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Il était une fois un crime
À Londres, dans le quartier huppé d'Islington, la découverte du cadavre de Dora laisse la police perplexe. Près du corps, on retrouve une note écrite par son mari, Jacob : " J'ai l'intime conviction d'être le seul responsable. " Dans la haute bourgeoisie anglaise où la réputation a plus de valeur que la vie, les aveux ne sont pas toujours synonymes de vérité....
Une intrigue implacable servie par un maître du roman policier victorien.
Traduit de l'anglais
par Eric Moreau
Une intrigue implacable servie par un maître du roman policier victorien.
Traduit de l'anglais
par Eric Moreau
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
February 12, 2013
It's Victorian London, and a woman lies dead in her parlour. On investigation the police discover a diary written by the husband and chief suspect.
Interspersed with extracts from the diary and the police interviews, this is a crime story with a different slant. Hard to put down, as I wanted to know what this diary would reveal.
Interspersed with extracts from the diary and the police interviews, this is a crime story with a different slant. Hard to put down, as I wanted to know what this diary would reveal.
March 28, 2016
While this book did give a good sense of Victorian London (the language was pretty perfect), I found the protagonist insufferable, which, given that his perspective formed the bulk of the book, diminished my enjoyment considerably. Also, I feel a little cheated by the ending. I found this book to be a disappointment, but I hope the author's other works will be more to my liking.
April 26, 2022
It was a little confusing not gonna lie but it was still a good book
February 23, 2018
There were essentially two parts to the book, the narrative parts and the diary itself.
I enjoyed the narrative sections, but found the diary itself tiresome and dull.
I have now read six Lee Jackson and his pen name LM Jackson and he is an author that I have struggled with.
He is focussed on Victorian era London I wonder what he would be like if he wrote something set in a contemporary setting?
Anyway it was ultimately a bit disappointing.
I enjoyed the narrative sections, but found the diary itself tiresome and dull.
I have now read six Lee Jackson and his pen name LM Jackson and he is an author that I have struggled with.
He is focussed on Victorian era London I wonder what he would be like if he wrote something set in a contemporary setting?
Anyway it was ultimately a bit disappointing.
January 15, 2012
The Willises are concerned because their married daughter, Dora Jones, has disappeared after planning to visit them in Chelsea. When Sergeant Preston and a constable go to the Jones's home to investigate, they find the daughter brutally murdered and the pages of a diary scattered about. The diary is by Dora's husband, Jacob Jones, a clerk at the Crystal Palace. But Jacob appears to have fled the scene. Detective Inspector Delby is called in, and the story unfolds in chapters that alternate between Jacob Jones's diary, and the investigation by the inspector and the sergeant.
The story that follows reveals a doting husband, a humble clerk, who married above his station (Dora's father is a draper, and rich, and does not like young Jacob). Jacob gushes about his sweet wife, confesses his yearnings to be a writer, admits his frustrations with his in-laws, who seem snobbish and conservative. He also has an alcoholic father whom he has bailed out of financial difficulties more than once. A reader has to sympathize with his plight. And Dora's, as well, because when she miscarries, she goes into a deep depression, and Jacob hasn't a clue to how to pull her out of it.
But wait. His sweet wife knows nothing of Jacob's drunkard father. Jacob has invented entirely another background for himself. And how devoted is Jacob really as he showers the sweet Dora with pet names and repeatedly worries for her health? And is he the pushover he makes himself out to be when he helps a young seamstress living with his father find employment first with a neighbor, then in Papa Willis's work-room? And why does he aid his co-worker, Fortesque, who is in deep trouble over mismanaging company funds? You have to wonder about someone who knows himself so little. Likewise Delby and Preston scratch their heads continually over the ups and downs of Jones's diary as Jacob's own troubles mount, his writing grows more and more desperate - but sometimes calculating.
This is a good read to the last page, full of a multitude of surprises, and I didn't see the end coming at all.
The story that follows reveals a doting husband, a humble clerk, who married above his station (Dora's father is a draper, and rich, and does not like young Jacob). Jacob gushes about his sweet wife, confesses his yearnings to be a writer, admits his frustrations with his in-laws, who seem snobbish and conservative. He also has an alcoholic father whom he has bailed out of financial difficulties more than once. A reader has to sympathize with his plight. And Dora's, as well, because when she miscarries, she goes into a deep depression, and Jacob hasn't a clue to how to pull her out of it.
But wait. His sweet wife knows nothing of Jacob's drunkard father. Jacob has invented entirely another background for himself. And how devoted is Jacob really as he showers the sweet Dora with pet names and repeatedly worries for her health? And is he the pushover he makes himself out to be when he helps a young seamstress living with his father find employment first with a neighbor, then in Papa Willis's work-room? And why does he aid his co-worker, Fortesque, who is in deep trouble over mismanaging company funds? You have to wonder about someone who knows himself so little. Likewise Delby and Preston scratch their heads continually over the ups and downs of Jones's diary as Jacob's own troubles mount, his writing grows more and more desperate - but sometimes calculating.
This is a good read to the last page, full of a multitude of surprises, and I didn't see the end coming at all.
February 20, 2012
I actually tried this book from the library as a trial read looking for new authors within the crime genre, and due to being ill have devoured the book very quickly.
The style of writing, and the use of coupling both a running narrative and extracts from a diary in each chapter, I found engaging. And the writing is very easy to read, though I wouldn't describe it as a page turner.
Initially I felt that Lee Jackson was failing to depict Victorian London through his writing of the narrative detective investigation - whether this was due to the language used, or lack of scene setting and descriptive writing, I'm unsure. But I certainly struggled to keep Victorian London in mind rather than present day. However the diary seemed to have this Victorian quality about it, which I guess helped to distinguish between the two, but maybe undermined the authenticity of the Victorian element of the investigation.
Apart from writing style, I have to say that this book managed a totally unforeseen twist at the end, for me. I genuinely became quite confused for a page or two within 15 pages of the end of the book. And I think for this reason alone it deserves a high rating. I thoroughly enjoyed it as an easy read and was very happy with the ending, which I won't even hint at.
A good book, but not necessarily an author I would continue to read, though this title is worth a go!
The style of writing, and the use of coupling both a running narrative and extracts from a diary in each chapter, I found engaging. And the writing is very easy to read, though I wouldn't describe it as a page turner.
Initially I felt that Lee Jackson was failing to depict Victorian London through his writing of the narrative detective investigation - whether this was due to the language used, or lack of scene setting and descriptive writing, I'm unsure. But I certainly struggled to keep Victorian London in mind rather than present day. However the diary seemed to have this Victorian quality about it, which I guess helped to distinguish between the two, but maybe undermined the authenticity of the Victorian element of the investigation.
Apart from writing style, I have to say that this book managed a totally unforeseen twist at the end, for me. I genuinely became quite confused for a page or two within 15 pages of the end of the book. And I think for this reason alone it deserves a high rating. I thoroughly enjoyed it as an easy read and was very happy with the ending, which I won't even hint at.
A good book, but not necessarily an author I would continue to read, though this title is worth a go!
April 22, 2012
Started this book yesterday and finished today. It was an interesting read and I quite enjoyed it.
Helluva twist in the end that I didn't see coming at all; but I did feel a bit cheated.
I can't say much without revealing spoilers, but let's just say the reader is led to believe the protagonist is a certain sort of person and then is handed a bait and switch towards the end which felt rather 'easy' to me, and removed any sort of investment I'd had in the character.
That aside; the story was written in a very interesting style, switching between the entries of a diary and typical story narrative. At times the diary entries felt like they dragged a bit and I would have liked more from the third party narrative of the story.
The language was perfect though, capturing the London/Victorian vernacular to a T. Also, Lee Jackson's knowledge and expertise regarding 1862 London was in full effect, with much in the way of details in terms of places, fashions, slang terminology and other facets of the time.
There were also distinct moments of humor where I chuckled out loud at the perfectly British remarks made in the diary itself.
One major negative was with the editing though; I found several mistakes, mainly typographical, within the text.
All in all, enjoyable read albeit with some drawbacks.
Helluva twist in the end that I didn't see coming at all; but I did feel a bit cheated.
I can't say much without revealing spoilers, but let's just say the reader is led to believe the protagonist is a certain sort of person and then is handed a bait and switch towards the end which felt rather 'easy' to me, and removed any sort of investment I'd had in the character.
That aside; the story was written in a very interesting style, switching between the entries of a diary and typical story narrative. At times the diary entries felt like they dragged a bit and I would have liked more from the third party narrative of the story.
The language was perfect though, capturing the London/Victorian vernacular to a T. Also, Lee Jackson's knowledge and expertise regarding 1862 London was in full effect, with much in the way of details in terms of places, fashions, slang terminology and other facets of the time.
There were also distinct moments of humor where I chuckled out loud at the perfectly British remarks made in the diary itself.
One major negative was with the editing though; I found several mistakes, mainly typographical, within the text.
All in all, enjoyable read albeit with some drawbacks.
January 31, 2016
A murder has been committed--the young wife of a respectable London clerk is discovered dead in her parlour and her husband is missing. The police strongly suspect that he is responsible for the murder and start to look for him, but in the meantime they discover his diary where he seemingly confesses to the crime--or at least responsibility for it.
We, along with the police, then read the day-by-day account of the life of this man and his young wife, the ghastly in-laws, his alcoholic father and bit by bit, the tawdry little tangle he finds himself in--almost against his will, but not quite.
Lee Jackson writes with a very sure hand and makes Victorian London come to life. The petty little man who is trying to make his way in a hide-bound, class conscious society rings very true, as does the husband's attitude towards women and people who try to thrust themselves unworthily above their station.
A great story and quite a twist of an ending.
We, along with the police, then read the day-by-day account of the life of this man and his young wife, the ghastly in-laws, his alcoholic father and bit by bit, the tawdry little tangle he finds himself in--almost against his will, but not quite.
Lee Jackson writes with a very sure hand and makes Victorian London come to life. The petty little man who is trying to make his way in a hide-bound, class conscious society rings very true, as does the husband's attitude towards women and people who try to thrust themselves unworthily above their station.
A great story and quite a twist of an ending.
October 17, 2011
This was a very clever murder mystery. It was told partly through a diary and partly through third person narrative. This might annoy some readers, but it's easy to tell whether you are reading the diary or the narrative and I thought it was very effective. The diary described the day to day life in a household in which someone was murdered. The narrative tells how the police found the body and the diary. It also described their reactions to what they read and how it shaped their investigations. There was also a good sense of the Victorian period, mainly due to the way the diary sections were written.
April 18, 2013
I'm feeling peevish. Why do they do this? A competent author lays down a premise, builds a story on the chassis, carries us along enjoying the trip, and then lets the wheels fall on at the ending. This has happened too many times for me to be happy. Do these people not have critique partners? Editors? Good friends who will them that they messed up the ending? Grrrr.
October 20, 2011
Definitely a page turner,but I was so disappointed by the ending I had to knock it back to 3 stars. The story is told in two narrations: a diary of the prime suspect in a murder and in the third person the police investigation of the murder, all set in Victorian London.
April 14, 2014
Very, very clever. I really liked how the diary and the narrative were revealed bit by bit between each other. Beautiful use of language, and convincing Victorian verbs and formality. This book left me temporarily stunned after being so absorbed in a story that was then turned utterly on its head!
January 28, 2016
A good read. I love that it was written by a victorian historian, so the language was perfectly fitting for the setting of the book.
At the time, it seemed a little long in places, but in the end it made sense of why that was so.
A very good ending with some good twists.
At the time, it seemed a little long in places, but in the end it made sense of why that was so.
A very good ending with some good twists.
December 24, 2011
Not *really* my kind of novel — not really a murder fan, tbh — but I did enjoy it, not least for the convincing imitation of Victorian prose.
September 15, 2012
A stifling narrative with a couple of rapid twists. Not as gripping as A Metropolitan Murder, but still entertaining.
Read
August 22, 2015A very clever and intelligent novel, with an unexpected twist at the end!
March 11, 2014
It was like reading an old book - really enjoyed the way it was written & what a sting in the tale at the end!!!
July 30, 2016
Interesting treatment of the topic, but it seemed a bit slow at times. The twist at the end is what made it really intriguing and worthwhile!
June 26, 2012
Enjoyed the Book. Plot was interesting.
July 8, 2016
The ending was very disappointing. Left many things unexplained in my opinion.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews