It could also be titled "or the first police detective in the British police force". The story tells of a crime committed in the 19th century, 1860,
in a large country house occupied by the family of Samuel Kent and his servants.
One morning someone is missing in the household and the body is soon found. It is for me a detective story in the true olde englishe fashion. There are many suspects and as the crime takes place in a small english village the local constabulary is not exactly the people to handle the evidence. For this reason one of the first police detectives, Mr. Whicher, is called for from London. It is early years, but Mr. Whicher does his best. You are taken back to the days of Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins and other such authors.
At the moment Mr. Swiss is reading the book in english. He can cope quite well, but it is there that I realise the language used in the book is somewhat in the Victorian style, which absolutely suits the background. There are also illustrations from the day and age when the crime was committed showing the family Kent. Also there are a few photos of the house. At the beginning of the book a detailed list of characters is given as well as an exact plan of the house.
This book was an enjoyable read and I can only recommend it to those that enjoy a bit of Victorian mystery and crime. We think the crimes today are bad enough, but the Victorians were also quite good at it. There is mention made in the book of other murder cases which existed at the time.
ISBN No. 976-0-7475-9658-6 Paperback edition published in 2009 and a so-called Richard and Judy Number One Bestseller.
One morning someone is missing in the household and the body is soon found. It is for me a detective story in the true olde englishe fashion. There are many suspects and as the crime takes place in a small english village the local constabulary is not exactly the people to handle the evidence. For this reason one of the first police detectives, Mr. Whicher, is called for from London. It is early years, but Mr. Whicher does his best. You are taken back to the days of Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins and other such authors.
At the moment Mr. Swiss is reading the book in english. He can cope quite well, but it is there that I realise the language used in the book is somewhat in the Victorian style, which absolutely suits the background. There are also illustrations from the day and age when the crime was committed showing the family Kent. Also there are a few photos of the house. At the beginning of the book a detailed list of characters is given as well as an exact plan of the house.
This book was an enjoyable read and I can only recommend it to those that enjoy a bit of Victorian mystery and crime. We think the crimes today are bad enough, but the Victorians were also quite good at it. There is mention made in the book of other murder cases which existed at the time.
ISBN No. 976-0-7475-9658-6 Paperback edition published in 2009 and a so-called Richard and Judy Number One Bestseller.
