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Author: Sarah Pinborough, 2014.
Genre: Historical Fiction. Serial Murders. Horror. Supernatural. Drugs.
Other Details: Hardback. 326 pages.
Dr Thomas Bond, Police Surgeon, is still recovering from the events of the previous year when Jack the Ripper haunted the streets of London – and a more malign enemy hid in his shadow. Bond and the others who worked on the gruesome case are still stalked by its legacies, both psychological and tangible. But now the bodies of children are being pulled from the Thames… and Bond is about to become inextricably linked with an uncanny, undying enemy. - synopsis from UK publisher's website.
I began this novel and quickly realised that it was very much a continuation of Mayhem, that the two books form a whole. I realised that a few details were a little vague and so to refresh my memory I decided to do a quick re-read of the first novel (2013 Book 214). I enjoyed it just as much as I did the first time round and it was good to have that momentum and to move from one straight to the other even though a number of years have passed between the two novels rather than the year stated in the above synopsis. It opens in 1896, some eight years after the Ripper and Thames Torso murders.
Murder proved a powerful sequel to Mayhem. I was very surprised by the direction that the plot took. It proved very dark in its ambiance - grizzly and certainly horrific. I felt that writing it this way was a brave decision as well as so many writers seem to want to write a series that will go on and on. Sarah Pinborough is an amazing writer of historical horror. I was so impressed and certainly would recommend this to those who enjoy this kind of blend of crime and supernatural horror.
Jo Fletcher Books are to be congratulated for the elegance of their UK cover art. While Murder is currently out in hardback in the UK, it is due to be published in the USA in January 2015.
