Kate Summerscale

Kate Summerscale
Born (1965-09-02) 2 September 1965 (age 59)
London, England
OccupationWriter and journalist
Alma materUniversity of Oxford, Stanford University
Notable worksThe Suspicions of Mr Whicher or The Murder at Road Hill House
Website
www.katesummerscale.com

Kate Summerscale (born 2 September 1965)[1] is an English writer and journalist. She is best known for the bestselling narrative nonfiction books The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, which was made into a television drama, The Wicked Boy and The Haunting of Alma Fielding. She has won a number of literary prizes, including the Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction in 2008.

Biography

Summerscale was brought up in Japan, England and Chile. After attending Bedales School (1978–1983), she took a double-first at Oxford University and an MA in journalism from Stanford University.[2] She lives in London with her son.[3]

Writing

She is the author of The Suspicions of Mr Whicher or The Murder at Road Hill House,[4] based on a real-life crime committed by Constance Kent and investigated by Jack Whicher, a book described in Literary Review as an altogether "deft 21st-century piece of cultural detection" which won the Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction in 2008.[5] Summerscale also wrote the bestselling The Queen of Whale Cay, about Joe Carstairs, "fastest woman on water", which won a Somerset Maugham Award in 1998 and was shortlisted for the 1997 Whitbread Awards for biography. Her book on Whicher inspired the 2011–2014 ITV drama series, The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, written by Helen Edmundson.[6]

She worked for The Independent and from 1995 to 1996 she wrote and edited obituaries for The Daily Telegraph.[7] She also worked as literary editor of The Daily Telegraph.[8][9] Her articles have appeared in The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Telegraph.[10]

She has also judged various literary competitions including the Booker Prize in 2001.[11]

The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place was published in October 2024.[12] In a piece she wrote for the Guardian, Summerscale said she found chilling resonances between the murders at 10 Rillington Place and modern events.[13]

Television adaptations

The Suspicions of Mr Whicher was turned into a hit ITV drama in 2011, running for two seasons. It starred Paddy Considine and Peter Capaldi and was adapted by Neil McKay and Helen Edmundson.[14] The Haunting of Alma Fielding is being developed as a limited series by Charlotte Stoudt and Minkie Spiro, of New Pictures, who also made Fosse/Verdon.[15]

Awards and prizes

Bibliography

  • The Queen of Whale Cay, Fourth Estate, August 1997
  • The Suspicions of Mr Whicher or The Murder at Road Hill House, Bloomsbury, April 2008
  • Mrs Robinson's Disgrace (2012)
  • The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer (29 Apr 2016)
  • The Haunting of Alma Fielding: A True Ghost Story (2020)
  • The Book of Phobias and Manias, Profile Books, October 2022[21]
  • The Peepshow: The Murders at 10 Rillington Place, Bloomsbury, October 2024[22]

References

  1. ^ "Birthdays". Journal. The Guardian. 2 September 2023. p. 9.
  2. ^ Whalecay.net Archived 28 June 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Bloomsbury page on Kate Summerscale". Bloomsbury.com. Archived from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  4. ^ Kate Summerscale: the perfect crime story, The Daily Telegraph, Sarah Crompton, 21 July 2008
  5. ^ Lycett, Andrew (April 2008). "Day of the Detective". Literary Review.
  6. ^ "Press Releases".
  7. ^ "Harperperennial.co.uk". Harperperennial.co.uk. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  8. ^ Kate Summerscale wins Samuel Johnson Prize[dead link‍]
  9. ^ "Q & A with Kate Summerscale". Blogs.raincoast.com. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  10. ^ "Kate Summserscale's articles at". Journalisted.com. Archived from the original on 19 February 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  11. ^ "The Man Booker Prize 2001". themanbookerprize.com. Retrieved 28 November 2016.
  12. ^ "Bloomsbury buys Kate Summerscale title on the Rillington Place murders". The Bookseller. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  13. ^ Summerscale, Kate (5 October 2024). "'The facts of the case were so disturbing': Kate Summerscale on our obsession with true crime". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  14. ^ Crace, John (25 April 2011). "TV review: The Suspicions of Mr Whicher; Miracles for Sale". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  15. ^ Ritman, Alex (15 February 2021). "'Fosse/Verdon' Writer, Director Reunite for 'Haunting of Alma Fielding' TV Adaptation". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  16. ^ a b c "The Samuel Johnson Prize 2008". thebailliegiffordprize.co.uk. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  17. ^ "Bouchercon World Mystery Convention : Anthony Awards Nominees". Bouchercon.info. 2 October 2003. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 28 February 2012.
  18. ^ "Royal Society of Literature All Fellows". Royal Society of Literature. Archived from the original on 5 March 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  19. ^ "Edgar Allan Poe winners" (PDF). theedgars.com. Retrieved 17 May 2017.
  20. ^ "The Baillie Gifford Prize 2020 shortlist announced". The Baillie Gifford Prize.
  21. ^ "The Book of Phobias and Manias - Profile Books".
  22. ^ "Bloomsbury buys Kate Summerscale title on the Rillington Place murders". The Bookseller. Retrieved 11 June 2024.