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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
See my other reviews at Never Enough Books
Mayhem brings us to London in the late 1800’s. Jack the Ripper has the city on edge as he slashes his way through Whitechapel. Scotland Yard has their hands full trying to catch him when another mass murderer arrives on the scene. Dubbed ‘The Torso Killer’ he has a habit of leaving neatly wrapped parcels containing his victims’ body parts – minus the heads. The spike in gruesome crimes has left Dr. Thomas Bond, the highly regarded surgeon working with Scotland Yard, unable to sleep. Opium offers some respite but his increasing need for the drug begins to bother the good doctor.
It is during one of his nightly trips to the seedier side of London that Dr. Bond encounters a mysterious priest who seems to be on his own search for something – or perhaps someone. At first the doctor rejects the priests theories about the Torso Killer as they are an affront to science and everything the doctor holds dear. It is only as time goes on and the body count continues to rise does Dr. Bond begin to wonder if perhaps the priest isn’t mistaken at all. And perhaps Dr. Bond knows the true identity of the Torso Killer.
Mayhem is a fascinating tale in that it is all based on real events. While I admit to being a fan of Victorian England and familiar with the Jack the Ripper killings, I had never heard of the Torso Killer. A bit of research showed me that they were indeed a real person and their killings occurred around the same time as Jack the Ripper. Further research showed me that characters in the novel (Dr. Bond, Inspector Moore, etc.) were also real people and were all involved with the Jack the Ripper and the Torso Killer cases. A bit of dramatic license was used, especially in regards to the culprit and how they were involved, but the majority of the story is taken from actual events and actual police reports.
Reviews on Amazon are mixed but honestly, I ripped through this book (pun intended). Dramatic and tense, I found it a real nail biter up to the end. At times quite gruesome it is not for the faint of heart. Those however who love a good horror should definitely pick this one up.
Mayhem brings us to London in the late 1800’s. Jack the Ripper has the city on edge as he slashes his way through Whitechapel. Scotland Yard has their hands full trying to catch him when another mass murderer arrives on the scene. Dubbed ‘The Torso Killer’ he has a habit of leaving neatly wrapped parcels containing his victims’ body parts – minus the heads. The spike in gruesome crimes has left Dr. Thomas Bond, the highly regarded surgeon working with Scotland Yard, unable to sleep. Opium offers some respite but his increasing need for the drug begins to bother the good doctor.
It is during one of his nightly trips to the seedier side of London that Dr. Bond encounters a mysterious priest who seems to be on his own search for something – or perhaps someone. At first the doctor rejects the priests theories about the Torso Killer as they are an affront to science and everything the doctor holds dear. It is only as time goes on and the body count continues to rise does Dr. Bond begin to wonder if perhaps the priest isn’t mistaken at all. And perhaps Dr. Bond knows the true identity of the Torso Killer.
Mayhem is a fascinating tale in that it is all based on real events. While I admit to being a fan of Victorian England and familiar with the Jack the Ripper killings, I had never heard of the Torso Killer. A bit of research showed me that they were indeed a real person and their killings occurred around the same time as Jack the Ripper. Further research showed me that characters in the novel (Dr. Bond, Inspector Moore, etc.) were also real people and were all involved with the Jack the Ripper and the Torso Killer cases. A bit of dramatic license was used, especially in regards to the culprit and how they were involved, but the majority of the story is taken from actual events and actual police reports.
Reviews on Amazon are mixed but honestly, I ripped through this book (pun intended). Dramatic and tense, I found it a real nail biter up to the end. At times quite gruesome it is not for the faint of heart. Those however who love a good horror should definitely pick this one up.
(I picked up an ARC from work.) 1888 London: the Torso Killer,a Jack the Ripper-esque murderer, is reeking havoc on the city. Police surgeon Dr. Bond grows more and more wary as the murders pile up, and turns to opium to calm his mind. While in the dens, he comes across a mysterious priest who believes the murders are not entirely human. What starts out as a mystery morphs into a supernatural thriller. Moody, atmospheric, and creepy, the author does a great job of blending the two genres. My only complaint is that I thought it ended a bit too abruptly.
Mayhem - what happens when there are too many narrative voices.
There was a lot to like here: who doesn't love a Jack the Ripper era thriller? The time period comes through especially strong, I thought. The storyline is pretty straight forward, as is the pacing. Unlike other thrillers, the final confrontation, once it happens, doesn't go pear-shaped or have to be continued. When the characters reach that point, they take care of business -- a nice break from current trends.
My issues lies with the chapters changing perspectives -- Dr. Bond, the Polish immigrant, James Harrington, a random English traveler in Italy named Edward, each of the victims. While I understand the idea of each contributing part of the overall story, that's not really what I saw happening there. Additionally, the voices weren't different enough to interest me as characters. Oh, and the inserted newspaper articles...
I'm usually a character reader, but in this case, it was the plot that got me -- got me good enough I didn't put it down.
There was a lot to like here: who doesn't love a Jack the Ripper era thriller? The time period comes through especially strong, I thought. The storyline is pretty straight forward, as is the pacing. Unlike other thrillers, the final confrontation, once it happens, doesn't go pear-shaped or have to be continued. When the characters reach that point, they take care of business -- a nice break from current trends.
My issues lies with the chapters changing perspectives -- Dr. Bond, the Polish immigrant, James Harrington, a random English traveler in Italy named Edward, each of the victims. While I understand the idea of each contributing part of the overall story, that's not really what I saw happening there. Additionally, the voices weren't different enough to interest me as characters. Oh, and the inserted newspaper articles...
I'm usually a character reader, but in this case, it was the plot that got me -- got me good enough I didn't put it down.
This was a LONG read for me. Part of it is not the fault of the book, but more that I've been listening to more books than reading; this was also not available on the kindle (at least through my library), so I could only read it on my phone or computer. But, it just didn't grab me. I had recently watched Ripper Street and another Jack-the-Ripper-era book ([b:The Yard|13056152|The Yard (Scotland Yard's Murder Squad, #1)|Alex Grecian|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327151978l/13056152._SY75_.jpg|18221243] and [b:The Blue Girl|18038937|The Blue Girl (Scotland Yard's Murder Squad, #2.5)|Alex Grecian|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1370339971l/18038937._SX50_.jpg|25311445]), so maybe I was Victorian-Londoned out. I found the narrative to drag and just never got absorbed by it the way other stories grabbed me.
The book is probably 2.5 stars, but I had to round down because of the lack of grabbing. It was interesting enough to want to finish, but not a page turner.
The book is probably 2.5 stars, but I had to round down because of the lack of grabbing. It was interesting enough to want to finish, but not a page turner.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
A solid supernatural mystery that is very evocative of late Victorian London. Nothing wrong with it, but it just didn't quite have that extra zing to lift it that I could have done with. I preferred the author's Dog Faced Gods trilogy, but I'll be looking out for the sequel to this one anyway.
After reading Behind Her Eyes, I was interested in reading another one of Pinborough's books. This one is a novel about the Thames Torso Murders that were taking place when Jack the Ripper was active in London. At the time, many believed the killers were one and the same. t's hard to believe the Torso Murders have not gotten more notoriety (or at least I wasn't well aware of them). The book seems well-researched. I looked up some details as I was reading and ended up in a few rabbit holes myself. She uses a supernatural spin, which I think makes the book fun and exciting. It's pretty gory, obviously, but I will definitely read Murder, the second of two books in this series.
An interesting take on Ripper era London. A good thriller crossed with police procedural, interesting characters, and some tensely woven creepiness. Dr Thomas Bond is an intriguing protagonist. I liked the supernatural elements as well.
Full review: http://www.tenaciousreader.com/2014/05/12/mayhem-by-sarah-pinborough/
I enjoyed Pinborough’s fairy tale retellings and while this looked quite different, I was hoping I would still enjoy it as much as I did those. After reading Mayhem, I do think it is well written and it I believe it has a good audience out there, but unfortunately when it came down to it, I don’t think I am a part of that audience. There is some grim humor in this, which I quite appreciated, but it just wasn’t enough to hold me.
I want to be completely fair and honest here. I listened to the audiobook and I don’t think that helped matters. The narrator was good, but I found the format to be confusing while listening. The timeline for this book jumps around, the dates given at the beginning of each chapter. I found myself having a hard time keeping track of whose perspective we were getting at times, and definitely where the current section fit in the overall chronology of events. There is a good chance I may have enjoyed this particular book better if I had read it instead of listened to it.
I think if you enjoy crime novels and maybe also find the time period of interest, then it may be worth checking out. While I am certain other people may have an easier time (less complaints) with the audiobook format than I, I would still lean towards recommending reading the book rather than listening.
I enjoyed Pinborough’s fairy tale retellings and while this looked quite different, I was hoping I would still enjoy it as much as I did those. After reading Mayhem, I do think it is well written and it I believe it has a good audience out there, but unfortunately when it came down to it, I don’t think I am a part of that audience. There is some grim humor in this, which I quite appreciated, but it just wasn’t enough to hold me.
I want to be completely fair and honest here. I listened to the audiobook and I don’t think that helped matters. The narrator was good, but I found the format to be confusing while listening. The timeline for this book jumps around, the dates given at the beginning of each chapter. I found myself having a hard time keeping track of whose perspective we were getting at times, and definitely where the current section fit in the overall chronology of events. There is a good chance I may have enjoyed this particular book better if I had read it instead of listened to it.
I think if you enjoy crime novels and maybe also find the time period of interest, then it may be worth checking out. While I am certain other people may have an easier time (less complaints) with the audiobook format than I, I would still lean towards recommending reading the book rather than listening.