A Review of A Death at the Dionysus Club

A Death at the Dionysus Club by Melissa Scott

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


First, let me state for the record, I am a BIG fan of Melissa Scott & Amy Griswold. Those who loved the prequel to this book, Death by Silver, and its two heroes Julian Lynes, magic-using detective, and Ned Mathey, metaphysician, in a richly detailed and believable alternate Victorian London, will not be disappointed.

Scotland Yard wants Ned for its Metaphysical Squad. A poet comes to Julian. The poet is being blackmailed for writing ladies' romances. The Yard wants to investigate a mysterious murder: the man's heart has been removed. Are these events connected? Is there some heart-stealing supernatural creature at liberty? Will the investigation of these crimes expose Ned and Julian--as lovers in a society that would condemn them as sodomites? Julian and Ned are now an established couple, beginning to build a life together in a society that condemns homosexuality except in the shadowy gay demimonde of such places as the Dionysus Club. Can their relationship survive?

This tale--a love story, a murder mystery--and its beautifully constructed alternate reality--is highly recommended.



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