Bestselling author Kate Summerscale to give lecture on Detecting Victorian Crime at Leicester

Author of the bestselling The Suspicions of Mr Whicher Kate Summerscale will give the annual Victorian Studies Centre lecture at the University of Leicester on 6 December.

The lecture, entitled ‘Detecting Victorian Crime’, will delve into the Victorian period’s fascination with the detective figure.

During the talk, Kate will discuss how she researches and writes her award-winning books. Her bestselling work The Suspicions of Mr Whicher is based on a real-life crime, the murder of a child investigated by Jack Whicher- one of the founding detectives of Scotland Yard.

In 2011 The Suspicions of Mr Whicher was adapted for television by Hat Trick Productions, and inspired three further fictional dramas about Jack Whicher’s investigations on ITV.

The lecture will commence at 5.15 pm in the University of Leicester’s Peter Williams Lecture Theatre, followed by a wine reception. The free lecture is open to graduates, students, staff and members of the public.

Gowan Dawson, Professor of Victorian Literature and Culture, and Director of the Victorian Studies Centre, said: “Kate Summerscale’s award-winning books brilliantly capture the atmosphere of the Victorian period, especially its crimes, transgressions and hidden secrets.  The Suspicions of Mr Whicher in particular has caught the imaginations of millions of readers and television viewers, and the Victorian Studies Centre’s annual lecture is a wonderful opportunity to hear this acclaimed author speak about her work and her fascination with the Victorians.”