The Oscar Wilde Murder Mysteries

On the 30th August 1889, a very auspicious dinner was held. It was an event to discuss forthcoming material for Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, and among the diners were two of the most acclaimed writers of the forthcoming decade, if not the century. One was Arthur Conan Doyle, who contributed his second novel featuring Sherlock Holmes, 'The Sign of the Four'. In only a few years, Sherlock Holmes would become a household name. As would another writer, but for very different reasons: also attending was Oscar Wilde - the Irish poet, playwright, and personality, later writing 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'.

This meeting provides the incredible conceit behind Gyles Brandreth's ongoing series of novels: what if Oscar Wilde, one of the greatest minds of the age, had investigated murders and crimes, in the style of Sherlock Holmes - together with Conan Doyle (and others) as Watson?

What makes the series far more convincing than you might have first thought, is the level of research. Brandreth - a self confessed Wilde afficiando - plunges you into the time of the 1890s, complete with an array of colourful characters, most of which are real people. Due to Oscar's social standing, he mixes with princes, with acclaimed actresses, and with writers like Bram Stoker - yes, he really did know the man who came to write 'Dracula'. And he captures the vibrant wit and voice of the main character, without reducing him to an endless stream of epigrams and quotes from his plays - at times, delving into Oscar's complex morality and conscience. This grey area chimes well with the dark and shady practices that the books are (entertainingly!) full of - the crimes and corruption that form the 'murder mysteries'.

So far, there are six books in the series - and happily, they can be read in any order. Each is set in a clear place and point in Oscar's life- there's a highly researched picture of London as Oscar would have known it, as well as trips to Italy, and his time spent in Paris, back when he first became famous.

The latest book, published late last year, tackles Oscar's darkest period - the two years of imprisonment, spent in Reading Gaol.
Unlike most of the other books, here there is no Watson figure. It was a time when Oscar found himself cut off from his old way of life, and his old friends, and so rightly it has a very different feel to the rest of the series. Gyles Brandreth takes perhaps a risky approach, by telling the story from Oscar's point of view. He narrates his time spent there, and so we hear of his thoughts and feelings. That this approach is successful, shows what a clear voice the author has shaped throughout the books - that he can get into his mind, and eloquently express the trials and anguish of prison life.

It's a very accomplished book, and like the others in the series, a very good murder mystery indeed. Like the best of them, it keeps you guessing, with a cast of suspicious suspects - although, it's probably best to discount those characters that you know really existed!
In a way, the concrete grounding in fact is the series's weakness. Some of the books feel more researched than others, or having more of a historical basis. They say you should never let the facts get in the way of a good story - although the investigations and murders themselves are fictional (hopefully!), a few of the suspects and cameos are minor celebrities, which can upset the deductive process - where anybody might be the killer!
Nevertheless, there have been a few occasions - including with this book, Oscar Wilde and the Murders at Reading Gaol - just how historically accurate they are. I naively assumed that much of the book, with the inner workings of the prison, with its harsh rules and wardens, were fictionalised, by the author reading between the lines, but no - using detailed accounts from the past, with various documents and testimonies, Gyles Brandreth was able to recreate this dark period of Oscar's life with a high level of detail - that it was so readable does him credit.

 The inside cover of the latest novel provides a final delight - an adaptation of the series could be on the cards, produced with the BBC and also Sprout Pictures, part-owned by a certain Stephen Fry... that would be truly exquisite!