Product Description

Just before 3am on January 24th, 1941, when Britain was preoccupied with surviving the Blitz, the body of Josslyn Hay, Earl of Erroll, was discovered lying on the floor of his Buick, at a road intersection some miles outside Nairobi, with a bullet in his head. A leading figure in Kenya's colonial community, he had recently been appointed Military Secretary, but he was primarily a seducer of other men's wives. Sir Henry Delves Broughton, whose wife was Erroll's current conquest, had an obvious motive for the murder, but no one was ever convicted and the question of who killed him became a classic mystery, a scandel and cause celebre. Among those who became fascinated with the Erroll case was Cyril Connolly. He joined up with James Fox for a major investigation of the case in 1969 for the SUNDAY TIMES magazine. After his death James Fox inherited the obsession and a commitment to continue in pursuit of the story both in England and Kenya in the late 1970s. One day, on a veranda overlooking the Indian Ocean, Fox came across a piece of evidence that seemed to bring all the fragments and pieces together and convinced him that he saw a complete picture.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #78703 in Books
• Published on: 1998-02-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

From the Back Cover
A story which is as compelling and violent as a thriller, but which also happens to be one of the most dazzling feats of reportage in recent years' Time Out

When the body of Josslyn Hay, 22nd Earl of Erroll, was discovered with a bullet through his handsome head just outside Nairobi in January 1941, the resulting scandal revealed a hornets' nest of upper-class decadence and misbehaviour.
'It is a measure of James Fox's remarkable achievement that in White Mischief he not only produces an impeccably researched and lucidly written "last word" on this notorious case but also brings these astonishing people and their perplexed lives so vividly and compellingly to life' William Boyd
'A fascinating piece of investigative reporting that possesses all the resonance of a social history and the drama of a good mystery...[and] a narrative strategy that allows the reader the excitement of watching a tenacious reporter piece together the truth' New York Times

'Leave P.D. James on the shelf, tuck Dick Francis away in the saddlebag, James Fox's investigation has everything you look for in a thriller' The Economist

About the Author
James Fox was born in Washington DC in 1945 and educated in England. He worked as a journalist in Africa and then in England, for the Sunday Times and the Observer, and has written for numerous other publications. White Mischief was made into a movie starring Greta Scacchi and Charles Dance.

Customer Reviews

Brilliant and shocking
This book is an absolute eye-opener for those who are keen on learning more about colonial Africa. To read how the upper class settlers behaved and lived some 60 years ago is definitely stunning in it's vulgarity. This you do not usually read about! But wait, there's even more: it's also a first class detective story. Not the usual John Grisham kind, but factional. Deep investigative work. Autobiographical. I'll gladly admit I read it all in one weekend and enjoyed myself thoroughly. Buy it!

Very interesting account of a fascinating mystery
Fox's account of the decadent life and premature death of Josslyn Hay, Lord Erroll, makes fascinating reading, particularly if one has an interest in colonial Africa. While not necessarily the most flowing account of a complicated situation, it shed useful light on the mystery of Lord Erroll's death. Anyone who is interested in the case should also read "The Life and Death of Lord Erroll" by Errol Trzebinski, which puts a completely new spin on the mystery and contradicts the conclusions reached by Fox.

An intriguing true-life murder mystery.
I found this book of particular interest since I lived in Kenya briefly, and am familiar with many of the locations mentioned. Even for those who have never been to Africa, this book is a definite page turner, especially since it is fact, not fiction.