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ewil6681's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
heidig's review against another edition
3.0
Investigator Charles Maddox returns in a compelling story that blends Dracula and Vampire lore with a Ripper like serial killer. Maddox is on his own, an outcast from the police force, and acting as an agent for Oxford's Bodleian Library. A creepy Austrian Baron wants to donate a significant amount of books and papers to the Ashmole Collection and Maddox is sent to the Continent to see if both Baron Von Reichenberg and his collection are legit. The travel and inspection are perilous and Maddox finds himself critically injured and banished to an asylum while he is incoherent and unable to resist. Maddox's eventual return to London reunites him with his old police dept. colleagues as they request his assistance in solving a string of murders that appear to be connected to the inhospitable Baron Von Reisenberg.
This is a fast paced novel that combines vampiric and Ripper themes with emerging mid- 19th century scientific study and the perverse pseudo scientific and the popular culture practices of phantasmagoria, spiritualism, "rapping" and influence machines. It's a terrific combination with an excellent plot twist at the end. Fans of Shepherd's previous Maddox work will approve!
This is a fast paced novel that combines vampiric and Ripper themes with emerging mid- 19th century scientific study and the perverse pseudo scientific and the popular culture practices of phantasmagoria, spiritualism, "rapping" and influence machines. It's a terrific combination with an excellent plot twist at the end. Fans of Shepherd's previous Maddox work will approve!
biblioholicbeth's review against another edition
2.0
Vampires have been part of various cultures for centuries - from evil, vicious creatures to the more current shiny, misunderstood things...they have been just as difficult to kill in literature as they are reputed to be in the various stories whispered in the dark in countries all over the world. 'The Pierced Heart' takes on these blood-thirsty savages, but with a scientific twist and an ethical question - is it ever OK to use and abuse the unwitting to advance a scientific theory?
This is the second book in the series featuring Charles Maddox that I have read. Frankly, I wasn't quite as impressed with this one. It seemed to bounce all over the place, and a little too much went unexplained. I won't leave any spoilers here (I *detest* spoilers!), so if my review is a big vague, I apologize.
While this could be read as a stand-alone novel, there is some history within based on the prior books that would make it easier to figure out where Maddox is coming from.
This is the second book in the series featuring Charles Maddox that I have read. Frankly, I wasn't quite as impressed with this one. It seemed to bounce all over the place, and a little too much went unexplained. I won't leave any spoilers here (I *detest* spoilers!), so if my review is a big vague, I apologize.
While this could be read as a stand-alone novel, there is some history within based on the prior books that would make it easier to figure out where Maddox is coming from.
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