BLOG TOUR: Nocturne with Gaslamps - Matthew Francis

A historical crime fiction novel set in Victorian London’s gaslit theatre scene, where ghosts lurk in the shadows and murder takes centre stage.

Gaslight. Ghosts. Murder.

Hastings Wimbury has always dreamt of playing Hamlet, but for now he works as a theatre gas-boy. Here, he tends to a gas chandelier so powerful it creates its own weather, and limelight machines that can throw a shadow onto a wall ten miles away.

When Hastings suddenly disappears, his fiancée Flora sets out to find him with the help of Cassie, her rival in love who is more preoccupied with the ghosts terrorising the streets of London. Soon total darkness is imposed upon the city, and they realise that something far more sinister is at hand…

Ladies aren’t supposed to solve mysteries, but this is a matter of life and death.

 

What did I think?

Nocturne with Gaslamps is a very atmospheric mystery set in Victorian London.  It's a step back in time to a dark and dangerous time when ghosts, thieves and murderers roamed the streets of London beneath the shadows of the gaslamps.

I really enjoyed the theatre setting, especially the behind the scenes special effects created by gas.  Being a gas-boy was clearly a very dangerous job but it's a job that aspiring actor Hastings Wimbury finds himself accepting in order to work in the theatre.  It is in the theatre where Hastings meets a mysterious count who promises him the lead in his production of Hamlet...but at what cost?

Cassie is intrigued by the new resident at Halcyon House where she is lodging as there's something Hastings Wimbury is hiding.  I loved Cassie's inquisitive nature and it stands her in good stead when Hastings goes missing and she investigates his disappearance along with his fiancée.

The author paints amazingly atmospheric scenes with his vivid words and the gripping mystery keeps the pages turning with a few shocks and surprises in store for the reader along the way.

Gripping, intriguing and incredibly atmospheric, Nocturne with Gaslamps is an excellent historical crime novel and the perfect read for a dark and chilly night.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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About the author:

Matthew Francis is Professor Emeritus in Creative Writing at Aberystwyth University. He read English at Magdalene College, Cambridge University. He writes novels, short stories, and poetry collections. He has won the TLS / Blackwell's Prize for Poetry and the Southern Arts Literature Prize, and been shortlisted twice for the Forward Prize, twice for the Welsh Book of the Year Award and once for the Ted Hughes Award. In 2004, he was chosen as one of the Next Generation Poets. He is a Fellow of the Welsh Academy. Matthew lives with this wife in Aberystwyth, Wales where he enjoys playing chess, cooking and playing the ukulele.

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A Season for Scandal (The Agency for Scandal Book 2) - Laura Wood

An all-female detective agency righting wrongs at the end of the nineteenth century; infiltrating a scandalous upper class world straight out of Bridgerton and using their wit and bravery to unmask a villain.

When Marigold Bloom finds her family business in trouble a chance encounter with the devastatingly handsome and extremely bad-tempered Oliver Lockhart leads her to the Aviary - a secret agency of women who specialise in blackmailing troublesome men. 

Soon, Mari is the agency's newest recruit, sent to investigate the mysterious return of Oliver's long lost sister. Forced to masquerade as a newly engaged couple, it is up to Mari and Oliver to determine if there is an imposter in their midst. But what happens when the line between truth and fiction starts to blur? And what do you do when a pretend romance starts to feel all too real?

 

What did I think?

A Season for Scandal is the second book in The Agency for Scandal series but it can be read as a standalone as it has its own contained storyline.  I haven't read the first book but I enjoyed A Season for Scandal so much that I now want to read the first book in the series.

This is the story of Marigold Bloom who runs her family florist.  After being unceremoniously dumped by her odious fiancé, the future looks very bleak for both Mari and her florist.  Luckily, fate intervenes and throws her into the path of Oliver Lockhart, who not only provides the swoony Mr. Darcy style love interest but also introduces Mari to a secret detective agency: the Aviary.

The characters are beautifully drawn and so vibrant (thanks mainly to Mari's colourful taste in clothing) that they virtually pop off the page.  I loved the idea of the Aviary and how they go about their mysterious and secretive business - this is what girl power looks like in Victorian England.  

Entertaining, vibrant and an absolute joy to read, A Season for Scandal may be a YA novel but it is perfectly suitable for adults to read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  I do hope Laura Wood has plans to make this a long running series as I am well and truly hooked.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Small Museum - Jody Cooksley

A chilling historical mystery set against the gothic backdrop of Victorian London, The Small Museum won the Caledonia Novel Award in 2023 and is inspired by the extraordinary treasure trove of curiosities that is the Hunterian Museum in London.

London, 1873. Madeleine Brewster's marriage to Dr Lucius Everley was meant to be the solution to her family's sullied reputation. After all, Lucius is a well-respected collector of natural curiosities, his 'Small Museum' of bones and things in jars is his pride and joy, although kept under lock and key. His sister Grace's philanthropic work with fallen women is also highly laudable. However, Maddie is confused by and excluded from what happens in what is meant to be her new home.

Maddie's skill at drawing promises a role for her though when Lucius agrees to let her help him in making a breakthrough in evolutionary science, a discovery of the first 'fish with feet'. But the more Maddie learns about both Lucius and Grace, the more she suspects that unimaginable horrors lie behind their polished reputations.

Framed for a crime that would take her to the gallows and leave the Everleys unencumbered, Maddie’s only hope is her friend Caroline Fairly. But will she be able to put the pieces together before the trial reaches its fatal conclusion?

What did I think?

Now that's what I call gothic!  With an array of weird and wonderful curiosities, a dark and brooding doctor and a Victorian murder trial, The Small Museum is a delightfully dark and chilling read.

Maddie's sister brought shame on the Brewster family so when an eminent doctor steps forward to marry her, her parents couldn't be happier.  Marriage to Lucius is not what Maddie expected and she feels like a visitor in her new home, especially when the staff take orders from her sister-in-law, Grace.  Even without the trial chapters, it is clear that something is not right in the Everley household.

I loved the way this book is written with a curiosity from Lucius' collection heading each chapter and it was like hunting Easter eggs seeing where this same item was hidden in the immaculate prose.  The trial chapters add intrigue and suspense as the clock ticks down to the verdict.

Beautifully written and incredibly intriguing, The Small Museum is a chilling, haunting and disturbing gothic novel.  Jody Cooksley's beautiful writing paints such a vivid picture of Victorian London that I felt as if I had stepped back in time.  It's a very unusual book and one I would recommend.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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About the author:

JODY COOKSLEY studied literature at Oxford Brookes University and has a Masters in Victorian Poetry. Her debut novel The Glass House was a fictional account of the life of nineteenth-century photographer, Julia Margaret Cameron.

The Small Museum, Jody’s third novel, won the 2023 Caledonia Novel Award.

Jody is originally from Norwich and now lives in Cranleigh,Surrey.

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BLOG TOUR: Birth of the Tiptons - Philip Davidson

This first part of the Tipton Saga is a romp through Victorian England with the first generation of the extraordinary Tipton family. It follows the twin Tipton boys growing up in a Black Country orphanage seeing the industrial revolution taking shape. However it appears an external force is pulling the strings on the boys. Not one force, but two, and this is because of their highly unusual parentage which they are initially unaware of.

In adulthood one brother joins the East India Company, the other a large industrial ironworks. They have a fallout and a near fatal fight in the half-built Crystal Palace in Hyde Park, but they come together for George's application to the Great Exhibition of 1851. After a brush with royalty it becomes necessary to escape to the new world and lay low for five generations as the enormity of the fantasy and the destiny of their task is revealed. Starting in 2019 it is encumberment on their descendants, two beautiful women, to secretly begin this task.

 

What did I think?

Reading Birth of the Tiptons is like falling down the rabbit hole and I really enjoyed my trip.  It's a cross genre novel that mixes historical fiction with fantasy, which makes for a very entertaining read.

The Tipton twins are growing up in an orphanage and they have no idea who their parents are, even when they hear their father's voice in their head.  Their destiny has been mapped out from the moment of their birth in 1810 but there are dark and dangerous forces at work to try to disrupt this.  When their descendants in America discover a mysterious old trunk in 2019, they put themselves and their destiny at risk.

Told via flashbacks the story meanders through Georgian and Victorian England, imparting nuggets of historical fact like Easter eggs amongst the colourful and engaging storyline.  I felt like I had been in a time machine as I walked in the footsteps of the past and gazed at the sights and sounds of 19th century London.

Incredibly imaginative and very entertaining, Birth of the Tiptons is a brilliant start to the Tipton Saga and I can't wait to see what happens next.

I received a digital ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond - Louise Davidson

After a terrible tragedy, governess Julia Pearlie finds herself with no job, home, or references. When she’s offered a position as companion to Miss Olivia Richmond, her luck appears to be turning. But Mistcoate House is full of secrets.

Olivia has a sinister reputation. The locals call her the Mistcoate Witch, thanks to her tarot readings, and her insistence that she can speak to the dead. Her father, Dr Richmond, believes this to be girlish fantasy and is looking to Julia to put a stop to it. 

Determined to prove herself and shake off her own murky history, Julia sets to work trying to help Olivia become a proper young lady. However, as she becomes a fixture at Mistcoate, it is soon clear that there may be more to Olivia’s stories than Dr Richmond would have Julia believe – not least because somehow, Olivia seems to know something of the darkness that Julia desperately hoped she had left behind.

As the danger grows, and the winter chill wraps around the dark woods surrounding Mistcoate, Julia will have to fight to uncover the truth, escape her past – and save herself.

Original and engrossing, this chilling Victorian Gothic ghost story is an outstanding piece of storytelling, perfect for fans of Sarah Perry, Erin Morgenstern and Jessie Burton.

 

What did I think?

The haunting cover of The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond gives the reader some idea as to how dark it is inside and this spinetingling historical gothic novel is a great book to read over the spooky season.

Julia Pearlie comes from a wealthy family but as a woman she is left penniless when her brother inherits the family's wealth.  Forced to take a job as a governess, Julia now works for people who should have been her peers.  Of course the reader can't help but wonder how good Julia is at her job with a transcript from a drowning inquest at the start of the book and this is a sad story that literally haunts her.

Mistcoate House has its very own witch in the form of Olivia Richmond and Julia has been offered the position as Olivia's companion.  I felt so sorry for Olivia, living with a father who cares naught for her, a grandfather with dementia and a housekeeper who seems far too close to her employer for my liking.  It's like a bubbling cauldron of intrigue and it had me completely riveted.

Set in the late 19th century, it explores the Victorian obsession with the occult and how the body works.  Dr Richmond isn't beyond using his own daughter for experimentation to secure funding, after all she's only a girl.  Olivia is a talented tarot card reader and she seems to know more about Julia's past than she ought to, including the identity of the ghostly boy who lingers around Julia.

Spooky, creepy and mesmerising, The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond is a wonderful piece of historical fiction with a dark, gothic edge.  Perfect reading for Halloween.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Gifts - Liz Hyder

In an age defined by men, it will take something extraordinary to show four women who they truly are . . .

October 1840. A young woman staggers alone through a forest in Shropshire as a huge pair of impossible wings rip themselves from her shoulders.

Meanwhile, when rumours of a 'fallen angel' cause a frenzy across London, a surgeon desperate for fame and fortune finds himself in the grips of a dangerous obsession, one that will place the women he seeks in the most terrible danger . . .

THE GIFTS is the astonishing debut adult novel from the lauded author of BEARMOUTH. A gripping and ambitious book told through five different perspectives and set against the luminous backdrop of nineteenth century London, it explores science, nature and religion, enlightenment, the role of women in society and the dark danger of ambition.

 

What did I think?

I think The Gifts is a novel that we will be hearing about a lot this year, and rightly so.  The writing is beautiful, the plot is completely immersive and the finished copies (complete with illustrations) will be stunning.

Through the character of surgeon Edward Meake, Liz Hyder has really captured the Victorian obsession with science and the workings of the human body.  So it's no wonder that Edward's interest is piqued when he hears rumours about the body of an angel being found in the Thames.  Intent on capturing and studying a live angel, Edward begins his quest to acquire the impossible: a live angel.

It's both fascinating and horrifying to see the way that women were treated in the 19th century.  Not just the angels, who were treated as things rather than women, but Edward's wife Annie and budding writer Mary.  Annie is very much kept in the dark about her husband's work and Mary has to adopt a male pseudonym for her writing to be taken seriously.  I absolutely loved the character of Mary; she's bold, courageous and strong, especially when she's following a story.

Although the story is completely immersive, I had difficulty getting into the rhythm of the book as most of the chapters are very short and they swap between the viewpoints of several characters.  I think the finished copy with illustrations will be better as it allows the reader to pause and absorb what they have just read.  I loved the newspaper articles that are scattered throughout the novel - it really brings the book to life.

Haunting, powerful and mesmerising, The Gifts is an astonishing novel that combines historical and feminist fiction with a touch of the ethereal.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: People of Abandoned Character - Clare Whitfield

He is my husband.

To honour and obey.

Until murder do us part.

London, 1888: Susannah rushes into marriage to a young and wealthy surgeon. After a passionate honeymoon, she returns home with her new husband wrapped around her little finger. But then everything changes. His behaviour becomes increasingly volatile and violent. He stays out all night, returning home bloodied and full of secrets.

Lonely and frustrated, Susannah starts following the gruesome reports of a spate of murders in Whitechapel. But as the killings continue, her mind takes her down the darkest path imaginable. Every time her husband stays out late, another victim is found dead.

Is it coincidence? Or is he the man they call Jack the Ripper?

What did I think?

As one of England's most famous murderers, Jack the Ripper still continues to fascinate us over 130 years later.  His identity remains unknown and Clare Whitfield has chosen to base her amazing debut novel around this, with Susannah Lancaster suspecting that her husband is the Whitechapel murderer.  I have to say that I absolutely adored this book; I raced through it faster than I have ever read historical fiction, devouring every single perfectly crafted word.

Susannah Chapman, a nurse at The London Hospital, is the envy of her peers when she marries dashing Dr. Thomas Lancaster, who is 5 years her junior.  Forced to give up her job as a nurse now that she is married, she finds herself lady of the house with servants and a creepy housekeeper, Mrs. Wiggs.  The creepy, sneaky character of Mrs. Wiggs really creeped me out, it felt like she had eyes and ears everywhere watching Susannah's every move.

Thomas soon loses interest in Susannah and often doesn't come home at night, leaving Susannah bemused and lonely.  When a murderer starts terrorising Whitechapel, Susannah becomes obsessed with reading as much as she can about it in the press but she soon notices that each murder coincides with Thomas's disappearances.  To add authenticity to the story, Clare Whitfield has included a small piece on each victim and even recreated newspaper excerpts - I absolutely loved this touch, especially the use of the term 'outraged corpse' which brought very vivid (and slightly amusing, if I'm honest) images to mind.  I presume Clare has written the excerpts, although they are so authentic they may very well be real.

Clare Whitfield has very ingeniously turned the Jack the Ripper story on its head and created an astounding piece of cross-genre fiction; it's certainly historical fiction but it's also mystery, thriller, crime and contemporary fiction, thereby appealing to a wide range of readers.  Clare's accomplished writing weaves a rich tapestry that recreates all of the sounds, smells and sights of Victorian London; a London whose streets may be the dark and dangerous hunting ground of a murderer yet remain filled with revelry and debauchery.

Chilling, compelling and intensely atmospheric, People of Abandoned Character is an absolute masterpiece; there are many strands to this wonderful story and I loved every single one of them.  Clare Whitfield's exceptional debut definitely scoops all the stars; an unreserved 5 star read and very highly recommended.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

About the author:

Clare Whitfield is a UK-based writer living in a suburb where the main cultural landmark is a home store/Starbucks combo. Clare nurtures an obsession with female characters that are as much villain as hero, and enjoys lurking in the blurry landscape between perception and reality. She is the wife of a tattoo artist, mother of a small benign dictator and relies on her dog for emotional stability. Previously Clare has been a dancer, copywriter, amateur fire breather, buyer and a mediocre weightlifter. People of Abandoned Character is her first novel. 

Follow Clare on Twitter @whitfield_riley and Instagram @clarerileywhitfield.

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The Girl Who Saved Christmas - Matt Haig

JOURNEY TO THE EDGE OF MAGIC

If magic has a beginning, can it also have an end?

When Amelia wants a wish to come true she knows just the man to ask - Father Christmas.

But the magic she wants to believe in is starting to fade, and Father Christmas has more than impossible wishes to worry about. Upset elves, reindeer dropping out of the sky, angry trolls and the chance that Christmas might be cancelled.

But Amelia isn't just any ordinary girl. And - as Father Christmas is going to find out - if Christmas is going to be saved, he might not be able to do it alone . . .

What did I think?

It's the time of year that every adult looks forward to: when we can awaken our inner child and read a Matt Haig Christmas book.  I'm running a little behind with my Matt Haig Christmas series as The Girl Who Saved Christmas was released in 2016, following hot on the heels of the bestselling A Boy Called Christmas from 2015.  I treated myself to signed copies of both beautiful sparkly books.

So we return to the magical village of Elfhelm where Christmas is under threat, not just by the trolls who are planning an attack on the village but by the loss of hope.  Without hope, Father Christmas can't create his magic to deliver his presents to children all over the world and without magic, reindeer can't fly.  

Amelia is a chimney sweep in Victorian London who had enough hope the prior year for Father Christmas to fly all over the world.  This year though, Amelia finds herself in the workhouse and parted from her dear feline friend, Captain Soot.  Any hope Amelia once had has been extinguished like a candle flame by creepy Mr Creeper who owns the workhouse.  Father Christmas must find Amelia to bring hope back but will he find her in time to deliver all his presents or will Christmas be cancelled again?

I loved A Boy Called Christmas but I absolutely adored The Girl Who Saved Christmas.  As magical as the story is, it gives a glimpse into the poverty of Victorian Britain so you remember that you're not reading a fairytale - well, Father Christmas is real, so it's definitely not a fairy story.  I also have to say that the illustrations by Chris Mould are EXCEPTIONAL: I find his illustrations of the characters remind me of a Tim Burton film but his drawings of buildings are jawdroppingly magnificent.

I'm adding The Girl Who Saved Christmas to my must-read-every-Christmas list, along with A Boy Called Christmas.  Young or old, Matt Haig keeps the magic alive for those of us who believe in Father Christmas (and why wouldn't you?) and each and every one us can do our bit each year by wishing for the magic to happen.  Wishes really do come true...

My rating:

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BLOG TOUR: The Unseeing - Anna Mazzola

Set in London in 1837, Anna Mazzola's THE UNSEEING is the story of Sarah Gale, a seamstress and mother, sentenced to hang for her role in the murder of Hannah Brown on the eve of her wedding. Perfect for any reader of Sarah Waters or Antonia Hodgson.

After Sarah petitions for mercy, Edmund Fleetwood is appointed to investigate and consider whether justice has been done. Idealistic, but struggling with his own demons, Edmund is determined to seek out the truth. Yet Sarah refuses to help him, neither lying nor adding anything to the evidence gathered in court. Edmund knows she's hiding something, but needs to discover just why she's maintaining her silence. For how can it be that someone would willingly go to their own death?

What did I think?

It's really hard to believe that this is a debut novel; there is not a word out of place and as debuts go, it really is something of a masterpiece.  From the very first page, with an actual extract from the Morning Post dated 1836, I had a real sense of time and place as I was completely immersed in the Victorian era.

We meet Sarah Gale as she is transported to prison after being convicted of the murder of Hannah Brown.  Hannah was due to marry James Greenacre, the same man with whom Sarah had previously been living as his common-law wife.  It was alleged that Sarah Gale and James Greenacre killed and dismembered Hannah Brown; a crime for which the punishment is hanging.

Edmund Fleetwood takes up Sarah's case when she petitions for mercy.  Sarah gives very little away and Edmund finds it increasingly difficult to help her, but he is determined to find out the truth as this high profile case will be a massive boost to his reputation.  As he digs into the case he finds inconsistencies and witnesses who have been missed but, as time goes on, we begin to question whether he wants to find out the truth or simply find evidence to exonerate Sarah.

Like pieces of a jigsaw, the puzzle slots together over the course of the book.  I wasn't surprised to find out that Anna Mazzola works in criminal law, as all the evidence is meticulously laid out for us.  We are given such a keen sense of the period, with vividly described sights and sounds, that I never once forgot that I was reading about Victorian London.  I really have to give a special mention to something that really impressed me - Anna Mazzola has managed to write an authentic historical novel without one modern day swearword in sight.  I often read historical novels where the f-word is used and it feels so out of place for the period.  So thank you, Anna, for keeping it real.

A superb debut, based on a true story, The Unseeing is a captivating, authentic and realistic literary masterpiece.  From it's wonderful dark, gothic cover to the disturbing tale within, this was an absolute delight to read.  I could quite happily have remained ensconced within its pages in the Victorian era as I have to admit that I was hugely disappointed to return to my 21st century reality.  

In the spirit of keeping it real, you can read the transcript of the Edgeware Road Murder trial here and James Greenacre's entry in the Newgate Calendar here.  This was a lovely extra touch from Anna Mazzola to be found in the Historical Note.

I received this book from the publisher, Tinder Press, via Bookbridgr in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

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Alchemy: turning silver to gold - Chris James

The Sequel to "Alchemy: a story of perfect murder" - available for Pre-Order at Amazon. Launch date: 14 December 2015.

After finding Jacob Silver's body missing from his grave at Pentonville Prison, Lizzie Weston battles to prove he is immortal - and clear his name.

Detective Inspector George Neville searches for Jacob's missing remains and learns that Nicolas Flamel is not only alive but cooking another brew - and leaving dead bodies wherever he goes.

Portraits and heads in jars, exhibits from Jacob Silver's "trial of the century" cause havoc as Jacob's murdered victims seek revenge.

Sir Robert Weston is honoured by Queen Victoria for services to medicine - after stealing with Jacob's discoveries.

But where is Jacob Silver?

A new trial, the sensation of the next century, reveals all.

What did I think?

Alchemy: turning silver to gold takes us on another trip to Victorian London, following the sensational hanging of Jacob Silver.  This definitely needs to be read in conjunction with Alchemy: a story of perfect murder as it won’t make much sense as a stand-a-lone novel and it follows on directly from the first book.

Where the first Alchemy book was about the quest for immortality, this second book in the series examines whether immortality has actually been achieved, thanks to the elixir that Jacob gave to his friend Lizzie Weston.  Lizzie emerges unscathed from some life-threatening events and she begins to believe she is immortal, all the while you feel that all of these strange happenings are being orchestrated by the legendary Nicolas Flamel.

Although Jacob doesn't appear until halfway through the book, Lizzie is a main character who had me enthralled.  She has an air of the supernatural about her, having miraculously survived consumption and an explosion, and I felt she almost glowed from within the pages of this book.

I did really enjoy this but not as much as the first book as some parts were a bit too fantastical for my liking; I was okay with the chattering evil decapitated heads in jars but Lizzie's effect on them was a bit puzzling.  Perhaps it will become clearer in the third book, for which I can't wait, thanks to the amazing cliffhanger at the end of this book.  Chris James has certainly mastered the art of making the reader eager for more!  As with the first book, I thought the spectacle of the trial was described brilliantly; the writing is so vivid that I felt I could have been sat in the public gallery myself.

As with the first book, there are some famous faces making an appearance in the story and this all adds to the authentic flavour of the book.  Chris James has managed to completely immerse the reader in the Victorian era, although I did question whether the ‘f’ word was in use back then.  I can see this being a series of books I will re-read over the years, they are very entertaining and I'm such a greedy reader as I'm already looking forward to the next one.

I received this e-book from Booklover Catlady publicity in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

Alchemy: a story of perfect murder - Chris James

How far would YOU go to bring back a lost love?

Alchemy is a chilling psychological tale of mystery, murder and suspense and reveals an extraordinary decade in the life of a talented, sweet young and innocent genius, as he transforms into a monster. The author, well used to murder and the macabre, was a criminal trial lead detective in the British police.

In Victorian London, England, close to the end of the 19th century, a young artist unravels what he believes to be the formula for immortality and raising the dead, prescribed in an ancient tome: Alchemy

Just when he cracks the secret code for the final components of his elixir, his mistress and inspiration, dies. His life is devastated, his mind fragile, destroyed by drugs. He knows he has the power to revive her. But obtaining the last ingredients means resorting to murder, taking innocent lives.

He just has to decide whose.

His only surviving model, our narrator, infatuated with this painter of her portrait, attends the trial of the century, where she finally learns someone got away with murder. 

Based on a true story? Why not decide for yourself?

What did I think?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book – it’s a dark gothic tale with a twist and is an absolutely stunning debut from Chris James.  It’s a veritable who’s who of the Victorian era with many famous faces making an appearance, including the grand old lady herself.

Jacob is such a tortured character and being an artist as well as an alchemist, it is little wonder that we are encouraged to question his sanity.  Jacob is standing trial for murder and the circus of the courtroom is described wonderfully.  In between chapters of the trial, we find out about Jacob’s life and I soon found myself questioning whether some things were real or imagined.

Whilst reading, I felt fully immersed in the late 19^th century and could feel Jacob’s sanity slipping away as his painting became darker and he became more addicted to his potions.  Was he living alone, or with the people with whom he claimed to be living?  My mind was a-whirl as the story progressed and as the end of the trial approached, I could see only one outcome…but what an ending!  There’s an amazing revelation and cliff-hanger at the end, ensuring that the reader will be hot-footing it over to Amazon to pick up Alchemy: turning Silver into Gold as soon as it is released.

It’s such an atmospheric, dark and brilliant book; I was reminded of Jekyll and Hyde, The Picture of Dorian Gray and even Harry Potter, ultimately causing my mind to run into overdrive as it pushed my eyes to read faster.  I really can’t wait to read book 2.

I received this e-book from Booklover Catlady publicity in exchange for an honest review.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon