The Suspicions of Mr.Whicher, or the Murder at Road Hill House by Kate Summerscale
This true-life macabre tale takes place in 1860, in the village of Road, Wiltshire, involving a well-to-do family, the occupants of Road Hill House. A brutal murder serves to shatter the Victorian ideals of reserve and privacy, when the family are held under intense media and public scrutiny. The bungling of the local police force, and demands from Parliament that the case be solved, herald the arrival of the most famous detective of the era - Scotland Yard's Jonathan Whicher, who causes a public uproar with his views on who committed the offence. Interestingly, Whicher and his methods of detection, proved inspirational for the birth of crime fiction and for authors such as Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins.
An absorbing book, extremely well researched, with an intense narrative drive, it will keep you reading for hours at a time. Highly recommended.
Jonathan, Cabinteely Library
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