Intermingling of actual historical figures & fictional characters and a murder plot set in 19th century Victorian era for a storyline makes this book an extremely interesting read. As is apparent from the title, the central characters in "The Interpretation of Murder" are on a chase to nab the culprit behind heinous murders by interpreting these murders using their own logic and theories.
The story has a bunch of legendary figures in the field of Psychology, Dr. Sigmund Freud and his rival & protege , Carl Jung as its pivotal characters. Dr. Freud and his disciples arrive in New York in 1909 where Dr. Freud plans to deliver lectures concerning Clinical Psychology but instead they get enlisted to find the person responsible for a series of murders in New York City. A woman from New York’s high profile society is found bound and strangled in her penthouse apartment and another beautiful heiress, Nora Acton, is discovered tied to a chandelier in her home ,alive, but viciously wounded . She is in a state of shock and has lost her speech and her memory, incapable of remembering her ordeal. It falls on Dr. Freud and his assistant, Stratham Younger, to help Nora regain her memory and to piece together the killer’s identity by using psychological means.
Ms. Acton turns out to be a tricky affair for the amateur Mr. Younger .The girl regains her speech but is unable to recover her memory completely. But there’s more than meets the eye. Ms. Acton turns out to be a mysterious girl with strange ideas of about life which the young psychologist finds irritating. Mr. Younger is unable to extract anything useful from the girl but feels that the girl is withholding some vital information about the killer’s identity. All this time, Dr. Freud remains in the background acting as a mentor to his young assistant.
The New York Police Department is also investigating this case by trying to find physical evidences that will help them catch the culprit. But the Mayor of the city is hell bent on keeping the investigation a low key affair because the main suspect turns out to be a rich and respected member of the New York’s high profile society. A police detective, determined to crack his first major case and to make a name for himself, continues his investigation against all odds.
Meanwhile, the dead woman’s corpse disappears from the city morgue making the case more mysterious. The Young Psychologist and the Police detective embark on a journey to find the killer. The psychologist using scientific methods to gauge the killer’s identity and the detective searching for hard evidences to link the suspect with the scene of crime. They criss-cross each other several times during the investigation, exchanging their information, ultimately nabbing the killer, together. A bunch of other characters get involved in this journey giving the story lots of twists and turns. Dr. Freud and Carl Jung do get involved in the case by providing their insights on the murders.
Though it is a work of fiction, "The Interpretation of Murder" is historically accurate. Freud and Jung did visit US during 1909 for a week to deliver lectures. The science of Psychology was in its infancy during those days and Freud and Jung were considered as pioneer researchers in this field. The 19th Century Victorian era is very well described in the book. The story is quick paced and one thing worth mentioning about is when Freud and his peers discuss various cases involving psychology, which is very intriguing. But some of the discussions are difficult to comprehend unless you are a psychology student, like the explanation given by Freud concerning the famous Shakespearean quote ‘To be or not to be is the question’ and the Oedipus Complex in Psychology. So overall, if you want to go on a thriller ride with lots of suspense involved, "The Interpretation of Murder" is a must read.
Name : The Interpretation of Murder
Author : Jed Rubenfeld
Pages : 529
Cost : Rs. 295
Available at all leading book stores
Ms. Acton turns out to be a tricky affair for the amateur Mr. Younger .The girl regains her speech but is unable to recover her memory completely. But there’s more than meets the eye. Ms. Acton turns out to be a mysterious girl with strange ideas of about life which the young psychologist finds irritating. Mr. Younger is unable to extract anything useful from the girl but feels that the girl is withholding some vital information about the killer’s identity. All this time, Dr. Freud remains in the background acting as a mentor to his young assistant.
The New York Police Department is also investigating this case by trying to find physical evidences that will help them catch the culprit. But the Mayor of the city is hell bent on keeping the investigation a low key affair because the main suspect turns out to be a rich and respected member of the New York’s high profile society. A police detective, determined to crack his first major case and to make a name for himself, continues his investigation against all odds.
Meanwhile, the dead woman’s corpse disappears from the city morgue making the case more mysterious. The Young Psychologist and the Police detective embark on a journey to find the killer. The psychologist using scientific methods to gauge the killer’s identity and the detective searching for hard evidences to link the suspect with the scene of crime. They criss-cross each other several times during the investigation, exchanging their information, ultimately nabbing the killer, together. A bunch of other characters get involved in this journey giving the story lots of twists and turns. Dr. Freud and Carl Jung do get involved in the case by providing their insights on the murders.
Though it is a work of fiction, "The Interpretation of Murder" is historically accurate. Freud and Jung did visit US during 1909 for a week to deliver lectures. The science of Psychology was in its infancy during those days and Freud and Jung were considered as pioneer researchers in this field. The 19th Century Victorian era is very well described in the book. The story is quick paced and one thing worth mentioning about is when Freud and his peers discuss various cases involving psychology, which is very intriguing. But some of the discussions are difficult to comprehend unless you are a psychology student, like the explanation given by Freud concerning the famous Shakespearean quote ‘To be or not to be is the question’ and the Oedipus Complex in Psychology. So overall, if you want to go on a thriller ride with lots of suspense involved, "The Interpretation of Murder" is a must read.
Name : The Interpretation of Murder
Author : Jed Rubenfeld
Pages : 529
Cost : Rs. 295
Available at all leading book stores
Review by : Abhijit Ranade
