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and life along the winding road

Friday, May 6, 2011

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher

A shocking murder and the undoing of a great Victorian Detective.

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher is an accounting, by Kate Summerscale, of the 1860 murder of a young boy in an English country home.  The author follows the case and particularly the actions of Mr. Whicher, who was a London detective at the time.  Parts of this case appeared in Charles Dickens' novel The Mystery of Edwin Drood.  With a map of the house and grounds and the family tree for reference, the book does an excellent job at following this case through the investigation and court proceedings. Constance Kent and each of the other family members fall under suspicion. You can read more about the story of Road Hill House here