Gruesome murders are not my usual penchant, although I have to say, I did rather enjoy "Tom-All-Alone's" last year, which has some macabre detective work, and sinister undertones, in similar vein to "Mayhem". What this book has in addition, is a large helping of the supernatural, since the supernatural and fantasy are Pinborough's preferred genres.
Her protagonist, a Police surgeon, by the name of Thomas Bond, becomes obsessed with finding the murderer who is stalking the back streets of Whitechapel, making Jack the Ripper look positively mundane. He is haunted by the dreadful murder scenes he has witnessed, and the supernatural evil he has sensed. Sleep eludes him, and he wanders through the seedy opium dens of London, looking for the release that drugs can give him, topping this up with frequent doses of Laudanum.
Whilst I found the narrator's voice in the first half of the book a little confusing, nevertheless, she had me hooked by the halfway point, building the tension at quite a pace. She scatters a few red herrings as she weaves the Police enquiry with the unorthodox detective work of Dr. Bond, the seedy underbelly of the metropolis, and a smattering of Eastern European folklore.
I started to suspect several of the main characters as possible murderers, which is a sign of a good crime writer, and to worry about the welfare of the more vulnerable ones. With her hero telling the story in what is essentially a drug-induced haze, it begs the question: "What is reality?" Throw the supernatural into the mix, and the borders become even more blurred.
Not my usual territory then, but an enjoyable thriller with plenty of atmosphere. Just avoid dark corners and shadows, check the wardrobe, and look under the bed before you decide not to turn out the light!
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| Dog-sitting (for cheese!) |
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