The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale

With this post, I am officially caught up with all the books I read during my two-month gap in posting.

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher is well-researched nonfiction, but it reads similarly to a novel, much like Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City, which I read a couple of months ago. It is the story of a horrible murder — the murder of a 3-year-old child — committed in Victorian England, and the repercussions on all involved (the family and their servants, the detective in charge of the case, etc.).

The story of the murder and the aftermath are well-told. Kate Summerscale does a good job of creating suspense to draw the reader along. The two inserts of pictures — of the family, the house, etc. — also make a nice touch and help to bring the characters to life. There is also a lot of information on the history of detective work and how this case impacted the detective fiction that came afterward.

The book requires careful attention in many places, and therefore (like The Devil in the White City) makes for slow going at times, but is well worth the effort!

The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

Although Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City took me a while (about two weeks) to read, it was one of the best books I've read lately. It's nonfiction, but written like a novel. What is so amazing about this book is the amount of research that went into it — Larson took the information from goodness knows how many sources, put it all in chronological order, and turned it into a beautifully compelling book.

The Devil in the White City is about two different, but irrevocably intertwined, subjects — the World's Fair in Chicago in 1893, and a serial killer who operated just around the corner from it. Larson alternates back and forth between the story of building and running the fair, and the story of the killer's victims. With each victim's story he draws you in and makes you hope that she (they were usually women) gets away in time, but of course she never does. And presiding over all of this, of course, is the White City (the fair), with its many successes and failures.

As you can probably tell, I highly recommend this book. The detail is fascinating, which is why it took me so long to read — you get the feeling that every single world is important in some way, and you just can't bring yourself to skim any of it.

I think I've found myself a new favorite author...

A Slave No More by David W. Blight

Several nights ago, I finally finished the nonfiction book I was reading: A Slave No More, by David W. Blight.

Well, technically the entire book isn't by David Blight. The first half or so is, but the second half is comprised of two previously unpublished slave narratives, written by young male slaves who escaped during the Civil War.

I personally found the slave narratives the most interesting, but Blight's commentary was admittedly very well done. He had researched both men, and was able to pull in that research and other historical facts as he discussed the men's narratives.

I found out about this book back in December, when I heard a radio spot about it on NPR. The half-hour-long show includes interviews with three generations of descendants of one of the former slaves, John Washington. The women interviewed on the show didn't know that the narrative existed — or that their forebear had even been a slave. The radio show is definitely worth listening to, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in reading the book.

Ysabel, by Guy Gavriel Kay

The second book I started on the road trip -- and the one I'm reading right now -- is Ysabel, by Guy Gavriel Kay. When I first picked it up, it was mainly because Michael saw it at the bookstore and asked me to check it out from the library. I was expecting another Da Vinci Code knockoff, but that's not the case at all! Ysabel combines Celtic fantasy with reality, and likeable characters with an intriguing story. Every advancement in the plot has been almost totally unexpected, and I'm loving every minute of it!