The Invention of Murder: How the Victorians Revelled in Death and Detection and Created Modern Crime by Judith Flanders

[Karin]

Wow, what a book. Beginning with the brutal murder of the Marr family in 1811, this book takes us though crimes real and fictional, through the sentimentalization of Murder in the nineteenth century. Conviction by circumstantial evidence, a morbid fascination for hangings by the public, the rise of murder as a big subject in fiction, both on the stage and in novels. Many of these novels were based on real crimes or alluded to them. I had no idea that Oliver Twist's last name was an underworld slang term for hanging. We also see the development of more centralized police forces, early forensics and trial by newspaper. This book is riveting, I suppose, but macabre, so for me, 3 stars.

[Nicole D.]

amazed that you go through a 576 page book in 4 hours. I read some of the reviews on this, and sounded like a slog! Good on you. I read 35 pages. total. LOL

[Karin]

Well, 100 pages are the index and notes!!! I did read very, very fast, though. Having read the entire works of Plato this spring, I got used to very tough reading (didn't read through it at this pace, though!!). I read walking through the house, standing for a break (I have a music stand that can be set quite high), but mostly sitting. The two teens at home today kindly left me on my own. The phone didn't ring, my husband and eldest weren't here and my kids here made their own suppers, etc. And the writing was fairly straight forward and easy compared to some books.