The Book Tower

Yes, I was misled by the cover design of Kate Summerscale’s The Suspicions of Mr Whicher. But pleasantly so, if it is pleasant to discover that at what first appeared to be a work of fiction is in reality a work of fact concerning a true Victorian murder mystery. Summerscale gives a very thorough account of a mystery that, to use a phrase of the type beginning to creep into sensational journalism at the time, gripped the nation.

In 1860 the middle class and seemingly ordinary Kent family were subject to intense scrutiny following the murder of their young son. Inspector Jack Whicher, one of the first police officers honoured the distinction of detective, is despatched to investigate and what followed was a case that spanned several decades. Summerscale also proves that fact is far stranger than any invented murder mystery, and superbly chronicles the events that drew the attention of Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins and even Queen Victoria.

One of the reviews I’ve read of this account was careful not to spoil the outcome and intricate details for the reader. This is odd; even though the story is factual it has faded from memory – I’d certainly never heard of it – and at times you do become swept up in events, expecting a resolution that won’t come, at least not as neatly, as in most detective stories. And I feel I have to do the same, not spoil the outcome that is. The Suspicions of Mr Whicher is excellent reading, both as an account of Victorian society and as a critique of the sometimes sensational fiction of the day.

What I can prepare you for however is a sober alternative to the image of the detective in Victorian fiction, a man with undoubted reasoning as best personified by Sherlock Holmes. Gathering his evidence together, Jack Whicher suggests that Constance Kent, older sister of the murdered child, is guilty. His suspicions are discredited, Whicher falling into semi-disgrace, with a servant then emerging as the most likely suspect (Charles Dickens himself favouring the latter theory). Summerscale gathers her own evidence skilfully however, giving the reader a full and detailed insight into this compelling history.