The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective Audiobook

" I wish the author had not tried to cram in as many facts as she did, as a result, the book seems obsessed with avoiding loose ends, and the narrative flow is lost. The inquiry and conviction of the murder of a small child in the mid nineteenth century is potentially interesting subject matter. A strength of this book is that it does provide an insight into the development of the detective in the British police force. What this book fails to do ultimately is to persuade me to read more non-fiction, which is a pity. "

" Juicy historic factual novel based on a murder of a child at a Victorian country estate - lots of characters and drama. "

" slow but interesting account of a Victorian murder mystery. "

" This was amazing. Especially since when I finished I'm still not sure I know what happened. I loved how the author connected the true story with all the detective fiction being written at the time. Her afterword was touching. I found myself forgetting that a 3 year old sweet little boy had been murdered and dumped in an outhouse. Despicable. "

" So many readers told me about this book--colleagues and students--and it became one of those that you hold off reading until you have time....and then if just doesn't work. Moved too slowly, I guess, but I appreciated all the references to the 19th century novels I had actually read that drew on this case and the investigative techniques. "

" Fascinating. The level of detail is what I enjoyed most. The best part is that even though the mystery was revealed it really did not fully convinced me that it really happened as we are led to believe by the written sources that survived. This book could have been subtitled "and the birth of the sociopath" "

" A great story about the mystery at Road House in the 1800's as well as the history of the development of Scotland Yard, real detectives, and investigation. Worth the read! "

" Summerscale's book is an enjoyable look at one of the original Victorian crimes that helped spawn the detective genre in fiction. Fans of Sherlock Holmes and historical mysteries should enjoy this detailed examinations of the Road Hill House murder and its aftermath. "

" Grand-daddy of all crime novels "

" I really enjoyed this and wanted to keep reading to find out who had done it. I found the historical references fascinating and especially the way real life detectives were reflected in Victorian fiction. Would have been 4 stars but the last third of the book wasn't as good. "

" Quite disappointed with this book, expected a the recounting of this incident and subsequent investigation to give one a real sense of the people involved but never got any insight. The reviews I'd read misled me. "

" Shit book. "

" interesting read, "

" Interesting and well researched, but super repetitive. As a mystery lover, I liked learning about the origin of detectives and detective novels, but I got bored with the book and thought it dragged on. "

" It's decent, but there are better books out there. I had high hopes after the author said he wrote the book like a detective story, but alas, it wasn't to be. "

" Great history book of the time period and the beginnings of detective work. Interesting but sometimes hard to follow. "

" Saw some great reviews so I decided to give the book a try. The first part of the book, the actual murder, took forever to set up and give. So I had a feeling this was going to be a long, long, long, read with little pay off. All the reader needs to do is read the beginning. Then skip 300 pages and read the end. Mystery solved, time saved, on to a better book. It was a boring read. Over analyzed. Some previous reviewer nailed it when he/she said that it read like a college thesis. "

" An excellent book - a true story about the beginning of forensic science. "

" Despite it's awfully quick ending - oh by the way this person was involved - and simplistic style, I found this to be a enrapturing and compulsive read. Worth a look, although nothing to write home about. "

" An excellent book by a British journalist about a murder that was a sensation in 19th century England. It gave birth to the first true detective novel by Wilkie Collins. "

" This book is quite interesting if one enjoys English history, and in particular, history of detectives and the detective novel. This is NOT a novel! "

" Really liked this book as it gives you a great insight into the history of our modern day detective. "

" Though weighed down by some unnecessary detail, I found this to be an engaging analysis of a Victorian murder. "

" This was an interesting book. However there was to much irrevelent information. It was if the author could not decided what of the infromation (interseting or not) that she uncovered to put in the book so she put it all in. A little edditing would have made this a great book. "

" Interesting and enjoyable. A book about a particularly gruesome murder in Wiltshire in the UK in 1860, it is as much about the attempts to solve what seemed initially to be an intractable murder enquiry as it is about the development of the role of the specialised detective. "

" The writing style is a bit dry but the author provides an interesting look at the beginnings of the modern day detective and how Victorian society looked at the wrong doing of the newly emerging middle class. "

" Pretty interesting, but I wish it was more thrilling "

" Wasn't sure what this would be like, but I was hooked early on. A really well written book, written to keep you interested in the subject matter "

" I enjoyed this look back at a Victorian murder and the culture of press coverage, public fascination, and the mythology of the Great Detective that the case launched. Well done. "

" I enjoyed this book about a real-life murder mystery in the Victorian age. I was interested in the history of the detective and information about the early detective novels. It makes me want to go back and re-read Dickens and Wilkie Collins. "

" A case history of one of the first detectives trying to solve the grisly murder of a young child. Interesting. Probably a bit heavy on procedure for some. "

" Okay, would be a good tv drama. "

" i love it so far and all the information about the characters. "

" This book moved a bit too slowly. The historical information should have been interesting, but it just seemed to drag down the story line. A good effort, but not quite an engaging enough voice. "

" Having difficulty getting through this one. Too many names not ideal for holiday reading "

" This book moved a bit too slowly. The historical information should have been interesting, but it just seemed to drag down the story line. A good effort, but not quite an engaging enough voice. "

" A true mystery about Mr. Whicher, the first Scotland Yard dective inspector and his case about the Samuel Kent family. His son of three was murdered and found at the bottom of an outdoor privy, his throat cut. About a respectable middle class Victorian family and the case and trial. "

" A true story about the grisly murder of a 3 year old boy. This book looks painstakingly at each piece of evidence and each source. A very interesting look into Victorian society, and how they operated. However, a bit too heavy on minute-only-somewhat-relevant details at times. "

" This book was incredibly blood-curdling and interesting, but so many loose ends were left untied. Of course, that is the nature of true crime. "

" Wow, when Victorians go bad! "

" A fascinating account of a Victorian murder and an examination of the rise of the detective. A great read which kept me engaged to the end. "

" I'm actually listening to this on my iPod when I run... does that count? : )... It was okay "

" I'm actually listening to this on my iPod when I run... does that count? : )... It was okay "

" This book's greatest virtue is creating a sort of etymology for the modern detective story. Anyone who loves mysteries - especially good British detective novels - will find this book enriching. "

" This book's greatest virtue is creating a sort of etymology for the modern detective story. Anyone who loves mysteries - especially good British detective novels - will find this book enriching. "

" Fascinating - reveals another aspect of Victorian life and it's criminal underbelly. "

" Fascinating - reveals another aspect of Victorian life and it's criminal underbelly. "

" Very dull telling of a quite interesting story. I hope the tv version is more entertaining. Finishing this book was very difficult. "

" Very dull telling of a quite interesting story. I hope the tv version is more entertaining. Finishing this book was very difficult. "

" This book, like the real-life murder investigation it takes as its subject, starts off with great drama and excitement, then loses its way halfway through. "

" This book, like the real-life murder investigation it takes as its subject, starts off with great drama and excitement, then loses its way halfway through. "

" Book Club rating - 3.5 "

" Book Club rating - 3.5 "

" Dull, dull, dull. Couldn't get through it. I had read somewhere that this was a really interesting book but I didn't find it to be so. Minute detail made it painful. "

" Dull, dull, dull. Couldn't get through it. I had read somewhere that this was a really interesting book but I didn't find it to be so. Minute detail made it painful. "

" Not the best true crime book I've read. I felt like the book could use more description of events related to the case or just be shorter. It had a lot of mostly unnecessary references to detective stories/novels of the Victorian era. "

" Not the best true crime book I've read. I felt like the book could use more description of events related to the case or just be shorter. It had a lot of mostly unnecessary references to detective stories/novels of the Victorian era. "

" Quite a tale of a murder that gripped England as the U.S. was busy descending into Civil War. The role of the press in identifying suspects is particularly interesting, but overall I found it a slow read, with digressions into places I didn't want to go. "

" Quite a tale of a murder that gripped England as the U.S. was busy descending into Civil War. The role of the press in identifying suspects is particularly interesting, but overall I found it a slow read, with digressions into places I didn't want to go. "

" In between the large chunks of irrelevant details and the poorly organized information is an interesting story...just not told very well. "

" In between the large chunks of irrelevant details and the poorly organized information is an interesting story...just not told very well. "

" Pretty good book. Offers a lot of historical context and describes a real murder investigation in 1860. "

" Pretty good book. Offers a lot of historical context and describes a real murder investigation in 1860. "

" This is the way I need to read nonfiction. I really enjoyed this. I will say that there were times that I started to nod off or tune it out because it did get a little bogged down in what I felt were unnecessary details. All in all it was really enjoyable. "

" This is the way I need to read nonfiction. I really enjoyed this. I will say that there were times that I started to nod off or tune it out because it did get a little bogged down in what I felt were unnecessary details. All in all it was really enjoyable. "

" I love almost anything like a historical biography. This was a good book I simply hard a time trying to get into it. "

" I love almost anything like a historical biography. This was a good book I simply hard a time trying to get into it. "