As I was complaining about running out of suitable reading material a friend offered to lend me "The Suspicions of Mr Whicher or the Murder at Road Hill House " by Kate Summerscale. "You'll love it", she told me, "it's a great book". At this my other friend shrieked, "Oh God, it's an awful ... Read review
Advantages: An incredible well written and fascinating book - SUPERB!! Disadvantages: None, none, none!!!
...Suspicions of Mr Whicher or the Murder at Road Hill House " by Kate Summerscale. "You'll love it", she told me, "it's a great book". At this my other friend shrieked, "Oh God, it's an awful book!!" - so I had to read it, I had to decide which side of the fence I would take!
The book deals with the true story of the murder of three-year-old Saville Kent on the night of 30 June 1860.
... ...Conan-Doyle included, it had all the characteristics of a classic murder story - with a dead child, an elegant Georgian country house - Road Hill House - with an air of secrets and mystery steeped in mystery, a truckload of suspects and a vigilant detective. Jack Whicher of Scotland Yard was the most famous detective of his day and it was him who was sent to investigate the murder of Saville.
As I was complaining about running out of suitable reading material a friend offered to lend me "The Suspicions of Mr Whicher or the Murder at Road Hill House " by Kate Summerscale. "You'll love it", she told me, "it's a great book". At this my other friend shrieked, "Oh God, it's an awful book!!" - so I had to read it, I had to decide which side of the fence I would take!
The book deals with the true story of the murder of three-year-old Saville Kent on the night of 30 June 1860.
Over the years the story had inspired many writers - Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins and Arthur Conan-Doyle included, it had all the characteristics of a classic murder story - with a dead child, an elegant Georgian country house - Road Hill House - with an air of secrets and mystery steeped in mystery, a truckload of suspects and a vigilant detective. Jack Whicher of Scotland Yard was the most famous detective of his day and it was him who was sent to investigate the murder of Saville.
It all started on a warm summer night in rural Wiltshire. Samuel and Mary Kent were an apparently prosperous couple, they retired to bed having made sure that the house was secure and shutters and windows locked. The next the family awoke to find that little Saville was missing from his cot in the nursery. His body is found stuffed in the outside privy, wrapped in a bloody blanket, his body mutilated and his neck had been slashed in a horrific way.
When, after two weeks, the local police have failed to find the culprit Inspector Jack Whicher, who was one of England's first-ever plain clothes detectives, was sent from Scotland Yard to investigate the case.
Whicher had plenty of suspects to choose from; local police had been quick to arrest the nursemaid, Elizabeth Gough for the crime as she may have been concerned that Saville would disclose her secrets to his mother, but she was soon released due to lack of evidence. The boy's father - Samuel - was also in the frame for financial reasons and 16-year-old Constance Kent, Saville's plain, sullen half sister was suspected due to jealousy. All that is certain is that one of the household must be the culprit - or was it? Can Whicher find enough evidence and clues to identify the vicious killer? Was the murderer a member of the household of family or was it some unknown intruder?
The case caused quite a frenzy at the time. The press of the day really went to town with this story - they printed plans of the house, looked at all the family and staff in great detail and re-constructed the scene of the crime. One popular theory was that Samuel Kent and Elizabeth Gough were the culprits, and that Saville had woken in the night to see the two couple 'at it' and was killed to keep him from telling anyone.
The story of the murder was plastered across all the newspapers, readers couldn't get enough of it and the press went to town. Printing laid out floor plans of Road Hill House, re-constructing the scene of a crime and an in-depth account of each member of the household and servants alike. Every person in Britain seemed to have their own opinion about the case. Scotland Yard were inundated with letters from the public with theories and ideas of who the killer was. It is easy to see the similarities between this case and press coverage with more modern cases like The Mary Bell case, the murder of Jamie Bulger, the Ian Huntley case and the disappearance of Madeleine McCann
This was a complex case and took its toll on everyone involved - including Jack Whicher. Perhaps had Whicher had been on the case from the beginning things could have been different. Everything was against the detective - this was before the day of forensic science, DNA etc and he was also held back by public's dislike of these new 'modern' detectives and the snobbery of the middle classes. Whicher had his suspicions; but lacked proof. He was hampered by the local police who had lost important clues and allowed themselves to be taken in by the Kent family. Whicher's investigation was also hindered by public pressure when he arrested someone other than the nursemaid, Gough, for the crime. Jack Whicher came away from this case a broken man, he didn't have the evidence to take the accused to court, the case virtually ended Whicher's career. Five years later a trial begins after a confession is eventually made for the murder Again uproar was raised at the case, Queen Victoria was even involved as she appealed that a prison sentence was passed instead of a death sentence, Whicher finally died in 1881. Who did confess? What happened to them?
I'm not saying - all I would say is read the book to find out.
SO WHAT DID I THINK?
I would say that the book 'The Suspicions of Mr Whicher' is more than just a novel, I knew of the case and I knew who was accused and who confessed but this still takes nothing away from the suspense of the book. The whole book is painstakingly researched and full of incredible detail. It deals with social issues of the day, there is lots of information about policing at the time, it is a biography about the Kent family and servants. It is an incredible and absorbing detective story, which really does bring the story of the murder at Road Hill House to a satisfactory end.
A superb, must read book !!
Summary: I guess you know which side of the fence I sit on now !!
oldchem 30.07.2009
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Review of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: Or the Murder at Road Hill House - Kate Summerscale
Advantages: An interesting case, fascinating look into Victorian society Disadvantages: Quite boring, no characterisation, too much like a text book
Winner of the BBC Four Samuel Johnson Prize, this is a true story of a murder mystery that gripped this Country in 1860 and for many years afterwards. At midnight on the 30th June 1860, 3 year old Saville Kent is gruesomely murdered and the family realise that he was murdered by someone in their household - the house is always bolted from the inside at night and therefore only the family and the live in servants could be on the suspect list. Jack ... ...book he begins to unravel the lives of the Kents, the motives the back-stories and the gossip surrounding the family. Who could have murdered a young innocent boy? Do they find the culprit? My Thoughts ========= Seduced by some glowing reports and the fact that the story is based on true facts, I bought this book to enjoy a good murder mystery. However, it is not as it appears, and this is largely my fault for not realising the type of book it is ...
burtybookworm 17.03.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: Or the Murder at Road Hill House - Kate Summerscale
Advantages: fantastic book combining a detective story with a history lesson Disadvantages: none
On the night of 30 June 1860 the Kent family retire for the night in Road Hill House in Wiltshire, Samuel Kent taking particular care to make sure that the house is locked up with the windows bolted and shutters closed. When nursemaid Elizabeth Gough wakes and finds that three year old Saville Kent is not in his cot she assumes that his mother has taken him to sleep in her room. When his mother Mary wakes up the house is thrown into panic when they ... ...his tiny body stuffed down the servants privy. Early investigation by the local police does not uncover the killer so Jack Whicher is sent for in hope that one of Britain's first detectives can shed new light on the dark events of that night. Gossip is running rife and there are many suspects but no proof linking any of them with the crime. The finger of suspicion points at Samuel Kent, the father who may have killed the child for financial motives; ...
wigglylittleworm 09.05.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: Or the Murder at Road Hill House - Kate Summerscale
Advantages: Fascinating story of a Victorian crime Disadvantages: Maybe a little too much general background detail for all but the most enthusiastic reader
On the night of 30 June 1860, the Kent family and their household went peacefully to bed as usual in their home, Road Hill House, on the Somerset/Wiltshire border. In the morning they awoke to find three year-old Saville missing. An exhaustive search of the house and estate led them to an outside lavatory. Peering inside, they found the boy’s body. His throat had been cut before he was unceremoniously pushed inside. A major police investigation revealed ... ...middle-class family. Elizabeth Gough, the nursemaid, was at first the prime suspect. The boy’s father Samuel, a conscientious factory inspector who did not shrink from making necessary if sometimes unpopular decisions, was also under suspicion for a while. In the course of his employment he had made many enemies. In those pre-Health & Safety days, people did not take kindly to being thrown out of work just because their factory was considered unsafe ...
JOHNV 15.12.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: Or the Murder at Road Hill House - Kate Summerscale
Advantages: Beautifully written, captivating read Disadvantages: Not a novel, so not to everyone's taste
...I picked it up in the 2 for 1 sale at WH Smith thinking it was a nice-old fashioned murder mystery. It is, in fact, exactly that. The difference is that this murder actually happened and held the whole country in it's grip for many months as the investigation went on.
Our setting is Road Hill House, in the village of Road in Wiltshire, close to the Somerset border. The house is occupied by the Kent family and their staff and the date is June 1860. ... ...when things happened in the run-up to the murder. All the facts in the book originate from careful research and documents from the time of the crime. Essentially, the house is locked up for the night with all the family and staff inside, and during the night a young boy is brutally murdered. But is this is not a gothic horror, or a novel, so the descriptions of the corpse are in Victorian prose, which is wonderfully flowery and detached. In fact ...
Vixterbelle 26.07.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: Or the Murder at Road Hill House - Kate Summerscale
Advantages: A thoroughly researched book on Early Policing and Victorian Social Class Structure Disadvantages: Not what it leads you to believe it is.
...Suspicions of Mr Whicher or The Murder of Road Hill House' (yes that is the title not me unable to make up my mind on the book I'm reviewing) by Kate Summerscale has been every where the last few months. Published by Bloomsbury in April 2008 it has topped various best sellers lists. A Richard and Judy 2009 Book club book, it has won The Galaxy book of the year 2009 award, Th BBC Four Samual Johnson non-fiction book of the year 2008 prize and Play.com ... ...ReadItSawpIt for months. The book tells the story of a real murder that happened at Road Hill House. On the morning of 30Th June 1860, the youngest son, aged just 4, of the middle class family ( the Saville-Kents) residing there at the time is discovered missing and later gruesomely murdered. The house shows no sign of break in or trespass, all windows and doors remain locked as they had the night before meaning that the perpetrator is one of the ...
Rhiana 26.04.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: Or the Murder at Road Hill House - Kate Summerscale
Product Information for "The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: Or the Murder at Road Hill House - Kate Summerscale" »
Product details
Type
Non-Fiction
Genre
Crime & Law
Title
The Suspicions of Mr Whicher: Or the Murder at Road Hill House
Author
Kate Summerscale
ISBN
0747582157
EAN
9780747582151
Manufacturer's product description
It is a summer's night in 1860. In an elegant detached Georgian house in the village of Road, Wiltshire, all is quiet. Behind shuttered windows the Kent family lies sound asleep. At some point after midnight a dog barks. The family wakes the next morning to a horrific discovery: an unimaginably gruesome murder has taken place in their home. The household reverberates with shock, not least because the guilty party is surely still among them. Jack Whicher of Scotland Yard, the most celebrated detective of his day, reaches Road Hill House a fortnight later. He faces an unenviable task: to solve a case in which the grieving family are the suspects.The murder provokes national hysteria. The thought of what might be festering behind the closed doors of respectable middle-class homes - scheming servants, rebellious children, insanity, jealousy, loneliness and loathing - arouses fear and a kind of excitement. But when Whicher reaches his shocking conclusion there is uproar and bewilderment.A true story that inspired a generation of writers such as Wilkie Collins, Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle, this has all the hallmarks of the classic murder mystery - a body; a detective; and, a country house steeped in secrets.
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