One of Britain's premier royal biographers pens the first in a series of fiendishly clever and stylish historical murder mysteries
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Jan 16, 2010
Eden
rated it: 
Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders is skilfully written and much in the style of Arthur Conan Doyle's works. The story takes place in 1889-1890, revolving around the murder of a young friend of Oscar Wilde.
As a rule and from past bad experiences, I try to avoid reading books with real-life personalities as characters. I don't know why I took exception at this book (though it might have something to do with the absolutely disgusting and charming front cover...)
I said More...
As a rule and from past bad experiences, I try to avoid reading books with real-life personalities as characters. I don't know why I took exception at this book (though it might have something to do with the absolutely disgusting and charming front cover...)
I said More...
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Dec 07, 2008
Loren
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From ISawLightningFall.com
TWO-AND-A-HALF STARS
What do you want to be when you grow up? When we’re young, it’s the question with a hundred answers. A fireman one day, a nurse the next, an astronaut after that. But time and talent and circumstance eventually push a sole option to the forefront, the rest receding to become favorite hobbies or fond memories. That this singular option consumes the majority of our time and energy should comes as no surprise, for it’s difficult More...
TWO-AND-A-HALF STARS
What do you want to be when you grow up? When we’re young, it’s the question with a hundred answers. A fireman one day, a nurse the next, an astronaut after that. But time and talent and circumstance eventually push a sole option to the forefront, the rest receding to become favorite hobbies or fond memories. That this singular option consumes the majority of our time and energy should comes as no surprise, for it’s difficult More...
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Nov 14, 2011
Tocotin
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What a strange book. It's a fast read (took me one day, and I was doing other things too), it has Wilde, it has Conan Doyle, it has Victorian London, Scotland Yard, male prostitutes and other potentially fascinating elements, and still I didn't like it.
The most annoying part of it was the portrait of Wilde: sanitized, hagiographic,
boring, boring, boring. He loves his wife Constance, women and children in general, he loves disabled people, poor people, stupid people, and everyone lov More...
The most annoying part of it was the portrait of Wilde: sanitized, hagiographic,
boring, boring, boring. He loves his wife Constance, women and children in general, he loves disabled people, poor people, stupid people, and everyone lov More...
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Feb 11, 2011
Starliam
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"Oscar Wilde che si traveste da Sherlock Holmes: perchè no?"
Questa frase, pronunciata dal protagonista, riassume il "succo" del libro. Il protagonista è Oscar Wilde, che si trova ad indagare sulla morte del sedicenne Billy Wood. E' stato lui, infatti, a trovare il corpo dello sfortunato ragazzo, con la gola tagliata: ma la polizia non gli crede, perchè quando denuncia il fatto, il giorno dopo, del cadavere non c'è più traccia.
Oscar non vuole lasciare perdere, e iniz More...
Questa frase, pronunciata dal protagonista, riassume il "succo" del libro. Il protagonista è Oscar Wilde, che si trova ad indagare sulla morte del sedicenne Billy Wood. E' stato lui, infatti, a trovare il corpo dello sfortunato ragazzo, con la gola tagliata: ma la polizia non gli crede, perchè quando denuncia il fatto, il giorno dopo, del cadavere non c'è più traccia.
Oscar non vuole lasciare perdere, e iniz More...
Jul 22, 2010
Susanne
rated it:
I have read shamefully little of Oscar Wilde but every time I read a quote of his I always smile and promise myself to pick up The Picture of Dorian Gray and Three Stories or The Importance of Being Earnest very soon. Therefore I was of course intrigued when my friend handed me this book. Oscar Wilde as a detective? It turns out it works very well, it's a mystery somewhat in the style of Arthur Conan Doyle (who also shows up as a character in the book) but a bit less straightforward than the cas
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Jun 11, 2010
Erastes
rated it:
Knowing of Gyles Brandreth from the television and radio, I rather thought this book might be a little “sophisticated” for me. He’s a vastly intelligent man and, like Stephen Fry, he often loses me with his mind but I needn’t have worried, because The Candlelight Murders(as it's known in the UK) is an enjoyable – almost frothy – murder mystery of the old school and thoroughly enjoyable.
It’s obvious from the word go that Brandreth is a big fan of Oscar Wilde and he sets the scene well More...
It’s obvious from the word go that Brandreth is a big fan of Oscar Wilde and he sets the scene well More...
Sep 26, 2011
WeaselBox
rated it:
Excellent. This is how you should write a mystery using famous writers of the past. (Take note, Paul Malmont.)
I'll say up front that taken strictly as a mystery, some readers may be annoyed by the leisurely pace of the investigation. (5 months pass between the murder and the revelation of the killer.) And while Robert Sherard plays Watson to Wilde's Holmes, Wilde often goes off and does things about which he is not entirely forthcoming with Sherard. Brandreth gives a reason i More...
I'll say up front that taken strictly as a mystery, some readers may be annoyed by the leisurely pace of the investigation. (5 months pass between the murder and the revelation of the killer.) And while Robert Sherard plays Watson to Wilde's Holmes, Wilde often goes off and does things about which he is not entirely forthcoming with Sherard. Brandreth gives a reason i More...
Aug 25, 2010
Kim
rated it:
It's difficult to put my finger on exactly what it was about this book that I didn't like. I think a lot of it is the narrator, Wilde's friend Robert Sherard. The narration just felt off. Half the time the narrator is being oblivious of any hints of homosexuality, regardless of how many rent boys he's surrounded with and the other half he's talking about Wilde's eventual trial and disgrace. Make up your mind! Really, there's a sense of uncomfortableness handling the issues of sexuality. May
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May 28, 2011
Paula
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Aug 08, 2011
Carrie
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Turns out Oscar Wilde can give Sherlock Holmes a run for his eccentric, observational money. When he stumbles across the dead body of a young male prostitute, Oscar returns to the scene of the crime with his devoted friend and biographer, Robert Sherard, and Oscar's new friend, Arthur Conan Doyle. Of course, by the time they return, the body has disappeared and the room has been cleared of all evidence. Not one to let Scotland Yard's insistence on evidence stop him, Oscar sets out to find the
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Jan 22, 2009
Ken
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This is a 2.5 for me. I am not generally a reader of mysteries, but the prospect of a mystery with Oscar Wilde as the lead detective was a temptation too much for me resist. The novel is narrated by Robert Sherard who was, in real life, a close friend and the first biographer of Wilde. Brandreth presents the novel as written by Sherard--as if he recorded it in his journal.
The book begins with Wilde discovering the murder of Billy Wood; his is title the "murder of no importanc More...
The book begins with Wilde discovering the murder of Billy Wood; his is title the "murder of no importanc More...
Mar 24, 2011
Babs
rated it: 
Liked this book, but have some misgivings, qualms about it. First, I know very little about Oscar Wilde. I don’t know where truth was spoken or where literary license took hold in the book. I do know that Oscar Wilde went to jail for his sexuality. I also think that he was basically penniless when he died and his supposed friends had abandoned him. (At least, I believe this to be true.). These “facts” put a pall over the book for me. While Oscar was very witty and often funny in this book
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Jul 28, 2011
Jeremy
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As unlikely as the premise for this novel remains - Wilde as a Holmes - Brandreth manages to pull it off with the sheer energy of language and historical knowledge that he brings to bear on both his protagonist, who is superbly, if maybe a little apologetically - rendered, and his landscapes - the London and Paris of the late 19th century. The plot was suitably Holmes-ian, but perhaps the exercises in 'elementary' deduction were somtimes over the top. Although, Wilde was a somewhat over-the-top
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Dec 11, 2008
Danny
rated it:
Read this for a book group.
Follows a crime-solving Oscar Wilde who is basically a Sherlock Holmes with a poet for a Watson and Arthur Conan Doyle hanging around IN the book instead of writing it.
As a mystery it let me down because I was pretty sure who was going to be pegged before they got pegged, whereas when I'm reading Agathe Christie I'm usually TOTALLY SHOCKED by the final accusation.
Still, it was pretty interesting and I enjoyed the read, so it's likely I'll More...
Follows a crime-solving Oscar Wilde who is basically a Sherlock Holmes with a poet for a Watson and Arthur Conan Doyle hanging around IN the book instead of writing it.
As a mystery it let me down because I was pretty sure who was going to be pegged before they got pegged, whereas when I'm reading Agathe Christie I'm usually TOTALLY SHOCKED by the final accusation.
Still, it was pretty interesting and I enjoyed the read, so it's likely I'll More...
Oct 04, 2009
Mary
rated it:
This is an interesting, though not completely unpredictable, mystery. Oscar Wilde (yes, that Oscar Wilde) is cast as a detective of sorts, and in this one of a series is determined to solve the murder of one of his young "acquaintances". The setup us much like a Holmes mystery, with Robert Sherard acting as Wilde's 'Watson'. In fact, Arthur Conan Doyle appears as a character in the story, and Wilde is a fan of the Holmes mysteries. The book may have more historical connections than I k
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Aug 07, 2010
Becky
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I wasn't sure what this book would be like with real people as some of the main characters, but I really enjoyed it. From what I've heard I think he nailed the character of Oscar Wilde very well- I certainly could picture him that way, given some of his writing. I thought the mystery itself was very good and while I personally couldn't figure it out (but I'm usually not good at such things) it made sense when he explained it. There was one little odd part that I thought seemed somewhat unnece
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Jul 02, 2009
Amber
rated it:
I really enjoyed this book. This is a cleverly written mystery written from Robert Sherard's point of view, and features his friends Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle. Wilde takes his cues from Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and begins to investigate the mysterious death of Billy Woods, a boy whom Wilde knew. Wilde sees the dead boy in a rented room, but when he returns the next day, the body is gone. Wilde is determined to continue with the investigation despite the lack of a body, and enlists Doyle'
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Dec 14, 2011
Psuke
rated it:
There were aspects of this book (I listened to the audio edition - very well narrated) I liked quite a bit. I loved the inclusion of Arthur Conan Doyle and Wilde's interest in his fictional detective. I liked Wilde's affection for his wife and children, and his fey interest in Beauty wherever it is found. What I *did not* like (and it ended up as a deal killer) was the revisionist aspect that made Oscar Wilde a heterosexual, and all the attitudes of shame, pity, etc, etc for any other orientati
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Jan 24, 2011
Heather
rated it:
A fun "easy read" for those who enjoy historical (and especially literary historical) fiction. The character of Oscar Wilde is much as we expect to find him: his connections to his London society are predictably varied and his conversation as carefully witty as modern selections of his quotations would suggest. In the end, though, I found it frustrating that the author refused to comment more on the delineation between history and fiction. The book stands uncomfortably straddled wit
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Nov 30, 2008
Nathan
rated it:
A fine mystery involving famous personages. There was nothing exceptional about the story or the writing. I like Wilde, but I don't feel like I got to know him any better through this fictional adventure. It was interesting to find out that Wilde and Conan Doyle were friends in real life. The author states in the after-material that Wilde would test out phrases in various setting to come up with his exceptional witticisms. Brandeth tries to incorporate this style, but I found it distracting
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Mar 12, 2009
Olena
rated it:
Mysteries aren't my favourite genre, but I am a fan of Oscar Wilde, hence the interest in this book. It was good, but a little underwhelming. Perhaps I had been expecting too much. The story was off to a good start but, for me, died off a little in the middle just where it should have been picking up the most. I found the frequent changes in events - while consistent with the character portrayed - distracting and, in the end, the flow was interrupted. I was more interested in the character of Os
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Jan 16, 2010
Alma
rated it:
Very entertaining though hardly life-changing. Full of many Wilde quotes cleverly integrated in the dialogue.
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Nov 17, 2009
Lisa
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The author seemed to capture what I envisioned of Oscar Wilde, his life, and period. It was interesting having other contemporaries of his as characters in the story, namely Arthur Conan Doyle and Robert Sherard and references to Sherard's great-grandfather, Wordsworth.
The author brings Sherlock Holmes references into the story - how could he not in a murder mystery novel with Conan Doyle as a character. And of course, the latest romance of Sherard, the romatic poet. Very clever More...
The author brings Sherlock Holmes references into the story - how could he not in a murder mystery novel with Conan Doyle as a character. And of course, the latest romance of Sherard, the romatic poet. Very clever More...
Nov 18, 2010
poppyshake
rated it:
I listened to this read by Bill Wallis again and I thoroughly enjoyed it. This is the first of the series so I've 'read' them in the wrong sequence but they stand alone easily like a Sir Arthur Conon Doyle novel. I love being immersed in Oscar's world (albeit an entirely fictional one) and I'm very fond of Gyles' version of Robert Sherard who narrates the books (though he really did need a good talking to in this story.) I found that although Oscar speaks in witticisms and bon mots far more than
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Mar 25, 2011
Jennannej
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That Arthur Conan Doyle makes an appearance in this book is appropriate, since the character of Oscar Wilde makes his own stab at becoming the enigmatic, seemingly omniscient Holmes to our narrator's Watson. It's a tried and true writing style and it works again in this book.
After reading this book, I had the feel that I had just finished another Sherlock Holmes novel. Oscar Wilde kept his cards close to his chest and I did not guess whodunit before it was revealed. A shocking and s More...
After reading this book, I had the feel that I had just finished another Sherlock Holmes novel. Oscar Wilde kept his cards close to his chest and I did not guess whodunit before it was revealed. A shocking and s More...
Sep 16, 2011
Rozonda
rated it:
When I found out about this book series, being as passionate as I am about Wilde and his works, I thought "oh no- they've made Oscar into another "famous-person-detective" so common in today's novels" But I was wrong. Oscar and all the other wellknown characters are dealt with in a natural, true-to-life way,the Holmesian way of noticing details is so well fitted in Wilde's personality that you believe in it easily, the plot is clever and Victorian society is smartly portrayed
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Jun 11, 2011
Gina
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Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders is darker than "Oscar Wilde and the Ring of Death" with a seedier storyline, it provides an insight into homosexuality in the late 1800s and the attitudes back then, rather a poignant story considering Wilde's own destiny. We have come a long way since those unenlightened attitudes, thank goodness.
During this story, Wilde writes The Picture of Dorian Gray and we meet the character upon whom this famous book is based, this was particula More...
During this story, Wilde writes The Picture of Dorian Gray and we meet the character upon whom this famous book is based, this was particula More...
Aug 18, 2011
Surreysmum
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This is the first in the "Oscar Wilde and..." series, and I think I enjoyed it even more than the only other one I have read so far. It has the freshness of the first go-round at a marvellous new idea - and I must admit that the combination of Wildean with Sherlockean antics is a splendid one. This book tackles the demi-monde of 1889 homosexual London fairly head-on, though with the kind of restraint that I'm sure Wilde, being a gentleman, would have appreciated. I had the murderer(s)
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Oct 30, 2010
Mackenzie
rated it:
I have to admit that at first I was skeptical about the book because of the author Gyles Brandreth's previous works. When I checked up on him, unfortunately the first few titles that came up were the books he wrote on the Royal Family, something about Charles and Camilla and whatnot, and that just made him sound like a tabloid writer. But then I also found that he'd also published some non-fictions... well, his works seem to vary a lot, but none of them gave me a sign of his quality as a histori
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May 06, 2009
LJ
rated it:
OSCAR WILDE AND A DEATH OF NO IMPORTANCE (Hist Mys-Oscar Wilde/Robert Sherard-England-1889) – G+
Brandreth, Gyles – 1st in series
Touchstone, 2008, US Trade paperback – ISBN: 9781416534839
First Sentence: My name is Robert Sherard, and I was a friend of Oscar Wilde.
Poet and author Oscar Wilde enters a room, filled with candles and incense, wherein he finds the naked body of a young man whose throat has been slashed. When he returns to the room with his friends More...
Brandreth, Gyles – 1st in series
Touchstone, 2008, US Trade paperback – ISBN: 9781416534839
First Sentence: My name is Robert Sherard, and I was a friend of Oscar Wilde.
Poet and author Oscar Wilde enters a room, filled with candles and incense, wherein he finds the naked body of a young man whose throat has been slashed. When he returns to the room with his friends More...
