This was such a great historical mystery and police procedural. Taking place in 1878, the story took bits from real events in mid Victorian England and added a cast of rich and compelling characters. I loved all the sides to Inspector Corravan. After a tough start and life with a good family in White Chapel, he has risen to the role of Inspector with England's finest, even as the population at large distrusts many of the Irish. The collision between a pleasure boat that runs up and down the Thames with a collier hauling its' load causes certain disaster, death and gossip as to who is at fault almost immediately. Corravan has to rely on both his team at the Wapping police office and Scotland Yard, along with the rough and tough men from his old neighborhood to draw the case to a close. This is the second book in the series and I hope the catch up with the first before the next one comes out. ( )

A dedicated and compassionate police inspector unravels a deadly politically-motivated case of historical terrorism.

Under A Veiled Moon is the second book in author Karen Odden's Inspector Corravan Mystery series, and it is a complex and compelling tale. Incorporating fascinating actual incidents from the time period, it is historical mystery fiction at its best and eerily reflects similarities in our current time and society.

The story unfolds from the viewpoint of Michael Corravan, now the acting superintendent of the Wapping River Police. Corravan, an Irishman, diligently sets aside his biases for his culture and people yet still must suffer through society's prejudices, including those of his own supervisors and others working the same case. Thankfully, he has the support of his love interest, novelist Belinda Gale, and his former partner at Scotland Yard, Gorgon Stiles. He and Stiles remain a formidable pair working in tandem on the complicated case. While Belinda doesn't feature heavily in this book, she still has a significant role, with her outsider's perspective, in helping Corravan view his investigation through a different pair of eyes.

The author breathes life into the time period and the London setting, so much so that I could almost smell the odors wafting off the river. I got a fascinatingly distinct impression of what life must have been like for someone like Corravan and his adopted family, the Doyles, and some of it was downright horrifying. Brief glimpses into Belinda's life accentuate the discrepancies in living conditions, treatment, and prospects for the future between the classes, especially for the immigrants.

The plot is complex and absorbing, especially when it appears to be headed in one direction only to veer off into another. Some surprising twists and turns really upped the tension and the feeling of urgency to solve the case. Besides the eye-opening political machinations that Corravan must untangle, there is an utterly personal aspect to this case for him that was heartbreaking and absolutely riveting.

With its dedicated and conflicted police investigator, vivid historical setting, and complex plot, I recommend UNDER A VEILED MOON to mystery readers who enjoy historical mystery fiction with a political basis and tense terroristic threats and readers who enjoyed the first book in the series.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours. ( )

I am a big fan of mysteries in general and police procedurals in particular. Throw in an historical setting and I am hooked. And that’s just what Under A Veiled Moon by Karen Odden did — it drew me in and kept me turning the pages. Set in late 1800s London, the novel has a great sense of place. I felt the mean streets of Irish Whitechapel, the police offices of Wapping, and the genteel homes of Mayfair come to life, all within the astute descriptions given by the first person voice of Michael Corravan. Corravan is a very interesting and likable character. He successfully straddles the world in which he grew up and his position as a police detective. His insights and self-appraisal make him a very believable narrator in a story in which there is much deception and deceit. He is in on a number of investigations — murders, gang-related activity, and a ship accident. Are they related? You’ll have to read the book to find out! 😉 Corravan, one of the most well-drawn characters in a mystery that I have encountered in a long time, is thoughtful, intuitive, and struggles to remain impartial. The lack of high tech forensic science, this book is set in the 19th century after all, is very appealing. I love when a detective has to use his brain and instincts to solve a case. Under A Veiled Moon is the second of a series, but I didn’t have any trouble diving right in. It did make me want to go back and read book 1 though. I hope to do that soon. Overall, I would recommend Under A Veiled Moon for those who love a good mystery with some very interesting historical content.

Recommended.

Audience: Adults.

(Thanks to AustenProse for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )

The (misquoted) maxim "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it" takes on new meaning in Karen Odden's Victorian set mystery, Under a Veiled Moon, the second in the Inspector Corravan Mystery series. Although the ethnic group is different (the Irish as versus the groups who are the targeted today), people and media still scapegoat "others" and consider them lesser than. These bigoted beliefs led to resentment and violence in the past, as shown in the novel, and similar bigoted beliefs lead to resentment and violence today. Perhaps one day we will learn.




Michael (Mickey) Corravan is the Acting Superintendent of the Wapping River Police. As the novel opens, he has found a unidentified body but quickly this one, potentially murdered man becomes a side note to a much bigger investigation. There's a collision on the Thames between a daily, wooden, pleasure boat and a heavy iron-clad collier that causes massive loss of life and Corravan must determine whether it was an accident or if it was intentionally caused by the Irish Republican Brotherhood as the newspapers attest. The possibility that the IRB is behind the collision causes a massive swell of anti-Irish sentiment at a time when the Irish were already considered vermin. And Michael Corravan is Irish. His superiors and colleagues want a speedy conclusion to the case and question whether he can investigate impartially given his own heritage and close ties to the community. At the same time, Corravan is worried about the youngest son of the family who took him in after his mother left. Colin Doyle has join the Cobbwallers, another Irish gang, and Corravan wants nothing more than to get Colin out of the gang and keep him safe for Ma Doyle.

The prevailing sentiment about the Irish and the debate about Irish Home Rule weaves through the entire story. Newspapers fan the flames of bigotry, falsifying evidence and printing half-truths, allowing extremists and other bitter and angry people an outlet and mouthpiece for their beliefs. Through it all, Corravan keeps his head, tamps down his own reaction, and doggedly goes about uncovering the actual truth of the collision, finding connections to his loved ones that will fill him with regret and sadness forever. Corravan's backstory before and then with the Doyle family weaves through the investigation but there is obviously more to be unveiled in future books. The plot is quite intricate and Odden does a fantastic job keeping it moving along and tying it all together. The politics of the time, the vitriol toward the Irish, and the quiet machinations of Parliament are front and center and at the root of everything here so readers should be prepared for politics to carry as much weight as the mystery itself. The whole thing is detailed, well researched, and well written. The larger story of Michael Corravan is intriguing and the secondary characters in his work and personal life are appealing. This is a good read for historical mystery readers, with a spot on sense of time and place and a sometimes troubling parallel to life, beliefs, and media today. ( )

“My hand crept up to land on my chest, as if the ballast were a physical thing that I could hold in place. Let me not lose this, I thought, and my plea was as desperate as any I’d ever made. For I have earned it honestly, and it is mine.”

Enjoyed this second book in the Inspector Corravan series. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I look forward to going back and reading the first book in the series. I’d compare her writing style to Anne Perry. It’s a Victorian mystery based on actual events that drew me in from the beginning.

Meet Inspector Michael Corravan or Mickey as his adopted family calls him. He’s a reformed street urchin/thief who was taken in by the Doyle family after his mother went missing. As an Irishman, he’s constantly aware in Victorian England of the prejudice harbored against him as the debate over Irish Home Rule intensifies.

When a collision between The Princess Alice passenger boat and the coal carrier Bywell Castle results in hundreds of people dead, Inspector Corravan is called in to head up the investigation. Is it an accidental tragedy or sabotage? As the clues keep piling up, it’s looking like it could be a plot by the IRB or Irish Republican Brotherhood as the newspapers are insinuating, but Michael has his doubts. His investigation will lead him to the highest rungs of society and with so much at stake, he can’t afford to get this wrong.

There’s also his adopted brother Colin who seems to have fallen in with the wrong people and whose resentment of him is palpable. As violence in Whitechapel increases with various Irish gangs warring for control, Michael is torn between helping the people he loves and solving the boating accident. But could they be related?

This story really kept me turning the pages as the mystery unraveled. Just when you think you may have figured it out, new motives and clues emerge which change the whole direction. Michael is a likable character who’s passionate about uncovering the truth. He’s a savvy investigator but also a caring man haunted by regrets and his past. His love interest Belinda helps him in his investigation as well as Inspector Stiles, Sgt. Hammond and Director Vincent. The side characters were as interesting as Michael and I look forward to getting to know them better in future books.

Though this is the second book in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone. Having not read the first book, I felt like the author did a fantastic job giving enough backstory so I could dive right into the story and understand what’s going on. Highly recommend to historical mystery fans! There is some mild swearing including taking God’s name in vain, though it’s infrequent. There are also descriptions of the explosion and dead bodies sensitive readers may want to be aware of. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher through AustenProse PR. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review. ( )