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Monday, March 12, 2018

Lock 13 by Peter Helton and Mind of a Killer by Simon Beaufort

Lock 13 by Peter Helton:  Bath, England. When his life drawing model disappears without trace, painter-sleuth Chris Honeysett uncovers evidence of a dangerous conspiracy. 

Hmmm.  If you are interested in narrow boats and the canal system in England, you will enjoy this rather unusual mystery.  I did enjoy it and was interested in the narrow boats, which I've always found a romantic part of England's past and present. Sometimes amusing and often unexpected, especially Honeysett's narrow boat new found friend on the canals.

Read in Dec.; blog review scheduled for March 12.

NetGalley/Severn House

PI.  April 1, 2018.  Print length:  224 pages.

Mind of a Killer by Simon Beaufort.

Alec Lonsdale writes for the Pall Mall Gazette in London, 1882.  After once again having an interview canceled about the London Zoo, Alec happens on a tragic house fire.  He joins the crowd and asks a few questions.  Patrick Donovan's body is eventually recovered from the fire.  A young whore approaches Londsale and tells him that this isn't the first death and that they are not accidents.

Curious, but cautious, they arrange a meeting for the following night. Lonsdale attends the post-mortem and both he and the doctor are shocked that Donovan was not only murdered, but that his cerebrum has been excised.  Now, Lonsdale is definitely intrigued and plans to meet the woman that night.  He arrives too late;  the woman and her companion are dead and Lonsdale himself is attacked.

The police are reluctant for Londale and his colleague Hulda Friederichs to print anything about the story and discourage any further investigation.  

A tale of Victorian crime and mystery populated by many real characters of the era and with reference to many cases pulled from the headlines.  The plot of the narrative is fiction, but suspenseful and engrossing with intriguing characters, both real and fictional.

Of interest to me were the episodes with Sir Francis Galton, "Sir Francis Galton, FRS was an English Victorian statistician, progressive, polymath, sociologist, psychologist, anthropologist, eugenicist, tropical explorer, geographer, inventor, meteorologist, proto-geneticist, and psychometrician. "  (Wikipedia)

His presentation in the novel was a combination of hubris, unintended comedy, and general unpleasantness.  Although familiar with his name and with several of his accomplishments, I'd never read anything about the personal life of the man.  I've ordered a biography that promises to explain his remarkable accomplishments and hopefully, how the man himself (aside from his work) was viewed by his contemporaries.  

A compelling historical mystery, Mind of a Killer introduces an appealing protagonist in Alec Lonsdale set in a Victorian world of scientific advancements.

Who is Simon Beaufort?  Simon Beaufort is the pseudonym adopted by Susanna Gregory and  Beau Riffenburgh.

NetGalley/Severn House

Historical Mystery.  April 1, 2018.  Print length:  256 pages.  

17 comments:

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    1. I was more interested in the narrow boats than the mystery. :)

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  2. Both of these sound good, but I think I'm more interested in Mind of a Killer. Severn House has some interesting books.

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    1. Mind of a Killer was an intriguing historical mystery.

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  3. I'm intrigued by both but I think Mind of a Killer edges out the other one because of the setting. Victorian London & a sleuth? Love it!

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    1. I liked Mind of a Killer much more, partly because of the real life characters.

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  4. Both of these sound like possible reads for me. I like that whole narrow boat thing! Almost as much as I like Victorian London. ;D

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    1. The narrow boats and all of the canals are fascinating, but the Victorian mystery was the better mystery. :)

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  5. Both books sound good but I'm more intrigued with Mind of a Killer. And all the more if it's set in Victorian London. :)

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    1. Yep, Victorian London always grabs my attention!

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  6. Victorian mystery is a real draw for me too! Mind of a Killer sounds good! And I love that it sent you on a non-fiction quest as well. I love it when historical fiction makes me curious about the real-life facts and figures!

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    1. I've always loved history and reading historical fiction is especially rewarding when I find new information to pursue about about real people and events. The Pall Mall Gazette, its editors and reporters like the real Hulda Friederichs ("she was one of the first women journalists in Britain to be employed on the same terms and conditions as her male colleagues under W.T. Stead at the Pall Mall Gazette in the early 1880s"--source) helped make this book interesting.

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  7. I don;t think I have ever read Victorian mystery! I should! Sounds intriguing!

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    1. They are fun for the mysteries and for the historical settings.

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  8. This sounds SO good and I love the time period!! I need to add it to my TBR. 😀

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  9. Oops, I forgot to say in my first comment I am talking about the Mind of a Killer one. 🤪

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    1. :) It was interesting to find so many real people represented!

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