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The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher

or The Murder at Road Hill House

Kate Summerscale

$19.99

Paperback

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English
Bloomsbury Publishing
01 May 2009


WINNER OF THE SAMUEL JOHNSON PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLER A RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB PICK

'A remarkable achievement' - Sunday Times

'A classic, to my mind, of the finest documentary writing' - John le Carré

'Absolutely riveting' - Sarah Waters, Guardian

On a summer’s morning in 1860, the Kent family awakes in their elegant Wiltshire home to a terrible discovery; their youngest son has been brutally murdered. When celebrated detective Jack Whicher is summoned from Scotland Yard he faces the unenviable task of identifying the killer – when the grieving family are the suspects.

The original Victorian whodunnit, the murder and its investigation provoked national hysteria at the thought of what might be festering behind the locked doors of respectable homes – scheming servants, rebellious children, insanity, jealousy, loneliness and loathing.

'Nothing less than a masterpiece' - Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday 'Terrific' - Ian Rankin 'A triumph' - Observer 'Gripping, unputdownable' - Sunday Telegraph 'A terrific read in the Wilkie Collins tradition' - Susan Hill 'The best whodunnit of the year - and it's all true ... Agatha Christie, eat your heart out' - Sebastian Shakespeare, Tatler

By:  
Imprint:   Bloomsbury Publishing
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Dimensions:   Height: 198mm,  Width: 129mm,  Spine: 25mm
Weight:   304g
ISBN:   9780747596486
ISBN 10:   0747596484
Pages:   400
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Author Website:   http://www.bloomsbury.com/Authors/details.aspx?tpid=2923

Kate Summerscale was born in 1965. She is the author of the bestselling The Queen of Whale Cay, which won a Somerset Maugham award and was shortlisted for the Whitbread biography award. She has also judged various literary competitions including the Booker Prize. She lives in London with her five-year-old son.

Reviews for The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: or The Murder at Road Hill House

'It is a beautiful piece, written with great lucidity and respect for the reader, and with immaculate restraint. A classic, to my mind, of the finest documentary writing.' John Le Carre 'A pacy analysis of a true British murder case from 1860, the unravelling of which involved one of the earliest Scotland Yard detectives and inspired sensation novelists such as Dickens and Wilkie Collins Absolutely riveting' Sarah Waters, Guardian 'Summerscale has constructed nothing less than a masterpiece My shelves are stacked with books about crime, but none more satisfying than this' Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday 'Sparse, melancholy, beautifully written the year's most beguiling biography' Independent


  • Short-listed for Galaxy British Book Awards: Richard and Judy's Best Read of the Year 2009
  • Shortlisted for Galaxy British Book Awards: Richard and Judy's Best Read of the Year 2009.
  • Shortlisted for Independent Booksellers' Book of the Year Award: Adults' Book of the Year 2009.
  • Shortlisted for Independent Booksellers' Week Book of the Year Award: Adults' Book of the Year 2009.
  • Shortlisted for The South Bank Show Awards: Literature 2009.
  • Winner of Galaxy British Book Awards: Galaxy Book of the Year 2009.
  • Winner of Galaxy British Book Awards: Play.com Popular Non-Fiction Award 2009.
  • Winner of Samuel Johnson Prize 2008.

See Also