This is an excellent first novel by Jed Rubenfeld, a Yale Law School Professor, which keeps you on the edge of your seat right to the end. The twists and turns throughout this book keep you interested in the story from the first word to the last. Even though this is a work of fiction it is actually very loosely based on some events which took place in New York at the same time as Freud’s arrival in America in 1909.
The day after Freud’s arrival the body is discovered of a beautiful debutante in a penthouse apartment. The next day heiress Nora Acton, is found tied up having been viciously attacked and unable to talk about what has happened to her. This novel follows the attempts of Sigmund Freud and American, Stratham Younger, to discover who the murderer is and solve the crime.
This is detective fiction at its best which can easily compete with, and excel against, all works of fiction from the same genre. ‘The Interpretation of Murder’ is a devilishly good read with a really surprising twist at the end. Unlike many other detective novels where you can guess who the murderer is about half way through the book, this novel manages to keep this secret right to the end. You really will not guess who the murderer is or the motive before it is revealed at the end of the book and that for me makes this detective novel the top of its class.
This book will not only appeal to readers of detective fiction, but will also prove to be a popular book amongst readers of historical, psychological and thriller novels at the same time. I would particularly recommend this book to someone who has never read detective fiction or thrillers before. Once you’ve read this you’ll want to read more novels from this genre, that I can guarantee.
I hope Jed Rubenfeld will go on to write more works of fiction as good as this in the future. If he does, I will definitely be first in the queue to buy his next book.