This book could not have been more up my alley. It covers both true crimes and British mysteries, Sherlock Holmes (my all-time favorite fictional character), Agatha Christie (my all-time favorite author), Alfred Hitchcock ( a favorite film director), Ngaio Marsh (another favorite author), Jack the Ripper (a true crime I am fascinated by)...I had really high hopes for this book that seemed tailor-made for me, and Worsley did not disappoint.
Worsley expertly weaves together the history both of the public's fascination with crime, and the authors' renderings of it. From broadsheets to puppet shows to Penny Dreadfuls, through the Detection Club and the impact of war, Worsley shows how humanity both takes refuge in and is titillated by, the retelling and reenactment of crime, and the resolute denouncement we all demand, whether by real-life execution or fictional summation.
4/5 stars
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