the quickening and the dead

2.5 stars

An ok historical fiction mystery.
This is the fourth book in this series, but the first book I’ve read. This is a stand alone mystery and you don’t need to have read the previous books to understand what is going on in this book.

The book is set in 1850 in London. Author Charles Dickens and Superintendent Jones join forces to solve a new mystery. Two women are dead and a third is accused of a brutal murder. Initially the cases don’t seem to be related, but as Dickens and Jones begin piecing the clues together, it appears they are. The duo enlist colorful characters to aid them as they dip into the less than savory depths of London’s seedier sides.

I really enjoy historical fiction books, but this one was a bit dense for my taste. It was well-written, but I found my mind wandering as I read the book and couldn’t get into it as much as I’d like. It took me far longer to read than normal, mainly because it took effort to make me keep reading. I’m sure a lot of people will enjoy this book, it just wasn’t for me.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.