Lucy Worsley’s The Art of the English Murder is a non-fiction book that follows the history of British crime as entertainment – from true stories, such as that of the Ratcliff Highway Murders and the infamous Jack the Ripper, to fictional murderers and their detectives, from Sherlock Holmes to Hercule Poirot and beyond.

The British public’s fascination with real crime led to the creation of the crime fiction genre, inspiring novels, plays, short stories, art, films, and various other mediums. Worsley’s engaging, witty text takes us through from the early nineteenth century through to the mid-late twentieth.

It’s interesting, as Worsley points out, that after a long hard day at work, toiling in the mines, or the fields, or behind a desk, a person comes home and flips on the television or opens a book and participates as an audience member in a good murder. They turn to grisly death for relaxation, and if you think about it, it’s quite bizarre.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick, interesting look at one of the main forms of entertainment for the last hundred and fifty or so years. I especially like the second half of the book, focused on the detectives of these stories.

The one thing about the book I found a little disruptive was the tendency of Worsley to jump around, however, I learned later that this book actually accompanies a television series, which explains a lot of this, as the best way to tell a story on TV and in a book aren’t always the same. Either way, I recommend this little piece of history academia, and highly recommend it, especially if you enjoy murder mysteries, the way I do.

Tagged: authors: lucy worsley, books: the art of the english murder, genre: history