April 1, 2018
In 1882, Alec Lonsdale, an aspiring reporter for the Pall Mall Gazette, covers a fatal house fire, but the follow-up autopsy reveals that the victim's cerebrum is missing. Although his editor finds the story too gruesome to print, Alec teams up with the paper's only female reporter, Hulda Friederichs. Together, the two scour London, investigating other deaths that might be connected. They're followed, attacked, and threatened, even by the police, but the duo are determined to find the culprits, even if their search uncovers shocking answers. The author of the Sir Geoffrey Mappestone medieval mysteries (A Dead Man's Secret) launches a new historical series that delves into Victorian era figures, political and social conditions, and scientific and philosophical theories. While the large cast of characters confuses the story line at times, the moody atmosphere makes up for this flaw. VERDICT The story of two courageous reporters covering dramatic social issues and crime will appeal to readers of Anne Perry's "Charlotte and Thomas Pitt" mysteries.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN
Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
October 1, 2016
In this taut, pulse-pounding action thriller, a group of scientists are conducting research on the inhospitable Livingston Island in Antarctica when their station is attacked by a mysterious group of armed men. While some of the scientists flee in panic, others disappear or are captured and killed. At first, it seems that the marauders are illegal whalers, set on butchering whales for their meat, oil, and blubberand the riches these can bring when sold on the black market. As the surviving scientists try to escape the killers by fleeing across the barren terrain, some fall to their deaths down bottomless crevasses, while others freeze or starve. The few who get away are nearly defenseless against the terrible cold, so it's almost a relief when they are captured and brought aboard the illegal whalers' ship. But they discover a terrible truth on the shipa truth that leads to a daring and desperate plan to escape so they can prevent what could be a horrifying global disaster. Beaufort offers up a dark, dangerous, cleverly plotted adventure thriller that is as terrifying and nightmare-inducing as it is gripping and mesmerizing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)
February 15, 2018
Set in Victorian London, Beaufort's latest mystery is based on real-life characters associated with London newspapers published during the late 1800s. Beaufort provides both authentic period details and an intriguing look at social customs of the time, along with an inventive and suspenseful plot, a colorful cast of characters, and a sensational ending. Returning home to London after spending nine years working in Africa, Alec Lonsdale casts aside his family's expectations that he take up a respectable career and instead sets out to become a reporter with the Pall Mall Gazette. What seems like a benign, albeit interesting, job soon involves him in a horrific murder case, which begins when a man's body is found in the smoking ruins of a house fire. Alec feels there are some odd details about the manner of death and sets out to investigate. His search eventually leads him to an ominous encounter with some of England's wealthiest and most powerful men. In the end, Alec discovers the truthor does he? An excellent choice for fans of fast-paced, twisty, action-soaked crime fiction.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)
February 12, 2018
Oldham’s hard-hitting 25th police thriller featuring Det. Supt. Henry Christie of the Lancashire Constabulary’s Force Major Investigation Team (after 2017’s Bad Blood) finds Henry at home recovering from a gunshot wound. Minutes after he rips the bandage off his still oozing shoulder, he hears a knock on the door. Chief constables Robert Fanshaw-Bayley, his boss at the Lancashire police department, and John Burnham, of the Central Yorkshire Police, have come to ask Henry to apply his analytical skills to reviewing two unsolved murder cases in Yorkshire. It should be a low stress task; no rough and tumble required. Less than 24 hours after Henry accepts the job, Burnham is found murdered, and someone pushes Henry down a flight of stone stairs. Are these incidents connected with the two crimes he’s investigating? You bet they are. Oldham dishes up some genuinely gruesome baddies. The fun is not in figuring out whodunit—the reader knows that from the start—but rather in discovering how deep the corruption runs and how these vile, villainous cops get their comeuppance.
Starred review from February 15, 2018
Oldham's books are guaranteed to pack a gut punch, and his latest delivers in spades. DCI Henry Christie is recovering from a gunshot wound suffered on his last case and looks forward to spending a few relaxing weeks with his newfound love, Alison, who runs a peaceful country pub. Then he gets a call from his boss, who asks Henry to investigate two murders in Yorkshire (the officer originally in charge of the cases has been killed in a car accident). Reluctantly, Henry agrees, and he and Diane Daniels, the DC assigned to help him, head off. What they don't know is that the two unsolved cases are just the tip of a very nasty iceberg that involves corruption, human trafficking, murder, and huge profits for a lucky few at the top of the food chain. A razor-sharp plot, shocking twists, gruesome violence, pulse-pounding suspense, and a heart-stopping ending make this a not-to-be-missed page-turner for fans of hard-boiled cop thrillers. Definitely not for the fainthearted.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)
February 1, 2018
DS Henry Christie, sent to the Midlands to conduct a pro forma outside review of a pair of murders, swiftly discovers that the problems of the Central Yorkshire Police run a lot deeper.Mark James Wright, whose company specialized in renting heavy machinery, was pulled from his car and stabbed repeatedly. Tom Salter was shot in his own office. What do the two deaths have to do with each other? Probably nothing, Chief Constable John Burnham tells Henry. But Burnham's force has been shorthanded ever since DS Jack Culver was killed in a collision with a stolen car, and even though Henry's still recovering from getting shot in the shoulder on his last case (Bad Blood, 2017), he'd appreciate it if the head of Lancashire Constabulary's Force Major Investigation Team would give him a hand. Burnham's instincts are on the money but not his sense of proportion. Two more fatalities are waiting around the corner. Faced by a seriously aggravated version of his original problem--more murders to investigate, fewer police officers to investigate with--Henry draws on his old mates outside the festering district for help. And he'll have abundant reason to bless the moment when DC Diane Daniels, a young officer eager for more experience, announces that she's been seconded along with him.A routine tale of rotten coppers distinguished by its brutality, its rapid pace, and its unexpectedly chilling final scene.
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