Lucy Worsley's lively book…traces the growth of this industry through some of the era's most avidly followed killings. Her goal isn't to provide a history of crime or crime writing, but to show how "the British enjoyed and consumed the idea of murder"…A bonus of The Art of the English Murder is Worsley's interest in women writers, partly the grandes dames of the 1920s and '30s like Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers, but also several whose work has been forgotten…

02/23/2015
Narrator Flosnik delivers a competent but rather bland reading of Worsley’s chronicle of the fascination with murder in British popular culture in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The desire for reality drama is not something that was introduced by today’s TV; the book takes listeners back to the 19th century, when the English populace was held in thrall by tales of real-life killings, thievery, and general criminal mischief, as well as the consequences for the perpetrators. Public hangings pulled in huge crowds of people looking to see end-of-the-rope justice. This curiosity eventually gave rise to crime in literature and plays, from penny dreadfuls and pulp to modern day mystery novels. Worsley deftly expounds upon all aspects of crime and punishment with an enthusiastic scholar-of-the-people delivery. However, Flosnik’s presentation is more perfunctory. She keeps her reading straightforward with little emotional inflection. She certainly has an excellent professional reading voice. Her intonation is perfect, but she lacks personality, and consequently the text is never really brought to life. A Pegasus Crime hardcover. (Oct.)

★ 06/09/2014
This lively, lucid, and wonderfully lurid history from Worsley (If Walls Could Talk) examines the fascination with murder in British popular culture in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The book opens with an account of the Ratcliffe Highway murders—two separate attacks that left seven people dead. These murders established the link between sensational crime reporting and robust newspaper sales, a gruesome correlation that shaped pop culture in the U.K. in the ensuing decades. Worsley's study takes a literary spin as she traces the emergence of detective fiction from its roots in the mid-Victorian "sensation" novel. She dwells at length on the genre's "golden age"—the interwar period, which saw the rise of female writers (e.g., Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers)—and subsequently shows how detective fiction gave way to the darker American-style thriller of the Cold War era. Worsley's vivid account excites as much as its sensational subject matter, and edifies, too, thanks to her learned explications. Agent: Felicity Bryant, Felicity Bryan Associates. (Oct.)

"Worsley's vivid account excites as much as its sensational subject matter, and edifies, too, thanks to her learned explications." ---Publishers Weekly Starred Review

Worsley captures this bloody love affair very well.

Worsley has a lively, accessible style, with frequent changes of pace and contagious enthusiasm for the little anecdotes and artifacts that bring history to life. A friendly introduction to the history of crime fiction.

Lively. Worsley’s goal isn’t to provide a history of crime or crime writing, but to show how the British enjoyed and consumed the idea of murder.

Delightful.

Irresistible. Crisp, clear and good to the last sentence.

Nicely illustrated with 16 pages of mostly color pictures and other B&W pictures throughout, this book is a delightful romp through the most iconic staples of Victorian life: Sherlock Holmes, Madame Tussaud’s waxworks, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I recommend reading this at night with a strong cup of tea. Just keep your lights on, and the doors locked.

A brief, absorbing history lesson on how the UK’s obsession with bloody deeds changed not only methods of law enforcement, but fertilized the roots of modern popular culture.

Worsley retells the stories of famous murderers and legendary criminals in delightfully readable language, with sharp, illuminating comments.

Worsley's book covers a great deal of ground and provides an excellent overview of how the consumption of crime became a dominant part of our cultural landscape.

The fictional detective is part of our way of seeing the world now, and this is an amusing book to show how our fascination with murder (which we ought to find nothing but repellent) made it happen.

"Worsley's vivid account excites as much as its sensational subject matter, and edifies, too, thanks to her learned explications." —Publishers Weekly Starred Review

04/15/2015
Fascination with murder has been a guilty British pleasure since newspaper coverage of 19th-century murder trials enthralled an entertainment-hungry populace. Here Worsley (If Walls Could Talk) chronicles a nation's obsession with murder and horror as a source of fun, comfort, and relaxation. British crime spawned pulp fiction, followed by literary and cinematic blockbusters by masters of the genre. Worsley's vivid and detailed account illuminates the cultural mind-set of the times as well as bloody details. Anne Flosnik intertwines scholarly gravity with lighthearted voyeurism in her reading. Originally published in 2013 by BBC Books as A Very British Murder: The Story of a National Obsession to accompany the three-part BBC television series of the same name, the hardcover was enhanced with color and black-and-white illustrations and portraits missing from the CD. VERDICT Divided into discrete segments, the audiobook would be perfect for car trips, exercise sessions, or relaxing evenings at home. ["This riveting cultural history will enthrall fans of British crime novels as well as readers of true crime," read the starred review of the Pegasus Crime hc, LJ 9/15/14.]—Judith Robinson, Univ. at Buffalo

Listeners are offered a comprehensive look at infamous crimes, the British fascination with all things lurid, and the literary genre that grew from that fascination. Anne Flosnik delivers this excellent overview at a distance, standing slightly apart from the sensational crimes she’s recounting. Her dispassionate narration focuses on the Brits’ morbid preoccupation with trials and public executions without exaggerating the melodrama inherent in the theatrical details. An able guide, Flosnik navigates the years from 1800-1946 via gory newspaper items, garish "penny dreadfuls” based on real crimes, and the rise of true-crime journalism. As a bloodthirsty English public clamored for even more, a new genre, mystery/detective fiction, offered opportunities for masters such as Charles Dickens, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers, and Arthur Conan Doyle. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

2014-08-06
Worsley (If Walls Could Talk: An Intimate History of the Home, 2012, etc.) explains England's love affair with scandals, lurid murders and executions. Readers' initial apprehension that this might be just another list of sensational crimes, trials and public hangings quickly fades as the author exhibits her exceptional knowledge of social and literary England. Her position as chief curator at Historic Royal Palaces, which manages the Tower of London, Kensington Palace, Kew Palace and other significant British sites, gives her a broad supply of informative resources. Simply put, murder was the TV of the Victorian era, an escape from everyday woes—of which there were plenty. With the burgeoning newspaper industry printing every minute detail, the public began expressing their conclusions by sending letters to investigators. In the early 18th century, news was spread by traveling troupes, which presented melodramas and puppet shows depicting the latest horror. There was also plenty of "penny blood" fiction adding to the descriptions of blood and gore. As the London stage became more "legitimate," melodramas faded, and the detective appeared, as did the "respectable murderer." Thanks to authors such as Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins and Arthur Conan Doyle, the clever, observant detective became one of the most popular characters in literature. These stories were more concerned with explaining the why and who of a crime rather than describing the beastly deed. Then, during the "Golden Age" between the wars, demand grew for the "Mayhem Parva," mysteries set in quaint but "stultifying, repetitive, hide-bound and reactionary" villages. These cozy mysteries can still be found on bookshelves alongside darker spy thrillers and crime novels. Worsley ably shows how audiences drove writers, actors and purveyors of news to satisfy their morbid curiosities.