Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
299 of 336 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The birth of detective fiction and the death of a child, 11 April 2008
This book is as much a history of Victorian social values and the emerging field of detective fiction in the nineteenth century as it is a book about a hideous country house murder in 1860. Researched using original police papers from the National Archives, books on the crime and many more sources, the book tells the story of the Road Hill House murder of 1860, when a three year old boy was brutally slain by another occupant of his home. The book sets out to detail the case, from the original event to the investigation by Scotland Yard detective Jack Whicher, to the aftermath suffered by the entire family.
It's extremely well written and well researched, and even though there is little to add suspense considering anyone with an Internet connection can discover the identity of the murderer, Summerscale still manages to inject a certain air of tension into proceedings, drawing things out as they must have unfolded at the time. With a peculiar ability to grab your attention and hold it firmly, the book is difficult to put down, and a thoroughly fascinating read for anyone with an interest in detective fiction, real life crime or a historical period that throws up as many questions as it answers.
Highly recommended.
|
|
|
112 of 139 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliantly researched and completely engrossing, 1 May 2008
The murder of a young child which took place at Road Hill House, Wiltshire in 1860 captured the imagination of the public and turned everyone into amateur detectives. The perfect example of a country house murder with a finite amount of suspects also inspired writers of the time such as Dickens, Wilkie Collins and Mary Elizabeth Braddon.
'The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher' is structured so that first, we learn the details of the crime, then we learn about the investigation which leads on to what happened next and the author's own theory based on the evidence. To say this book is well-researched in something of an understatement; if someone goes through a toll road, we know how much they pay; if someone moves to London we find out who they lived next door to; if someone left a will, we find out exactly what they left and to whom. I'm sure this level of detail would be irritating to some, but I found it absolutely incredible!
The book is also interesting in giving us a taste of the time, the attitudes of the people, the ways in which the Police force was growing and how events were shaping literature.
This is an extraordinary achievement and engrossing throughout. I can't wait to see what she will come up with next!
|
|
|
27 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A thorough examination of a murder, 28 Oct 2008
This book, which has won prizes and many plaudits this year, is the true story of a murder that occured in Road, Somerset in the middle of the 19th Century.
This might not grab you as all that noteworthy, but it grabbed public opinion at the time and contributed to the growth of a new type of book, the murder mystery in a country house, that the likes of Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie would make their own only a few years latter.
This book is interesting and if you're in any way intregued in this sort of history, you should consider reading this book. If you're not someone who typically reads factual books, however, you might find this book slighty dry and cold if I'm honest with you.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
by David Ebershoff
by Kate Atkinson
by Andrew Davidson
by Beatrice Colin
by Jesse Kellerman
