review, Peter. Wasn't aware of this one before but now I am highly intrigued. Poaching this one for Mount TBR
The crime shocked all of England. Three year old Saville Kent, son of the second family of a well to do British Government Official was found murdered, his small body stuffed in an outdoor privy. This was the infamous Road Hill murder and the man who lead the investigation was Mr. Jonathan Whicher. The story filled the tabloids of the time and was discussed everywhere from pulpits to the halls of Power. The unhappy events inspired not only modern forensic investigative methods but also open up a
So it wasn't totally bad, but it never lived up to its hype either. The whoddunit part of the story was quite suspenceful, and even before that, the setup where you're introduced to this odd Victorian family, and you know something bad is about to happen (I was picturing a Rosemary's baby scenario leading up to a macare... ) - that part was good. So here's the deal: the research was thorough, the writing - scientific, unimaginative and drowned in endless details. Not to mention the characters,
It was interesting to hear about the evolution of detectives in fiction and reality. I found the book was at times confusing, especially since I was listening to the audiobook. There were a lot of details and people to keep straight, which was a challenge at times. Overall it was interesting to learn about a Victorian murder case. This book spoils the plot twists of several Victorian classics, which I found maddeningly unnecessary. The spoiled books include Jane Eyre, The Woman in White, Bleak
Paromjit wrote: "Excellent review, Peter. :):)"Thank you very much, Paromjit. :):)
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