Murder by Lamplight by Patrice McDonough
Dr. Julia Lewis #1

Excellent story that had me guessing till the end ~ Great introduction to a new series!

What I liked:
* Dr. Julia Lewis: physician, trained in Pennsylvania, raised by her grandparents, strong, dedicated, professional, intelligent, compassionate, skilled, haunted by a past experience, willing to do what it takes, and it often takes more due to her gender, her future may not be quite as she expected
* Detective Inspector Richard Tennant: employed by Scotland Yard, Crimean War Veteran wounded in battle, had difficulties to deal with when he returned from battle, dedicated, intelligent, from a good background, good leader, strategist, rather taken with Julia
* Dr. Andrew Lewis: Julia’s grandfather, had an “episode” that will see him retiring soon, loves Julia and worries about her
* Aunt Caroline’s wisdom shared with her niece, Julia
* O’Malley: constable, works with Tennant, Irish, good at his job, hope to see more of him in the future
* The supporting characters I hope to see more of: Kate who is Julia’s lady’s maid, John Bingham – retired Quartermaster Sergeant and philanthropist with a mission, Johnny Osborne – journalist who is at times annoying but also intriguing
* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing
* Thinking about the first female physicians and what they had to contend with
* That it felt true to the era, drew me in, and made me feel and care about the characters
* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about the horrors of workhouses, cholera rampaging through communities, and the disparity between the lives of the haves and the havenots

Did I like this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars ( )

Murder by Lamplight is the first in the Dr Julia Lewis historical mystery series by author Patrice McDonough. Set in 1866, at a time when women aren’t allowed by law, to train as doctors in England, Dr Lewis, who trained in America, is able to practice thanks to a loophole in the law. She is called to London’s east end to examine a murder victim. There she meets Inspector Richard Tennant who is skeptical of her abilities. But, with a serial killer roaming the streets of Whitechapel, killing and mutilating and then leaving cryptic notes that have the police baffled, he and Julia will have to work together if the killer is to be stopped.

This is a dark, gritty, and very entertaining mystery with an interesting and complex protagonist. It also stays true to the time period for those of us who like real history with our fiction. The mystery kept me guessing right until the surprising ending. I look forward to reading more in this series in the future. I listened to the audiobook of this novel narrated by Henrietta Miere who does an excellent job of portraying the atmosphere and tension running throughout.

I received an audiobook version of this book from Netgalley and Highbridge Audio in exchange for an honest review. ( )

A serial killer in Whitechapel!

A feisty female doctor, and an emotionally wounded Crimean soldier, now a Detective Inspector with Scotland Yard. A serial killer stalking victims in Victorian London, seemingly centered around the Whitechapel area. Targeted, mutilated victims who all have to have some sort of link but what it is has Detective Inspector Tennant and his constables floundering, playing catch-up.
Dr. Julia Lewis and Tennant first meet over a body and an autopsy. All clues point towards a Whitechapel connection but the clues are mired in nursery rhymes. The perpetrator taunts the Inspector with Notes written in purple ink. Along the way he targets Dr. Julia!
McDonough gives us a more than thorough background look at life for the ordinary person at this time (maybe too much) Cholera and typhus are rampant, work house conditions disgustingly rabid, and the lives of those living in these areas less than sanitary.
With these living conditions somehow central, with more victims appearing, the doctor and the inspector race to find the killer. What do the victims have in common?
Inspector Tennant has his superior, Chief Inspector Clark, demanding the impossible. It seems he feels Tennant was foisted upon him. Tennant and his men are run ragged trying to solve the murders and keep their chief happy. Well, keep Tennant in his position also.
The end was totally surprising!
I’m looking forward to more from this debut author.

A Kensington Books ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher. ( )

In November 1866, Dr. Julia Lewis, a calm and efficient young woman, is summoned to a crime scene. Inspector Richard Tennant initially expresses skepticism at a female doctor, but when a second murder shows a connection to the first, he summons Julia again. As they investigate a grisly murder with links to a devastating cholera epidemic and face a calculating killer leaving taunting clues. Can they catch the killer before he turns his sights on Julia?

I knew when I began that this was going to be a dark, gritty story. It definitely had Jack the Ripper vibes. Julia was a competent and interesting character to follow, though she did have a tendency to get on a soap-box every chance she had for social issues. The inspector was also an interesting character with a tragic backstory that affects him through the story.

It is strange to have a story where its strength is also its weakness. The detail of the time period makes the story come alive. However, it overshadows the characters and at times it feels like information gets dumped on the reader in several places. It was as if the author felt she needed to include everything she knew about the time period.

Overall, it was an interesting book. The killer’s identity did feel as though it came out of nowhere, so points for keeping me in the dark. I would recommend this to readers looking for a dark mystery and aren’t too squeamish.

I received an advance copy through NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. ( )

This Victorian mystery stars Inspector Richard Tennant of Scotland Yard and Dr. Julia Lewis. when a grisly murder is discovered, Tennant calls for Dr. Lewis - expecting Julia's grandfather, but she's taking his calls after a recent heart attack.

Julia was trained as a doctor in the United States since no medical schools accepted women in England. However, a loophole in the law gave her a license to practice medicine in England. She is eager to assist the Inspector in his investigation. And it's quite an investigation.

Someone is murdering seemingly random men and leaving a popped balloon as a clue. Many of the victims were sodomized and had their sexual organs removed. As Tennant and his team struggles to investigate what the victims had in common, the murderer is sending them "helpful" notes containing obscure clues.

Julia is intrigued by the case and is quick to add in some possible suspects including a local business owner who is starting a political party for working men and a newspaper journalist who always seems to be in the right spot when bodies are discovered.

The book is steeped in the time period. The cause of cholera has finally been discovered and agreed upon by most physicians. Julia's grandfather is one of the skeptics who didn't believe the cause during an earlier epidemic which may have contributed to additional deaths. The life of orphans and the doings of workhouses are central to the story too. They give the murderer incentive to gain his revenge on those who took advantage when he was a child.

All in all, this was an entertaining story with engaging characters. There may possibly be a romance in the future, but Julia has many sensible reasons not to marry and give up her independence. I enjoyed both the mystery and the characters. ( )