Seeking Mr Hare

by Maurice Leitch

This is a masterful and highly entertaining novel from the winner of the Guardian Book Prize and the Whitbread Prize. On the 7th of February 1829 the notorious Irish mass murderer and 'resurrectionist' William Hare (of Burke and Hare infamy) was freed from a Scottish gaol, put on a coach to Carlisle, left on the roadside there and subsequently disappeared from human view as if he had never existed. His fellow conspirator and provider of fresh 'meat' for the Edinburgh surgeons' operating tables had earlier been hanged, but fearing the mob's vengeance, the authorities had freed Hare hoping he would vanish for ever, little knowing that his name along with the nature of his terrible crimes would reverberate and live on even if his subsequent history did not. Seeking Mr Hare takes up the story where our pariah flees his past through the Northern English countryside and finally across to Ireland. Joining forces with Hannah, a young mute farm-girl, on the way, the pair travel from one adventure in survival to the next, all the while pursued by Percy Speed, a retired London enquiry agent hired by his noble employer to track down a life-mask of Hare for his private cabinet of curiosities. However when Lord Beckford loses interest in the quest, Speed doggedly carries on, determined to come face to face with his cunning and elusive quarry, no matter what the quest costs and where it leads him.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Irish Literature

312 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 2013

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author Maurice Leitch has cleverly woven his story, using a mix of fact and fiction, in this entertaining and atmospheric historical novel. The story begins in Calton Jail, Edinburgh, 1828, where Willie Burke and William Hare stand on trial for obtaining bodies for medical research; often dispatching the living to suit their purposes. From the start, it is obvious that both men are seen as notorious curiosities - a death mask is made of Burke and a life mask of Hare. For Hare is to escape the gallows and finally finds himself left on the roadside; penniless and homeless but, as he muses, it is "better to be a live nobody than a dead somebody."

Meanwhile, former Detective Percival Speed and former prizefighter Jack Slack are in Edinburgh to obtain items for their patron, Lord Beckford of Bath, whose collection and passion is centred on crime. Having obtained the masks made of the two notorious murderers, Lord Bath asks Speed to track down the man himself. This leads to a cat and mouse game, as we follow both the adventures of Hare and the journey of Speed, as he tries to track him down. Along the way, Hare meets up with a young, mute girl and Speed has various encounters, including the notorious opium-eater Thomas De Quincey. From travelling circuses, remote farmhouses, out of England and across Ireland, the author always manages to give a good sense of place and his characters are authentic and well rounded. If you enjoy historical fiction, with a twist of mystery, this will certainly appeal to you.

[Kristiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the writing of Seeking Mr Hare, Leitch clearly proves why he has been a worthy winner of the Whitbread Prize. Well paced, pithy and an indictment of the time in which it is set, Leitch follows William Hare, on the run from his notorious past whilst he is unknowingly pursued by Percival Speed, an ex-policeman with a penchant for studying the criminal mind.

Despite the quick movement from place to place, Leitch captures the sin and debauchery of inner city slums in Scotland, England and Ireland as well as the hypocrisy of the upper classes throughout all three countries.

However, the plot itself is lacking. From the start, we note that the law itself has allowed Hare to flee. Therefore, in the eyes of the law, Speed’s pursuit of the rumoured body snatcher is futile. And without spoiling anything, it remains futile from beginning to end.

Leitch provides no cartharsis. Even when we know Hare cannot be touched, we hope for his escape from Speed, only for it to be left as a loose end just like Speed himself. Perhaps, this is the point. Perhaps, Seeking Mr Hare is a comment on the failure of justice in this historical period.

Thus, I am not prepared to write this novel off as mediocre as Leitch’s writing is far from pedestrian. All I will say is that I enjoyed it for a time but soon wished for it to end, only for that end to fall incredibly flat.

[Éowyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've not read anything by Maurice Leitch before, but like most people I've heard of Burke & Hare, so thought this would be worth a read.

Overall it was very well written. As well as the historical Mr Hare, Thomas de Quincey (Confessions of An English Opium Eater) makes an appearance. The novel starts with Hare still held in gaol and we see him turn King's Evidence and be allowed to go free while his partner in crime (pun intended!) goes to the gallows. A plaster cast is taken of Hare's head and a phrenologist has a good feel of his skull!

Being somewhat notorious and with many people being outraged with his perceived escape from justice, Hare has some difficulty in getting away and he has little money and few possessions to his name.

So much for Hare's half of the narrative. His account is interspersed with chapters in the form of letters or journal entries from Mr Speed, a former police detective. He had been charged by a Lord with an interest in science and criminology to track Hare down. This is the weak point for me - I don't quite understand why. Hare was imprisoned while the trial was going on, so why is it only after he is released he has to be tracked down. What is Speed supposed to do for him employer if and when he catches up with Hare? What exact;y does he want to know? This isn't clear to me and so the book as a whole rather loses its point. I can't say much more as it will end up spoiling things, but the ending did seem very anti-climactic to me.

[Keith Currie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maurice Leitch is a fine novelist, but I do admit to being very surprised by this novel. Firstly, I have come across nothing by him since the early 1990s and am surprised he is alive, let alone publishing new books. Secondly I am surprised by this novel, a picaresque story set in Scotland, Cumbria and Ulster in the early 1800s. Leitch has based all his previous books in a time period running from the Second World War (The Smoke King) through the 1950s and 60s to the Northern Ireland Troubles in the 1980s (Silver's City). Seeking Mr Hare is quite a departure. Yes, the old stamping ground of Belfast and south Antrim make strong appearances, as well as assorted rogues, especially hypocritical priests and clergymen. But here is an episodic and often funny book, centred on the misadventures of an historical murderer, one half of the Burke and Hare team, after his period of infamy. A young mute woman, Hannah, more than his equal in perfidy, links up with him and they in turn are hunted by a retired policeman and his bare-knuckle boxer associate, who also happens to be fanatically religious. As usual with Leitch, there is a convincing sense of time and place. He is especially good on Belfast with its squalor, factories, devil-may-care citizenry and casual sectarianism. There is a lot of fun here and the novel never drags, but I was left wondering, what was the point of it all?

[Sid Nuncius · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting to enjoy this book very much. Maurice Leitch is a very good writer and it sounded like my kind of thing - a well written historical novel based on good research. Sadly, although it was well written and researched, it failed to engross me and I found it rather dull in quite large parts.

Leitch creates two very believable narrators in William Hare, the murderer and partner of William Burke, and Percival Speed the detective on his trail. Hare is violent and conscienceless but constrained by caution (and sometimes by lust) and is very well painted. Speed is less interesting as a character but still an interesting voice and commentator on the times. For the first hundred pages or so this was enough to keep me going, but I have to say that I just got a bit bored as the narrative carried on, and on, and on with things happening but little in the way of real development or tension. In truth, I ended up skimming sections (which is something I rarely do) and found that I had seldom missed much when I began to read in detail again.

Others have plainly enjoyed this book far more than I did, and for the reasons I expected to, so don't let me put you off - it may just be me. However, I found it all a bit of a slog and can only give it a lukewarm recommendation.

[Allen Mechen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read. Characters were interesting but could have had more back story and development. More of a fizz than a bang but very well written. I could certainly see potential for another book if the author would warrant another adventure. Not giving the finale away I was left with "I wonder what could have happened if?" 3 out of 5 stars for me

[Jane Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Two first-person narratives intertwined as William Hare travels to escape recognition for his notoriety, and Percy Speed tries to track him down, first at the behest of a Lord and then as a personal obsession. But there isn't really a plot, and the story just fizzles out.

[Michael Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting idea, well written, but ran out of steam a bit-if I had been seeking Mr Hare I would have given up long before the end!

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting characters but the writer seemed to struggle with where to go with the story.