The Séance by John Harwood

Constance Langton’s childhood takes an unhappy turn when her younger sister Alma dies at the age of two. Her mother goes into mourning and hardly speaks to anybody, and her distant father ignores her and eventually abandons the family. Since she feels unloved and neglected by her parents, Constance begins to think that she might have been a foundling. However, her questions remain unanswered because the girl has no one to confide in. She often feels alone and she can’t bear to see her mother so unhappy, therefore, Constance wants to find a way to cheer her mother up and to put an end to her pain. Thus, one day, Constance pretends to be taken over by Alma’s spirit and tells her mother that she is in heaven. The girl thinks that her mother will finally be able to go on with her life and to stop mourning, now that she knows that Alma is in heaven. Constance’s mother, however, seems to become obsessed with the idea of hearing Alma. Thus, the two attend a series of séances where Constance continues to pretend to be her sister. Her mother seems to be happy and she even smiles sometimes, but she is no longer content with only hearing Alma; she also wants to see and hold her. In desperation, Constance decides to take her mother to a séance held by a group of charlatans. There, her mother is convinced that she has really seen her beloved Alma and after all these years of grief, she finally seems to have found peace. But when Constance’s mother commits suicide after this event, the girl is shattered and she begins to blame herself for her mother’s death. Since her mother is gone, Constance is all by her self and she feels hopeless and lonelier than ever. Much to her surprise, Constance soon learns that a distant relative has bequeathed her entire estate to her. The protagonist finds out that the estate consists of Wraxford Hall, a derelict manor house in the English countryside. The decaying mansion has an obscure reputation: once, people have mysteriously disappeared there and other sinister things have taken place. Still, Constance doesn’t seem to be deterred by Wraxford Hall’s sombre history. She is determined to find out everything about the decaying mansion and about her distant relatives in the hope that she will learn more about herself. While she tries to unveil the dark secrets of Wraxford Hall, she becomes more and more convinced that she has indeed been a foundling, as she feels a strong connection to Wraxford Hall’s former residents. As the protagonist digs deeper into the mysterious events surrounding the decaying mansion, she finds herself entangled in a web of secrets, lies and deception. Thus, Constance needs to be careful, as in this world of illusion, nothing is quite as it seems and hidden dangers await her.

The Séance is an accomplished second novel from a very talented author; this compelling tale pays homage to Victorian Literature and to Victorian ghost stories. John Harwood has created a captivating world of intrigues, mysteries and dark secrets. The reader will enjoy this suspenseful ghost story, as the author has successfully managed to capture the language and spirit of the Victorian period and in addition, he has provided us with a well-constructed plot and fascinating characters. The Séance will appeal to readers who enjoy Victorian ghost stories and gothic tales and I recommend this novel to everyone who is interested in the Victorian Era. I am a huge fan of Victorian ghost stories, thus I must say that I loved this spellbinding tale! I really liked reading about Wraxford Hall, with its secret passages and hidden chambers, and I loved how the author has used the elements of a classic ghost story in this engaging novel (haunted houses, stormy nights, skeletons in the closet, dark mysteries and secrets, etc.). All in all, The Séance is a terrific Victorian ghost story and therefore, a must read for ghost story lovers!

I would like to thank Mariner Books for sending me a copy of this engaging novel!

 

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker is set in the heart of Victorian London, where dark and mysterious things are taking place. Dangerous spirits are haunting this beautiful city and six people have been chosen to safeguard the mortal world from these supernatural terrors. This group, known as The Guard, awaits the fulfillment of the Prophecy, which promises that a last member will join their circle in time and help them fight against the forces of evil.

Nineteen years later, orphan Percy Parker arrives at the Athens Academy in Victorian London. The eighteen-year-old immediately feels out of place at her new school, since she is not like any other girl. Her strange and unique appearance sets her apart from the other students and Percy finds it hard to make friends. The students and professors think that she looks odd and thus, they keep their distance; but if they gave this timid girl a chance, they would find out that she is unique in every way. Percy speaks multiple languages and she has the ability to see ghosts and speak to them. Furthermore, she is often haunted by strange visions. However, Percy does not know why these peculiar things are happening to her. The shy girl yearns for acceptance and wants to be like everybody else, therefore she doesn’t want to tell anyone about her abilities. Percy doesn’t want to draw any unnecessary attention to herself, so she tries to behave like the other students. She tries to focus on school and she is concerned about the fact that she has to attend math classes. She is a bright student, but she isn’t good at math and therefore, she hates it. Maybe her attractive Professor Alexi will be able to change her mind. There’s just something about him that fascinates Percy and she cannot stop thinking about him. What does this mysterious Alexi have to hide? And what do these two unlikely characters have in common?

Vivienne at Serendipity mentioned this refreshing novel and when I read the synopsis, I knew that I had to get my hands on this book!

Thus, I was very happy when I received a copy from Dorchester Publishing and I couldn’t wait to read it! I just loved this compelling novel, since it drew me in from the beginning and it took me on an unforgettable journey through Victorian London!

Leanna Renee Hieber has created a charming and imaginative gothic story that is full of spiritualism, mystery and romance. The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker is an engaging novel and I was immediately captivated by the lyrical language, the mythic themes and the well-drawn characters. In the beginning, Percy is described as a shy girl who has no self-confidence, but when she meets Professor Alexi, she gains strength and courage. Alexi, unlike the others, doesn’t feel intimidated by her appearance; he appreciates Percy and becomes aware of the fact that she is a beautiful young girl who is intelligent, kind and special in every way! All in all, this book is lovely and beautifully written; I really liked everything about it, especially the Victorian setting and the gothic and supernatural elements. This is indeed a strangely beautiful tale!

For more information (trailer, excerpts and prologue), please visit Leanna Renee Hieber’s website.

The Children’s Book by A. S. Byatt

The Children’s Book spans the Victorian Era through the end of World War I and centers around the artistic Wellwood family and their friends.

Olive Wellwood, a popular author of children’s books, lives with her husband Humphry and her seven children in an idyllic cottage where the Wellwoods host Midsummer parties and meet with their artistic friends. On the surface, the Wellwoods seem like the perfect family, but as the novel unfolds, we learn that nothing is quite as it seems. The Wellwoods have many dark secrets, and when these are unveiled, the consequences are damaging for everyone. But Olive and Humphry are not the only ones in this situation, as their friends also seem to have a few skeletons in the closet: unwanted pregnancies, infidelities, illegitimate children and hidden pasts are only a few of them.

Even though the novel is called The Children’s Book and Olive Wellwood is an author of children’s books, this is not a book for children. It’s a novel about the relationship between adults and children, but it’s also a novel about art and creativity and the author skillfully shows us how this creativity and the need and passion to create can destroy both, adults and children.

The Children’s Book is a complex dark novel, which is hard to summarize, since it does not center on a main character, but rather focuses on a large cast of characters. The detailed book gives the reader a social, historical and cultural account of the Victorian and Edwardian Era and it draws a rather disturbing family portrait of that time. A. S. Byatt touches on various themes such as socialism, women’s suffrage, education, pottery and puppetry, but her novel also focuses on subjects such as sexuality and incest.

I have heard so many good things about this book in the past, therefore, I really wanted to read it. Unfortunately, I didn’t like it and I was very disappointed with this novel. I expected this book to be outstanding and in my opinion, it was not. I know that The Children’s Book has been greeted with praise by many critics and readers, but I couldn’t bring myself to enjoy it. The author has introduced too many characters in her novel and thus, the reader easily becomes overwhelmed and cannot fully connect with them. Furthermore, the book contains too much background information on the characters and the author provides us with too much historical information and with too many comments on ideologies and political events. The Children’s Book is told in excessive detail and the author feels the need to describe everything to the reader, from clothing to meals and puppet shows, and thus, these descriptions detract from the story. I also didn’t like the themes presented in this book; I suppose I am too conservative, but there is too much talk about sex / sexuality / sexual desires in this novel. I disliked reading about subjects such as adultery, secret parentages, illegitimate children, pornographic pottery (which reveals acts of incest) and other bizarre things. All in all, I think that the book is too disturbing and sickening for my taste. I am sure that other readers will like this book and even think that it’s excellent and masterly, but in my opinion, its themes are too revolting and the novel is overloaded with information and focuses on too many characters.

I would like to thank Knopf Publishers for sending me a copy of this book.

Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

When Elspeth dies of cancer, she leaves her London apartment to Julia and Valentina, her twin nieces. The girls live in Chicago and they have never met their aunt; they don’t know anything about her, as their mother Edie doesn’t want to talk about her sister. They only know that Edie and Elspeth are also twins and that they have been estranged for the last twenty-one years. So when the girls receive a letter stating that Elspeth has bequeathed her entire estate to them (with two conditions: they must live in the apartment for an entire year before they may sell it and their parents are not allowed to set foot in the apartment), their parents are not happy about it. They don’t want Julia and Valentina to leave and they are concerned about the fact that the twins will soon live on their own in a foreign land. Nevertheless, the girls are thrilled and can’t wait to embark on the biggest adventure of their lives. So when they turn twenty-one, Julia and Valentina excitingly head to London. There, they are delighted to find out that their aunt’s apartment is overlooking Highgate Cemetery, where George Eliot, Karl Marx and other famous people are buried. The twin girls like to live in London and they become accustomed to their new freedom and come to know their new neighbours. Julia and Valentina meet Robert, their aunt’s former lover, who still mourns over Elspeth’s death, and Martin, who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder and never leaves his apartment. As the girls soon become entwined in the lives of their neighbours, they also find out that they’re not alone in their apartment: Elspeth’s ghost is trapped there and tries to communicate with the twins. Having made this enthralling discovery, the girls are determined to unveil Edie and Elspeth’s secrets and to find out why the two have been estranged for such a long time. However, what they don’t know is the fact that this whole experience will change their lives forever!

Audrey Niffenegger has created a unique and haunting story about love, identity and rivalry and she has provided us with a tale full of mysteries, secrets and twists. Her Fearful Symmetry is beautifully written and suspenseful; its fascinating scenery and well-constructed plot capture the reader’s attention and the reader is immediately caught up in a world of deception and darkness. I really enjoyed reading about London and the historic Highgate Cemetery and I liked the characters, since they are original and well developed. Furthermore, I liked the fact that the novel contains gothic elements and I was intrigued by the relationship between the twins. The novel skillfully captures an intense and oppressive atmosphere and its dark setting will remind you of a Victorian ghost story. All in all, I really liked this novel and I recommend it to everyone who likes to read dark ghost stories!

I would like to thank Amanda McPherson from Regal Literary Inc. for sending me an advance reading copy of Her Fearful Symmetry!

The Girl with Glass Feet

When Vivienne at Serendipity mentioned The Girl with Glass Feet by Ali Shaw, I knew that I had to read this book! The book’s cover immediately attracted me and the synopsis piqued my interest.

Jason Liebman from Henry Holt and Company kindly sent me an advance reading copy and I must say that I really enjoyed reading it!

Midas is a shy young man who enjoys being alone, as he doesn’t really know how to talk to people. He has lived on St. Hauda’s Land his entire life, but he barely has any friends. Therefore, Midas has devoted his whole life to photography and when peculiar things begin to take place on the islands, he is eager to capture everything on camera. Odd winged creatures and albino animals seem to have appeared on the islands and other unusual things are happening. However, Midas doesn’t seem too concerned; he is intrigued by these beings and wants to take pictures of them. But everything changes when the young man meets Ida, the girl with glass feet. Her body is inexplicably turning into glass and she desperately searches for a cure. At first, Midas only seems to take an interest in her condition and wants to take pictures of her glass feet, but as they spend time together, he begins to fall in love with her. There is something about the girl’s nature that gradually changes Midas and thus, he begins to blossom into a brave and confident young man. Ida helps him overcome the demons of his past, while Midas helps her come to terms with her affliction. Together, they try to find a cure for her condition, but time is slipping away. Will Midas be able to save his beloved? And what does his father’s death have to do with all of this?

I don’t want to tell you more about this wonderful book, because I think that you should also read it and thus experience this absorbing story yourself! The Girl with Glass Feet is an unusual, magical love story that will touch your heart and will linger in your mind for a long time! I recommend this fanciful novel to everyone out there, since Ali Shaw has done such an excellent job fabricating a beautiful and gripping fairy tale! The author describes the landscape and the characters in a poetic way and he successfully manages to create an elegant world, where reality wonderfully merges with fantasy! All in all, The Girl with Glass Feet is an imaginative novel, full of suspense, magic and marvels. I have never read a book like this before, since it’s so unusual, but at the same time it’s so spectacular! I really loved this heartbreaking novel and I am so glad that I had the chance to read it!

Note: The book is scheduled for release in January 2010!

The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte by Laura Joh Rowland

Charlotte Bronte, the author of Jane Eyre, heads to London with her sister Anne to resolve an important matter: her publisher, George Smith, has falsely accused her of breach of contract and thus Charlotte wants to set the record straight and to clear her name. On the train to London, the sisters meet a mysterious, beautiful girl named Isabel White who behaves strangely and who seems to hide something. Nevertheless, Charlotte finds the girl sympathetic, so when she unintentionally witnesses Isabel’s murder, Charlotte is appalled. Since no one seems to be interested in solving Isabel’s murder, the author is determined to discover why the girl has been killed and to bring the offender to justice. Aided by her sisters and by Isabel’s attractive brother, Gilbert White, the author begins her investigation but soon finds herself entangled in a web full of secrets, lies and intrigue.

Will Charlotte find her way out of this deceptive labyrinth and therefore manage to save her beloved family and country? And what does Isabel’s brother have to hide?

Well, you’ll have to read this enchanting book to find out! I recommend this novel to everyone who loves historical fiction and who loves to read about Victorian England and the famous Bronte family. The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte is a suspenseful detective novel, full of mysteries, intrigue and romance; therefore, readers will find it impossible to put this book down! Laura Joh Rowland has done a fantastic job narrating a captivating story, taking the reader on an unforgettable journey through Victorian England and at the same time drawing a fascinating portrait of the Bronte family. The story is told through Charlotte’s eyes and her narrative voice is very authentic and sensible. Therefore, Laura Joh Rowland has successfully managed to give the narrative a believable profundity, allowing Charlotte to witness the great adventures and romance she never experienced, but fervently desired! Furthermore, the author has created a credible Charlotte whose obstinacy and intellect will remind you of Jane Eyre! All in all, I really liked this detective novel and I think that The Secret Adventures of Charlotte Bronte is a must-read for Bronte fans!

I would like to thank Vida Engstrand from The Overlook Press for sending me a copy of this engaging book!

Bright Star: Love Letters and Poems of John Keats to Fanny Brawne

John Keats (31 October 1795 – 23 February 1821) is regarded as one of the key figures of the Romantic Movement. During his short life, the poet produced a series of odes, which remain “among the most popular poems in English Literature”. However, he received several critical attacks from his contemporaries and it was not until the latter part of the nineteenth century that his work began to be recognized. Keats had a major influence on poets such as Alfred Tennyson and Wilfred Owen and his letters are “among the most celebrated by any writer”.

Bright Star contains 13 poems and 37 letters that  bear witness to the love between John Keats and Fanny Brawne. Their passionate love affair began in 1818, when Keats was twenty-three years old and Fanny just eighteen. It was an intense love story, but unfortunately, it had a tragic end, as Keats died of tuberculosis at the age of twenty-five.

Keats and Fanny both lived in Hampstead and in 1819, they began living in the same house, which was divided into two separate living quarters (Fanny’s family moved into the same house where Keats lived with his best friend, Charles Brown). Thus, they saw each other quite often and they “shared the same garden and many meals as well”. In the early summer of 1819, Keats and his best friend left Hampstead for a writing retreat on the Isle of Wight, so Fanny and Keats were separated. Thus, the poet wrote his first letter to his beloved, pouring out his heart:

“…Ask yourself my love whether you are not very cruel to have so entrammeled me, so destroyed my freedom…I almost wish we were butterflies and liv’d but three summer days – three such days with you I could fill with more delight than fifty common years could ever contain…”

Nevertheless, they both knew that their situation was difficult, as Keats had no money to marry Fanny. His first book of poetry had sold poorly and had earned ruthless reviews. Furthermore, Fanny’s mother and Keats’s friends disapproved of their relationship. Still, Fanny and Keats could not live without each other and when Keats returned to Hampstead, he gave Fanny a ring and hoped that his next book of poems would be successful enough so they could marry.

In 1820, Keats began showing signs of tuberculosis, so the doctors suggested that he should move to Italy and leave the cold airs of England behind. Fanny and Keats knew that they wouldn’t see each other again and the poet’s departure was unbearable for both of them. While in Italy, Keats did not write to Fanny again and the letters Fanny wrote to her beloved in Italy were buried with him, unopened. When twenty-year-old Fanny heard of the poet’s death, she was devastated and she spent three years in widow’s black. She married at the age of thirty-three and had three children. Nonetheless, she could never forget her first love and would wear the ring he had given her until her death.

Although John Keats died at such a young age, “he left behind some of the most exquisite and moving poetry ever written”. The young poet feared that he would be forgotten, but he has been rediscovered by many people and his place in English Romanticism is now fully and rightly recognized.

Bright Star contains Keats’s remarkable poems and letters to his beloved; this volume is a testament to love and “a dazzling display of a talent cruelly cut short”.

Here’s one of his poems:

Bright Star by John Keats

Bright star! would I were steadfast as thou art-
Not in lone splendour hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,
Like nature’s patient, sleepless Eremite,
The moving waters at their priestlike task
Of pure ablution round earth’s human shores,
Or gazing on the new soft-fallen mask
Of snow upon the mountains and the moors-
No–yet still steadfast, still unchangeable,
Pillowed upon my fair love’s ripening breast,
To feel for ever its soft swell and fall,
Awake for ever in a sweet unrest,
Still, still to hear her tender-taken breath,
And so live ever – or else swoon to death.

Bright Star was made into a film and you can find out more about it and watch the trailer here.

I would like to thank Gabrielle Gantz from Penguin Group for sending me a copy of this beautiful book!

Miss Buncle’s Book

When Vivienne at Serendipity mentioned Miss Buncle’s Book by D. E. Stevenson, I just knew that I had to read it! She always finds such interesting books and I just have to add them to my reading list. I am so glad that I discovered Miss Buncle’s Book because I loved it!

Miss Buncle’s Book has a simple story line, yet it’s just brilliant and engaging: Barbara Buncle is unmarried, in her late 30s and lives in a small village called Silverstream. Since she has to face financial struggles, she needs to think of a way to supplement her small income. She even thinks about raising hens, but she doesn’t “care for hens much” and she doesn’t “like touching them”, since “they are such fluttery things”. Therefore, she decides to write a book about Silverstream and its inhabitants.

In her novel, Barbara Buncle describes everything that happens in her little town and depicts the residents exactly as they are. She only changes the name of the village and the names of the inhabitants. Her book is simple, yet funny and well – written, hence it is immediately accepted by Mr. Abbott from Abbott & Spicer Publishers. Mr. Abbott is fascinated by Miss Buncle’s book and hopes that it will be successful. He is also intrigued by Miss Buncle, since she is different from any other woman he has ever met.

Barbara Buncle is an unlikely heroine: she is simple, unfashionable and is ignored by everyone in her village. She is an inconspicuous woman; therefore, she knows Silverstream’s deepest secrets since no one ever seems to notice her and since she is a very good observer. Barbara’s book contains events that have happened in her village and the novel is full of truthful depictions of Silverstream’s residents.

Thus, when the book becomes a best-seller, the residents are outraged because they realize that the book is about them. Since they are pictured with such clarity, the inhabitants feel certain that the author must also live in Silverstream and they are therefore determined to find the “evildoer” and punish him (they are sure that the author is male). The inhabitants arrange meetings in order to find out who wrote the incriminating book, but Barbara Buncle can rest assured, since no one would ever suspect her. Nonetheless, Miss Buncle cannot fully enjoy her success; she may have money now, but she cannot show it, otherwise people might find out about her little secret.

Will Barbara be able to keep her secret safe? And what will happen to her if people find out? Well, you’ll have to read this charming book if you want to know! I recommend this lovely novel to everyone out there, as this is an entertaining book that will make you laugh and forget about everything around you. Miss Buncle’s Book is absorbing and well – written; furthermore, it has a charming and pleasant main character and you will enjoy reading about Miss Buncle’s escapades in Silverstream.

The author draws a fascinating portrait of Silverstream and its residents, giving us a remarkable glimpse into a vanished and exciting world. Miss Buncle’s Book was published in 1934 and was very successful. Between 1923 and 1970, four million copies of D. E. Stevenson’s books were sold in Britain and three million in the States. Most of her books are now out of print, but “American websites eagerly circulate news of any new editions”. Readers seem to rediscover her books as they are attracted by Stevenson’s absorbing stories and I can fully understand why!

I would like to thank Lydia from Persephone Books for sending me a copy of this engaging book!

“Persephone Books reprints neglected classics by C20th (mostly women) writers. Each one in our collection of 83 books is intelligent, thought-provoking and beautifully written, and most are ideal presents or a good choice for reading groups.”

For more information, please visit Persephone Books.

Villette by Charlotte Bronte

Charlotte Bronte’s novel tells the story of penniless Lucy Snowe who leaves a sorrowful past behind and starts a new life at a boarding school in the fictional city of Villette. There, she finds work as a teacher; she soon becomes successful and is admired by her pupils and colleagues. Furthermore, she attracts the attention of M. Paul Emanuel, the hot tempered and autocratic schoolmaster. The two eventually fall in love, but other protagonists want to keep them apart and finally manage to do so by sending M. Paul away. Nevertheless, he declares his love for Lucy before his departure and arranges for her to live an independent life as the headmistress of her own school. After three years of waiting, the couple is to be reunited.

However, the ending of the novel is ambiguous, as Charlotte Bronte gives us two endings to choose from: We can see M. Paul and Lucy happily reunited or we can believe that M. Paul’s ship has been destroyed by a storm on his return to Villette and thus accept that he has drowned.

Many critics believe however, that the choice is in fact a delusion, since Lucy clearly states that those three years while she was waiting for her beloved and was leading an independent life at her own school were the happiest of her life. This statement suggests that M. Paul has died and that Lucy does not find romantic happiness like other Bronte heroines. However, what she does find is a fulfilled calling and independence. Lucy does not submit to a traditional female destiny (marriage and children), but has the opportunity to fulfil her own dream and thus finds happiness in her work. For that reason, Villette shocked many critics at the time it was published. Lucy is not like other Bronte or Austen heroines since she is neither rich nor beautiful and she does not marry her beloved; other characters in the novel see her as “inoffensive as a shadow” and pity her, but she is in fact a powerful character, a fighter and a rebel. Lucy may not be wealthy or beautiful, but she is clever and undergoes a major transformation; as the novel progresses, Lucy’s respect for herself grows and she manages to find the independence that allows her to be her true self. She also succeeds in winning M. Paul’s love with her intelligence and accomplishments and not with submissiveness or her looks. Throughout the novel, Lucy has to face many trials and has to struggle against the life she is expected to lead as a poor woman, but in the end, she finds autonomy and thus happiness. This is why the novel agitated so many readers and critics when it was published in 1853 and this also may be the reason why Virginia Woolf called Villette “Bronte’s finest novel”. Villette was seen as a scandalous novel in 1853, since it tells the story of a woman who loses love but finds independence.

Villette is Charlotte Bronte’s last novel and even though it may not be as popular as Jane Eyre, it is nevertheless regarded as her best work. The novel is not so much commemorated for its plot, but for Lucy’s character development and psychology. Charlotte Bronte is one of my favorite authors and Villette is a great novel! I recommend it to everyone who is interested in Victorian Literature and who likes to read about gender roles. However, you might find it difficult to read this book if you aren’t familiar with French, so make sure your edition has translations of the French phrases!

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher

I just finished reading The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale. I discovered this engaging book at Sandy’s blog, You’ve Gotta Read This, and I am glad I did, since I really enjoyed it!

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!

I would like to thank Michelle Blankenship from Bloomsbury – Walker & Co. for sending me a copy of this thrilling book!