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prof_shoff's review against another edition
3.0
This is a somewhat complex story, with lots of little twists and turns leading down nonessential paths. Quietly interesting.
sk888888's review
2.0
Read for book club. Skimmed a lot (while crime & mysteries are definitely my favorite 'reads' I just could not get into this one. The last two chapters were, finally, interesting.
gawronma's review
3.0
First I think 3 and a half stars would be a more accurate rating. I truly enjoyed it. The book felt like a nice mix of mystery, horror and suspence. At times it felt like I was reading an old movie serial from the 30's. A really enjoyable read.
beckylej's review
4.0
Sir Owain Lancaster's account of his expedition to South America has left many questioning the man's sanity. The entire team of explorers and Lancaster's own wife and son were killed. No one is left to back up Lancaster's tale of strange and murderous creatures.
Sebastian Becker's job is to investigate Lancaster's state of mind. But when he arrives in Arnmouth, another crime has just occurred -- two girls have been brutalized and murdered on Lancaster's estate. Could Lancaster be behind the murders?
The premise of this mystery is really unique -- Becker is a former Pinkerton who now works as an investigator for an asylum. The historical setting makes it that much more fantastic.
Sebastian Becker's job is to investigate Lancaster's state of mind. But when he arrives in Arnmouth, another crime has just occurred -- two girls have been brutalized and murdered on Lancaster's estate. Could Lancaster be behind the murders?
The premise of this mystery is really unique -- Becker is a former Pinkerton who now works as an investigator for an asylum. The historical setting makes it that much more fantastic.
aditurbo's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed reading this book and liked the detective character in its center, but it was a little meh. The story was a little too far-fetched, and so were some of the plot twists. Important characters were killed off without anyone else losing step or practically noticing. The psychological side was somewhat superficial, too. Not sure I would make too much effort to read any sequels if they come.
vesper1931's review against another edition
4.0
1912 England and Sebastian Becker is employed by the Lord Chancellor's Visitor in Lunacy as an investigator, to determine the mental state of any wealthly person who might be considered insane. His latest employment takes him to Arnmouth to investigate Sir Owain Lancaster, but events interfere.
An easy-to-read, well-written mystery with some interesting characters.
An easy-to-read, well-written mystery with some interesting characters.
krisrid's review against another edition
1.0
This sounded interesting, but it did not hold my interest at all and I did not finish it.
The story started out fairly well, but it wandered off into disjointed rambling, with side-bits that felt like they had nothing to do with the main plot. Maybe they did, and would have become clear eventually, but it really felt confusing to me, and distracted me, which lost my attention.
I knew by Chapter 10 that this just wasn't going to work for me.
The story started out fairly well, but it wandered off into disjointed rambling, with side-bits that felt like they had nothing to do with the main plot. Maybe they did, and would have become clear eventually, but it really felt confusing to me, and distracted me, which lost my attention.
I knew by Chapter 10 that this just wasn't going to work for me.
claudia_is_reading's review against another edition
4.0
A truly great book. The portrait of the era is wonderfully done, the characters are lively and interesting, and the mystery engaging and the end surprised me.
And even if this belongs to a series, it can be perfectly read as a stand-alone. I did, and I didn't feel that there was something amiss or missing.
The narration was superb.
And even if this belongs to a series, it can be perfectly read as a stand-alone. I did, and I didn't feel that there was something amiss or missing.
The narration was superb.
mlvalard's review
4.0
4 stars
I didn't read the first book in the series. Wasn't aware when I first picked it up that it was a sequel. However, that didn't seem to greatly effect my enjoyment of the read. I didn't feel I was missing any information to understand the story, so I do think this reads well enough as a standalone.
I enjoyed it for all the reasons I was intrigued enough to pick it up in the first place. It was a late Victorian (1912) mystery, with hints of madness and possibly the supernatural. The main character was pleasant, the setting felt real and well-researched. The tale was woven extremely well, each bit flowing well into the next so nothing dragged or confused. I did like that a great deal and devoured chunks at a time whenever I sat down to read it.
The resolution was interesting and made a great deal of sense. Overall I'll definitely read more of the series if they come my way and at some point might be inclined to seek out more of the author's work.
I didn't read the first book in the series. Wasn't aware when I first picked it up that it was a sequel. However, that didn't seem to greatly effect my enjoyment of the read. I didn't feel I was missing any information to understand the story, so I do think this reads well enough as a standalone.
I enjoyed it for all the reasons I was intrigued enough to pick it up in the first place. It was a late Victorian (1912) mystery, with hints of madness and possibly the supernatural. The main character was pleasant, the setting felt real and well-researched. The tale was woven extremely well, each bit flowing well into the next so nothing dragged or confused. I did like that a great deal and devoured chunks at a time whenever I sat down to read it.
The resolution was interesting and made a great deal of sense. Overall I'll definitely read more of the series if they come my way and at some point might be inclined to seek out more of the author's work.
vkemp's review
3.0
Sebastian Becker was a British Pinkerton man in America, but something went drastically wrong. His wife had to sell her jewelry and they returned to England. Now Sebastian labors as an investigator for the Master of Lunacy, a post in Victorian government that investigates claims of madness to determine if someone actually needs to reside in Bedlam. Becker travels to the country to investigate Sir Owain Lancaster's state of mind. While he is there, two girls go missing in circumstances similar to a previous case several years earlier, in which the girls did survive. Unfortunately, neither missing girl survives this encounter and their bodies are found, naked and obviously tortured. Was it Sir Owain? Are his delusions so strong he could kill? This was an interesting book about a Victorian oddity in the legal system. The mystery is well-plotted and it was an interesting read with interesting characters. Enjoyable if you like Victorian era mysteries.