Set in England during Victorian times, this is a rather creepy but compelling read. Edmund Whitty is an unlikely hero, oddly sympathetic, maybe because he sees how society's standards for the "quality" are so skewed and hypocritical. Seances, drugs, pornography, murder, violence, dry humour--it's all here. ( )

My hat's off to this author. The first book was okay, but this one was really good. Characters are good (sometimes comic in the midst of the suspense), well drawn; dialogue is really awesome, and the story itself is intriguing and will definitely hold your interest. I hope Mr. Gray wants to write a third in this series; I'll definitely be waiting. Would I recommend it? You bet. If you like thriller-type stories set in Victorian England, you'll like this one.

here's a brief peek with no spoilers:
Edmund Whitty, correspondent with the newspaper The Falcon, has picked up a new habit of relaxing in the Turkish baths. As he's sitting there one day, an American comes up to him and offers him some money to do a job for him. It seems that there is a "spiritualist" who engages in quackery and rips people off and the man (who works for the Pinkerton agency) wants Whitty to get evidence that will discredit this guy. So off Whitty goes to attend a seance held by the con man. He knows it's fake, but he has a moment of doubt when he hears a voice claiming to be his dead brother David saying that he didn't die the way everyone thought he did. This gets Whitty thinking, and a series of events that take place following the seance sets him off on an extraordinary adventure, which leads to the exposure of some of the seamier currents running below Victorian society's surface. A fun book, and a good element of suspense that will keep you turning the pages to see how things turn out. Don't be surprised if one of the main characters reminds you of Lewis Carroll...the author intended it to be so.

I try to read any fiction which involves Victorian-era spiritualism, and I'd recommend this book to people who may be of the same mind. Also, if you are going to read this one, please start with book #1 so you're not lost character wise.

Fun book for those who like Victorian settings in their mysteries. ( )