The Art of the English Murder

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