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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, Stalking, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Chronic illness, Confinement, Drug abuse, Drug use, Vomit, Antisemitism, Pregnancy
What is it about those Victorians? Sweeney Todd, Jack the Ripper, the murders described in P.D. James' The Maul and the Pear Tree and these, the Thames Torso Murders. Makes you really glad to be living today! The Torso Murders are a real thing (I looked them up), taking place around the same time as Jack's rampage and just as grisly, but far less well-known. And, like Jack's identity, this murderer has never been found, making this book a supposal rather than a retelling .
Working with primitive methods, Dr. Thomas Bond tries to figure out who is responsible - is this more of the Ripper's work? is there another serial killer on the loose? His work is helped, or hindered, depending on your definition, by his growing dependence on opium and "special opium" (aka "heroin"). He's joined in his investigation by a Jesuit and a Jew with visions of the future - sounds like a bad joke but the story does work it all in in a way that makes sense. The solution is the weakest part, relying on coincidence rather than detection.
ARC provided by publisher.
Working with primitive methods, Dr. Thomas Bond tries to figure out who is responsible - is this more of the Ripper's work? is there another serial killer on the loose? His work is helped, or hindered, depending on your definition, by his growing dependence on opium and "special opium" (aka "heroin"). He's joined in his investigation by a Jesuit and a Jew with visions of the future - sounds like a bad joke but the story does work it all in in a way that makes sense. The solution is the weakest part, relying on coincidence rather than detection.
ARC provided by publisher.
Entertaining combination of historical true crime drama with supernatural detective fiction. Real life and fictional characters investigate the Thames Torso Murders - a series of real-life murder mutilations that took place in London contemporary with the Jack the Ripper murders. The novel conveys a nice the sense of time and place while still maintaining a writing style that feels more comfortable to the modern reader. Quite entertaining, all around. I now want to find out more about the real story behind the Thames Torso Murders.
I found this book frustrating. First, and maybe it's my own unfamiliarity with the author, but the supernatural element threw me off. I wasn't expecting it and I didn't find it very well done. Second, there was no intensity to the plot. The first half of the book is setting you up to believe that this one character is to blame (Kosminski) and the second half reveals immediately who it is (Harrington). Third, it ends so abruptly and unimaginatively that I might have just stopped reading when the nature of the evil was revealed.
Also, the constant discussion of opium and the characters opium dependency? Lame. Structurally, I was annoyed by all of the various voices, particularly Inspector Moore who ultimately played no great role in the plot's denouement.
I shan't be reading the sequel.
Also, the constant discussion of opium and the characters opium dependency? Lame. Structurally, I was annoyed by all of the various voices, particularly Inspector Moore who ultimately played no great role in the plot's denouement.
I shan't be reading the sequel.
I was first drawn to this novel as I am fascinated by all things Jack the Ripper. Turns out, this novel doesn’t really have much to do with Jack the Ripper at all, although he is often mentioned. Mayhem is instead centered around the real life ‘Thames Torso Murders’ that occurred around the same time. I knew nothing about these murders before the novel, and much like in the case of Jack the Ripper, these murders remain unsolved and the true identity of the killer was never ascertained. Unlike Jack, he was active for a longer period of time and only one of his victim’s was ever identified. They were penned the ‘Thames Torso Murders’ as the killer dismembered his female victims (their heads were never found), and some of their torsos, alongside some other body parts, were pulled from the Thames.
If you’re interested in learning more about these murders, you can certainly Google them. Also, you could just read the novel, as it’s pretty awesome, has a even spookier and intriguing twist, and a lot of the events are factual (or at least based upon real occurrences.)
A huge bulk of the characters in this novel are actual real people that were in someway involved in investigating this killer and his sadistic crimes. Dr Thomas Bond, who I would consider the main character (he narrates most of the novel), was a real physician who worked on both this case and the Jack the Ripper murders, Dr Charles Hibbert was a colleague of his that was also involved, and Inspector Henry Moore was a police official who worked on both cases also. Elizabeth Jackson, the only identified victim of this killer, and the victims of Jack the Ripper are also included, and retain their own names in the novel. Obviously, a lot of these real events are reworked in the novel, and in some instances new plot points are fabricated in order to involve a darker paranormal twist.
It took me a while to get into this novel, as at first there was a lot of switching viewpoints when not much background had been established. This was confusing initially, and stopped me from connecting with the characters. By the end however, I really felt that Dr Thomas Bond was a great character, very easy to relate to, and was explored with respect . In fact, I feel all the characters were well written and it was even more engaging to me that these were real people around at this disturbing time.
Once I got into it, I enjoyed the set up of the novel. Most of the chapters are written from the viewpoint of Dr Bond, but some are narrated by other characters, and the chapters are occasionally interposed by text in the style of newspaper clippings. The font and layout were exactly what you would expect of an old newspaper, and although I’m not sure, I highly suspect these might be real extracts from papers published around the time of these murders. This helped further in creating a really authentic old-timey feel, and also helped chop up (excuse the bad taste in pun!), the bulky chapters which could sometimes be a bit heavy going.
The supernatural, paranormal element is introduced as part of the killer himself – there is something other at work here, besides the already distressing work of a serial killer. I won’t elaborate much further as I want to keep the mystery for anyone who decides to read it!
Personally, I find reading about true crime riveting, albeit a little macabre for some, I like historical fiction, and I love all things paranormal, so on paper this was my perfect novel. Despite giving it only three stars, it an immensely enjoyable read once it got going, and I will definitely be getting my hands on the follow up, Murder. It was just too much of a slow starter for me to rate higher. All in all, I feel that the ending of the novel was really well executed, there was plenty of build up with palpable tension that was very fitting, and the climax was no disappointment.
If you’re interested in learning more about these murders, you can certainly Google them. Also, you could just read the novel, as it’s pretty awesome, has a even spookier and intriguing twist, and a lot of the events are factual (or at least based upon real occurrences.)
A huge bulk of the characters in this novel are actual real people that were in someway involved in investigating this killer and his sadistic crimes. Dr Thomas Bond, who I would consider the main character (he narrates most of the novel), was a real physician who worked on both this case and the Jack the Ripper murders, Dr Charles Hibbert was a colleague of his that was also involved, and Inspector Henry Moore was a police official who worked on both cases also. Elizabeth Jackson, the only identified victim of this killer, and the victims of Jack the Ripper are also included, and retain their own names in the novel. Obviously, a lot of these real events are reworked in the novel, and in some instances new plot points are fabricated in order to involve a darker paranormal twist.
It took me a while to get into this novel, as at first there was a lot of switching viewpoints when not much background had been established. This was confusing initially, and stopped me from connecting with the characters. By the end however, I really felt that Dr Thomas Bond was a great character, very easy to relate to, and was explored with respect . In fact, I feel all the characters were well written and it was even more engaging to me that these were real people around at this disturbing time.
Once I got into it, I enjoyed the set up of the novel. Most of the chapters are written from the viewpoint of Dr Bond, but some are narrated by other characters, and the chapters are occasionally interposed by text in the style of newspaper clippings. The font and layout were exactly what you would expect of an old newspaper, and although I’m not sure, I highly suspect these might be real extracts from papers published around the time of these murders. This helped further in creating a really authentic old-timey feel, and also helped chop up (excuse the bad taste in pun!), the bulky chapters which could sometimes be a bit heavy going.
The supernatural, paranormal element is introduced as part of the killer himself – there is something other at work here, besides the already distressing work of a serial killer. I won’t elaborate much further as I want to keep the mystery for anyone who decides to read it!
Personally, I find reading about true crime riveting, albeit a little macabre for some, I like historical fiction, and I love all things paranormal, so on paper this was my perfect novel. Despite giving it only three stars, it an immensely enjoyable read once it got going, and I will definitely be getting my hands on the follow up, Murder. It was just too much of a slow starter for me to rate higher. All in all, I feel that the ending of the novel was really well executed, there was plenty of build up with palpable tension that was very fitting, and the climax was no disappointment.
Man, this one just did not do it for me. Maybe it wasn’t fair to read this one after “Behind Her Eyes,” which was just brilliant.
There is something fascinating about historical fiction for me; and, from the off, this novel offers fans of the genre a treat. But it is so much more than that, and this is why I have to rate it 5 stars.
Our story opens with a focus on the killings of Jack the Ripper and the attention to detail is clear. We gain a clear sense of London at the time, and I loved the snippets of news reports of the crimes.
However, while the police are trying to trace Jack there are other murders taking place that appear to be committed by someone else. Similarly gruesome, but in these cases the heads of the victims are never found.
Pinborough focuses on the character of Dr Thomas Bond, an upright man who becomes convinced that there is more to these cases than the police think. There is something 'other' out there, something that will not be sated. Something that needs to be stopped.
It was in the blending of the real events with this genuinely terrifying supernatural idea that I felt Pinborough excelled. I found myself intrigued by what was taking place, but compelled to follow Bond on his journey to discover the truth.
Our story opens with a focus on the killings of Jack the Ripper and the attention to detail is clear. We gain a clear sense of London at the time, and I loved the snippets of news reports of the crimes.
However, while the police are trying to trace Jack there are other murders taking place that appear to be committed by someone else. Similarly gruesome, but in these cases the heads of the victims are never found.
Pinborough focuses on the character of Dr Thomas Bond, an upright man who becomes convinced that there is more to these cases than the police think. There is something 'other' out there, something that will not be sated. Something that needs to be stopped.
It was in the blending of the real events with this genuinely terrifying supernatural idea that I felt Pinborough excelled. I found myself intrigued by what was taking place, but compelled to follow Bond on his journey to discover the truth.
In Victorian England, at the same time as the Jack the Ripper murders, there was another unsolved crime--the "Torso Murders," in which the killer would decapitate women and hide their torsos. This part is true; the rest is historical fiction set in this time, focusing on the doctor who examines the remains, and the underworld of creepy figures he falls into. Is it a man committing these crimes? Or the demon who controls him?
first half was extremely slow, last half I read in one sitting. I wish there was more of a conclusion at the end with each of the characters