PRIDE & PESTILENCE by Carol Hedges

 5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon (universal link)
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

In a Nutshell: Book 11 of the Victorian Detectives murder mystery series

Eleventh book in the series, and I have not given any of them less than five stars!  Pride and Pestilence sits up there with the rest, a hugely enjoyable tale of social climbing scoundrels, unscrupulous journalists, class wars and weary detectives aiming to sort the urgent from the time-wasting, the villains from the victims.

Detective Leo Stride has now retired, but finds himself all at sea; researching old police records for the purpose of writing his memoirs is a welcome escape from bumbling around helplessly in the social and domestic world inhabited by his wife, and also provides an irresistible opportunity to sidle into in some of Cully and Greig's new cases.  Is he still needed?  Of course he is!

The discovery of a plague pit within a building site sparks off rumours of a resurgence of the pestilence of 200 years earlier, and the way in which the tabloid press use this to instil fear into the public (and sell more papers) is most entertaining, and indeed echoes events of a more recent time.

It's great.  Loved it.  Read the whole series, starting now!

DESIRE & DECEIT by Carol Hedges @caroljhedges #RBRT

5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member, but I bought it anyway because I adore this whole series!

In a Nutshell: Victorian Murder Mystery

I've just finished the final outing in this series of stand-alone Victorian murder mysteries, and every one has been a winner.  Frankly I could carry on reading them ad infinitum, but I understand that a writer needs a change now and then!

We enter once more the world of Detectives Stride and Cully, in mid-nineteenth century London, and are introduced to a fine array of characters, many new faces and others whom we have met before.  Of the latter, I particularly like Miss Lucy Landseer, private detective (or 'detector' as the owner of a exclusive tobacconists calls Cully and his protegée Tom Williams), who is the star of one of the secondary storylines; the main one centres around a dead body without a name, the questions being who is he, who killed him, and why?

Ms Hedges' excellent plotting and characterisation shines out on every page, with her familiar themes rippling through the story: the massive chasm of difference between the haves and the have-nots, the pretentiousness of the aspirational lower middle class, the lot of women of all classes, corrupt MPs with their 'jobs for the boys' (no change there then) and complete disinterest in and disregard for the scum of humanity that floats beneath them (i.e., everyone in the country apart from their families and peers).  Then there are the music hall artistes, the conmen, and those who think they can get away with murder.

I very much liked the parliamentary clerk known only as 'the Replacement' (the MP for which he works never does bother to find out his name), and Euphemia Harbinger, an elderly lady facing the end of her life, once celebrated in society, who is more wise and experienced than her grasping, inheritance-chasing family could ever imagine.  I also loved Harriet Harbinger, a young girl being constantly overlooked in favour of her twin brother, who has her sights set on the high seas and adventure.

As ever, the threads of the story were satisfactorily wrapped up, but this time I finished it with a certain sadness, knowing there will not be any more.  This book is an absolute treat, as are all of the other eight.  If you haven't read any of them yet, I envy you!

THE WHITE RAJAH by Tom Williams @TomCW99 #RBRT #TuesdayBookBlog

5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member, though I'd bought it anyway.

In a Nutshell:  the story of James Brooke, who became the ruler of Sarawak in Borneo, in the 19th Century.

I read the third in this series (the Williamson papers), Back Home, five years ago, and adored it - they're all stand alones.  I read Book #2, Cawnpore, shortly afterwards, liked it but in a 4* rather than a '5* OMG' way, and never got round to reading The White Rajah. Then I watched the film Edge of the World, starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers as James Brooke, and thought, I know of a book about this...

In short, it's a fair bit different from the film, in that it's written from the fictional John Williamson's point of view - he is cast as an interpreter who went with Brooke to Borneo.  However, I recognised the atmosphere and the chain of events, but even if I hadn't, I thoroughly enjoyed this book - and apparently it is far more historically accurate than the film!  Tom Williams is a fine writer and a most engaging storyteller, his style perfect for the time period, and I was engrossed from the first page.  His characterisation is subtle and clever, and the narrative is not without humour (the earlier Governor of Sarawak's military strategy).

I loved reading about the different tribes in their long huts and the traditions; I would have liked to read more about them.  Of course, the attitudes of the British men are of the time, and at first they see it as their God-given right - nay, duty - to bring 'civilisation' to the natives, though there is a rather nice passage in which Williamson observes a tribe and considers that they seem quite happy and efficient as they are, thank you very much.  About the Dyaks: 'These were a people who knew not the poorhouse nor the lockup, whose lives were not blighted by working in great factories.  They knew nothing of steam locomotives or spinning machines but led a simple life at one with nature.'  

Highly recommended:  'A tale of adventure set against the background of a jungle world of extraordinary beauty and terrible savagery'.

FEAR & PHANTOMS by Carol Hedges @caroljhedges #RBRT

5 GOLD stars

On Amazon UK
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.

Genre: Victorian Murder Mystery

This is the sixth book in Carol Hedges' Victorian Detectives series, featuring the inimitable Leo Stride and Jack Cully.  As ever, it is a complete stand alone; there is the odd reference to events that occurred in previous books, but none of these would make the book any less enjoyable to a reader new to the series.

The story opens in London's freezing early months of 1865, with a series of sightings of a ghostly Madonna in the Underground.  This, however, is but a humorous diversion from the main story, which involves a dastardly conman who defrauds banks to the extent of their ruin, and murders those who impede his success.

As ever, the star of the show is mid-Victorian era London itself, with many delightful, larger-than-life characters to illustrate its many faces.  You will meet the enchanting Pip and Muggly - starving street children who press their noses up against bakery shop windows - the rich in their gambling dens, hard-working clerks Helen and her twin brother Lambert Trigg, the lovely Lucy Landseer - aspiring novelist and writer of controversial articles - and the Triggs' landlords, Mr and Mrs Mutesius, so beautifully painted that you can almost smell the fustiness of their downstairs quarters, and many more.

One quip I have to mention ~ Jack Cully's disapproval of the name of a new cosmetic.  'I'm not a religious man, but all the same, I don't approve of using Bible names like that.  It's wrong.  Virgin soap, Virgin cream ~ whatever next?  Virgin trains?' 

 
No detail is spared in illustrating the gap between rich and poor, the plight of those who are just scraping together enough to keep body and soul together in grim lodgings, and the careless attitude of the unprincipled rich.  Ms Hedges' love of London and the period shines through, as always, her impeccable research and easy wit making this novel a joy to read; I read it in bed, as I always do with this series; curled up under the duvet I could almost believe that outside my window was Victorian London.  I loved every word. 

*****

WONDERS & WICKEDNESS by Carol Hedges @caroljhedges

5 GOLD stars

On Amazon UK
On Amazon.com
On Goodreads

How I discovered this book: I've read all the others in the series and was waiting for this to come out.  Author originally discovered via chatting on Twitter.

Loved it, loved it, loved it.  The fifth book in Carol Hedges' Victorian murder mystery series, featuring crime fighters Stride and Cully, I read and savoured every word.

The plot centres around a man found murdered in the display window of a new department store, and the possible existence of eighteen year old Sybella Wynward, daughter of Lord Hugh and Lady Meriel, who is supposedly dead, following a train accident, but appears to have come to life ~ or has she?

The plot is cleverly and intricately worked out but, as always for me with these books, it comes second to the characterisation, and the star of the whole book, which is London itself.  The parts of the book I enjoyed the most (and I enjoyed every line) were the pictures Ms Hedges paints of our not-so-glorious capital in the 1860s.  As usual with these books, some parts I read twice, because I enjoyed them so much; they made me want to be there and walk those streets myself, even the dark, murky alleys.

Wonders and Wickedness is a riot of technicolour characters, from the bad (Lord Hugh and Montague Foxx), to the daft and deluded (Thorogood and Strictly), to the good (the Cullys), the tragic (Lady Meriel) and the entertaining (Constantia Mortram).  One of my favourites was Felix Lightowler, bookseller and would-be Elizabethan alchemist, who studied the works of John Dee and those of his ilk; I loved the way Ms Hedges wrote his thoughts in the Elizabethan spelling.  The books is filled with similar delightful touches.

Loved it.  Buy it. 🔍

IREX by Carl Rackman @CarlRackman

4.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE

How I discovered this book: I got talking to the author on Twitter, took a look to see what sort of stuff he wrote, decided it looked up my street.  Downloaded via Kindle Unlimited.

This is a debut novel, and a fine achievement it is.  Set in the late 19th Century, it centres around the maiden voyage of tall ship Irex, and good Christian captain Will Hutton.  Although a cargo vessel, the Irex has also taken on a few passengers: the mysterious aristocrat Edward Clarence, and Salavation Army missionaries George and Elizabeth Barstow.

Irex's voyage is ill-fated from the beginning, with a false start, and terrible storms.  Fascinated by his passengers, Hutton begins to become enamoured of Mrs Barstow, and suspicious of Clarence.

The novel alternates between the voyage, and the unravelling of the tragedy of the Irex, in the Isle of Wight, some weeks later.  The book is extremely well-written; Mr Rackman has a fine talent for atmosphere and characterisation, with the plot unfolding slowly ~ until I got to about 34%, when the truth about Clarence was revealed.  This was one of those mouth dropping open moments, and everything suddenly became a lot more interesting.  The plot is unusual, though I don't want to give any of it away because I'd spoil the surprise!  When Hutton looks for support amongst his men he finds himself cast as the villain, and county coroner Blake comes up against the highest authorities in the land.

The pace of the story ebbed and flowed; some parts, like Clarence and Elizabeth's revelations and the descriptions of life on board in a storm to end all storms, were stunningly good.

**Please note: since I wrote this, the author has re-published the book, cutting it by 15k words**
I did think that the book was a bit long-winded; I thought that the alternate investigative chapters could have been shorter and with less detail.  I found myself hurrying through them because I wanted to get back to the Irex.  I think I'd have preferred it if they'd been every third chapter, perhaps; it was a shame to keep being pulled away from the main story.  The quality of writing never faltered, but on occasion I felt that less would have been more, throughout.  That this is a spectacularly good first novel, there is no doubt, but I think Mr Rackman might do well to find an editor to do his writing justice.

It's the story of good versus evil, faith and delusion, as well as being a grand, seafaring adventure and thrilling murder mystery, and I give it a definite thumbs up.

 

THE NORTH WATER by Ian McGuire

4.5 out of 5 stars

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE

How I discovered this book: I read a review of it on Evie Gaughan's blog.  Arctic wastes, hardship on a sea voyage, history, murder ~ I had to have it!  Longlisted for the Booker prize.

The North Water starts out as shocking, stark and not-for-the-faint-of-heart as it continues, with the introduction of psychopath Henry Drax in mid 19th Century Hull, waiting to board a whaling boat bound for Greenland.  Once on board, we soon become aware that Captain Brownlee and first mate Cavendish have more in mind than the usual expedition; the whaling industry is in decline, and they are looking for other ways to make money.  Enter the main character: opium addicted ship surgeon Sumner, who has fallen on hard times.

There is no doubt that the author has researched every aspect of 19th century whaling, and this book was fascinating in its detail and disturbingly real in its atmosphere.  The characters become three dimensional as soon as they open their mouths, and the underlying suspense made this novel one I would have read all in one go if I'd been able to.  A cabin boy is abused, murders take place, ill fate befalls the mariners, and many are left stranded... the plot is terrific.

Although I adored most of this book, I was slightly let down by the last 10%, which, although a well written and a suitable ending, was not as suspense-filled as the rest, and I felt a couple of elements went unanswered.  My only other complaint is that, whereas I do like gritty, gory realism, I could have done with a few less depictions of bodily odours/excretions.  But I still loved it, and would still recommend it most fervently, as long as you're not put off by graphic descriptions as mentioned in the previous sentence.


  

RACK & RUIN by Carol Hedges

5 out of 5 stars

Victorian Murder Mystery

On Amazon UK  HERE
On Amazon.com HERE

On Goodreads HERE

Reviewed by me as a member of Rosie Amber's Review Team

I've read the other three of Carol Hedges' colourful, amusing and really rather brilliant Victorian murder mystery series, and this was every bit as good.  They're complete stand alones, by the way, no need to read them in order.

Rack & Ruin follows the stories of several wonderful characters: lovely, outwardly superficial, privileged Daisy Lawton, a girl looking forward to her first 'season'; Ms Hedges very cleverly avoided the trap of making her merely empty-headed, but gave her a heart of gold, too, especially when it came to her friend, poor Letitia, who is bound to a life of drudgery by her horrible father.  Then we have the would-be anarchists, Persiflage and Waxwing, Scottish detective Lachlan Greig, and various other upper middle class ne'er-do-wells, street rogues and those eager to make money by foul means, mostly the evil 'baby minders' around whom the story centres.

This book is not just a clever story with hilarious characterisation and descriptions so good you want to read them twice.  It's an insight into how difficult life really was for women in those days, only 150 years ago, and a view into Victorian London as clear as any film or TV drama series.  When I got to 84% I thought 'oh, no, I've only got a little bit left', and tried to make it last as long as possible.

I believe this might be the last in the series but I do hope not; as long as Carol Hedges keeps writing these books I'll keep reading them as soon as they're available, and you should, too!

Death & Dominion is reviewed HERE, with links to reviews of Honour & Obey and Diamonds & Dust.  All include Amazon buy links.

ANGEL MEADOW by Dean Kirby

4 out of 5 stars

Non-fiction: history of a 19th Century Mancunian slum

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE

I have the paperback of this book, which is worth getting if you're into nicely produced hard copies.  Beautifully presented, with a section of old photographs and drawings from the time, in the middle.

Angel Meadow was a slum that evolved in Manchester, near the river Irk, at the time of the Industrial Revolution; once green fields and pastures and hedgerows, the cotton mills and factories brought forth the necessity to house its workers, which soon became 'Victorian Britain's most savage slum'.  Eventually, the area was occupied by drunks, tramps, hustlers, prostitutes, pickpockets, and just about every other type of criminal, as well as the people who worked in the mill.  Violence, hunger, early pregnancy, infant death and illness were the norm for the people ekeing out an existence, often living in such filthy conditions that it actually turned my stomach to read some parts.  Warning: don't read this while eating.  I did, alas...

Picture from the Friends of Angel Meadow website

The amount of intricate research that has gone into this book is apparent; there is scarcely a stone of the area unwalked, and there are many case histories taken from archives held by various institutions in the area.  A couple of reviews have said it relies on sensationalism, but many want to know about and wish to view this sort of historical horror with appalled fascination.  I'd like to say that it's unbelievable that thousands of people could be left to live as they did in this so-called civilised country, but it's not surprising, given the social structure of the Victorian age.  One thing that I couldn't understand, though, is why anyone stayed in such a living hell; however penniless a person is, surely a better life could have been had roaming the countryside.  Maybe some did think that, and left.  One teacher said:

"The parents are a disgrace to the city so far as their bodies are concerned.  Years of heredity have gifted these animals - for they are as unclean as monkeys, and their gestures and their learning unconscious of shame remind me irresistibly as apes - with peculiar characteristics which it will take a century of proper treatment to remove."

The book is split into chapters such as Family Life, The Cholera Riot, Living Conditions, etc.  The result is that it becomes a little repetitive; once you have read about the state of the lavatorial facilities in one group of houses, for instance, you don't really need to read it again, about the next street.  However, Dean Kirby has made a spectacularly good job of this book that he began to research after discovering that one of his forefathers had lived there.  An achievement, indeed.

BACK HOME by Tom Williams

5 out of 5 stars

Crime in Victorian London

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE
On Goodreads HERE

Reviewed by me as a member of Rosie Amber's Book Review Team

I loved this book.  Although the third part of a trilogy, it is a complete stand-alone (I haven't read the other parts), with a two page preface that gives exactly the right information about what has happened before; this is so well written that I couldn't wait to get cracking on the main story.

Back Home is an excellent piece of intricately researched historical fiction, set in the mid 19th century, when affluent, middle class John Williamson returns home from thirty years in Borneo and India to find England a place that has gone through much change.  Circumstances take him to London, where he becomes involved with the murky, criminal side of life in order to rescue a friend from danger—and because he is being blackmailed.

I enjoyed every word of this novel.  It's so cleverly written, with low-key humour in parts, the research used subtly and inobtrusively.  Williamson's new life centres around an underground industry; the detail about this is fascinating, as are the eye-opening accounts of life in early Victorian slums.  That aside, I loved reading about his impressions of this new London, his observations about the sociological changes and patterns, and the people he meets.  Even the mundane domestic detail held my attention a hundred per cent.

I shall be reading the previous book, Cawnpore, very soon (I've just bought it), and highly recommend this novel to all lovers of intelligent historical fiction.  Really impressed!

DEATH & DOMINION by Carol Hedges

5 GOLD Stars

Victorian Murder Mystery

On Amazon UK HERE
On Amazon.com HERE

I was looking forward to this book being published, and I loved it so much I want to give it six stars; I shall have to make do with five big shiny gold ones instead!

First, the basic plot.  Dashing bounder Mark Hawksley is busy enticing the gullible moneyed of London into investing into his diamond mine.  A pornography loving, wife betraying solicitor (the thin, grey haired Frederick Undershaft, marvellous name!) narrowly escapes being poisoned by some arsenic laden cakes.  The sharp-witted, sexy and ambitious Belinda Kite takes up a position as ladies' companion to the dreary Grizelda Bulstrode, sister of 'bluff, no-nonsense northerner' Josiah.

The plot is expertly worked, with many threads and red herrings, though in some ways it actually comes second to the descriptive passages and crystal clear characterisation.

I love Carol Hedges' portrayal of atmosphere, from the chill of a Victorian London winter: "Wind batters the city, rattling the windows and inn-signs, whipping up the Thames into a white-capped rage".... "A foggy morning in London...the river an oozing stinking miasma of low-tide mud.  Grimy pavements.  No shade lighter than slate grey.  Hoofbeats hollow in the fog" ... 

....and her gift for conveying exactly what a character is like in just a sentence or two: "..a red mouth, determined chin and hair the colour of falling Autumn" (Belinda Kite, my favourite character!).  Or "The young lady reminds Belinda of a watercolour painting done by someone who had not much colour but a lot of water, giving off the impression of not only being colourless, but rather damp."  That was Grizelda Bulstrode, who, when eating breakfast "conveys tiny squares of buttered toast into her mouth with the cautious apprehension of one posting letters."   Or the street urchins: "Average age in years: about eleven.  Average age in cynicism and malevolent evil: about one hundred and thirty-five".

At the forefront of all crime solving is the Victorian version of Reagan and Carter of the Sweeney: Detectives Stride and Cully:  "...whereas some people could say things in a cutting way, Stride could listen in a cutting way.  Stride could make something sound stupid just by hearing it".  Okay, no more quotes (apart from Stride's observation about many of the reports on his desk: "Most of this stuff isn't for reading, it's for having been written.")  I highlighted so many terrific lines and passages; perhaps the best I can do is just to advise you to buy and read this immediately! 

This is the third in the series, but they're all complete stand alones.  There are references to events in the previous books but it's not necessary to read them first.  This is my favourite of the three.

I read some passages several times to enjoy them all over again, there's not one single boring bit.  It's so well researched, too; I wonder if Ms Hedges actually time-travelled to discover those dark, dangerous alleyways herself!  Best way to read it?  Sitting up in bed with lots of pillows, in a warm room with coffee, tea and possibly cakes, it's a delightfully 'cosy' book.  

To sum up: a work of art :) 

DIAMONDS & DUST by Carol Hedges reviewed HERE

HONOUR & OBEY by Carol Hedges reviewed HERE