The adventure starts when someone bangs relentlessly on the
front door at the combined office and living quarters of detectives Jesperson
and Lane in the small hours of the morning. When admitted, he is sweating and
disheveled. He points to Lane and says “Witch!” and drops dead.
Neither of them know the man, so a quick search of his
pockets is made. An address book is found and Lane hastily copies it before the
police can arrive. This enables them to locate his brother, who hires them to
find out how Charles Manning died. The coroner says it was a heart attack, but
Manning was in perfect health. So off they go to Aylmerton, where he had spent
much time, to check things out. There they find quite a set of characters: the
Reverend Ringer, a foe of superstition, and his wife, who wants the world to
adhere to her wishes. A trio of sister living alone who have the reputation for
being witches. Felix Ott, a fan of historic English folklore, was an associate
of Mannings in their studies of the supernatural. There is a cunning man, who
supplies men with Victorian Viagra. Even the landscape has a personality- the
Shrieking Pits, prehistoric holes in the ground, are alleged to be haunted.
Then a baby disappears.
Numerous plot strands and false leads make for entertaining
reading, and an atmosphere of menace pervades the story. But Jesperson (male)
uses Lane (female) as someone to glean information for him but doesn’t bother
to tell her what he’s learned in return. He treats her somewhat as a useful
servant. He also seems a bit full of himself. The use of a mixed gender team
works well in the setting, though- while Lane cannot participate in certain goings
on because of her sex, her femaleness allows her entrée into situations that
Jesperson cannot enter: befriending the women who live in the Vicarage and
spending time with the three possible witch sisters. The author has a good
grasp of life in the Victorian era. Four stars out of five.
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I received this book free from Net Galley in return for an honest review.
Neither of these things influenced my review.
I like Victorian. Thanks for the good review
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