White Mischief - James Fox

This is the first 'true crime' novel that I have ever read, and I have to say I completely loved it. It investigates the murder of Josslyn Hay - Lord Errol, who was shot in Kenya in 1941. His lover, Diana Broughton was married at the time, and her husband, Jock Delves Broughton was put on trial. Fox starts the novel long before the murder, introducing us to the key players in the story, as well as recreating the lifestyle of the 'Happy Valley' crowd. They were able to live in a much more liberal way than their counterparts back in the UK and thus took full advantage of this by drinking, drug taking and frequent bed hopping. Even without the murder, the love triangles and spats are almost enough to keep you captivated. As the investigation continues more information comes to light, little tidbits found by Fox and Connolly along the way, all serve to solve the classic 'who dunnit?'

Unlike a fiction novel, the characters are real, and so Fox has had to be careful to find out accurate portrayals of each person. Fortunately his research appears to be beyond thorough and so I never felt that I was reading his opinions of people. Josslyn is portrayed as the wealthy, privileged and yet enchanting young man, able to capture the heart of any woman. His conquests, Idina, Molly, Alice de Janze and later Diana are all fascinating, and we are given an insight into each of their lives too. Jock Broughton, who initially appears to be a relaxed older gent becomes more and more suspect and mean as the book investigates him.

In terms of theme, there isn't much to be said, as White Mischief never attempts to be a novel of fiction. Stylistically however, it is beautifully written. Fox creates a clear picture by breaking the novel down into three clear sections of before the murder, the murder and the trial and then the fall out after the trial and things that came to light once it was all over. Before the murder, there is such rich detail that I almost was lulled into thinking it was fiction. Fox paints Kenya very accurately, as well as the colonial view of their little world. The only flaw came at about 3/4 of the way into the book, when it dragged for one or two chapters. I felt like some of the information was just being re hashed and as it is written in a very clear linear way, I wanted to keep taking steps forward. However, it only lasted two chapters and then more information came to light. It is very much a journalistic investigation, and Fox's writing skills coupled with the mysterious murder make White Mischief a gripping read.