Published by
Corsiar,
6 September 2012.
ISBN: 978-1-78033-169-0
6 September 2012.
ISBN: 978-1-78033-169-0
Lynn Shepherd’s second
novel is a magnificent evocation of Dickensian London in 1850. She begins by
taking us through the dark, reeking streets of the slums of Tom-All-Alone, as
in the setting of Bleak House, to a cemetery of with her hero, Charles
Maddox. The story that is told with sparkling clarity parallels some of Bleak
House but also has other Victorian resonances. There is no need to have
read Bleak House in order to enjoy this book but, obviously, if you have
there is another dimension added to the enjoyment of the tale. The book has its
own mysteries to expose so it is not confined to the Dickens palette.
The hero, Charles Maddox, is an educated young man who
dabbles knowledgeably in science and is a private detective after an unjust
dismissal from the London
police. He has a case to investigate when he is contacted by lawyer Edward
Tulkinghorn with another query. Other characters tell their stories as Charles
works and deals with his own family problems. The horrors of Victorian life for
the young and poor are precisely outlined and the author is able to be more
honest than Dickens could have been in his own day. The story flows along as
the reader becomes caught up with the characters and appreciates the era in
which they lived. The denouement is shocking and highly effective. Lynn
Shepherd really uses the style of the Nineteenth century while taking a post
modernist view of that period.
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Reviewer: Jennifer S.
Palmer
The book is published as The Solitary House in the USA.
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Jennifer Palmer Throughout my reading life crime fiction has
been a constant interest; I really enjoyed my 15 years as an expatriate in the
Far East, the Netherlands
& the USA
but occasionally the solace of closing my door to the outside world and sitting
reading was highly therapeutic. I now lecture to adults on historical topics
including Famous Historical Mysteries.
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