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Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries #6
Oscar Wilde and the Murders at Reading Gaol
. John Murray, SIGNED AUTHOR , bright clean copy, no markings, Professional booksellers since 1981
384 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2012
72 people are currently reading
633 people want to read
About the author
Gyles Brandreth
465 books400 followersFull name: Gyles Daubeney Brandreth.
A former Oxford Scholar, President of the Oxford Union and MP for the City of Chester, Gyles Brandreth’s career has ranged from being a Whip and Lord Commissioner of the Treasury in John Major’s government to starring in his own award-winning musical revue in London’s West End. A prolific broadcaster (in programmes ranging from Just a Minute to Have I Got News for You), an acclaimed interviewer (principally for the Sunday Telegraph), a novelist, children’s author and biographer, his best-selling diary, Breaking the Code, was described as ‘By far the best political diary of recent years, far more perceptive and revealing than Alan Clark’s’ (The Times) and ‘Searingly honest, wildly indiscreet, and incredibly funny’ (Daily Mail). He is the author of two acclaimed royal biographies: Philip Elizabeth: Portrait of a Marriage and Charles Camilla: Portrait of a Love Affair. In 2007/2008, John Murray in the UK and Simon & Schuster in the US began publishing The Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries, his series of Victorian murder mysteries featuring Oscar Wilde as the detective.
As a performer, Gyles Brandreth has been seen most recently in ZIPP! ONE HUNDRED MUSICALS FOR LESS THAN THE PRICE OF ONE at the Duchess Theatre and on tour throughout the UK, and as Malvolio and the Sea Captain in TWELFTH NIGHT THE MUSICAL at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Gyles Brandreth is one of Britain’s busiest after-dinner speakers and award ceremony hosts. He has won awards himself, and been nominated for awards, as a public speaker, novelist, children’s writer, broadcaster (Sony), political diarist (Channel Four), journalist (British Press Awards), theatre producer (Olivier), and businessman (British Tourist Authority Come to Britain Trophy).
He is married to writer and publisher Michèle Brown, with whom he co-curated the exhibition of twentieth century children’s authors at the National Portrait Gallery and founded the award-winning Teddy Bear Museum now based at the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon. He is a trustee of the British Forces Foundation, and a former chairman and now vice-president of the National Playing Fields Association.
Gyles Brandreth’s forebears include George R. Sims (the highest-paid journalist of his day, who wrote the ballad Christmas Day in the Workhouse) and Jeremiah Brandreth (the last man in England to be beheaded for treason). His great-great-grandfather, Benjamin Brandreth, promoted ‘Brandreth’s Pills’ (a medicine that cured everything!) and was a pioneer of modern advertising and a New York state senator. Today, Gyles Brandreth has family living in New York, Maryland, South Carolina and California. He has been London correspondent for “Up to the Minute” on CBS News and his books published in the United States include the New York Times best-seller, The Joy of Lex and, most recently, Philip Elizabeth: Portrait of a Royal Marriage.
A former Oxford Scholar, President of the Oxford Union and MP for the City of Chester, Gyles Brandreth’s career has ranged from being a Whip and Lord Commissioner of the Treasury in John Major’s government to starring in his own award-winning musical revue in London’s West End. A prolific broadcaster (in programmes ranging from Just a Minute to Have I Got News for You), an acclaimed interviewer (principally for the Sunday Telegraph), a novelist, children’s author and biographer, his best-selling diary, Breaking the Code, was described as ‘By far the best political diary of recent years, far more perceptive and revealing than Alan Clark’s’ (The Times) and ‘Searingly honest, wildly indiscreet, and incredibly funny’ (Daily Mail). He is the author of two acclaimed royal biographies: Philip Elizabeth: Portrait of a Marriage and Charles Camilla: Portrait of a Love Affair. In 2007/2008, John Murray in the UK and Simon & Schuster in the US began publishing The Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries, his series of Victorian murder mysteries featuring Oscar Wilde as the detective.
As a performer, Gyles Brandreth has been seen most recently in ZIPP! ONE HUNDRED MUSICALS FOR LESS THAN THE PRICE OF ONE at the Duchess Theatre and on tour throughout the UK, and as Malvolio and the Sea Captain in TWELFTH NIGHT THE MUSICAL at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Gyles Brandreth is one of Britain’s busiest after-dinner speakers and award ceremony hosts. He has won awards himself, and been nominated for awards, as a public speaker, novelist, children’s writer, broadcaster (Sony), political diarist (Channel Four), journalist (British Press Awards), theatre producer (Olivier), and businessman (British Tourist Authority Come to Britain Trophy).
He is married to writer and publisher Michèle Brown, with whom he co-curated the exhibition of twentieth century children’s authors at the National Portrait Gallery and founded the award-winning Teddy Bear Museum now based at the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon. He is a trustee of the British Forces Foundation, and a former chairman and now vice-president of the National Playing Fields Association.
Gyles Brandreth’s forebears include George R. Sims (the highest-paid journalist of his day, who wrote the ballad Christmas Day in the Workhouse) and Jeremiah Brandreth (the last man in England to be beheaded for treason). His great-great-grandfather, Benjamin Brandreth, promoted ‘Brandreth’s Pills’ (a medicine that cured everything!) and was a pioneer of modern advertising and a New York state senator. Today, Gyles Brandreth has family living in New York, Maryland, South Carolina and California. He has been London correspondent for “Up to the Minute” on CBS News and his books published in the United States include the New York Times best-seller, The Joy of Lex and, most recently, Philip Elizabeth: Portrait of a Royal Marriage.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
February 16, 2018
This is probably the hardest reads of the Oscar Wilde as detective novels I have read.
This is because the book is mostly set during Wilde's incarceration at Reading Gaol after being found guilty under the UK's oppressive male sexual crimes acts.
Gyles Brandreth pulls no punches and the picture he paints of the British penal system in the 1890s is vile and stomach turning.
The crimes, however, are inventive and clever, and ameliorate the distress of the story's background.
I do like the fact that Brandreth is careful to use period appropriate language. Nothing infuriates me more than seeing the words "gay" and "homosexual" being used at a time when they simply did not exist in that context. In fact, the word homosexual had only been coined in 1886 by Kraft-Ebing in his book "Psychopathia Sexualis" and was barely in use at the time as a medical term, let alone in general conversation. So to see the terms "perverse" and "invert" being used as they would have been, gives a greater feeling of authenticity to the book.
Highly recommended.
This is because the book is mostly set during Wilde's incarceration at Reading Gaol after being found guilty under the UK's oppressive male sexual crimes acts.
Gyles Brandreth pulls no punches and the picture he paints of the British penal system in the 1890s is vile and stomach turning.
The crimes, however, are inventive and clever, and ameliorate the distress of the story's background.
I do like the fact that Brandreth is careful to use period appropriate language. Nothing infuriates me more than seeing the words "gay" and "homosexual" being used at a time when they simply did not exist in that context. In fact, the word homosexual had only been coined in 1886 by Kraft-Ebing in his book "Psychopathia Sexualis" and was barely in use at the time as a medical term, let alone in general conversation. So to see the terms "perverse" and "invert" being used as they would have been, gives a greater feeling of authenticity to the book.
Highly recommended.
March 25, 2013
The wonderful conceit that Arthur Conan Doyle based his fictional sleuth Sherlock Holmes on Oscar Wilde (Conan Doyle, of course, being Watson) has given Gyles Brandreth a marvellous sheet on which to create a brilliant series, both from the mysteries and the Wildean wit, of which surely Brandreth is the only author capable of matching the legend. The previous five books sparkled with a light touch which is less noticeable in The Murders at Reading Gaol, although there are some laughs and disgraced Wilde is still capable of a neat epigram, but in this last of the series, Brandreth elicits all the pathos and degradation of the terrible punishment Oscar faces for daring to love Bosie. In the previous stories, Wilde's homosexuality barely signifies, though there are indications of a slide toward "the dark side" in The Vatican Murders, but in Reading Gaol the sexuality gloves are off, and the book is all the greater for it. But amid the gloom there is a twisty tale of deceit, blackmail, and murder… and Brandreth makes us wait to the very last paragraphs to discover the murderer's identity.
Great stuff!
Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders (U.S.: Oscar Wilde and a Death of No Importance)
Oscar Wilde and the Ring of Death (U.S.: Oscar Wilde and a Game Called Murder)
Oscar Wilde and the Dead Man's Smile)
Oscar Wilde and the Nest of Vipers (U.S.: Oscar Wilde and the Vampire Murders)
Oscar Wilde and the Vatican Murders
Great stuff!
Oscar Wilde and the Candlelight Murders (U.S.: Oscar Wilde and a Death of No Importance)
Oscar Wilde and the Ring of Death (U.S.: Oscar Wilde and a Game Called Murder)
Oscar Wilde and the Dead Man's Smile)
Oscar Wilde and the Nest of Vipers (U.S.: Oscar Wilde and the Vampire Murders)
Oscar Wilde and the Vatican Murders
July 10, 2013
In the latest installment of the Oscar Wilde novels, and the last, Brandreth outdoes himself with such a stellar novel!
Oscar Wilde tells his tale of what happened while he was incarcerated in the prison of Reading Gaol for just over two years. In fact, everything that transpires is gritty and gripping. I couldn't stop turning the pages, so enthralled was I with Wilde's story - one he tells after his release.
While he's spending his time, Wilde's clever detective skills are put to use when a warden and a chaplain are found murdered. But what I found the most riveting is the change in Wilde's character. He really gives us, the reader, an indepth look into what he's thinking. Being silence, when he's used to speaking whenever he wanted and how, not to mention that there is next to no humor in between these pages, it's clear that Wilde faces some of his own fears and humanity. I'm sad to see the series end, but if this is, indeed, the last one, Brandreth did Wilde proud. Excellent writing and character depiction. If you enjoy this series, you won't want to miss this one. It's the best of the series! I can't praise this book enough!!
Oscar Wilde tells his tale of what happened while he was incarcerated in the prison of Reading Gaol for just over two years. In fact, everything that transpires is gritty and gripping. I couldn't stop turning the pages, so enthralled was I with Wilde's story - one he tells after his release.
While he's spending his time, Wilde's clever detective skills are put to use when a warden and a chaplain are found murdered. But what I found the most riveting is the change in Wilde's character. He really gives us, the reader, an indepth look into what he's thinking. Being silence, when he's used to speaking whenever he wanted and how, not to mention that there is next to no humor in between these pages, it's clear that Wilde faces some of his own fears and humanity. I'm sad to see the series end, but if this is, indeed, the last one, Brandreth did Wilde proud. Excellent writing and character depiction. If you enjoy this series, you won't want to miss this one. It's the best of the series! I can't praise this book enough!!
May 14, 2013
I am not familiar with Oscar Wilde or that there was a book series about him. I was just intrigued by the pure premise of this book. Then when I got the book, even before opening it I started to have second thoughts about it.
Well like they say, you can not judge a book by its cover. This book was way better then I thought it would be. I started it at night thinking it would help me get to sleep quicker. It had the opposite effect. I actually had to put it down so that I could get some sleep. It was like I was Oscar and I could hear the voice of my cell mate. Feel the resentment of the guard and feel the cold eating into my skin at night from my cold cell.
I got to learn about who Oscar was as a person before his death. After reading this book I went online to learn more about Oscar. Mr. Brandreth really captured the voice of Mr. Wilde. I read that these books are going to be turned into a television series on BBC. I will check this television series out. This is a book that mystery fans will enjoy.
Well like they say, you can not judge a book by its cover. This book was way better then I thought it would be. I started it at night thinking it would help me get to sleep quicker. It had the opposite effect. I actually had to put it down so that I could get some sleep. It was like I was Oscar and I could hear the voice of my cell mate. Feel the resentment of the guard and feel the cold eating into my skin at night from my cold cell.
I got to learn about who Oscar was as a person before his death. After reading this book I went online to learn more about Oscar. Mr. Brandreth really captured the voice of Mr. Wilde. I read that these books are going to be turned into a television series on BBC. I will check this television series out. This is a book that mystery fans will enjoy.
April 25, 2024
I don't always have much faith in book "series" that feature real people from history, but this whole series is ACES, deft, sly, and moving.
July 10, 2022
Nice read, well written, but I guessed most parts of the plot.
May 2, 2016
Curiosity and my love for Oscar Wilde made me pick up this book. Didn't think anyone could write in his voice. I was totally and pleasantly surprised. What a wonderful read! Mr. Brandreth does an outstanding job of placing the reader in a Victorian England prison and inside Mr. Wilde's mind with wonderful unexpected turns. I can't wait to read the rest of the series.
January 27, 2018
Cela faisait un petit temps que ce roman trônait sur ma pile, plusieurs fois je l'avais pris en main, à chaque fois je l'avais reposé, repoussant sans cesse le moment fatidique de la lecture...
Pourquoi ? Parce que c'était le dernier qu'il me restait à lire de cette série consacrée aux enquêtes d'Oscar Wilde, et qu'en plus, c'était le volume consacré aux deux années que Wilde passa en prison, accusé du crime de sodomie.
À cette époque, et jusqu'à peu, la sodomie était un crime punissable d'emprisonnement en Angleterre, et même si depuis longtemps on n'enfermait plus les homosexuels, la loi existait toujours dans le code anglais jusqu'il y a peu.
Oscar Wilde, mon dandy flamboyant, mon amateur de bons mots, de bons champagnes, de mets capiteux, de fêtes, cet amateur d'indolence, ce brillant écrivain, réduit à des travaux forcés dans un bouge infâme où l'on n'a même pas le droit de parler !
Comme dans "On the brinks" de Sam Millar, l'auteur décrit avec force les conditions inhumaines des prisons anglaises (de sa cellule de Newgate à la prison de Pentonville, puis à Wandsworth et enfin à Reading Goal) et du comportement, inapproprié, de certains matons, dont le gardien Braddle, cancrelat de l'existence qui ne se sent fort que lorsqu'il rabaisse les plus faibles que lui.
Si les 5 autres tomes étaient joyeux, celui-ci est assurément le plus sombre, le plus tragique, le plus triste, car nous savons qu'après ses deux ans d'emprisonnement, Wilde ne survivra pas longtemps et s'éteindra le 30 novembre 1900.
Au lieu de libations et de joyeusetés proférées par notre dandy anglais, nous aurons droit à un compte-rendu des joyeusetés qui se déroulaient dans les geôles anglaises, pourtant, jamais le récit ne sombrera dans le pathos et de temps en temps, il sera même éclairé par un geste de bonté de la part de l'un ou l'autre intervenant.
Cette fois-ci, l'enquête de Wilde sera plus discrète, les conclusions se dérouleront dans sa tête, avant qu'il ne nous raconte tout, et il faudra être attentif durant sa lecture car nous le savons tous, le diable se cache dans le moindre petit détail.
Pourtant, les leçons de mon Maître ont dû porter leurs fruits, parce que comme Wilde, j'ai déduis une chose que personne d'autre dans la prison n'avait compris ! Et nous avions raison, lui et moi. Normal, nous sommes les meilleurs.
Un tome plus sombre, moins joyeux, car voir le grand Oscar Wilde trainé dans la boue, vilipendé, voué aux gémonies, n'est jamais agréable.
Le pauvre ne pouvait pas savoir que maintenant, il serait toujours considéré comme un Grand Auteur et que le monde se contrecarre de ses préférences sexuelles (enfin, ceux qui, comme moi, n'en tienne pas compte, Frigide doit l'avoir mis à l'index et ce n'est pas là qu'il faut le mettre).
Un tome où l'enquête se déroulera d'une autre manière, plus subtile, plus cachée, où nous apprendrons les faits au compte-goutte et où il faudra attendre les dernières pages pour avoir les ultimes conclusions et voir la pièce dans toute sa splendeur car nous sommes face à un Grand du crime, un criminel qui aurait fait le bonheur d'un Holmes car il était retors à souhait.
Un tome qui, comme je le redoutais, ne clôt pas la série puisqu'un nouveau tome est sorti en septembre 2017 (je viens de l'apprendre maintenant) et que je pourrai donc retrouver mon Wilde aux côtés de Conan Doyle et oublier ainsi les conditions de détentions inhumaines qui furent celles des prisons anciennes.
C'est avec regret que j'ai terminé cette lecture et même si le récit était sombre, Wilde a su, même dans l'adversité, me l'égayer.
Pourquoi ? Parce que c'était le dernier qu'il me restait à lire de cette série consacrée aux enquêtes d'Oscar Wilde, et qu'en plus, c'était le volume consacré aux deux années que Wilde passa en prison, accusé du crime de sodomie.
À cette époque, et jusqu'à peu, la sodomie était un crime punissable d'emprisonnement en Angleterre, et même si depuis longtemps on n'enfermait plus les homosexuels, la loi existait toujours dans le code anglais jusqu'il y a peu.
Oscar Wilde, mon dandy flamboyant, mon amateur de bons mots, de bons champagnes, de mets capiteux, de fêtes, cet amateur d'indolence, ce brillant écrivain, réduit à des travaux forcés dans un bouge infâme où l'on n'a même pas le droit de parler !
Comme dans "On the brinks" de Sam Millar, l'auteur décrit avec force les conditions inhumaines des prisons anglaises (de sa cellule de Newgate à la prison de Pentonville, puis à Wandsworth et enfin à Reading Goal) et du comportement, inapproprié, de certains matons, dont le gardien Braddle, cancrelat de l'existence qui ne se sent fort que lorsqu'il rabaisse les plus faibles que lui.
Si les 5 autres tomes étaient joyeux, celui-ci est assurément le plus sombre, le plus tragique, le plus triste, car nous savons qu'après ses deux ans d'emprisonnement, Wilde ne survivra pas longtemps et s'éteindra le 30 novembre 1900.
Au lieu de libations et de joyeusetés proférées par notre dandy anglais, nous aurons droit à un compte-rendu des joyeusetés qui se déroulaient dans les geôles anglaises, pourtant, jamais le récit ne sombrera dans le pathos et de temps en temps, il sera même éclairé par un geste de bonté de la part de l'un ou l'autre intervenant.
Cette fois-ci, l'enquête de Wilde sera plus discrète, les conclusions se dérouleront dans sa tête, avant qu'il ne nous raconte tout, et il faudra être attentif durant sa lecture car nous le savons tous, le diable se cache dans le moindre petit détail.
Pourtant, les leçons de mon Maître ont dû porter leurs fruits, parce que comme Wilde, j'ai déduis une chose que personne d'autre dans la prison n'avait compris ! Et nous avions raison, lui et moi. Normal, nous sommes les meilleurs.
Un tome plus sombre, moins joyeux, car voir le grand Oscar Wilde trainé dans la boue, vilipendé, voué aux gémonies, n'est jamais agréable.
Le pauvre ne pouvait pas savoir que maintenant, il serait toujours considéré comme un Grand Auteur et que le monde se contrecarre de ses préférences sexuelles (enfin, ceux qui, comme moi, n'en tienne pas compte, Frigide doit l'avoir mis à l'index et ce n'est pas là qu'il faut le mettre).
Un tome où l'enquête se déroulera d'une autre manière, plus subtile, plus cachée, où nous apprendrons les faits au compte-goutte et où il faudra attendre les dernières pages pour avoir les ultimes conclusions et voir la pièce dans toute sa splendeur car nous sommes face à un Grand du crime, un criminel qui aurait fait le bonheur d'un Holmes car il était retors à souhait.
Un tome qui, comme je le redoutais, ne clôt pas la série puisqu'un nouveau tome est sorti en septembre 2017 (je viens de l'apprendre maintenant) et que je pourrai donc retrouver mon Wilde aux côtés de Conan Doyle et oublier ainsi les conditions de détentions inhumaines qui furent celles des prisons anciennes.
C'est avec regret que j'ai terminé cette lecture et même si le récit était sombre, Wilde a su, même dans l'adversité, me l'égayer.
August 21, 2025
From the publisher: In OSCAR WILDE AND THE MURDERS AT READING GAOL, the sixth in Gyles Brandreth's acclaimed Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries series featuring Oscar Wilde and Arthur Conan Doyle, Reading Gaol's most famous prisoner is pitted against a ruthless and fiendishly clever serial killer.
It is 1897, Dieppe. Oscar Wilde, poet, playwright, novelist, raconteur and ex-convict, has fled the country after his release from Reading Gaol. Tonight he is sharing a drink and the story of his cruel imprisonment with a mysterious stranger. He has endured a harsh the treadmill, solitary confinement, censored letters, no writing materials. Yet even in the midst of such deprivation, Oscar's astonishing detective powers remain undiminished - and when first a brutal warder and then the prison chaplain are found murdered, who else should the governor turn to for help other than Reading Gaol's most celebrated inmate?In this, the latest novel in his acclaimed Oscar Wilde murder mystery series, Gyles Brandreth takes us deep into the dark heart of Wilde's cruel incarceration.
I really like these Oscar Wilde novels - Gyles Brandreth not only knows Oscar (and Arthur Conan Doyle) very well, but also his mind and way of thinking and speaking as well. Almost or maybe better than Oscar himself! Too bad there are not more of these!
It is 1897, Dieppe. Oscar Wilde, poet, playwright, novelist, raconteur and ex-convict, has fled the country after his release from Reading Gaol. Tonight he is sharing a drink and the story of his cruel imprisonment with a mysterious stranger. He has endured a harsh the treadmill, solitary confinement, censored letters, no writing materials. Yet even in the midst of such deprivation, Oscar's astonishing detective powers remain undiminished - and when first a brutal warder and then the prison chaplain are found murdered, who else should the governor turn to for help other than Reading Gaol's most celebrated inmate?In this, the latest novel in his acclaimed Oscar Wilde murder mystery series, Gyles Brandreth takes us deep into the dark heart of Wilde's cruel incarceration.
I really like these Oscar Wilde novels - Gyles Brandreth not only knows Oscar (and Arthur Conan Doyle) very well, but also his mind and way of thinking and speaking as well. Almost or maybe better than Oscar himself! Too bad there are not more of these!
April 3, 2018
Gyles Brandreth's sixth book in this series of historical fiction mysteries is amazing on multiple counts. First, as historical fiction Brandreth provides an exhaustively comprehensive look at what the British penal system was like at the turn of the twentieth century. Next, tonally Brandreth hits the mark spot-on with his ability to recreate the voice and persona of Wilde as well as those who surround him. This novel, set in the aftermath of Wilde's imprisonment for "gross indecency," finds a decidedly different Wilde than in his previous novels -- a more melancholy soul with a far more plaintive voice. As such, it provides a true sense of the man whose spirit was, if not broken by the experience of hard labor, certainly splintered by it. Finally, Brandreth is most successful at creating a mystery that is suspenseful to the last page. It is my hope that he continues the series, although, in truth, this novel does seem to be the perfect place for a finish. But as Wilde himself said, "the truth is rarely pure and never simple," so one can only hope that Brandreth will see fit to pin the green carnation to his lapel one last time and step into the spats, the voice, and the mystery of Oscar Wilde one more time.
February 4, 2022
I LOVE this series. Brandreth brings, not just Oscar, but the entire Victorian world to glorious, sparkling life, complete with actual "Oscarisms" sprinkled throughout. This is the final book in the series, and it could be argued that it is the most ambitious, poignant, introspective, meaningful, and well-researched.
It could also be argued that these things make it the darkest, dreariest, most painful book to get through.
Brandreth pulls no punches. It might not be as in-your-face as Shawshank or Escape From Alcatraz, but this is a prison story from start to finish, and it's nasty. Some things endured by characters who survive are far worse than the causes of death of others. Our darling Oscar, while not incapable of a sarcastic comeback, is in pain throughout the entirety. Every time I thought things couldn't get worse, I regretted tempting fate. (Or the author.) And while I expect a degree of luridity (is that a word?) from most things Oscar, they're taken to gross lengths.
By all means, you should read this painful portrait of 1890s British prison life. It will open your eyes, and hopefully be as educational as it is enlightening. Just be prepared to cry.
It could also be argued that these things make it the darkest, dreariest, most painful book to get through.
Brandreth pulls no punches. It might not be as in-your-face as Shawshank or Escape From Alcatraz, but this is a prison story from start to finish, and it's nasty. Some things endured by characters who survive are far worse than the causes of death of others. Our darling Oscar, while not incapable of a sarcastic comeback, is in pain throughout the entirety. Every time I thought things couldn't get worse, I regretted tempting fate. (Or the author.) And while I expect a degree of luridity (is that a word?) from most things Oscar, they're taken to gross lengths.
By all means, you should read this painful portrait of 1890s British prison life. It will open your eyes, and hopefully be as educational as it is enlightening. Just be prepared to cry.
November 25, 2023
Not the last in the series, but the last left for me to read, and wow, the most depressing location yet. Compared to the light and airy tone of the previous books, this one is quite dark and demoralizing, as the bulk of the action takes place with Wilde in prison… and the conditions within the prison are so much worse than I ever imagined. No talking. No appearing out of one’s cell without wearing the prison-required head covering that renders each person anonymous. This book is also the only one (at least that I recall) in which Wilde himself is the narrator, necessitated, of course, by the premise of the book.
But as the book progresses, hope returns to Wilde, and inevitably, the murder mystery’s resolution is revealed. I figured out what happened in the final murder (a first for me in this series) and who Dr. Quilp turned out to be before the reveal, but the book was no less enjoyable to me.
(I’m amused that in one of the addendums, one of the frequently asked questions is, “In which order should I read these books?”… and he basically says the order doesn’t matter.)
But as the book progresses, hope returns to Wilde, and inevitably, the murder mystery’s resolution is revealed. I figured out what happened in the final murder (a first for me in this series) and who Dr. Quilp turned out to be before the reveal, but the book was no less enjoyable to me.
(I’m amused that in one of the addendums, one of the frequently asked questions is, “In which order should I read these books?”… and he basically says the order doesn’t matter.)
May 27, 2017
Gyles Brendreth's Oscar series is fun, its original and gives a good evocation of the time. In most of the books he takes the voice of Robert Sherard, a friend and first biographer of Wilde. He uses the voice of Sherard to create Sherlock Holmes type mysteries with Oscar as the detective. It sounds a bit far fetched, but it works in quite a delightful way. Half the fun is spotting the real Oscar-isms along the way.
In this book, Brandreth takes it one step further and has the audacity to assume Oscar's own voice. Once you forgive him and accept it is the only way to tell the story from inside Reading Gaol, it works quite well but doesn't have the same charm as others in the series.
In this book, Brandreth takes it one step further and has the audacity to assume Oscar's own voice. Once you forgive him and accept it is the only way to tell the story from inside Reading Gaol, it works quite well but doesn't have the same charm as others in the series.
July 6, 2018
This mystery has an even darker tone than the others as it deals with Oscar's imprisonment and although he is trying to work out a series of murders perpetrated during his incarceration there is a feeling he has given up and totally despondent with life and at this period you hear next to nothing of Doyle and Sherard.
A very exciting tale of murders happening in such a confined area but at the same time there is also a sense of hopelessness and bleakness on the part of Oscar who seems to have had to grow up fast in view of the dramatic turn his life has taken.
WHO was it who committed the murders at Reading jail?
Can Oscar ever find out...
A very exciting tale of murders happening in such a confined area but at the same time there is also a sense of hopelessness and bleakness on the part of Oscar who seems to have had to grow up fast in view of the dramatic turn his life has taken.
WHO was it who committed the murders at Reading jail?
Can Oscar ever find out...
June 29, 2018
A library blindfind, hadn't known about the series but the cover caught my attention. I read it on derby vacation in Seattle and it was a lovely travel story - whimsy, grit, lamented passions, investigative intrigue, and stalwart panache. Historically attentive, Brandreth cites sources and provides additional information to the precise locations and texts mentioned in the books which contributed to the immersive environment of the story. I'd read more of the series to be certain. Wild for Wilde
December 13, 2019
There seem to a lot of 4 and 5 star results for this novel. However, I found there were 2 stories here which didn't quite mesh. One is the story of his incarceration and the horrors of the penal system in England in Victorian times. The hypocrisy is all too evident. The way that Wilde dealt with the privations of silence and isolation were worth reading. The other story of the murders are threaded through the main story but feel like a distraction to me.
May 7, 2025
Both entertaining and informative
A great story, and who done it, mystery, laced within a fine insight into prison in the 1900’s. What a horrid regime it was then, to treat people in such a manner. The story gives a vivid description of Oscar’s, and others, experience within the prison system.
This was a change from my usual choice of books, but I was not disappointed and finished it within a few days.
A great story, and who done it, mystery, laced within a fine insight into prison in the 1900’s. What a horrid regime it was then, to treat people in such a manner. The story gives a vivid description of Oscar’s, and others, experience within the prison system.
This was a change from my usual choice of books, but I was not disappointed and finished it within a few days.
November 8, 2019
Oscar Wilde And The Murders At Reading Gaol
While in prison serving two years hard labour after his trial at The Old Bailey, Oscar Wilde is at his lowest. But before long Oscar is investigating murder within the Gaol.
This is another marvellous Oscar Wilde mystery by Giles Brandreth with a twist at the end you will never see coming.
Highly recommended.
While in prison serving two years hard labour after his trial at The Old Bailey, Oscar Wilde is at his lowest. But before long Oscar is investigating murder within the Gaol.
This is another marvellous Oscar Wilde mystery by Giles Brandreth with a twist at the end you will never see coming.
Highly recommended.
April 12, 2020
At first the book to seem very slow spending most of the time on solitude, bad food and no contact with anyone. But the plot was much better when Oscar heard Private Luck whisper to him. Two murdrs take place and the Govenor wants Oscar Wilde to solve them. The story is being told by Wilde to a stranger in Paris after he has served his two years in prison.
June 17, 2023
I think this is the best of the books in this series.
It's written as a first hand account by Oscar Wilde, rather than as if by Robert Sherratt or Arthur Conan-Doyle - and it feels, genuinely like Wilde going through the harsh punishment and privations of imprisonment.
The denouement was rather predictable but it didn't hurt the tale too much and was only clear for the last 70/80 pages.
It's written as a first hand account by Oscar Wilde, rather than as if by Robert Sherratt or Arthur Conan-Doyle - and it feels, genuinely like Wilde going through the harsh punishment and privations of imprisonment.
The denouement was rather predictable but it didn't hurt the tale too much and was only clear for the last 70/80 pages.
May 20, 2024
Not sure how to describe this outing. One thing, for sure, prisoners in England, at least in the 1800s, really did serve time! I wonder how many were repeat offenders?
Because this story dealt with Wilde's incarceration, it was rather bleak, especially as it pertains to his life after his release.
Because this story dealt with Wilde's incarceration, it was rather bleak, especially as it pertains to his life after his release.
September 1, 2017
at first i was like: "how dare u write about Oscar in the first person? what is this? why aren't MY fanfics published with such beautiful - so!! pretty!! - covers?" but then i got over my envy & actually really enjoyed this book. will definitely read the other ones from the series!!
February 28, 2020
This book is grand fun. It gives Wilde something to do while he is serving out his sentence for having a romantic relationship with another man. He is a witness to multiple murders and figures out who did them. The answer is quite shocking; I won't give anything away.
June 23, 2022
This was probably the author's most difficult mystery to slot into the Wilde biography. No Conan Doyle here, just the horrors of the Victorian prison system as Wilde solves a mystery while incarcerated in the jail system that would lead to his early death.
July 30, 2017
This is the second book I've read in this series and I'm so happy to say it didn't disappoint! Beautifully written and keeps you hooked all the way through
June 10, 2018
Oscar Wilde what a geezer.
April 17, 2019
A fitting finale - the best of the set
May 17, 2019
Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Fascinating story, very historical, captivating. Read this very easily and couldn't put it down. Second book by this author and I'm ready for more!!
July 20, 2019
Sad but a completely absorbing story of Wilde's ending years and an interesting fictional story too.
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September 2, 2020Seems as if it may be brilliant, but way too dark for me. Also, it's sixth in the series, and though it seems as if it's fine to skip 2-5, I really don't want to.
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