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The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective | 
| Author: Kate Summerscale
Publisher: Walker & Company
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $13.55
You Save: $11.40 (46%)
New (20) Used (8) Collectible (1) from $13.25
Avg. Customer Rating:  28 reviews
Sales Rank: 588
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 384
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.9 x 1.5
ISBN: 0802715354
Dewey Decimal Number: 364.1523094231
EAN: 9780802715357
ASIN: 0802715354
Publication Date: April 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Mint, brand new, and never opened to read and ready to ship after 8/4 for your gift list or own collection. BCE
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Product Description
The dramatic story of the real-life murder that inspired the birth of modern detective fiction. In June of 1860 three-year-old Saville Kent was found at the bottom of an outdoor privy with his throat slit. The crime horrified all England and led to a national obsession with detection, ironically destroying, in the process, the career of perhaps the greatest detective in the land. At the time, the detective was a relatively new invention; there were only eight detectives in all of England and rarely were they called out of London, but this crime was so shocking, as Kate Summerscale relates in her scintillating new book, that Scotland Yard sent its best man to investigate, Inspector Jonathan Whicher. Whicher quickly believed the unbelievable—that someone within the family was responsible for the murder of young Saville Kent. Without sufficient evidence or a confession, though, his case was circumstantial and he returned to London a broken man. Though he would be vindicated five years later, the real legacy of Jonathan Whicher lives on in fiction: the tough, quirky, knowing, and all-seeing detective that we know and love today…from the cryptic Sgt. Cuff in Wilkie Collins’s The Moonstone to Dashiell Hammett’s Sam Spade. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher is a provocative work of nonfiction that reads like a Victorian thriller, and in it Kate Summerscale has fashioned a brilliant, multilayered narrative that is as cleverly constructed as it is beautifully written.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 23 more reviews...
 3.5 out of 5: Jumbled but Entertaining August 6, 2008
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher is one-third a true crime book about a famous murder in the English countryside in 1860, one-third a history of the English detective profession in general, one-third a biography of Jonathan Whicher, one of the first English detectives, and one-third a literary history of the English detective novel. If you're good at math, undoubtedly you have calculated that Mr. Whicher includes more subjects than can fit comfortably in a single book. Some readers will find this quirky mix of elements to be confused or unfocused. I found it charming and entertaining. I am fascinated with the development of the English novel as a form of literature in the 1700s and 1800s, including the early detective novels by authors like Wilkie Collins. Although not necessary, having some background and interest in literary history makes Mr. Whicher a more absorbing read. The studious tone adopted by Summerscale may be a bit dry for some, but I found the tone to be a perfectly appropriate accompaniment to the subject matter(s) of the book. All in all, a varied, informative, and entertaining read.
 Interesting but tedious read August 6, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Okay, it's all my fault I misunderstood what this book was about. I take full responsibility. I was thinking this was a novel based upon the style, artwork, and overall presentation of this book. I imagined a whodunit novel with twists and turns and clues to piece together as I read it. I was excited to say the least at the prospect of reading this book.
Instead, I found out about 60 pages in that this is in fact a history book! Not even historical fiction, real history! I kept wondering as I read this book when the story was going to start, but once I got into the frame of mind that I was reading a well researched history book the reading became a bit more manageable as I changed my expectations.
If the names Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes excite you, then this book would be a great addition to your library as it expands upon the early development of detective work and the origins of procedures, terminology, and the fascination with such work and the authors who write the stories.
At the core of the book however is a real story about a real detective and a real little boy who gets murdered. Along the way readers are sure to pick up a plethora of knowledge and a deeper appreciation and understanding of the birth of modern day detectives.
 A Long, Hard Slog August 5, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The book reads like someone did enormous amounts of research, then couldn't bear to leave anything out of the final product. As a result of the continual snippets of files, references, word origins, quotes from and references to Dickens, etc., the prose is turgid, and the book is tedious. Despite the fact that the story itself is highly interesting, the author manages to make getting through the book a hard slog. The editor should have cut the book in half.
This book may well be enjoyed by those interested in the origins of the practice now known as "detection" and who need something to help put them to sleep at night, but those looking for a "good read" should look elsewhere.
 Exceeded Expectations July 30, 2008
After reading the review in the NYTimes, I was very eager to read this book. It was a great story, well written, well researched and very compelling. I have read many historical accounts and this book stands alone in being a true page turner! I could not wait to find out who the murderer was. I am a big mystery fan and was intrigued to learn that it was this story that inspired so many British novelists. I could not wait to sink my teeth into this book and was not disappointed.
Interesting, but Saturated with Unnecessary Details July 29, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
While Summerscale should be praised for all of the research she did while creating this text, she should also be critiqued for her saturating the book with unnecessary details. I found it highly irritating when she referred to another book or meaningless detail about a person unrelated to the story every paragraph or so. It was almost as if she wanted to prove how much she learned while researching. This took away from the storyline and dragged the book on and on. As a result, I would not recommend this book nor read another by this author's.
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