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A review by squid_vicious
A Fever of the Blood by Oscar de Muriel
5.0
The sequel to “The Strings of Murder” did not disappoint me one bit! Just as action and humour-filled as its predecessor, “A Fever of the Blood” was a wonderful and gripping Victorian mystery, juicy with intrigue and hints of the paranormal, just the way I like them… I love creepy stuff, so even if I hadn’t already been super excited to read another adventure of Frey and McGray’s, the chilling intro of the witches’ curse would have been enough to get me hooked.
My favorite duo of detectives actually leave Scotland this time around, as they chase a man who was locked in the same lunatic asylum as McGray’s sister Pansy… until he brutally murdered a nurse and broke out. But as they follow the mad man’s trail down to Lancashire, the evidence they uncover forces them to ponder whether or not this man is really insane. They rapidly unearth a very old, extremely far-reaching conspiracy and realize that the kingdom’s strings have been pulled by a secret and occult society for a long time, and that their asylum escapee is out for revenge for wrongs done to his family many years ago.
We were introduced to Ian Frey, the London dandy inspector, and “Nine-Nails” McGray, the gruff Scottish detective in “Strings of Murder”: their personalities and background are further developed in “Fever of the Blood”, and we see their relationship, but also their personalities evolve as they investigate this case. Of course, their trademark banter and sharp personality conflict serves as a glorious comic relief to this fast-pace investigation. I really can’t get enough of McGray’s creative name-calling and of Frey’s pompous outrage. It simply tickles me pink.
The occult in this book is wonderfully portrayed. I loved that De Muriel mixed in a bit of folklore from his home country of Mexico in the story of those English witches: it may not be 100% historically accurate, but it added an exotic touch to the menacing atmosphere.
In short, “A Fever of the Blood” is a wonderfully entertaining historical mystery, with an agile balance of darkness, touching humanity and nail-biting climax. I highly recommended it to fans of the first book and to anyone who loves a good Victorian thriller.
My favorite duo of detectives actually leave Scotland this time around, as they chase a man who was locked in the same lunatic asylum as McGray’s sister Pansy… until he brutally murdered a nurse and broke out. But as they follow the mad man’s trail down to Lancashire, the evidence they uncover forces them to ponder whether or not this man is really insane. They rapidly unearth a very old, extremely far-reaching conspiracy and realize that the kingdom’s strings have been pulled by a secret and occult society for a long time, and that their asylum escapee is out for revenge for wrongs done to his family many years ago.
We were introduced to Ian Frey, the London dandy inspector, and “Nine-Nails” McGray, the gruff Scottish detective in “Strings of Murder”: their personalities and background are further developed in “Fever of the Blood”, and we see their relationship, but also their personalities evolve as they investigate this case. Of course, their trademark banter and sharp personality conflict serves as a glorious comic relief to this fast-pace investigation. I really can’t get enough of McGray’s creative name-calling and of Frey’s pompous outrage. It simply tickles me pink.
The occult in this book is wonderfully portrayed. I loved that De Muriel mixed in a bit of folklore from his home country of Mexico in the story of those English witches: it may not be 100% historically accurate, but it added an exotic touch to the menacing atmosphere.
In short, “A Fever of the Blood” is a wonderfully entertaining historical mystery, with an agile balance of darkness, touching humanity and nail-biting climax. I highly recommended it to fans of the first book and to anyone who loves a good Victorian thriller.