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    Mayhem
    Mayhem
    Mayhem
    Audiobook10 hours

    Mayhem

    Written by Sarah Pinborough

    Narrated by Steven Crossley

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A new killer is stalking the streets of London's East End. Though newspapers have dubbed him ‘the Torso Killer', this murderer's work is overshadowed by the hysteria surrounding Jack the Ripper's Whitechapel crimes.

    The victims are women too, but their dismembered bodies, wrapped in rags and tied up with string, are pulled out of the Thames – and the heads are missing. The murderers like to keep them…
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherW. F. Howes Ltd
    Release dateOct 3, 2013
    ISBN9781471245107
    Mayhem
    Author

    Sarah Pinborough

    Sunday Times No.1 bestseller Sarah Pinborough is a critically acclaimed, award-winning, adult and YA author. She is also a screenwriter who has written for the BBC and has several original television projects in development.

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    Reviews for Mayhem

    3.5/5

    117 ratings23 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This book instantly appealed to me because of the cover. Set in victorain London 1888 , Jack the Rpper and the torso murders are happening. Dr Thomas Bond who is a real person at the time, Aaron Kominski a Polish medium and priest join forces to catch a killer.This book turned out to have a supernatural element to it which I don't mind at all. I felt however that the book would have been do much better without it. I would rather the story would have stuck to the crimes of Jack and the torso killet with just old fashioned police work.The book had something but was lacking something too. I felt I was on a roller coaster, the book was up and down. At first the story started really well then for me went downhill. Then in part two the story picked up again especially when Elizabeth came into the story. Then again I was plodding along with it again until I was skipping pages to finish. Overall for me I have mixed feelings sbout this book and feel slightly disappointed.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      This book is just so good. The characters, the world building, it really makes the reader think and goes way beyond the stereotypical Victorian horror story. I absolutely loved this.
    • 3/5
      Great narration, but I feel like this book had not resolved itself fully. Bit of an unsatisfying ending.
    • 3/5
      Mayhem by Sarah Pinborough
      305 pages

      ★★★ ½

      This book takes place in England during the infamous Jack the Ripper killing but this book doesn’t focus on that as much it does on the Thames Torso Killings which were occurring at the same time – another infamous killing spree never solved, even today. The characters are loosely based off actual people (both those murdered and those investigating) but that’s where it ends. The author adds a paranormal/horror twist to it all speculating what if there something more than human behind the torso killings?

      I thought it started out strong. A lot of the book focuses on Dr. Bond, a real person and a fascinating one at that – one of the first to use criminal profiling. Of course she puts her own twist on this man’s personality. The author moves between the point of view of several characters which is fine but she went back and forth between first person and third person writing which annoyed me. I didn’t find myself connecting to any of the characters, except for perhaps Dr. Bond on occasion, but I didn’t really care what happened. The writing is inconsistent, speeding along and then slowing down – like that annoying person in front of you on the road who speeds up just to put their brakes on for heck if you know why. The ending was really rushed. You go through 298 just for the last 7 pages to run through the whole climatic end? Not cool. It did keep my attention well enough though and supposedly is coming out with a second book to this one at some point, something I’ll give a try.

      My final thoughts? Good beginning, poor ending. Character development lacking. A quick read.
    • 1/5
      The sound quality of this book is very poor, can improve?
    • 3/5
      »The Carnival of blood« – so nennen die Zeitungen den Sommer der ersten Morde. Mayhem zeichnet eine alternative Realität der Ripper-Morde und fügt den Fakten ein paar neue, übernatürliche Elemente hinzu, sowie einen weiteren Killer. Das zeitgleiche Agieren der beiden Mörder ist allerdings ein wenig irritierend, da der Roman nicht klar machen kann, weshalb er diese Figuren beide braucht. Zwar gibt es eine früh genannte Erklärung, die Notwendigkeit ist jedoch zweifelhaft, da Jack-the-Ripper stets nur beiläufig genannt wird und keine rechte Funktion erfüllt. Wenn man sich davon nicht zu sehr beeindrucken lässt, ist Mayhem aber ein interessantes und blutiges Leseerlebnis mit unter die Haut kriechendem Horror. Interessant daran ist, dass es nicht die Morde selbst sind, die schocken, sondern vielmehr die langsame Entdeckung des verantwortlichen Dämons und seine … Beschaffenheit.Aufgebaut ist der Roman in drei Teilen. Im ersten Teil werden die Morde und die Nachwehen beschrieben, die die Bestie hinterlässt. Man startet also mitten im Geschehen, während den jüngsten Mordermittlungen.Der zweite Teil ist der wirklich unheimliche Teil von Mayhem und wirkt noch besser bei stiller Umgebung und nächtlichen Lesestunden. Hierin lernen die LeserInnen die Bestie kennen, begegnen dem Menschen, von der sie Besitz ergriffen hat, und man verfolgt die schleichende Übernahme, der der Wirt wehrlos ausgeliefert ist.Im dritten Teil schließlich folgt das Erkennen und Aufspüren der Bestie durch die Ermittler.Entsprechend wechselt auch die Erzählperspektive. Der Hauptteil wird aus der Sicht von Dr. Bond erzählt, ein anderer Teil aus der Sicht des allwissenden Erzählers und wieder anderes durch Zeitungsschnippsel, die entsprechend optisch aufgemacht wurden. Die Erzählung verläuft nicht in chronologischer Linie, sondern mit Sprüngen in die Vergangenheit, um zur rechten Zeit ein wichtiges Detail zu verraten. Wer Rückblenden in Büchern verwirrend findet, sollte sich Mayhem vielleicht nicht unbedingt zulegen.Die Charaktere in Mayhem sind ein wenig blass. Dr. Bond, der Arzt mittleren Alters, bietet da noch das beste Profil mit seiner Opiumsucht, seiner Schlaflosigkeit und den Alpträumen. Begleitet wird er von einem verkrüppelten Jesuitenpriester und einem tscheschichen Einwanderer, der von Visionen geplagt wird und dank einer ausgeprägten Furcht vor dem Wasser zum Himmel stinkt. Gemeinsam versuchen sie den Dämon aufzuspüren, scheinen aber immer einen Schritt hinterher zu hinken und müssen noch dazu im Schatten der offiziellen Polizeiermittlungen agieren. Denn wer würde dem seltsamen Trio schon die Geschichte von einem Dämon in Menschengestalt abkaufen? Helfen würde es Dr. Bonds Reputation freilich nicht.Mayhem ist ein schwierig zu beurteilendes Buch. Einerseits sind die Ideen gut, doch der Ausarbeitung mangelt es zu oft an Herz, so dass alles ein wenig oberflächlich bleibt und es schwerfällt, von der Handlung mitgerissen zu werden. Wer sich aber gerne mit einer alternativen Erzählung der Rippermorde unterhalten möchte und ein wenig Gänsehaut hier und da sucht, findet in Mayhem eine solide Story mit Potential.Ein weiteres Abenteuer von Dr. Bond ist bereits geplant, Mayhem schließt allerdings mit einem runden Ende ab und kann für sich stehend als Einzelband gelesen werden.
    • 1/5
      Completely not my cup of tea. Tried and tried but couldn't connect with this book.
    • 3/5
      Bram Stoker definitely did it better but excellent pastiche drawing together the Thames Torso murders, Jack the Ripper and East European vampire legends
    • 4/5
      This novel is everything I have been looking for in my last few months of reading horror novels. It's got that ever-so-creepy Victorian London thing going on. It's Jack the Ripper adjacent. There's an ancient evil, and finely-drawn characters. I can't wait to read the next one.
    • 4/5
      In the summer and fall of 1888, Doctor Thomas Bond is assisting the police with their investigations into two murderers running loose in London - Jack the Ripper and, more chillingly, a killer whose victims turn up in pieces and missing their heads. Something not entirely human seems to be behind the epidemic of violence, and the answers are closer than anyone is comfortable with. I loved this horror-thriller based around the true story of a lesser-known Victorian serial killer (although Jack still features prominently in the background), and I was pleasantly surprised by Dr. Bond's characterization. He self-medicates for his anxiety with opium and laudanum, he convinces himself that the supernatural is real and fake and real again, but he holds firm to his moral compass all the way through. Thoroughly enjoyable, and I'm excited to read the sequel.
    • 4/5
      This is not steampunk, or urban fantasy - it is more like urban horror, set in Victorian London. A supernatural monster on the loose, driving men to murder and mayhem. Somehow, it must be found and destroyed. But how? And by whom?

      This is the sort of book that grows on you. I didn't feel I had enough information about the main character, Dr Thomas Bond, to really connect to him until near the end of the book. However, the story was well-written enough to keep me reading despite it. This is the story of an ordinary man caught up in the extraordinary, with hints that the extraordinary is possibly more common than you might think.

      I shall read the next book in the series, and if it is as well-written as this one, I shall be pleased indeed.
    • 4/5
      Mayhem by Sarah Pinborough is a 2014 Jo Fletcher Books publication. The Torso murders seemed to coincide with the infamous Jack the Ripper case in 1887-1889. Due to the media sensation the Ripper murders caused the Thames River case seemed to go mostly unnoticed. This book is loosely based on those real- life crimes, but offers a paranormal tint to the story that heightens the already heavy sense of evil, which was an element I wasn’t expecting. So, while this is a historical mystery, it could also be considered a horror novel. The author did a wonderful job of capturing the time period, creating the atmosphere of a city on edge, terrified of the horrific, and graphic murders plaguing London. The main character is Doctor Bond, a man battling an opium addiction and the visions the drug brings about. When he called to the scene of these horrific crimes, he recognizes a man he’s seen in some of the opium dens he frequents. Coincidence? Apparently not. Bond discovers the man is a priest is not only hunting the torso killer, but something far more evil. As the two join forces, Bond will discover that evil lurks must closer to him than ever could have imagined. When I checked this book out of the library I didn’t realize the book had a supernatural tone, thinking it was a straightforward historical mystery and crime novel. Horror novels are not really a favorite of mine these days, but this one was very, very absorbing.It’s creepy and suspenseful, which well drawn characters, who are haunted in one way or another, but determined to contain the evil in their midst. In the end, I had to admit, this was a chillingly spooky novel that I appreciated more than I would have thought. 4 stars
    • 4/5
      Jack the Ripper, late 1800’s London, and Torso Murders. This dark, chilling read is well done.This story grows and ebbs as it follows Yard detectives. “Already frustrated in their attempts to capture serial murderer Jack the Ripper, the detectives of Scotland Yard are suddenly confronted with a new monster, dubbed the Torso Killer for his habit of leaving behind neatly wrapped parcels of his victims' body parts, minus the heads. With the terrible increase in mutilated corpses to examine, the highly regarded police surgeon Dr. Thomas Bond has lost the ability to sleep. True, a growing dependency on opium affords him some solace in his loneliest and most desperate hours, but he also fears the grip of the drug.”I knew going in that it was a fictitious version of events that even have paranormal aspects to it. So, I wasn’t shocked by that. I liked the characters Pinborough created from the real ones. She got the gritty feel for a story such as these needed to be told in. However, she undoes some of her work by uneven pace and some quirky changes in perspective.This book is very much worth the read, and I’m certain the next one will be even better.
    • 5/5
      Stunning...review to follow
    • 4/5
      Title - MayhemAuthor - Sarah PinboroughStory Summary - At the time of the Jack the Ripper murders, a lesser known series of murders also takes place. Called the Torso murders, body parts are appearing, often on the banks of the Thames. The river itself seems to draw the bloody body parts into its depths. Dr. Bond, advisor to Scotland Yard, addicted to opium to get him through the horrors he sees, finds himself drawn into a mystery that goes deeper than what humanity itself can do."...You cannot see it," he whispered, eventually. "You cannot." He smiled at her, and she found that she was sobbing. "But I will tell you a secret," he whispered into her ear. There was a pause, and in it she held her terrified breath. "It can see you..." Aided by a priest and a touched young boy from old Europe, Bond finds himself on the trail of a creature of a forgotten time. A creature attached to a man that hungers for the blood and cruelty it feeds on. Bond, a man of science, finds himself at a crossroads as he comes face to face with a creature that defies science and the knowledge of the new world. Review - Mayhem is a terrific novel of dark and terrifying murders and the oppressive feeling of London during the killings Jack the Ripper and the Torso Murders. Pinborough does a terrific job of bringing London to life and creating in Dr Bond a hero whose on demons rivals the death fills his days. It is the frailty of Bond that actually makes this novel work so well. His loneliness and addictions, while they weigh so heavily upon him, do not keep him from doing the work he believes to be so important. Even more, his desire to find the good in a city where he sees firsthand the dark evil that lives in it. Pinborough also creates a forgotten European legend to be the central evil in the tale. A demon that possesses what were once good men and turns them into the blood drenched horrors that kill and kill. Bond's eventual realization that it is something more than just a man doing the murders is what is central to this novel. Bond must cross over into that place where both science and superstition live. A very good read.
    • 5/5
      Mayhem by Sarah Pinborough—4.5 stars As Jack the Ripper roams the streets of Whitechapel, another, even more depraved serial killer seeks his victims. The police are frustrated and baffled as more and more women’s torsos turn up, with the rest of their remains—except for their heads—often found in the Thames. This leads to the murderer’s moniker: the Thames River Killer. Dr. Thomas Bond examines the victims in an effort to discover something that will shed light on the perpetrator. Insomnia claims him to a greater extent as the months pass without answers, but the worst is yet to come. When rumors of a possible supernatural connection filter in and challenge his rational nature, insanity threatens as the menace draws near to his personal life.Sarah Pinborough’s “Mayhem” is a chilling and engrossing horror novel set in 1880s Victorian London. During Jack the Ripper’s infamous killing spree, another, perhaps lesser-known, murderer was stalking the area and claiming similar victims. Referred to as the Thames Torso Murders, these homicides likewise went unsolved and were in fact more hideous in their execution than even those of the Ripper. Pinborough uses this bit of history as the premise of her novel, creating an unsettling backstory for this macabre murder mystery. She draws upon historical figures to craft her tale, including Police Surgeon Dr. Thomas Bond and Ripper suspect Aaron Kosminski. The shifting viewpoint of the narrative adds to the disconcerting effect of the story itself by exploring several characters throughout the novel, all of which are related in the third person except for the accounts of Dr. Bond, which implement first-person narration. The book is similar in nature to the Order of the Sanguines series written by James Rollins and Rebecca Cantrell, with a mature adult target audience. There is a certain degree of gory description, but it is not overwhelming and is handled well, relying more on psychological suspense than on a shock factor. Reproductions of authentic newspaper articles concerning the killings appear interspersed between the chapters and enhance the historical feel of the novel. Readers who enjoy atmospheric suspense and mystery with a supernatural element and a Victorian London setting will want to add “Mayhem” to their reading list.
    • 2/5
      Sara Pinborough's novel begins with the perfect setting for terror and paints an atmosphere that chills you to the point of looking behind your shoulder for stalkers. Murder of the most gruesome kind is in the air and we have a team of people looking for answers and the identity of the killer(s). The story has all elements essesntial for a thriller with an additional supernatural element thrown in and while the overall plot did entertain, the novel as a whole did not work for me. A few possible reasons...- The writing and narration somehow did not come across as fiction. The story reads like an actual account of the murders (Ripper and otherwise) and so did nothing to draw me in despite the excellent setting. It becomes a little dry and dragging too often.- I didn't quite like the supernatural element being worked in. It came across as a weak excuse to provide another perspective to the murders. I would've preferred something on the lines of a psychological thriller with the Ripper and the Torso killer in actual human focus even if their identity remains unknown. - I've read urban legends where someone has to be under the influence of a drug or alcohol to be able to see certain supernatural elements and I understand that is what the author was aiming for here, but the Dr.Bond-Priest-Aaron triangle never managed to sound convincing to me. It all sounded rather too convenient. Now if only Aaron had been a psycho, claiming to be possessed to fool the authorities...The story lacked a connect throughout and unfortunately summed up to be a disappointing read for me. Maybe the next Pinborough work will be my charm. Good luck.
    • 4/5
      3.5 out of 5 stars. There are many Jack the Ripper and Jack the Ripper-era novels, and I hoped this one would have something that would make it stand out from the others. For the first third or so of the book, there was nothing exceptional. Then it started getting more into the supernatural, creepier stuff (not that J-t-R type crimes are not creepy enough).This novel was inspired by actual murders during the period, something too awful to bear much thinking about. The first part of the book, although not exceptional, moved along and entertained me. It did bother me that there was poor grammar in the book, and I don't think it had to do with dialogue true to the character. At least twice, a character who is a doctor used “I” when it should have been “me.” Mistakes like that jar me out of the story, and too many of them make me appreciate the story less.There was a little more than I would have liked about drug use, not because it offends me but because it got repetitious. The ending was unsettling to me, but I can't put my finger on exactly why. Of course, it wasn't completely believable, but I didn't expect it to be. Overall, this one was entertaining but could have been better than it was.I was given an advance reader's copy of the book for review.
    • 4/5
      ‘What I seek – the thing I seek – brings mayhem and wickedness in its wake, spreading it like this choking fog across the city. It runs in the water of the river and it will destroy men’s souls.'It’s the late 1800′s and London is being terrorized by the murders by a man dubbed Jack the Ripper, although recent murders have succeeded in overshadowing even those horrific crimes. These new murders are gruesome and appalling. The victims are all women, they are all dismembered postmortem yet their heads are never found among the remains. Dr. Thomas Bond is a police surgeon but is unable to stop himself from seeking out evidence to uncover this killer. He succeeds in uncovering far more than he thought possible and it is more monstrous and nightmarish than any imagination could concoct.Jack the Ripper has always been a subject matter of interest for me and just the thought of another killer overshadowing the work of Jack the Ripper was enough for me to pick up Mayhem. I had never heard of ‘the Torso Killer’ before but Sarah Pinborough successfully brought his macabre story to life. Frightfully disturbing, these murders are described in vivid detail and the slight addition of the supernatural aspects were added almost proficiently and were not overdone.The story is told mainly from the point of view of Dr. Thomas Bond but we’re given an occasional glimpse through a few other side characters. Each character was alluring and were each integral to understanding the story as a whole. Dr. Bond himself was a perfectly imperfect character who frequented opium dens in order to deal with his bouts of insomnia. He’s such a flawed character yet made the story all the more real and satisfying.I found this to be an extremely solid story with writing that was incredibly engaging. Mayhem is quite the page-turner with very little filler or sections that felt inconsequential. Mayhem is a well-written thriller that I would highly recommend for fans of mysteries, of historical fiction and for those who like just a little bit of horror.
    • 4/5
      In 1880s London, grisly murders are taking place: women dismembered and disemboweled. But it's not Jack the Ripper; his modus operandi is very different. They come to the attention of Dr. Thomas Bond, medical examiner, insomniac, and frequenter of the Chinese run opium dens. He is quit the detective and forensics expert, and, haunted by the gruesome murders, sets out to find the killer. The murderer turns out to be both someone and something no one would suspect- or believe.Pinborough depicts the underbelly of London with creepy and hair raising detail. As Bond discovers who the murderer is and he is put into the place of having to deal with it, tension mounts. The story is fairly tight, although the pacing sometimes lags. This is a very good Victorian horror/mystery with a new supernatural element instead of the usual vampires etc. Recommended.
    • 4/5
      Almost a four star read, but not quite for me, I didn't really connect with the characters. I was very interested to see Kosminski as a character and Dr Thomas Bond, both of who are part of the Ripper lore.Dr Bond is a badly broken man, the ripper murders are taking their toll on his mental health and when more murders appear, with a different MO he's fighting hard to prove that it's someone other than the ripper. His sleep is broken and he's using opium to keep his demons at bay, only the demons aren't staying at bay, they seem to be creeping closer. It isn't until he admits that something is going wrong, something supernatural and teams up with Kozminski and a mysterious Jesuit priest that he starts to be able to fight the evil on the streets. Still at the end you know that there will be a cascade of after-effects from what has gone on and that the characters will suffer for what they have done, if not physically, then mentally.I found it an interesting read, avoids being predictable ripper story, adds a layer of paranormal without straining the mileu. I'm looking forward to more in this series and more by this author.
    • 5/5
      Book Info: Genre: Historical fiction with supernatural elements/HorrorReading Level: AdultRecommended for: Those interested in Victorian times, Jack the Ripper, unsolved serial killings, Slavic myths and legendsBook Available: January 14, 2014 in hardcover and Kindle formatsTrigger Warnings: murder, mutilation, kidnapping, rapeMy Thoughts: Several years ago I read Sarah Pinborough's debut novel The Hidden and was completely blown away. Unfortunately, this UK author doesn't always release her books in the US, so I've had a little trouble picking up some of her newer stuff over the years. I was very excited to find this book in my Amazon Vine newsletter. This is a really interesting book. The author has based it upon a series of unsolved murders that took place during the same time period as the Jack the Ripper murders, but were completely overshadowed by the flashier Ripper killings. Many of the characters and events in the books are real, although many others are completely fabricated. I don't want to reveal the monster to you, as that is not revealed for a good bit of the early part of the book and I want to avoid spoilers, but it was quite neat and some well-researched information is given.Lest you be too comforted by the ending of this book, I should warn you another one is scheduled for release, called Murder. I have a feeling our monster will be back. Folks who are interested in reading books set during the Victorian era, interested in the Jack the Ripper killings and/or other unsolved serial killings of the time should find this a fascinating read. I enjoyed this book a great deal, and will definitely be looking forward to the follow-up, whenever it comes out.Disclosure: I received an ARC copy of this book from the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.Synopsis: This book speculates about one of the most baffling and notorious crime sprees in Victorian times. A new killer that newspapers have dubbed “The Torso Killer” is terrorizing the streets of London’s East End, his crimes obscured and overshadowed by the hysteria surrounding Jack the Ripper’s Whitechapel crimes. The victims are women too, but their dismembered bodies, wrapped in rags and tied up with string, are pulled out of the Thames–and the heads are missing. The murderer likes to keep them. Mayhem is a masterwork of narrative suspense: a supernatural thriller set in a shadowy, gaslit London, where killers stalk the cobbled streets and hide in plain sight.
    • 5/5
      Interestingly enough, well before this book came into my life, I'd happened to be browsing through the many publishing-related newsletters in my email inbox one day when a deliciously creepy animated gif banner in one of them caught my eye. In fact, it was an announcement for this very title, bearing the tag line: "Jack the Ripper is terrorizing London. Now a new killer is stalking the streets, the victims' bodies are dismembered and their heads are missing...the killer likes to keep them." It gets even more intriguing than that. The book's blurb also describes it as a supernatural thriller, and given my penchant for historical horror novels (particularly those featuring a paranormal angle) I just couldn't resist. So you can imagine my excitement when I received Mayhem for review from Jo Fletcher Books, and remembering that banner with its promise of a hunt for a serial killer in Victorian London, I needed little convincing to start this right away.Still, Mayhem isn't really a story about Jack the Ripper. Between 1888 and 1891 there were a series of murders in or around the Whitechapel area, and the modus operandi of some of these were different enough that investigators theorized that they could have been committed by another person other than Jack. The idea of a separate "Torso Killer" in these "Thames Mysteries" is what forms the basis for this book, and in Sarah Pinborough's version of the events, he takes his victims' heads as trophies.Though Jack the Ripper doesn't take center stage in Mayhem, his name and his crimes are referred to frequently, and his terrifying hold over East London is part and parcel to the creation of the setting. Establishing that there's the possibility of not just one but two killers stalking the streets creates this sense of dread that is pervasive throughout the novel. Because of the way the plot is set up, even when nothing suspenseful was happening on the page, the book always had me steeling myself in apprehension for something horrible to come along -- that's what a good horror novel does to me.The supernatural aspect also helps in this regard; as I've said before in my past reviews, I like a touch of that in my horror. In Mayhem, it adds a whole new dimension to the story, making it a lot better than if this had been just a straight-up hunt for an ordinary mundane killer.In spite of this, much in this book is rooted in reality. The author did her research, and even included the true instance of a reporter's dog used in finding a severed leg during the Whitehall Mystery. Also, a couple of the book's chief characters, like those involved with the investigations, were actual historical figures -- the police detective Henry Moore and the British physician Thomas Bond, for example. The latter comes closest to being our main protagonist, with his chapters being the only ones written in the first person, while the others are in the third person. Initially, I found this point-of-view switching to be quite bizarre, but ultimately it worked for me.Reports from news articles about the killings are also interspersed between the narratives, which not only establishes the timeline but also provides historical context. A work of fiction this may be, but the book never lets you forget that the Whitechapel murders and their grisly circumstances (especially in the case of Mary Jane Kelly) had really occurred, that at least one insane and very real killer had actually once terrorized London's East End, and I think that's what unsettled me the most as I was reading.This was a very dark tale, chilling and disturbing without being overblown or excessive. The atmosphere of tension is subtle and builds gradually, but things peaked for me during that terrible scene at the dinner table involving Dr. Bond's revelation. I didn't realize until then that I was just like him -- bracing myself for the inevitable macabre conclusion. This is highly recommended for those who like historical mysteries and crime fiction, particularly if you don't mind a little paranormal thrown into the mix.Note: I received a review copy of this book compliments of the publisher, in exchange for my honest opinions. My thanks to Jo Fletcher Books!