Tuesday, August 5, 2008

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher

Okay, it's all my fault I misunderstood what this book was about. I take full responsibility. I was thinking this was a novel based upon the style, artwork, and overall presentation of this book. I imagined a whodunit novel with twists and turns and clues to piece together as I read it. I was excited to say the least at the prospect of reading this book.

Instead, I found out about 60 pages in that this is in fact a history book! Not even historical fiction, real history! I kept wondering as I read this book when the story was going to start, but once I got into the frame of mind that I was reading a well researched history book the reading became a bit more manageable as I changed my expectations.

If the names Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes excite you, then this book would be a great addition to your library as it expands upon the early development of detective work and the origins of procedures, terminology, and the fascination with such work and the authors who write the stories.

At the core of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher however is a real story about a real detective and a real little boy who gets murdered. Along the way readers are sure to pick up a plethora of knowledge and a deeper appreciation and understanding of the birth of modern day detectives.

2 comments:

Kathleen Gilligan said...

I too requested this thinking it would be fiction.... I wasn't too thrilled to discover otherwise. Glad to hear you enjoyed it- it makes me think that maybe I'll like it after all.

Traci said...

Well, at least I know I'm not alone. I requested this as well, thinking it looked like a really good historical mystery. Yeah, I've still not gotten around to reading it. I've definitely learned to be more observat and selective in my requests.

Post a Comment