I would have given this four stars, but I had an issue with the way the book was structured. The author seemed to be not clear about what she was writing-a historical mystery, social commentary about Nineteenth Century England, or an exploration of the evolution of the fictional detective. The narra...
This is really interesting, and really very difficult to classify. It's not a novel, as the events described are real, however, it is written in the style of detective fiction, with facts being unearthed as you go along. It's also social history, commenting on the state of policing, justice, crimina...
Kate Summerscale resurrects a gruesome murder that occurred in the middle of the 19th century – the police force had not long been in existence, the newly formed detective branch was just being set up, there was an explosion of new newspapers, and a thirst from the proprietors for news. The Road Hil...
Superb historical documentary of police detectivesThis is an amazing book. Rarely have I read a book which has been so meticulously researched. There is an unbelievable amount of detail about the origins of official police detective work, the personalities involved, the journalism of the mid-ninetee...
A look at a historical murder, that of three-year-old Saville Kent, and an author's work at unraveling the truth. It's one of the more intriguing mysteries that I've read, and I enjoyed this one very much. Recommended for anyone who wants a good, chilling, mystery to shiver a bit over, and to think ...
Good mystery. Not fantastic. The story did break my heart. I actually saw a documentary on this case which gave more information into the case than was actually in the book so that was shocking to me.
True story about the murder of a young boy by his older half sister, back in the mid 1800s in England. One of the early examples of detective work. Author uses story to illuminate history of mystery lit. Not bad. Could have used more pruning.
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