The suspicions of Mr Whicher, or the Murder at Road Hill House - Kate Summerscale

As is often the case on holiday, I'd not taken enough books with me, so was looking around for something intelligent to read (eg. not a chick lit or detective pulp novel); when I noticed in the communal area of the resort this book.

I'd picked it up in bookshops in the past and it was on my Green Metropolis wishlist.  But it's certainly not what I'd expected it to be.  I'd thought it was a crime novel set in a country house in the 19th century a bit like Agatha Christie novels - and so it was, but not a novel.

The book is a true account of the murder of Saville Kent, a four year old boy in his family home; Summerscale uses court records, newspaper articles, police statements and other documents to tell the story of first the family, then the murder, the subsequent investigation, and then the after affect of the events on all those involved.

The Mr Whicher of the title was a celebrated detective who worked on the case (and many other famouse ones).

The book is fascinating in it's detail of 1860s life in rural Somerset, in police procedures of the time, and as a window on the lives of the middle classes - in particular the deferance and misguided respect afforded to them by the authorities (police and government).

Contemporary writers and other celebrated case are mentioned throughout - I will certainly be following up some of the leads!

'borrowed' from the activity room at Hylatio Tourist Village, Pissouri, Cyprus.

14-15 July 2010

The Vesuvius Club - Mark Gatiss

Mr Lucifer Box Esq is a portraitist, dandy, wit, rake, and his majesty's most dashing secret agent.  When something is wrong in the empire he's the man for the job.....especially if it involves a mixture of both ends of the social scale!

I love the writing style of this book, in the vain of Oscar Wilde, but perhaps with a bit more buggery that Wilde was able to get away with (much as he might have liked to!) - how things have changed!

Mr Box is not a likeable person, yet it's had not to like him!  He's selfish, arrogant, shocking and generally a cad - but people are obviously drawn to him, just as I was whilst reading.  I wonder how much of the character is based on the author?

The story centres around the deaths of some prominent vulcanologists, and Box is despatched to find out 'whodunnit' - so it's a detective novel, of a sort.

If you are easily offended don't read the Lucifer Box books (there are three so far), but if you can cope with buggery, murder and high fashion this books is a great read, easy and funny.

Bought on Green Metropolis.

June 2010

The Dogs of Riga - Henning Mankell

Having read the first Wallander book and very much enjoyed the descriptions of Sweden and the characters, I was looking forward to the second book.

However, it wasn't as good as I'd hoped - and maybe that's because much of it is actually set in Latvia.

When two well dressed dead bodies wash up in a life raft on the Swedish shore, Wallander becomes involved in a confusing Eastern Block/Russian mafia world - one that he's not at all comfortable in and certainly doesn't understand.

The characters are interesting and I'm certainly warming to Wallander himself, the story kept me interested and reading, but it just didn't have the same feel as the first.

I won't be put off, and will return to the series - but I'm glad this wasn't the first otherwise I might not have continued. There are only nine available so I will pace myself and spread them out.

Bought on Green Metropolis.

25th January - 4th February 2009

Knots and Crosses - Ian Rankin

With the success of reading the Mankell book, and whilst waiting for the next one to arrive from Green Metropolis, I decided to try another thriller.

Many people have suggested that I might like Rankin's books, I love Scotland, and Edinburgh is a city that has always fascinated me - especially the darker less touristy bits! So, again borrowed from my mother in law I decided on the first Inspector Rebus book.

I have to admit to not 'liking' Rebus as much as Wallander - perhaps it was a mistake to swop one detective for another so quickly, and it took me some time to get 'into' this book. About a third of the way through I was ready to give up, I didn't care about the characters, I could see what was going to happen, and I couldn't be bothered - there are so many other books to read!

However, it's a short book so I gave it more of a chance - and although I can't rant about how good it was, it was worth finishing - even if it did have a rather predictable anticlimatic ending.

Maybe I'll pick up another Rebus book, maybe Rankin gets better as he develops the character - but I was rather disappointed with this - it didn't live up to the hype for me.

Lent to me by Jo.
2nd - 5th January 2009

Faceless Killers - Henning Mankell

I haven't read a detective thriller for a few years now, they kind of fell out of favour when I O.D.'d on Patricia Cornwell. But just before Christmas I'd happened upon three episodes of 'Wallander', a Swedish detective series made into films by Kenneth Brannagh (not my favourite actor but absolutely brilliant in this role).

After watching them I thought I'd give one of the books a try, and since my mother in law owned a few it was perfect. I started with Faceless Killers, the first of nine books about the detective.


An old couple are brutally murdered in their home in the Swedish countryside, and at the same time as having to deal with his increasingly senile father, his non-existant relationship with his daughter and is life generally spiralling downwards, Wallander has to try and find out who committed the crime.

Throw in racial unrest and snowstorms, and this makes for a better read than I'd expected. Nothing special, by no means particularly unique. But Mankell's writing style (or perhaps I should say the translators?) is easy and enjoyable. The story doesn't drag and by the end you feel you know Wallander and the people in his life - and you want to meet them again.

I can't say I want to 'own' this book, but I have ordered the next in the series, and I do hope that Brannagh will be making more programmes in the near future.

Lent to me by Jo.
December 2008 - 2nd January 2009