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kiwi_fruit 's review for:

The Unseeing by Anna Mazzola
3.0

An historical fiction mystery based on the sensational case of the “Edgeware Road murder” in 1836, in which a young woman, Hannah Brown, was killed and parts of her dismembered body later found in various London locations. James Greenacre (Hanna’s intended fiance) stood accused of the murder and Sarah Gale (James’ housekeeper and lover) of being his accomplice.

This novel reminded me a lot of Atwood’s [b:Alias Grace|72579|Alias Grace|Margaret Atwood|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1298545436l/72579._SY75_.jpg|2069530], with an invented layer, Edmund, lending a sympathetic ear to Sarah's plight and playing the part of her advocate and paladin. For the most part the author recreates well the Victorian period, however the occasional use of modern phrases and character attitudes somewhat spoiled it for me. The pacing also wasn’t the best, with the investigation a lot slower that I would have liked and, as a consequence the novel felt longer than necessary, in addition, the resolution of the mystery
SpoilerSarah’s sister, Rosina, being the actual murder
felt not entirely convincing, the twist at the end
SpoilerGeorge being Edmund’s half brother
was interesting though.