Book Review: Inspector of the Dead by David Morrell

Inspector of the Dead is David Morrell‘s second successful effort to resurrect Victorian London in prose. In this second novel, he improves upon his own formula for a much more gripping read.

Like Murder as a Fine Art, the previous book, this one centers on Thomas De Quincey, a real life writer of the period who Morrell drags into fictional detective work. Opium-addicted De Quincey and his doting daughter pair up with detectives Becker and Ryan, and the four of them annoy the aristocracy as they unravel the rampage of a murderous “revenger.”

De Quincey works as a pitiful old genius who challenges London’s sensibility with radical ideas of perspective and reality. It’s one of the book’s greater charms for modern readers already familiar with his ideas enjoy the reactions of Londoners who find the ideas so strange — including Queen Victoria and Prince Albert.

The book spends slightly less time exploring on De Quincey’s idiosyncrasies than its predecessor, and shines less spotlight on the physical Detective Ryan. The detective quartet bounces about London at an enjoyable, often exciting clip, practically inventing detective work and psychological profiling. It’s one of the books charms as De Quincy and his daughter challenge Victorian sensibilities with new ideas modern readers recognize, like Immanuel Kant’s notions of perspective and subjective realities. There’s still time for Emily and Becker to become more familiar with one another. But the pace of the book rises above. It’s full of surprises and shocks, and the pages turn easily with the well-crafted action.

The revenger, the villain at the heart of a long conspiracy, has a woeful tale that Morrell divulges bit by painful bit. He does share several similar characteristics with the villain from the previous book’s villain. But, Morrell creates a more developed, even more sympathetic antagonist, one that expands rather than strains the immersive setting of the book.

Morrell’s fascination with and exhaustive research on Victorian London underpins everything about this enjoyable book. He captures incredible details, political sentiments, and even the form of the novel itself to immerse readers in a foggy-bound world that breathes and seethes London at the murky dawn of the modern age. Mimicking Victorian novels, he combines the narrative with explanatory passages and first-person journal entries from De Quincey’s daugther, Emily.

Inspector of the Dead is an expertly paced historical thriller and a joy to read.

Inspector of the Dead: ★★★★★

The post Book Review: Inspector of the Dead by David Morrell appeared first on Mathew Snyder's Writing Blog.