tasmanian_bibliophile's review
4.0
‘The smell everywhere was of rotting sewage, decaying food, and filthy humanity.’
London,1849. A boy is found dead in the River Thames at Hungerford Stairs. Young Scrap has gone missing and novelist Charles Dickens and Superintendent Same Jones of Bow Street have been searching for him. Dickens and Jones are relieved that the dead boy is not Scrap, but who is he and why was he killed? And where is Scrap? He might have gone looking for Poll, a little dog who belongs to his friends the Brim family. Both Scrap and Poll are missing.
Dickens and Jones continue looking for Scrap, and for Poll. Their search takes them into danger in the poverty-stricken slum backstreets of London. The bodies of two more boys are discovered. There’s an image, a sketch of a mask found near each of the corpses. It must be significant, but what does it mean?
‘Secrets. Behind every murder there were secrets.’
The search for Scrap and Poll becomes the search for a serial killer. Can Dickens and Jones find the killer before more boys are killed?
This is a fast-moving story, with well-developed characters and with more than a few twists.
This is the second book in Ms Briggs’s Charles Dickens and Superintendent Sam Jones series. While the murder mystery at the heart of this novel does stand alone, I strongly recommend reading the series in order. Several of the characters appear in both books, and Ms Briggs has paid a lot of attention to backstory, character development and setting. I enjoyed this novel as much as the first and am now looking forward to reading the third novel in the series. I loved the descriptions of Victorian London (I could almost feel the dank fog and smell the decay). I liked the way Ms Briggs introduces fact into her narrative, and her depiction of Charles Dickens as both man and author.
Highly recommended.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
London,1849. A boy is found dead in the River Thames at Hungerford Stairs. Young Scrap has gone missing and novelist Charles Dickens and Superintendent Same Jones of Bow Street have been searching for him. Dickens and Jones are relieved that the dead boy is not Scrap, but who is he and why was he killed? And where is Scrap? He might have gone looking for Poll, a little dog who belongs to his friends the Brim family. Both Scrap and Poll are missing.
Dickens and Jones continue looking for Scrap, and for Poll. Their search takes them into danger in the poverty-stricken slum backstreets of London. The bodies of two more boys are discovered. There’s an image, a sketch of a mask found near each of the corpses. It must be significant, but what does it mean?
‘Secrets. Behind every murder there were secrets.’
The search for Scrap and Poll becomes the search for a serial killer. Can Dickens and Jones find the killer before more boys are killed?
This is a fast-moving story, with well-developed characters and with more than a few twists.
This is the second book in Ms Briggs’s Charles Dickens and Superintendent Sam Jones series. While the murder mystery at the heart of this novel does stand alone, I strongly recommend reading the series in order. Several of the characters appear in both books, and Ms Briggs has paid a lot of attention to backstory, character development and setting. I enjoyed this novel as much as the first and am now looking forward to reading the third novel in the series. I loved the descriptions of Victorian London (I could almost feel the dank fog and smell the decay). I liked the way Ms Briggs introduces fact into her narrative, and her depiction of Charles Dickens as both man and author.
Highly recommended.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Sapere Books for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
robinlovesreading's review
4.0
It didn't take long for famous writer Charles Dickens to become an excellent detection. Mostly accompanied by Superintendent Sam Jones, Charles finds himself in the position to solve crimes, and they are usually murders. In this case, sadly the body of a boy is found drowned in a river. Charles barely has a chance to investigate things when even more young boys are killed. His search for the killer leads him to the darkness of Victorian London. Even when writing this book I have images of a foggy Victorian London from movies I had seen as a child.
Needless to say, this was a difficult story. Actually, any story - real or fictional - about the deaths of children are always tragic. This story focused on Charles innate talents when it came to getting to the bottom of things in order to find the elusive killer in this second book in the series. Whether it was due to a past nearly as dark as some of the boys in this story, even snippets from his own writing, and his role as a family man, Charles is more than equipped to work along with Superintendent Sam Jones to solve the case at hand.
Now having read the first two books in this well-written series, I just had to take a few days and read the rest.
Many thanks to Sapere Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Needless to say, this was a difficult story. Actually, any story - real or fictional - about the deaths of children are always tragic. This story focused on Charles innate talents when it came to getting to the bottom of things in order to find the elusive killer in this second book in the series. Whether it was due to a past nearly as dark as some of the boys in this story, even snippets from his own writing, and his role as a family man, Charles is more than equipped to work along with Superintendent Sam Jones to solve the case at hand.
Now having read the first two books in this well-written series, I just had to take a few days and read the rest.
Many thanks to Sapere Books and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
amandasbookreview's review
4.0
Once again, J.C. Briggs takes us back to the dark streets of London in Death at Hungerford Stairs. This is the second book in the Charles Dickens and Superintendent Sam Jones mystery series. This time, Charles Dickens finds himself at a workhouse he knew as a boy. He is haunted by the memories that it left him but they discover a small boy murdered. This is just the first murder in a series of murders of small boys. Who is responsible? Charles Dickens and Superintendent Jones are left with very little evidence that takes them through the darkest depths of London.
For the most part, this book can be read as a standalone book. However, there are a few details and storylines that continue from the first book. I highly suggest reading the first book in the series before this book. I feel that these books are not the average mystery. The twists and turns keep coming and the clues are not obvious which makes it more interesting to solve the mystery while reading. This story is also extremely dark. Every time I pick up this book I envision a dark, foggy, dangerous Victorian London. The author truly excels with this aesthetic.
There are so many characters in this story. Sometimes it is difficult to keep track of them all throughout all the investigating and interrogations. The street talk and accents while they add great detail and realism to the story can be quite difficult to read. Although, it is the details that make this story so wonderful. I love how the author portrays Charles Dickens. Both his frustrations with his wife and his concern for the poor. Overall I rate this story 4 out 5 stars.
For the most part, this book can be read as a standalone book. However, there are a few details and storylines that continue from the first book. I highly suggest reading the first book in the series before this book. I feel that these books are not the average mystery. The twists and turns keep coming and the clues are not obvious which makes it more interesting to solve the mystery while reading. This story is also extremely dark. Every time I pick up this book I envision a dark, foggy, dangerous Victorian London. The author truly excels with this aesthetic.
There are so many characters in this story. Sometimes it is difficult to keep track of them all throughout all the investigating and interrogations. The street talk and accents while they add great detail and realism to the story can be quite difficult to read. Although, it is the details that make this story so wonderful. I love how the author portrays Charles Dickens. Both his frustrations with his wife and his concern for the poor. Overall I rate this story 4 out 5 stars.
vesper1931's review
4.0
In London 1849 while looking for their young friend Scrap, Superintendent Jones and Charles Dickens are called to an old abandoned lacking factory where a body of a young boy had been found. Thankfully not Scrap, but the discovery that the boy had been murdered leads them to investigate. But this will not be the last body.
A well-written story with a lot of historical detail with some very likeable characters make up an enjoyable and interesting read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
A well-written story with a lot of historical detail with some very likeable characters make up an enjoyable and interesting read.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
claudia_is_reading's review
5.0
First, wow! This author certainly knows his Dickens! I really enjoyed all the historical details, the writing, the characters...
The plot is tight, and the suspense will keep you turning page after page. I can't recommend this book enough and I will read the rest of this series, no doubt about it.
The plot is tight, and the suspense will keep you turning page after page. I can't recommend this book enough and I will read the rest of this series, no doubt about it.
annarella's review
5.0
I liked the first book in this series and I loved this one.
It's a very good historical mystery, well written and well researched.
The characters are well written and the historical background is detailed and interesting.
It was an engaging and entertaining read with a well devised plot and a good mystery.
I look forward to reading the next installment in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Sapere Books and Netgalley for this ARC
It's a very good historical mystery, well written and well researched.
The characters are well written and the historical background is detailed and interesting.
It was an engaging and entertaining read with a well devised plot and a good mystery.
I look forward to reading the next installment in this series.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Sapere Books and Netgalley for this ARC
nickimags's review against another edition
5.0
This was another fantastic audiobook, in my new favourite series! I loved listening to another story with Charles Dickens aiding his friend Superintendent Jones as they investigated murder on the streets of London.
What starts out as a simple missing dog case turns into something much more grisly as the bodies of young boys are discovered across London. Charles is also looking for a young boy, Scrap from the first book, who helped Charles with his enquiries. Scrap is looking for Poll, a dog belonging to the family he does errands for and now he seems to have disappeared as well.
Just like in the first book the descriptions of Victorian London were so vivid, that at times I felt like I was listening to a Dickens novel! Occy Grave, a crossing sweeper, was one of my favourite characters in this book, a man who had a wonderful backstory that really could have been written by Dickens himself.
I had my suspicions about who the murderer might be, but wasn’t too sure as the plot took it’s twists and turns as new information was gathered by Dickens and Jones.
Once again Antony Ferguson was brilliant at portraying Dickens, Superintendent Jones and a whole host of characters throughout the story. He really did bring Victorian London to life with the different accents of the young and old, rich and poor, the good and bad characters that filled this story
Another fantastic story in this brilliant series, that I thoroughly recommend to lovers of historical crime fiction.
Thanks so much to Hope Roy at Tantor Media for my digital copy.
What starts out as a simple missing dog case turns into something much more grisly as the bodies of young boys are discovered across London. Charles is also looking for a young boy, Scrap from the first book, who helped Charles with his enquiries. Scrap is looking for Poll, a dog belonging to the family he does errands for and now he seems to have disappeared as well.
Just like in the first book the descriptions of Victorian London were so vivid, that at times I felt like I was listening to a Dickens novel! Occy Grave, a crossing sweeper, was one of my favourite characters in this book, a man who had a wonderful backstory that really could have been written by Dickens himself.
I had my suspicions about who the murderer might be, but wasn’t too sure as the plot took it’s twists and turns as new information was gathered by Dickens and Jones.
Once again Antony Ferguson was brilliant at portraying Dickens, Superintendent Jones and a whole host of characters throughout the story. He really did bring Victorian London to life with the different accents of the young and old, rich and poor, the good and bad characters that filled this story
Another fantastic story in this brilliant series, that I thoroughly recommend to lovers of historical crime fiction.
Thanks so much to Hope Roy at Tantor Media for my digital copy.
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