The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: or The Murder at Road Hill House
Dec 3, 2009 Biography, History, Specialist Subjects
I’m not really a fan of true crime. I’m never really attracted to apparently thrilling accounts of gruesome murders, and I don’t usually have a burning desire to know whodunnit – in fact, I often feel that true crime stories lack a certain sense of humanity. That being said, this book completely fascinated me and turned those expectations upside down. Kate Summerscale focusses on the rather nasty murder of a middle-class Victorian child, and in doing so, paints a very vivid picture of Victorian family life, the birth and development of the police force, and the life of a detective. Weaved into the story are tidbits about the origins of detective fiction and its terminology, the lifestyle of a nun, court proceedings and even a bit of photography. It’s very engaging, despite the gory murder at the centre of the book.
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