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Hatton and Roumande Mystery #1
Devoured
One of London's first forensic detectives chases a grisly killer in this stunning debut mystery rich in period detail and sinister intrigue.
London in 1856 is gripped by a frightening obsession. The specimen-collecting craze is growing, and discoveries in far-off jungles are reshaping the known world in terrible and unimaginable ways. The new theories of evolution threaten to disrupt the fragile balance of power that keeps the chaotic city in order—a disruption that many would do just about anything to prevent.
When the glamorous Lady Bessingham is found murdered in her bedroom, surrounded by her vast collection of fossils and tribal masks, Adolphus Hatton and his morgue assistant Albert Roumande are called in to examine the crime scene—and the body. In the new and suspicious world of forensics and autopsy examinations, Hatton and Roumande are the best. But the crime scene is not confined to one room. In their efforts to help Scotland Yard's infamous Inspector Adams track down the Lady's killer, Hatton and Roumande uncover a trail of murders all connected to a packet of seditious letters that, if published, would change the face of society and religion irrevocably.
D.E. Meredith's measured prose and eye for exquisite detail moves seamlessly from the filthy docks on the Isle of Dogs to the jungles of Borneo and the drawing rooms of London's upper class. Her slow-burning mystery builds to a shocking conclusion, consuming victims—and Victorian London—as it goes.
London in 1856 is gripped by a frightening obsession. The specimen-collecting craze is growing, and discoveries in far-off jungles are reshaping the known world in terrible and unimaginable ways. The new theories of evolution threaten to disrupt the fragile balance of power that keeps the chaotic city in order—a disruption that many would do just about anything to prevent.
When the glamorous Lady Bessingham is found murdered in her bedroom, surrounded by her vast collection of fossils and tribal masks, Adolphus Hatton and his morgue assistant Albert Roumande are called in to examine the crime scene—and the body. In the new and suspicious world of forensics and autopsy examinations, Hatton and Roumande are the best. But the crime scene is not confined to one room. In their efforts to help Scotland Yard's infamous Inspector Adams track down the Lady's killer, Hatton and Roumande uncover a trail of murders all connected to a packet of seditious letters that, if published, would change the face of society and religion irrevocably.
D.E. Meredith's measured prose and eye for exquisite detail moves seamlessly from the filthy docks on the Isle of Dogs to the jungles of Borneo and the drawing rooms of London's upper class. Her slow-burning mystery builds to a shocking conclusion, consuming victims—and Victorian London—as it goes.
291 pages, Hardcover
First published October 16, 2010
About the author
D.E. Meredith
5 books47 followersD. 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review
July 31, 2012
GEIL! Sofortige Kaufempfehlung!
Keine unnötige Lovestory, nur ein spannender, interessanter Fall mit netten Charakteren, wiedermal angesiedelt im viktorianischen London. (Man könnte meinen, es wird langsam langweilig, aber nein!)
Ein fantastischer Roman, der einem wirklich bewusst macht, dass es Tatortermittlung und Pathologie (also, die Forensik im allgemeinen) noch gar nicht soooo lange gibt und dass es der Darwinismus und die Naturwissenschaften anfangs alles andere als leicht hatten, sich gegen Gottesglauben und Kirche durchzusetzen.
Davon abgesehen geht es am Ende tatsächlich doch irgendwie um etwas ganz anderes als es am Anfang aussieht und es schaffen wirklich nicht viele Bücher, mich so auf’s Glatteis zu führen und zu überraschen.
Bravo!
Keine unnötige Lovestory, nur ein spannender, interessanter Fall mit netten Charakteren, wiedermal angesiedelt im viktorianischen London. (Man könnte meinen, es wird langsam langweilig, aber nein!)
Ein fantastischer Roman, der einem wirklich bewusst macht, dass es Tatortermittlung und Pathologie (also, die Forensik im allgemeinen) noch gar nicht soooo lange gibt und dass es der Darwinismus und die Naturwissenschaften anfangs alles andere als leicht hatten, sich gegen Gottesglauben und Kirche durchzusetzen.
Davon abgesehen geht es am Ende tatsächlich doch irgendwie um etwas ganz anderes als es am Anfang aussieht und es schaffen wirklich nicht viele Bücher, mich so auf’s Glatteis zu führen und zu überraschen.
Bravo!
Displaying 1 - 1 of 1 review