Damn His Blood

This book is about a true story of a parson murdered in 1806 and the investigation into that murder. But it's so much more than that - it gives a really good insight into village life at that time and the tight bonds between villagers and the power employers had over their employees. The explanations of how investigations worked before police forces were established were really interesting. There was just the right amount of detail to give an authentic feel for the times but it never spoilt the telling of the main story, which was also fascinating.

This book was compared to the 'Suspicions of Mr Whicher', which I found an excellent book, and I don't think 'Damn his Blood' comes close. It could be just that you don't empathise as greatly with the people concerned or that there is no great twist in respect of the original murder. I just found it dragged a bit.

As a general rule I enjoy crime stories and am also a keen historian so I thought this would hit the spot. A couple of hours in and I ceased to care who did or said what to whom... Not I think the authors fault, as he has done his best to convey the time and place, it was just the characters did not endear themselves to me. I'm afraid this is another one that I feel life is too short to waste my time finishing.

The cover shows it all - historical crime, black deeds and thick red blood. It was recommended to me as an interesting portrait of rural life at the start of the nineteenth century, and it does indeed give a picture of a little-known world, the countryside just beginning to be affected by the changes of the revolutions, industrial and French (both are mentioned). The book is already on the melodramatic side, and this is intensified - in my opinion too much - by the eccentric reading. Hardly ever is the tone neutral, even for the most objective or mundane facts. Everything is menacing, given bizarre emphasis, playing to the full the possibilities of the book. If you can ignore the overemphasis, it's quite enjoyable and informative, and yes, there is plenty of plot!