White Mischief The Murder of Lord Erroll - A True Story of Aristocracy, Alcohol and Adultery

 

This true story was first published in 1982 and made into a movie in 1987. The story is about the unsolved murder of Lord Erroll in 1941 in Kenya. At the time, it was well known that the area of Happy Valley in Kenya was a most decadent place to spend time, one of lavish parties where usual societal limitations were flaunted. Essentially, it was a place of refuse for the ultra rich members of the British aristocracy who were often castoffs from the staid life expected of those living in the homeland. Alcohol and other drugs were the order of the day, and this type of lifestyle existed from the beginning of the 20th century until the murder of Lord Erroll and the start of WWII. 

The first part of the book was essentially a tale of the widespread debauchery, who was having sex with whom, who was divorcing whom, who was remarrying, who was getting drunker than others, who was using cocaine and morphine, etc. Josslyn Hay, the 22nd Earl of Erroll, was 39 years old at the time his murder, and he had been among the most outrageous of who were living their lives in Happy Valley. He was only interested in having sex with married women, and there were many who chose to share his bed with him. Diana Caldwell, a most beautiful woman, was married to Delves Broughton, an exceedingly wealthy man. This was the second marriage for both, and Diana was already known to being willing to sleep with lots of different men, both during her first marriage and after her divorce. Broughton seemed to be willing to tolerate her indiscretions, at least until she fell in love with the Earl, a most handsome and charismatic character.

To make a long and complex story shorter, Late one night, the Earl was shot in the head, and all evidence suggested in was Boughton that had done the deed. There was a trial, and the defendant's attorney, an expert in ballistics, convinced the jury that Boughton could not have pulled the trigger. (This really sounds like the OJ Simpson trial of that era.) No one else was ever charged with the crime. However, the murder and trial were sensational and were covered in worldwide news.

I ran across this book as I was searching for stories about East Africa. The murder and trial, as well as the hedonistic lifestyle in Happy Valley were all mentioned in at least three of the nonfiction books that I have already reviewed. I did not find this book to be particularly good. Rather, it read like a cheap soap opera, and then I began scanning pages rather than reading them carefully. I do not recommend it.