The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher

So recently with HeartSick I revealed my penchant for serial killer novels. Know what else I like just as much? Novels about murderers in the Victorian era. Sometimes, like Captain Planet, these powers combine into Victorian serial killer novels (like Caleb Carr's The Alienist).

Anyway, I'd heard good things about this true story regarding the murder of a child in 1860s England. (When I say I'd heard good things, I mean about the book, not about the murder). And I have to say, this did a nice job of intersecting a lot of my interests. Not only does Summerscale do a nice job capturing the era and its fads and tenants (the rise of the "detective" figure, the Victorian need for privacy in the home, etc.) but she also connects the case to the fictional detective figure, since Whicher's fame influenced writers from Dickens to Wilkie Collins. So literary influence is nicely dissected as well.

If there are any complaints about Summerscale's style (which, again, I predominantly enjoyed), it would be that at times it slips into what feels like pure reportage: listing facts and factual descriptions, rather than creating an evocative world. Still, if you're interested in any of the issues Summerscale tackles, this is definitely worth your time. It's a quick read (3 days, I think) and a fascinating but now forgotten criminal case.