The Devil's Ribbon

Hatton and Roumande Mystery #2

by D.E. Meredith

July, 1858. Forensic scientist Adolphus Hatton and his trusty assistant Albert Roumande have a morgue full of cholera victims to attend to, and an eager apprentice to teach. When a leading politician of the Irish Unionist movement is murdered, the flamboyant Inspector Grey calls on Hatton and Roumande to help solve the case. But Inspector Grey proves difficult to deal with. When it becomes clear that they are dealing with a series of violent killings, Hatton and Roumande must attempt to find the connection between the victims - at the same time unravelling a bombing campaign by a group of would-be terrorists. As the kaleidoscope of outlandish characters, dockside strikes, bomb blasts and violent retribution reaches a crescendo, Hatton's skills are tested to the limit.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Mystery, Historical Mystery, Horror, Mystery Thriller

368 pages, Hardcover

First published October 25, 2011

About the author

D. E. Meredith is the author of the HATTON AND ROUMANDE historical crime series: DEVOURED (Book One), THE DEVIL'S RIBBON (Book Two) feature the first forensic scientist, Professor Adolphus Hatton, and his trusty French morgue assistant, Albert Roumande.

After reading English at Cambridge, D. E. Meredith ran the press office at the British Red Cross, where she oversaw media response all international humanitarian disasters, and spearheaded the landmines campaign. She's travelled extensively to humanitarian disasters, including Rwanda, Bosnia, Cambodia and Afghanistan. She now writes full time and lives with her family in south-west London.

You can contact her via the website or follow her on twitter at @DE_Meredith

Reviews

[S.J.A. Turney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Following straight on from Devoured, I waded with great excitement into Meredith’s second book. Devil’s Ribbon is a slightly different proposition from Devoured. With less exotic retrospective (Lovecraft-style) it is a much more immediate story.

Based a couple of years after the first book, Devil’s Ribbon introduces new characters that are fun, fascinating and thoroughly well-crafted. Moreover, the protagonists (Hatton and Roumande) have acquired a great deal more depth and character and have moved from being principal characters to good and familiar friends. There seems to be stronger characterisation in this novel that really makes the reader see and understand the characters.

Style-wise there is little change from the first book (which is a blessing.) Devoured carried a deep atmosphere and graceful writing that I would hate to have surrendered.

But much as with Devoured, what really fascinates me is the plot and the intricacy of it. Devoured had a complex and incredible well-thought out plot. The Devil’s ribbon moves a step up the ladder from that. Some third- to half-way through TDR I formed an opinion of whodunnit, and even some basic theories as to how and why. I could see even then that there was more than one thread running throughout, and they would need examining separately, in the way Hatton does in his mortuary. One thread is a somewhat socio-political plot based around the dreadful history of the Irish potato famine and the Anglo-Irish troubles. The other – the central one – is somewhat more personal. I thought I had nailed it, though I could not work out as I read how all the loose ends tied in. I was, needless to say, wrong. Dammit! As I closed on the book’s end, I discovered that my clear-cut solution was only an ingredient of the truth, which was elegant in a way I am coming to see as typical of Meredith’s writing.

Moreover, I would say that I seem to have learned a lot from this book. A lot of history I was previously completely oblivious to.

There is clearly no definite limit to what Meredith can do with her characters. Hatton and Roumande are strong characters and the first two books show that they are only becoming stronger and deeper as their author explores both their past and their soul (the former is key to the plot of book 2). he sky is the limit for this series, and I cannot wait to see what the author does next.

[BRT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing mystery where the obvious suspects may be guilty but the not-so-obvious suspects even more so. Nice blending of the history of the Irish famine & rebellion into coverage of the burgeoning forensic sciences. Plot line tended to bounce around a bit but pulled together at the end.

[Cathy Cole · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Line: Nothing but shadows and an eerie stillness in the heat of a simmering night as a figure stoops under a lintel and makes his way quickly, through a labyrinth of alleys, before finding Berry Street and heading north along the Farringdon Road.

It is July, 1858, and Londoners are suffering through the hottest summer on record. Forensic scientist Adolphus Hatton and his assistant Albert Roumande have a morgue filled with Irish cholera victims. A decade ago these people were forced into the worst of London's slums because of the horrific famine. The Irish in London may be a race apart, but they are a close knit people and very politically aware.

A series of seemingly unconnected murders occur in which all the victims are linked by a Fenian green ribbon that's left on the corpses. Hatton and Roumande are called in to help with Scotland Yard's investigation, and Hatton finds himself attracted to the beautiful widow of one of the murder victims. As agitators work the streets and the body count rises, Hatton and Roumande must race to find answers before London is torn apart.

I'm happy to say that I found this book to be a vast improvement over the first book in the series, Devoured. The plot is much clearer and the pacing much smoother. There is also more forensic detail in this book, which was so lacking in the first. Meredith includes many details of what the Irish had to endure during the Famine, both in Ireland and in London, and it adds great depth to the story.

Adolphus Hatton is given a past in this book, and he becomes a much better defined character, even though much of this is done through the convention of falling in love with the widow of one of the victims. Hopefully we'll see more of the very interesting Albert Roumande's backstory in future books as well.

The only real letdown in the book is that the killer was extremely easy to guess. I don't know if the author intended to do this in an attempt to lead readers astray with another character, but it wasn't successful.

All in all, I'm glad that I decided to overlook the disappointment I found in the first book and to focus on the promise that was there. In The Devil's Ribbon, I see the real beginning of a very promising historical mystery series.

[Peggy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Hatton and Roumande Mystery series. Adolphus Hatton is a forensic scientist/pathologist and Albert Roumande is his assistant. The setting is 1858 London in July. They are in the middle of a terrible heatwave and cholera epidemic in the poorest Irish neighborhoods.

Tempers are high in England following the great famine in Ireland. It's the period of the birth of Irish nationalism and the rise of the Fenians and the Irish Brotherhood A series of violent murders erupts in the city, each with a mysterious calling card left. Riots and a bombing also are going on. Are they related? What do they have to do with Ardara Ireland? How is Father O'Brian involved?

This is an excellently written period novel! Ms. Meredith's research is fantastic! You have the burgeoning new field of forensics, the powdered keg of the times following the famine, the widespread drug use of the time, a cholera outbreak, an early Scotland Yard. What more could you want?

The sheer force of the ugliness of the time, the poverty, the disease, the filth, the opium abuse of this time comes across vividly in this novel. At first I didn't really like it. It certainly doesn't take you to a lovely, gentle English countryside! The Scotland Yard Inspector was a despicable, ugly, drug addict that really turned my stomach. It took me a while to get attached to Dr. Hatton, but somehow slowly as I read he did wheedle his way in! I ended up really enjoying this book and wanting to read more. I highly recommend it!

[Felicity Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first thoughts? Beautifully presented with a pretty dust-cover and ribbon-type bookmark. Perfect given the period in which the story is rooted.

Though the second in a series of books this is a self contained story.

Set in Victorian London where a cholera outbreak is far from the only danger to be faced. The Devil's Ribbon is a rich and yet somewhat dark tapestry of a read. As educational as it is entertaining, it seamlessly combines a murder mystery with the story of the exciting and fairly new science of forensics in a novel which gives any contemporary Crime Scene Investigation style fiction a run for its money.

Murder, dock strikes, riots, drug use, the growth of the Irish Nationalist movement, bombing campaigns, slums, fine tearooms. Then there's the wonderful relationship between Hatton and his assistant Roumande. Oh, and the 20 year old widow Mrs McCarthy who, with her womanly wiles, provides the romantic interest. It's all here in this remarkably descriptive novel and yet for some unknown reason I was left feeling oddly disappointed.


Copyright: Petty Witter @ Pen and Paper.
Disclaimer: Read and reviewed on behalf of NEWBOOKS magazine, I was merely asked for my honest opinion, no financial compensation was asked for nor given.

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bleh. In theory, I should have liked this - London setting, historical context, multiple plot lines - but it was only so-so. Too much going on to no good purpose, flat characters that didn't engage any interest, bland prose: I was skimming through the last half.

[Essie Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Devil's Ribbon is an intriguing, well-written and artful crime mystery. It is far from generic or run of the mill, as D E Meredith deals with often hard-hitting political subjects and weaves the darkness of real historical events into this compelling narrative.

[Meg Onthemove Reading · Rating 2 out of 5]

A 2.5

This is the second book of a series, and I think with this series it probably is better to start off with the first book as there seem lots of areas either missed or brushed over too quickly by the author - mostly around the relationship between the two principal characters Hatton and Roumande (who know each other so well that much of their relationship is shorthand in this novel), the reasons for Hatton working in the morgue and his interest in forensics also seems insufficiently explained, especially given he is referred to as Professor rather than Doctor, suggesting a very high level of qualification and a university position that is not referred to. But not having read the first book in the series I don't know if this is explained or not.

Then there's a big issue with the murderers in the book - the Terrorists we are introduced to early on as terrorists, and there is a hint that they could be the murderers but the hint is under written and though their cause/motive is similar from the second murder it is clearly not the same people involved. It then very quickly became clear who was involved in the murders - the widow was just too winsome and self composed, and it's too much a trope in historical crime fiction for the hero to fall for a villainess, from the time of Holmes and Irene Adler .... And the maid would not have cleaned the room without her say so. Patrice was far too talented an artist to want to work in a morgue as a denier and take a 10 year apprenticeship. As soon as the author starts waxing lyrical about his art it's clear that something is wrong with the character and his aspirations ... And him not minding the blood and guts of the morgue either is definitely a tell.

What I can't quite get around either is the tell of Patrice's accent - he'd have to be an excellent mimic to be able to produce Parisian French and Marseille French without displaying a Canadian French accent - more so because all three have definitive language and slang all of their own - which would be impossible to learn in the back woods of Canada - he'd need to have spent time in cities with lots of people to learn it. And mimics often revert to their own native accents when it's all around them - like Irish accents would be around him during this period.

So I'm afraid for me the characterisation and implausibility of Patrice's character in particular let this novel down.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This turned out to be about the potato famine and British oppression of the Irish, which was unexpected. I didn't warm to the main character and had more sympathy for the murderers than anticipated, but overall, a good read.

[Jade · Rating 2 out of 5]

A good read for something quick, slightly better than the last instalment. I'm still not connecting with any of the characters, and the subject matter is a little grim at times, but interesting and intriguing enough if you have other things on your mind.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 1 out of 5]

This strikes me as a horror and I don't read horror. From the early pages we are getting words used in horror books and continuing there are more of them on each page. Blood, blade, mourning, death, disgusting, bones, phantom, with constant repetition. Not interested in reading this book.

[Sonja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Preferred this one to the first in the series, so it's a 3.5

[Alysha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked the characters; loved being taught about the developments of forensics in Victorian London; enjoyed being a detective!

[Bryngel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't believe I actually read the whole book, because it was even worse than the first book. I read this one because I was told it was better. It's safe to say it is not.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book. I thought the story was good. However, there were a few errors that were distracting; words missing, odd punctuation in odd places, the chopping and changing of the spelling of Addy/Addie. I had trouble visualising the people due to lack of descriptiveness. For example, I visualised Patrice as a child due to the description of him. So when there were hints at romance between Patrice and the maid it was a little odd for me. I enjoyed the book over all.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Devil's Ribbon is structured with a strong plot and the scaffolding of many interesting subplots. I've not read any other works by D.E. Meredith. The book is well-researched with timely topics of the Victorian era and the brisk dialogue reflects that. I must say that the art of the bookcover caught my eye. Oh, the pains of being so visual by nature. Give me a great cover and I'm already thumbing through it.

Hatton and Roumande are faced with a cholera epidemic in London that populates the morgue and fills the air with more vengeance than even surround sound. The victims are mostly the poor and the poor are mostly the huddled Irish forced from their native country. There is disease of the potato and disease of the soul. For those who have never peered through an Irish curtain, you will come to know the truth of the British involvement and the hate and rancor as an end product. Murder lifts its despicable head with the discovery of green ribbon "ingested" by the victims. And so it begins....

This is a very well written Victorian tale and kept me turning pages. The descriptors of life in the morgue were right on point for the time period and the characters well-defined. A good read, indeed.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book I have read by this author. I loved this book. It deals with forensics during the Victorian era. It also shows a bit about Scotland Yard. It is hard to believe that for such a populated city that London was that twelve inspectors were supposed to handle the crime. The story also takes place during an epidemic. There is unrest in the slums,as the unions try to starve out the Irish. People with no connection are being murdered, with a green ribbon left behind. It is a fast paced book written with great insight into England at its best, and worst. There is also information concerning the famine in Ireland, and the greed, and mismanagement of the situation. The death ships, tumbling, and starvation are all explained, and leaves you feeling angry, and raw. The book covers many subjects, but you are able to follow along, as the ugly underbelly of London is explored. A great read, but not a light mystery. This is an era that I love to read about, but it is graphically portrayed.

[Sinead Fitzgibbon · Rating 5 out of 5]

In The Devil’s Ribbon, the second in the Hatton and Roumande series of murder mysteries, D.E. Meredith deftly weaves a suspenseful and multi-faceted tale of political intrigue, abuses of power, long-held secrets, and insatiable bloodlust. Set just a decade after the devastating Great Famine in Ireland, and featuring a host of convincing characters, the story draws its inspiration from the long and bedevilled conflict between Ireland and the rest of Britain, an ugly and long-running drama from which neither side emerged unsullied.

The Devil’s Ribbon reveals the author’s remarkable insight into an emotive, highly-charged and painful period of Anglo-Irish history. Painstakingly researched, this book is more thought-provoking than a Victorian crime novel has any right to be.

The full review of this book is available on my blog:
http://www.lovelifefoodart.blogspot.c...

[Anna Lord · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was clear from the opening sentence that the author was going for tension, mood, and pace, which they achieved admirably, therefore the dodgy grammar (apparently something often levelled at DEM) did not worry me in the least, and I am usually a stickler. I loved the authenticity of this book and the dialogue which propelled it along at a million miles an hour. The ending left me scratching my head, though it did not detract from my enjoyment one whit. Authors do NOT have an obligation to fulfil readers' moral expectations. Best analogy - here goes: Imagine two heroes teaming up with Hitler to hunt down survivors of Auschwitz and the gulags, stepping over hundreds of tortured corpses, to rescue Stalin. Scratch! Scratch! So, why 5 stars, I hear you say? DEM does NOT write as if she just completed a creative writing course, a tick the box exercise that is word perfect and pedetentous. There are lots of authors who do that extremely successfully. DEM is not one of them. Bravo!

[Suzie Grogan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been lucky enough to read this just before the launch in the UK in preparation for interviewing the author and I have thoroughly enjoyed the dark mix of history and whodunnit. It is a thrilling murder mystery set against a backdrop of the Irish unrest in mid-Victorian London - the rookeries of St Giles and the Limehouse docks teeming with poverty stricken families and firebrand priests and journalists.

Hatton and Roumande, a team at the forefront of forensic science are drafted in to assist a ruthless Scotland Yard detective in the second of the series of novels in which they feature. Gruesome details abound but in this book we begin to understand a little more about what drives Hatton and he is becoming a detective (a scientist detective) in the mould of Rebus or Morse - disgruntled, unlucky in love and ultimately a lonely man in a dangerous and difficult job.

Great stuff.

[Tracey Walsh · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable, informative and exhilarating read. As someone who failed History O' Level, the fact that I have now been inspired to find out more about some dark days in Irish history surprises me - but my lack of knowledge prior to reading The Devil's Ribbon was shameful.

I enjoyed being reunited with Professor Hatton & Monsieur Roumande and learning more about what makes them tick, having enjoyed the previous book, Devoured, so much.

Finally, to add to the "Paper vs e-book" debate, the copy of The Devil's Ribbon I read was a hardback first edition and a thing of beauty! Thank you again to @crifilover & the publishers for the competition prize.

I'm not qualified to give literary reviews, I just enjoy reading, mainly crime fiction. My reviews on Goodreads are solely to reflect my enjoyment or otherwise.

I certainly enjoyed this one. Highly recommended.

[PopcornReads - MkNoah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autographed Book Giveaway & Review!
Although The Devil’s Ribbon is Book #2 in the Hatton & Roumande series, I haven’t read the first book and still found that Book #2 works just fine as a stand-alone novel.

It’s 1858 and London is experiencing a nasty cholera outbreak among its poorest residents, the Irish. No one knows what causes cholera, although there are a lot of theories floating around so no one knows how to stop it until it’s run its course. The Irish had come to London in droves when the famine hit a decade before and were forced by their circumstances to live in the slums, a perfect breeding ground for disease. This latest outbreak is just part of a long line of tragedies to strike the Irish. Read the rest of my review & enter to win at http://popcornreads.com/?p=2146

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Devoured was a fine introduction to Victorian forensic scientist Professor Adolphus Hatton and his assistant in the morgue Albert Roumande. This second novel, The Devil's Ribbon, however, is superb. Deeply atmospheric, you can almost feel yourself walking the dangerous streets of London's poorest streets, or taking tea in the parlours of Highgate. The horror and pain of Ireland's Potato Famine of the mid 19th century hangs over proceedings as Hatton and Roumande investigate a series of murders in London at a time when Irish nationalism began to assert itself among the factories and slums of London.

I read The Devil's Ribbon in a single sitting. I was unable to put it down. Beautifully written, the novel's characters linger in the mind, as does the world it evokes.

[Vivienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I had some reservations about Devoured, the first in this series, I am glad that I borrowed the second as it was stronger in terms of its pacing while retaining a highly detailed sense of the period setting and a cast of fascinating characters.

Here Meredith tackles the thorny issue of the conflict between the British and Irish as played out in Victorian London with a series of deaths with seemingly political motives. The conclusion came as a real surprise, which is always a treat, and I found that I enjoyed it very much.

There is no sign of a third book as yet though I hope she continues with with the series that she says readers describe as “Think CSI meets Sherlock Holmes….”. I would agree with this.

[April · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this Hatton and Roumande mystery set in London in the mid-1800s to be both graphically unsettling and somewhat tedious. The author seems to linger lovingly over descriptions of decaying corpses, of which there are many, given that Hatton's profession is coroner. The characters are also not incredibly likeable either....Hatton is full of anger and judgement, whereas the police lieutenant (Gray) he is forced to work with is, at different times, foppish and appallingly violent. The setting is very interesting (Fennian revolt) and the author has clearly done a lot of homework there. I enjoyed the world, but found the characters lacking.

[Val Sanford · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great material, ingenious story and terrible dialogue. A compassionate pathologist and his innovative partner work and research in the morgue of a London hospital. Corpses are purchased fresh from the hangman and delivered by the police. It is mid19th century England. Benjamin Disraeli, William Gladstone, Charles Dickens and Darwin are household names. And the Irish have fled from famine and disease, brutally "aided" by the British. A spoiled and corrupt Scotland Yard Inspector, a beautiful widow and this is a story with legs. Unfortunately, it's flat, unimaginative dialogue and storytelling can't do justice to the tale, except the last few chapters are brilliant.

[AA Palliser · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm really enjoying the second outing by DE. Im drawn into the twists and turns of is dark, and forensic gold mine. I enjoy this writer.. She never overwrites, and the characters are never one dimensional. Unlike authors such as Cornwell, this book is rich and multilayered. No silly scientific acronyms here. Just a ripping mystery, with smart turns and fantastics twists. Policital and well reasearched,and the relationship between Hatton and Roumanade is always entertaining! I would love to see this book made into a tv series... Very much recommend.

[Shiela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I enjoyed this better than the first in the series and it received wonderful reviews, once again, there was something about the novel that just didn't grip me. The pacing is a little slower than I like and some of the supporting characters (i.e.: the Inspector) just annoyed me, but I think that was intentional. Other than that, I liked the two main characters, early forensics should be compelling, and Victorian England is one of my favorite historical settings...and I still can't love the books. Time to give up and move on I think.

[Danielle · Rating 2 out of 5]

i was a bit disappointed with this story. I found it difficult to focus on the story because of a number of egregious grammatical errors throughout the story and, although that's probably the fault of the editing crew, it slowed down the story when I was hitting so many unfinished sentences and half phrases. The mystery felt rather slow compared to what I was expecting, and I ended up skipping large sections just so I could get to the end and see who the murderer was.

[Rachel Nowakowski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this book and really liked it. I really had no idea about the events of the potato famine in Ireland but the way this story is written really demonstrates how terrible it must have been and how the Irish have a perfect right to hate the English. I loved the relationship between the french Roumande and the terribly english Hatton. They are a great pair. Surprised at the end and who the perp turned out to be. Will look forward to reading more.