Author: David Morrell
Format: ARC
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Publish Date: May 7, 2013
Source: HF Virtual Book Tours
Why You're Reading This Book:
- You're a historical fiction fan.
- You like a good mystery.
- You don't mind grit.
- You don't mind violence.
- You're looking for a page turner!
From Goodreads.com: "GASLIT LONDON IS BROUGHT TO ITS KNEES IN DAVID MORRELL’S BRILLIANT HISTORICAL THRILLER.
Thomas De Quincey, infamous for his memoir Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, is the major suspect in a series of ferocious mass murders identical to ones that terrorized London forty-three years earlier.
The blueprint for the killings seems to be De Quincey’s essay “On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts.” Desperate to clear his name but crippled by opium addiction, De Quincey is aided by his devoted daughter Emily and a pair of determined Scotland Yard detectives.
In Murder as a Fine Art, David Morrell plucks De Quincey, Victorian London, and the Ratcliffe Highway murders from history. Fogbound streets become a battleground between a literary star and a brilliant murderer, whose lives are linked by secrets long buried but never forgotten."
My Two Cents:
"Murder as a Fine Art" is a historical mystery/ thriller that takes us into the underbelly of 1850s London. Morrell spins a story around author, Thomas de Quincey, author of "Confessions of an English Opium Eater." He is suspected of a string of murders that seem to be based off of another one of his writings: "On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts." This book is thoroughly creepy (in a really good way) and I really enjoyed reading this one!
Historical thrillers are not typically my reading fare but it's books like "Murder as a Fine Art" that suggest to me that I really should read more historical thrillers. Every once in awhile, it is a little fun to be scared!
The setting is really stand out in the book. Morrell does a really good job of setting the scene of what it would be like to live and work in 1850s London. You see the fog. You feel the darkness. I really think that the setting descriptions helped me to enjoy this book even more. The setting alone is very dark and creepy; perfect for this book.
There are a lot of twists and turns in this book that I didn't see coming (I love a good surprise). I really enjoyed seeing how Morrell was able to make all of the murder mystery details come together. All of those details kept me turning the pages quickly.
Now, I will warn you that there are some scenes of the book that are not for the faint of heart. All of the violence has a specific purpose and there isn't anything needless about it with regard to the telling of the story.
The writing in this book is pretty good. Like I mentioned, there are plenty of good details to intrigue. Morrell knows how to keep a reader engaged. There were a couple sections at the beginning of a few chapters that were sort of jarring and didn't seem to necessarily fit with the rest of the narrative of the book. These sections had detail on things outside of the story line. They took me out of the story a little bit.
I really liked that Morrell was able to take real events and real people and weave them into a story like this. I had never heard of De Quincey before but now, I'm very interested in reading his memoirs. Overall, I think this book would be a good pick for the historical fiction lover who loves a good setting and loves to be surprised!
Giveaway:
I'm excited to be able to give away a copy of this great book (this would make for good summer reading, you guys)! (US only)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Follow the Rest of the Tour:
Monday, May 6
Review at Sir Read-a-Lot
Review & Giveaway at Luxury Reading
Tuesday, May 7
Review at So Many Books, So Little Time
Thursday, May 9
Review & Giveaway at Book Addict Katie
Guest Post at The Lit Bitch
Friday, May 10
Review at The Lit Bitch
Monday, May 13
Review at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
Tuesday, May 14
Review & Giveaway at A Bookish Affair
Interview & Giveaway at Oh, for the Hook of a Book!
Wednesday, May 15
Review at Confessions of an Avid Reader
Thursday, May 16
Review at Impressions in Ink
Guest Post at Confessions of an Avid Reader
Friday, May 17
Review at Flashlight Commentary
Monday, May 20
Review at Unabridged Chick
Tuesday, May 21
Review & Giveaway at The Maiden’s Court
Interview & Giveaway at Unabridged Chick
Wednesday, May 22
Review at Peeking Between the Pages
Interview at A Bookish Libraria
Thursday, May 23
Review at Bibliophilic Book Blog
Friday, May 24
Review at JulzReads
Monday, May 27
Review at From the TBR Pile
Tuesday, May 28
Review at My Reader’s Block
Review & Giveaway at My Reading Room
Wednesday, May 29
Review & Interview at Layered Pages
Thursday, May 30
Review at Girl Lost in a Book
Review at The Little Reader Library
Friday, May 31
Review & Giveaway at Psychotic State Book Reviews
Monday, June 3
Review at As I Turn the Pages
Review & Giveaway at Broken Teepee
Tuesday, June 4
Review at Kinx’s Book Nook
Review at The True Book Addict
Wednesday, June 5
Review at Peppermint, Ph.D.
Interview & Giveaway at The True Book Addict
Thursday, June 6
Review at The Bookworm
Friday, June 7
Review at Raging Bibliomania
I enjoy a good mystery, especially one that I don't know what's coming next.
ReplyDeleteI love atmospheric mysteries, so this sounds right up my alley. 1850's London, fog, dark story lines and intrique - I definitely would like to read this book. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteYour review agrees with all the other reviews for this book that I've read.
ReplyDeleteLove a good, creepy mystery, too. thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeletethis author writes so well and I am captivated with this novel. thanks. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
ReplyDeleteThe cover of this book attracted my attention. And it's funny because you said that it's a little fun to be scared......I've read just a few reviews and I think this is a book I'd read with the lights on (after also checking to make sure the doors were all locked). Looks like a great book and would love to win a copy - thanks!
ReplyDeleteWow! I can't WAIT to read this! I love that cover, too ; )
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely adding this to my TBR list immediately!
I wonder what kind of events or people in the author's life inspired them to write this book!?
Thanks for the giveaway!
mestith at gmail dot com
would love to read Murder as a Fine Art!!!
ReplyDeletethank you for the giveaway!!
cyn209 at juno dot com
This book looks really good to me and is on my to be read list. Thank you for the giveaway
ReplyDeletegriperang at embarqmail dot com