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A review by book_concierge
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale
3.0
Book on CD read by Simon Vance
The introduction of this book begins: This is the story of a murder committed in an English country house in 1860, perhaps the most disturbing murder of its time.
Kate Summerscale recreates the events of one specific night, when a child was taken from his bed and brutally murdered. The local constable was not equipped to truly evaluate the crime. Due to the prominence of the family involved, Scotland Yard sent its best Detective Inspector, Jonathan Whicher, to investigate the murder at Road Hill. Suspicion originally settled on the governess, with an assumption that she was having an affair which the child witnessed. However, Whicher noticed discrepancies in the various witnesses’ stories and, was relentless in questioning family members. His methods were considered intrusive and unorthodox, and eventually he was taken off the case. By the time the truth was revealed a few years later, Whicher had retired.
The crime gained much attention in England (and beyond). Among those who noticed were Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins. The case marked the beginning of the public’s fascination with murder mysteries, and inspired generations of fictional detectives. I found it fascinating but a bit dry, especially once the murderer has been revealed. I did like that the author followed the various family members into the middle of the 20th century.
Simon Vance is a talented voice artist and he does an admirable job of this book. There are many characters and he is able to sufficiently differentiate the voices to make it easy for the listener to keep them straight.
The introduction of this book begins: This is the story of a murder committed in an English country house in 1860, perhaps the most disturbing murder of its time.
Kate Summerscale recreates the events of one specific night, when a child was taken from his bed and brutally murdered. The local constable was not equipped to truly evaluate the crime. Due to the prominence of the family involved, Scotland Yard sent its best Detective Inspector, Jonathan Whicher, to investigate the murder at Road Hill. Suspicion originally settled on the governess, with an assumption that she was having an affair which the child witnessed. However, Whicher noticed discrepancies in the various witnesses’ stories and, was relentless in questioning family members. His methods were considered intrusive and unorthodox, and eventually he was taken off the case. By the time the truth was revealed a few years later, Whicher had retired.
The crime gained much attention in England (and beyond). Among those who noticed were Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins. The case marked the beginning of the public’s fascination with murder mysteries, and inspired generations of fictional detectives. I found it fascinating but a bit dry, especially once the murderer has been revealed. I did like that the author followed the various family members into the middle of the 20th century.
Simon Vance is a talented voice artist and he does an admirable job of this book. There are many characters and he is able to sufficiently differentiate the voices to make it easy for the listener to keep them straight.