I ordered this book from the library because it was mentioned in one of the footnotes to The Moonstone that Mr. Whicher was the Scotland Yard detective who was the model for Collins’ character, Detective Cuff, in that novel. In fact, Kate Summerscale makes a good argument that Mr. Whicher was the model for characters of several authors, including Charles Dickens, and that Whicher’s career was contributory to the popularity of the new type of novel that was the “detective story.”

The central idea for this true crime book is the account of the murder and subsequent investigation of a young child who disappears in the middle of the night from his bed, which is in the room he shares with the nanny. The details of how this case played out are intriguing and give a good idea of how the new Scotland Yard detectives went about their work. I also enjoyed the historical details about Victorian life and mores. In this area Summerscale has written a fascinating story of life behind closed doors in the middle of the 19th century, revealing how the different classes viewed one another and demonstrating the mood of the nation in this era.

I do have a few quibbles with the book in that it could have been more tightly written. The author did a prodigious amount of research but she should have done a better job editing. Also annoying for me was the use of editorial metaphors in order to explain events. These slowed the pace of the story and didn’t add to the reader’s understanding. However, these were minor complaints and I recommend this book to anyone interested in the Victorian era and/or true crime stories. If you like love Victorian literature (which I do) this is a book you will enjoy. 3 ½ stars ( )

This was a fascinating read and my suggestion for the October book on ravelry. It reads like a novel but is a non-fictional tale which is particularly gruesome in that it concludes that a child murdered her half-brother for revenge. I liked the references to detective stories in that era and how they often used this crime for inspiration, and just how new detectives were. ( )

Recommended by a friend at book club. Well worth reading. a nice combo linking the true story in with the evolution of professional detective work and the development of the crime fiction genre.

An excellent documentary study of the Saville Kent murder in England in 1860, and the detective who tried to puzzle it out. The circumstantial evidence pointed to someone within the family, but Detective-Inspector Jonathan Whicher was unable to obtain hard proof or a confession. For this he was criticized by the press. This book lays out the case for the unfairness of this judgment: ineptitude and wilful obstruction on the part of local figures were at fault. The world of the characters in this research is as interesting as the details of the case. The reading runs smoothly, and the author is to be congratulated on a fine piece of work. Perhaps a humorous quip here and there would have added a bit of spice. ( )

http://passionatebooklover.wordpress....

In the year of 1860, three-year-old Saville Kent was found brutally murdered in the outdoor privy of his family’s country estate. Scotland Yard Detective-Inspector Jonathan Jack Whicher was called in to lead the investigation. He was one of England’s first detectives and Scotland Yard’s best man, thus everyone hoped he could solve the mystery behind the Road Hill murder. As soon as he began the investigation, Whicher was convinced that someone within the family must be responsible for the crime. However, the public was shocked by his assumption; the idea that such things would happen in respectable middle-class homes terrified everyone.

Nevertheless, people were fascinated by the Road Hill case; it aroused both fear and excitement across England and everyone seemed to know who the murderer was. Everyone had a theory and a suspect; some believed that the father and the nursemaid had committed the crime, while others believed that one of the siblings must be the murderer. There were also people who believed that the murderer could not be a family member.

Whicher became convinced that Constance Kent, Saville’s half-sister, was the murderer. He believed that she was jealous of her little half-brother because he was everybody’s favorite, so she decided to murder him. However, Whicher had little evidence and Constance did not confess, so the case went cold. The Road Hill case nearly destroyed his career and Whicher retired a few years later. In his later years, he worked as a private detective; eventually, he was vindicated and he appeared in another sensational case.

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher is an engaging non-fiction book as it deals with a fascinating and true murder case. The book is full of hidden motives, false accusations and dark family secrets and the reader will be eager to find out the truth behind the murder at Road Hill House. In addition, the reader will learn about the history and the origins of detective fiction (you’ll find out that Mr. Whicher inspired characters in fiction such as Sgt. Cuff in Wilkie Collins’s The Moonstone).

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher is an absorbing, well-researched book full of historical details and it draws a fascinating portrait of Victorian families and their exciting lives. I recommend this book to everyone who loves detective stories and to everyone who wants to find out more about the history of detective fiction! ( )