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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
When I finished the fairytale retellings Sarah Pinborough wrote I immediately wanted to read more of her books. So, I ordered this duology. Despite the fact that I used to be a scaredy cat, I've always been really fascinated by Jack the Ripper and the mystery surrounding those murders. I was therefore very curious how the author was gonna combine that with supernatural elements. Yesterday it was finally time to start reading.
The true star of this book is the atmosphere. The author does an amazing job capturing London at its time, capturing the lives of the people, capturing the fear, the unrest and capturing how those trying to solve the murders must have felt. Despite the fact that, apart from the murders, not much is truly happening in this book, we constantly feel the tension, we feel the darkness that is threatening London, we feel the sleeplessness and fear.
Writing this story from loads of different points of view also works insanely well. We get to feel the fear of the victims. We slowly start to understand what has happened to the killer. We feel the hopelessness of the doctor and inspector investigating the case. We understand the terror of the visions Aaron is having. We also understand the impact this has on the city and the people having to live their daily life while being surrounded by dead.
On top of that the plot works out great. It's not so much a whodunnit. It's a story about the chase and the hunt. It's a story about people ending up in strange circumstances. it's also a story that feels strangely realistic despite the supernatural elements of the story. At first we get to see the murders and how gruesome they are. Then we get to know the origin story of the killer and then we watch the men trying to catch him.
I'm really excited about the sequel now!
The true star of this book is the atmosphere. The author does an amazing job capturing London at its time, capturing the lives of the people, capturing the fear, the unrest and capturing how those trying to solve the murders must have felt. Despite the fact that, apart from the murders, not much is truly happening in this book, we constantly feel the tension, we feel the darkness that is threatening London, we feel the sleeplessness and fear.
Writing this story from loads of different points of view also works insanely well. We get to feel the fear of the victims. We slowly start to understand what has happened to the killer. We feel the hopelessness of the doctor and inspector investigating the case. We understand the terror of the visions Aaron is having. We also understand the impact this has on the city and the people having to live their daily life while being surrounded by dead.
On top of that the plot works out great. It's not so much a whodunnit. It's a story about the chase and the hunt. It's a story about people ending up in strange circumstances. it's also a story that feels strangely realistic despite the supernatural elements of the story. At first we get to see the murders and how gruesome they are. Then we get to know the origin story of the killer and then we watch the men trying to catch him.
I'm really excited about the sequel now!
I can't remember where I saw the image, but I know I was very young and the drawing depicted a man with wild hair, cloak and top hat, brandishing a long knife and a demented smile. This was Jack the Ripper, my first boogeyman. It wasn't long before my fascination grew and it continues to this day, this crazed murderer who stalked the streets of London, taunted police with letters, and was never caught.
I've never read Sarah Pinborough before, but The Reckoning has been on my list for years. It was only recently that I added Mayhem, after hearing Brian Keene highly recommend it on his podcast. I have long since stopped listening to his podcast (frankly, listening to a writer bitch and complain about the industry while getting progressively sloshed runs a bit long in the tooth), and some of his recommendations were beginning to smack of nepotism, so this one almost got dropped off. But I was stuck on what to read next, went to random.org to select which # on my list, and it was Mayhem.
I'm so glad I kept this on the list. Brian was really on the mark here.
I loved this lady's writing. For one thing, the setting: this is London, 1888, one of my favourite settings (I loved the musical Oliver!, whose setting of dirty London continues to be fresh in my mind.) With an economy of words, she totally embedded me in this time and place; the desolate mood was very well captured here. Her characters are very well developed, and the story? How about the hunt for a serial killer with an ample dash of the supernatural (without sounding silly)? How about that this was based on actual events where these killings were occurring alongside Jack the Ripper's rampage?
Sarah Pinborough has pulled me through a story that I couldn't wait to get back to, and I can't wait to get back to it in her sequel. More so, I can't wait to get back to her altogether. She's right up there with the top suspense writers in every way except maybe recognition. I mentioned the writing, didn't I? I hate including anything out of context, but I need to share this:
I noticed that my breaths were shorter, as if the air itself were heavy and resisting inhalation, wanting to suffocate, rather than provide life.
Yeah, I felt that.
So here's my recommendation: read Mayhem. My recommendation to me: read more Sarah Pinborough. I will, soon...
Five stars for solid entertainment. I am 100% out of my reading slump. Thank you Sarah!
I've never read Sarah Pinborough before, but The Reckoning has been on my list for years. It was only recently that I added Mayhem, after hearing Brian Keene highly recommend it on his podcast. I have long since stopped listening to his podcast (frankly, listening to a writer bitch and complain about the industry while getting progressively sloshed runs a bit long in the tooth), and some of his recommendations were beginning to smack of nepotism, so this one almost got dropped off. But I was stuck on what to read next, went to random.org to select which # on my list, and it was Mayhem.
I'm so glad I kept this on the list. Brian was really on the mark here.
I loved this lady's writing. For one thing, the setting: this is London, 1888, one of my favourite settings (I loved the musical Oliver!, whose setting of dirty London continues to be fresh in my mind.) With an economy of words, she totally embedded me in this time and place; the desolate mood was very well captured here. Her characters are very well developed, and the story? How about the hunt for a serial killer with an ample dash of the supernatural (without sounding silly)? How about that this was based on actual events where these killings were occurring alongside Jack the Ripper's rampage?
Sarah Pinborough has pulled me through a story that I couldn't wait to get back to, and I can't wait to get back to it in her sequel. More so, I can't wait to get back to her altogether. She's right up there with the top suspense writers in every way except maybe recognition. I mentioned the writing, didn't I? I hate including anything out of context, but I need to share this:
I noticed that my breaths were shorter, as if the air itself were heavy and resisting inhalation, wanting to suffocate, rather than provide life.
Yeah, I felt that.
So here's my recommendation: read Mayhem. My recommendation to me: read more Sarah Pinborough. I will, soon...
Five stars for solid entertainment. I am 100% out of my reading slump. Thank you Sarah!
This is not a story about Jack the Ripper. The year is 1888 and London is living in fear and with a morbid fascination of the serial killer but there is another killer on the loose. When remains are discovered on the construction site for Scotland Yard, police are eager to pin them on Jack. But when more parts are found, it becomes clear to Dr Thomas Bond that the deaths are not connected. The doctor, in a bid to overcome his insomnia, spends his nights in the city’s opium dens. One night he observes a strange man who watches the addicts as they slumber; a man who could be the link to solving the Thames Torso Murders as they were to become known.
For a year so well known for Jack the Ripper, it is interesting to note that there were other murders, just as terrifying, taking place within London. The concept of Mayhem lies within the sense of “mayhem and wickedness” that spread throughout the city. That something else, an ancient and dark evil, may have influenced those already criminally inclined, to act out. Jack is just a side story, as although Dr Bond was involved in both cases, this is a slightly more supernatural theory behind the Thames Torso Murders, based on historical events.
I’m pretty sure all the newspaper clippings within the text are taken from actual historical records. Dr Bond’s observations on Jack the Ripper definitely are, and a few of the others can be found amongst those collated by Ripper enthusiasts. I kind of love old newspaper reports so this was a nice touch, although they have been cropped down. I definitely think it will appeal to fans of Lloyd Shepherd’s style of historical fiction with a twist.
The main problem for me was that the story lost momentum about half way through. At the start of part two, it is pretty much revealed who and what is responsible for the crimes. Sometimes I don’t mind this, but there wasn’t enough suspense in Dr Bond’s investigation. He gets an inkling quite quickly but dismisses it and I started to get annoyed that he wasn’t following his instincts.
The beauty of these kinds of books is that they introduce you to little moments of history you might otherwise overlook and I find they lead me into reading up more on the subject. I went on to find out more about Dr Bond; he really was an insomniac who was driven to narcotics. There is a lovely note from Sarah in the preface on fictionalising historical figures:
For a year so well known for Jack the Ripper, it is interesting to note that there were other murders, just as terrifying, taking place within London. The concept of Mayhem lies within the sense of “mayhem and wickedness” that spread throughout the city. That something else, an ancient and dark evil, may have influenced those already criminally inclined, to act out. Jack is just a side story, as although Dr Bond was involved in both cases, this is a slightly more supernatural theory behind the Thames Torso Murders, based on historical events.
I’m pretty sure all the newspaper clippings within the text are taken from actual historical records. Dr Bond’s observations on Jack the Ripper definitely are, and a few of the others can be found amongst those collated by Ripper enthusiasts. I kind of love old newspaper reports so this was a nice touch, although they have been cropped down. I definitely think it will appeal to fans of Lloyd Shepherd’s style of historical fiction with a twist.
The main problem for me was that the story lost momentum about half way through. At the start of part two, it is pretty much revealed who and what is responsible for the crimes. Sometimes I don’t mind this, but there wasn’t enough suspense in Dr Bond’s investigation. He gets an inkling quite quickly but dismisses it and I started to get annoyed that he wasn’t following his instincts.
The beauty of these kinds of books is that they introduce you to little moments of history you might otherwise overlook and I find they lead me into reading up more on the subject. I went on to find out more about Dr Bond; he really was an insomniac who was driven to narcotics. There is a lovely note from Sarah in the preface on fictionalising historical figures:
Personally, if someone chooses to breathe life into me again, between the pages of a book a hundred years after I die, I hope that whatever is left of me in the wind and the rain would smile a little, and take whatever changes they made to my life with good humour.
I had no idea till this book that the Torso Murders in London was a real thing during the time of Jack the Ripper. This book has the perfect mix of gore and gross. I also listened to the audio book and Steven Crossley does an amazing job as always.
Someone is killing women and leaving their body parts. All except for the heads. Dr. Bond can not sleep from all the imagines of the murders. So he turns to opium. He then roams the streets at night. There is evil lurking in the dark of the night.
To be honest, it was not Jack the Ripper that drew my attention to this book and made me want to read it. It was the description of the Torso Killer that got me. I am a junkie for a good, well-written gory murder/serial killer story. You would not imagine how hard it really is now a days to find a book like this.
This book is not that gory. Well not by my standards anyways. When I think of gory I think of Chelsea Cain and Gretchen. She is one sick, twisted woman. There are not a lot of details spent on the murders as far as when the victims were alive before they were chopped up into pieces and tossed out like left over meat. Luckily, what this book lacked in the gore factor it made up for in the world and the characters. The opium filled world that the doctor spent his time in was creepy and intriguing at the same time. The supernatural elements played nicely with the killings. Would have liked to have seen Jack and the Torso Killer interact. Mayhem is a creepy, good read that is not to be missed!
To be honest, it was not Jack the Ripper that drew my attention to this book and made me want to read it. It was the description of the Torso Killer that got me. I am a junkie for a good, well-written gory murder/serial killer story. You would not imagine how hard it really is now a days to find a book like this.
This book is not that gory. Well not by my standards anyways. When I think of gory I think of Chelsea Cain and Gretchen. She is one sick, twisted woman. There are not a lot of details spent on the murders as far as when the victims were alive before they were chopped up into pieces and tossed out like left over meat. Luckily, what this book lacked in the gore factor it made up for in the world and the characters. The opium filled world that the doctor spent his time in was creepy and intriguing at the same time. The supernatural elements played nicely with the killings. Would have liked to have seen Jack and the Torso Killer interact. Mayhem is a creepy, good read that is not to be missed!
I want more supernatural thriller books like this, more! So well-done - quietly sinister and utterly chilling without over-the-top gore. My favorite trope of heroes - the ragtag band of flawed humans taking on a monster because it's a moral imperative, do or die. The audiobook is excellent - well-paced, professional and dramatic, and I really love Crossley's voice - to me he is now Dr. Bond forever. Highly recommended.
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Drug abuse, Drug use
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Enter to win a copy of Mayhem here!
‘What I seek – the thing I seek – brings mayhem and wickedness in its wake, spreading it like this choking fog across the city. It runs in he water of the river and it will destroy men’s souls.'
It’s the late 1800′s and London is being terrorized by the murders by a man dubbed Jack the Ripper, although recent murders have succeeded in overshadowing even those horrific crimes. These new murders are gruesome and appalling. The victims are all women, they are all dismembered postmortem yet their heads are never found among the remains. Dr. Thomas Bond is a police surgeon but is unable to stop himself from seeking out evidence to uncover this killer. He succeeds in uncovering far more than he thought possible and it is more monstrous and nightmarish than any imagination could concoct.
Jack the Ripper has always been a subject matter of interest for me and just the thought of another killer overshadowing the work of Jack the Ripper was enough for me to pick up Mayhem. I had never heard of ‘the Torso Killer’ before but Sarah Pinborough successfully brought his macabre story to life. Frightfully disturbing, these murders are described in vivid detail and the slight addition of the supernatural aspects were added almost proficiently and were not overdone.
The story is told mainly from the point of view of Dr. Thomas Bond but we’re given an occasional glimpse through a few other side characters. Each character was alluring and were each integral to understanding the story as a whole. Dr. Bond himself was a perfectly imperfect character who frequented opium dens in order to deal with his bouts of insomnia. He’s such a flawed character yet made the story all the more real and satisfying.
I found this to be an extremely solid story with writing that was incredibly engaging. Mayhem is quite the page-turner with very little filler or sections that felt inconsequential. Mayhem is a well-written thriller that I would highly recommend for fans of mysteries, of historical fiction and for those who like just a little bit of horror.
‘What I seek – the thing I seek – brings mayhem and wickedness in its wake, spreading it like this choking fog across the city. It runs in he water of the river and it will destroy men’s souls.'
It’s the late 1800′s and London is being terrorized by the murders by a man dubbed Jack the Ripper, although recent murders have succeeded in overshadowing even those horrific crimes. These new murders are gruesome and appalling. The victims are all women, they are all dismembered postmortem yet their heads are never found among the remains. Dr. Thomas Bond is a police surgeon but is unable to stop himself from seeking out evidence to uncover this killer. He succeeds in uncovering far more than he thought possible and it is more monstrous and nightmarish than any imagination could concoct.
Jack the Ripper has always been a subject matter of interest for me and just the thought of another killer overshadowing the work of Jack the Ripper was enough for me to pick up Mayhem. I had never heard of ‘the Torso Killer’ before but Sarah Pinborough successfully brought his macabre story to life. Frightfully disturbing, these murders are described in vivid detail and the slight addition of the supernatural aspects were added almost proficiently and were not overdone.
The story is told mainly from the point of view of Dr. Thomas Bond but we’re given an occasional glimpse through a few other side characters. Each character was alluring and were each integral to understanding the story as a whole. Dr. Bond himself was a perfectly imperfect character who frequented opium dens in order to deal with his bouts of insomnia. He’s such a flawed character yet made the story all the more real and satisfying.
I found this to be an extremely solid story with writing that was incredibly engaging. Mayhem is quite the page-turner with very little filler or sections that felt inconsequential. Mayhem is a well-written thriller that I would highly recommend for fans of mysteries, of historical fiction and for those who like just a little bit of horror.