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git_r_read's review against another edition
4.0
I like mysteries and I like watching documentaries presented by Lucy Worsley, so adding this to my Audible library was a no-brainer for me. I am glad I found Lucy Worsley's documentaries on the history of the English monarchy. Informative and rather light-hearted and highly enjoyable.
This book was along the same lines, but not quite as light-hearted since it dealt with murder and mayhem as well as how detectives came into being. It definitely took a lot of far-seeing individuals and groups to see the need and implement actions to become the forces seen today.
This book is also about the history of the detective novel and how they came into being. Going into and out of favor of the reading public, types of detectives and the progression to movies and radio shows then television.
I was sad that the book wasn't narrated by the author, but the narrator was good. The book felt a bit meander-y to me but that could have been because I primarily listen to fiction rather than nonfiction and it took me a bit to get into some of the chapters. It's in my library on Audible, so I can listen again and revisit the perpetrators, the detectives, the authors, the stories and probably enjoy it more favorably.
I can recommend this book and definitely this author.
This book was along the same lines, but not quite as light-hearted since it dealt with murder and mayhem as well as how detectives came into being. It definitely took a lot of far-seeing individuals and groups to see the need and implement actions to become the forces seen today.
This book is also about the history of the detective novel and how they came into being. Going into and out of favor of the reading public, types of detectives and the progression to movies and radio shows then television.
I was sad that the book wasn't narrated by the author, but the narrator was good. The book felt a bit meander-y to me but that could have been because I primarily listen to fiction rather than nonfiction and it took me a bit to get into some of the chapters. It's in my library on Audible, so I can listen again and revisit the perpetrators, the detectives, the authors, the stories and probably enjoy it more favorably.
I can recommend this book and definitely this author.
opticflow's review against another edition
5.0
Dr. Lucy Worsley is a British national treasure. She's brilliant, she's cute as a button, she's got a silly posh accent, and she is not ashamed to delight in the grisly, gruesome, and macabre. Some of the text is word-for-word from her television programme, where you get to see more of the locales and creepy artifacts associated with the history of English murder, covering approximately 1810-1950. Read the book first, then watch the show. They are both great but after devouring this book at a breakneck pace, I find the show a bit slow.
I guess you can't put ALL your subjects in a subtitle, but this book devotes as much or more space to the fascinating histories of: Thomas de Quincey, William Corder/Red Barn Murder, Madame Tussaud, Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, and Dorothy L. Sayers. She even delves into the difference between the English middle class country house murder and the distinctly not English urban noir thrillers of Raymond Chandler. (One absolutely miniscule complaint is she credits Dickens' Bleak House as the first detective novel. Arguably true, but no mention of the widely accepted first detective story The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Poe. I forgive her, since Poe's not English either.)
This book is the perfect combination of true crime and facts about mystery novelists. Some of the most interesting parts are her theories about the connection between crime writing and literacy, how public executions marked the rise of celebrity culture and souvenirs, the influence of World War on the murder mystery, and the role of women as murderesses, lady detectives, and popular novelists. So well done. Best read of 2014.
I guess you can't put ALL your subjects in a subtitle, but this book devotes as much or more space to the fascinating histories of: Thomas de Quincey, William Corder/Red Barn Murder, Madame Tussaud, Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, and Dorothy L. Sayers. She even delves into the difference between the English middle class country house murder and the distinctly not English urban noir thrillers of Raymond Chandler. (One absolutely miniscule complaint is she credits Dickens' Bleak House as the first detective novel. Arguably true, but no mention of the widely accepted first detective story The Murders in the Rue Morgue by Poe. I forgive her, since Poe's not English either.)
This book is the perfect combination of true crime and facts about mystery novelists. Some of the most interesting parts are her theories about the connection between crime writing and literacy, how public executions marked the rise of celebrity culture and souvenirs, the influence of World War on the murder mystery, and the role of women as murderesses, lady detectives, and popular novelists. So well done. Best read of 2014.
deannamartin113's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
laurenjpegler's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book! Such an interesting topic to read and learn about. It had such a great start, but I felt like she went a little off topic half way through, focusing on detective and thriller writers rather than the actual murders themselves. Still really good though! I love Worsley’s writing.