The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher : Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective (CD-Audio)

from patrickgarson

This is a most interesting book, especially for lovers of detective fiction, and anyone interested in Victorian society. But be aware: the eponymous murder is really more of a hook on which Summerscale slings a veritable wardrobe of Victoriana concerning the burgeoning vocation of the detective, ...

from yosarian

An utterly absorbing book using the very famous (at the time) crime at Road Hill House in 1860 as the backdrop of a fascinating study of the development of detective fiction. Winner of the BBC 4 Samuel Johnson Prize when it came out in 2008, the book starts with a very detailed description of the...

from patrickgarson

This is a most interesting book, especially for lovers of detective fiction, and anyone interested in Victorian society. But be aware: the eponymous murder is really more of a hook on which Summerscale slings a veritable wardrobe of Victoriana concerning the burgeoning vocation of the detective, ...

from sainsborough

Do not fear - I don't give anything of the mystery away in this review! This is one of very few crime stories in my library. I have a friend who likes to read the same Agatha Christie novels over and over again, presumably because she finds the logic of the puzzle-solving satisfying. However, I d...

from reading_fox

I'm glad I didn't pay for this. It was the 3rd of three for two, and Blurbed by Ian Rankin and le Carre, (and Sarah Waters - who?) as well as being a Richard and Judy hot pick. It's neither 'a classic', 'totally rivetting' (rather the reverse) or even 'terrific'. It should really be titled, the l...