generally a good read, will try the next one. characters ( )

This is a well-researched piece of historical fiction, filled with details of life in the London of 1854, and some times prior. In that regard, it is a definite success. As a mystery novel, though, it relies on a few too many contrived coincidences that weaken it as a believable narrative. With that caveat, I can nonetheless recommend it as a engrossing trip into the past.
[Audiobook note: The reader, Matthew Wolf, does well enough with pacing and voices. But even at 125% speed, his pauses between speakers are distractingly long.] ( )

It's 1850s London and a mysterious murderer is committing murders that parallel the infamous (and bloody) Ratcliffe Highway Murders that occurred ~40 years earlier. Enter Thomas de Quincey, author of "Murder as a Fine Art" (also the better known "Confessions of an Opium-Eater"), which the murderer seems to be using as source material for his crimes. de Quincey finds himself pitted not only against a murderer who seems intent on destroying him, but also his own demons: his opium addiction, his checkered past. He's assisted in his investigations by a Scotland Yard inspector, an ambitious constable, and his precociously spunky daughter Emily.

What I enjoyed about the novel: Morrell's in-depth research about Victorian London, de Quincey's career, and especially the complicated, generally abhorrent role that the East India Company played in global politics of the 19th century. Most historical novels of this genre (the "famous person solving a mystery" genre) get the surface details right but stop there. Appreciate that Morrell has obviously spent the time to develop an intimate understanding of the period. Also, Morrell has de Quincey solving the crime using theories of human subconscious that are drawn from de Quincey's actual writings and that predate Freud by decades, which is clever.

However, there were other elements that distracted from my overall enjoyment. Morrell's writing is brusque and business-like, his characters unconvincing (his detectives display little cunning, his street people are a bit too lovably quirky, and Emily is way too perfect), his plotting is over-complicated and over-contrived, and his use of 3rd person omniscient occasionally took me out of the story. Mostly, however, I was irked by his Lord Palmerston subplot, which promises all sorts of intrigue that it never delivers.

In summary, I'd call this a step above the average historical mystery, and well worth reading for the history alone, but not without flaws that keep it from being as good as it might have been. ( )

The author combined real-life events by inserting Thomas de Quincey, a sensational novelist known as the Opium Eater, into a reproduction of the Ratcliffe Highway murders that took place in 1811. The story takes place around the time of the Crimean War in Victorian England. Mr. Morrell has done a fine job of detailing the history and weaving a believable murder mystery. I was immersed in how he wrote about Victorian society and learned a lot, not only about the poverty-stricken residents of the East End of London but the hypocritical morals of the upper classes.
The characters are diverse, but the best parts of the story for me are told as journal entries by De Quincey's daughter, Emily. She is a much more forthright female for that era, and her observations are a delight.
It's a very enjoyable read, with an engaging story and setting. ( )

1854 and London is again hit with a spate of murders that seem to be a copycat of the Ratcliffe Highway murders of 1811. Thomas De Quincey, famed for his 'Confessions of an English Opium-Eater', is decreed to be the main suspect. Can the De Quinceys with the help of D.I. Ryan and Constable Becker find the murderer and determine his motives.
Really enjoyed this story, like the characters and got involved in the telling. I look forward to reading the next in the series. ( )