See buying choices for this item to see if it's one of the millions that are eligible for Amazon Prime.

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective (Hardcover)

by Kate Summerscale (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


17 used from £10.26
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Paperback (Reprint) 9 used & new from £8.51

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: or the Murder at Road Hill House

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: or the Murder at Road Hill House

by Kate Summerscale
3.1 out of 5 stars (179)  £3.86
The 19th Wife

The 19th Wife

by David Ebershoff
3.7 out of 5 stars (57)  £3.20
Rapture

Rapture

by Carol Ann Duffy
4.8 out of 5 stars (6)  £5.39
The Little Stranger

The Little Stranger

by Sarah Waters
3.9 out of 5 stars (45)  £8.49
Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance

Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance

by Barack Obama
4.5 out of 5 stars (123)  £4.49
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Hardcover: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Walker & Company (15 April 2008)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0802715354
  • ISBN-13: 978-0802715357
  • Product Dimensions: 21.3 x 15 x 3.8 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 529,430 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #67 in  Books > Crime, Thrillers & Mystery > Mystery > Reference

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
Check a corresponding box or enter your own tags in the field below
detective
mystery
victorian mystery
historical fiction
scotland yard
victorian
british mysteries
england
david rehak
true crime
jonathan whicher

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

2 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars a different kind of crime book - the real base for mysteries and the first star detective, 16 Mar 2009
By Klaus van Amelrode "kmcva" - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
Honestly, first I thought I am going to read another fine Victorian mystery story. But this book is different: it is the story of a real crime. But it is so much more. The fascination with crimes, the first star detective and public attitude towards crime, criminals and police officers are explored. Above all, it is a great inside into Victorian society. It is entertaining and one learns a lot. All in all a great book.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Victorian Murder Investigations, Public Attitudes, and the Birth of Detective Fiction, 21 Jun 2008
By Professor Donald Mitchell "Jesus Makes Me a P... (Boston) - See all my reviews
(TOP 10 REVIEWER)      
If you are fascinated by the hypocrisy of the Victorians, you'll love this book. If you want to read a great murder mystery, you should probably search out a work of fiction instead.

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher has a wide charter: Tell the story of the murder of three-year-old Saville Kent in his English country home, describe the police investigations, relate the public reaction to the murder and investigations, detail what happened to the characters, help us understand our psychological need to read detective fiction, and provide new insight into the seeds of the crime.

Although the book claims to give us a fiction-like description of the murder and its investigation, Ms. Summerscale's writing isn't quite in the style: She's clearly a non-fiction writer. She's also not very careful of the facts: There's a glaring example in her "A Note on Money" that precedes the Prologue. In the first paragraph she tells us a pound is worth $130 today and in the second paragraph she tells us that a hundred pounds is worth $120,000 today (Yes, she made two mistakes!).

For my taste the book could have been edited down quite a bit. There was about 150 pages worth of material I was interested in within 300 pages of text. She presumes that I want to know more about Victorian authors of detective fiction than I do, and I could have used a much shorter version of what happened next to everyone.

I thought that the two most interesting parts of the book were how modern the analytical methods were that Whicher used (opportunity, motive, and a search for missing clothing) and the commentary on how much we want our detectives to be supermen who always find the criminal (making us feel more secure while allowing us to be moved by the passion behind crime) rather than thinking about the victim.

As for the speculation about the possible seeds of the crime, I thought that the medical parts of that were pretty speculative. The other parts seem more plausible and should have been exposed earlier in the book.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Feedback

Health & Beauty at Amazon.co.uk

Elemis Resurface and Renew Skin Care Gift Set of 4 Products
From soap to shavers, massagers to mascara, stock up on your daily essentials or truly pamper yourself.

›Discover Health & Beauty

  

More From Kate Summerscale

The Suspicions of...

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: or the...

'I can't think of another book which takes you so fast into the... Read more
£7.99 £3.86

 

Up to 53% off Braun Series Shavers

Braun Series 3 390cc Clean & Renew System Rechargeable Foil Electric Shaver
Get in touch with your smooth side with Braun Series shavers, now with Gillette blade technology.

›Discover Braun Series at Amazon.co.uk

  

Treat Someone

Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificates--available in any amount from £5 to £500 With an Amazon.co.uk Gift Certificate, you can get them what they want (even if you don't know what that is).

›Learn more about Gift Certificates

  
Ad

Where's My Stuff?

Delivery and Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.
Continue Shopping: Top Sellers
The Girl Who Played with Fire
The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson
4.5 out of 5 stars (75)£3.86
 Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga)
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga) by Stephenie Meyer
4.1 out of 5 stars (464)£6.49
 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
4.1 out of 5 stars (165)£3.99
 The Host
The Host by Stephenie Meyer
4.2 out of 5 stars (82)£3.86

amazon.co.uk Amazon Home
International Sites:  United States  |  Germany  |  France  |  Japan  |  Canada  |  China
Business Programs: Sell on Amazon  |  Fulfilment by Amazon  |  Join Associates  |  Join Advantage
Customer Service  |  Help  |  View Basket  |  Your Account
About Amazon.co.uk  |  Careers at Amazon
Conditions of Use & Sale |  Privacy Notice  © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. and its affiliates