J. C. Briggs

In volume 4 of the series, Charles Dickens is asked to talk to a female prisoner at Newgate who has been apprehended for the murder of a doctor. She seems in a state of shock and won't speak. Dickens' kindness draws her out, and he feels she is innocent so takes his concerns to Superintendent Jones. The investigation into the doctor's murder soon start to unearth a terrible underground trade in babies for sale and illegal abortions which are often bodged and result in the woman's death. Even more horribly, it seems the doctor made a practice of drugging and sexually assaulting poor women he was supposed to be treating, and at least some of the abortions are the result of these rapes. Meanwhile, a section of London is beset by a strange person or creature that the locals fear and refer to as Satan, and concern for the safety of a possible witness to the doctor's death draws Dickens, Jones and other friends into danger.

This was a dark story with fewer of the lighter touches of the previous tales, but still very absorbing. A section where Dickens and his friends are separated and attacked in a dark, no-go area of London is particularly affecting. A thoroughly enjoyable read which I have no hesitation in awarding 5 stars.… (plus d'informations)

In the second of the series, Dickens joins forces once again with Superintendent Sam Jones, this time to try to track down Scrap, the street boy who was such a character in the first volume. Scrap has disappeared and so has Poll, the beloved pet of the Brim family who Scrap guards against the perils of the times. They believe he has gone in search of the dog, which has probably been stolen - a big problem in Dickens' time - and fear he may have fallen into danger.

As the tale opens, Dickens and Jones are called to a derelict blacking factory near the Hungerford Stairs. The place holds old dread for Dickens who worked there as a boy after his father went to debtor's prison, an experience which haunts him and has had much to do with the forming of his character. A boy has been found dead there. They are relieved that it is not Scrap, but before long it becomes clear that the boy was murdered and more victims come to light, bringing tragedy for a bereft mother.

The setting of London during the period is vividly evoked with the squalor, smells and filth, the poverty and misery - and only a few hundred yards away in some cases the splendour and wealth of the privileged classes and of Bond Street shops. What I really enjoyed with this book and the first was the way Dickens is brought to life with his kindness, his ability to relate to others including women, the poor and the traumatised, and his secret depression and sense of unworthiness. I know that after the period depicted, Dickens separated from his wife and is generally reckoned to have acted with great unkindness, but in this the author drops a few hints that maybe the problem arose because of her mental issues and increasing tendency to become a recluse whereas Dickens craved and needed company and cheer to keep his own demons at bay.

One slight distraction is that the author frequently referred to the two men as 'Dickens and Jones' which reminded me of the long-lived but now closed down Dickins and Jones department store! I did work out who the murderer must be quite early on, but it is still a good twist and I enjoyed the story so much overall that I won't deduct a star for that. So a full five star rating from me.… (plus d'informations)

In volume 10 of the series, Superintendent Jones is absent initially at sea, chasing a fugitive bound for America, at the insistence of his unpleasant superior. While he is away, Posy, the maid at the Jones residence who was rescued by Dickens from a notorious and ghastly orphanage, and for whom he feels jointly responsible, goes missing on an outing with her friend Phoebe - or Phib as she is known. And the girl certainly lives up to her name of 'fib' having befriended Posy for very unpleasant purposes. For the theme in this book is what we would call human trafficking and what tended at that period to be called "white slavery" though that phrase is studiously avoided. Suffice to say, the trade in young girls who could be guaranteed to be virgins was very lucrative.

The story is a non-stop narrative of tension, concern about Posy and danger from the villain Jones was trying to apprehend: a man who has a hypnotic effect on his many followers and has spies everywhere, especially in the shape of street boys. The boys, one in particular, have been corrupted and they delight in violence and intimidation. They form a lurking threat which closes in around Dickens, the street boy Scrap, whom he and the Jones' have befriended, and the Jones household itself. But corruption lurks also in those dressed in velvet and other finery, and one memorable scene has the one and only occurrence of the "f-word" in the whole series: rightfully reserved for a shocking revelation of one character's depravity.

The ending does perhaps lend itself to the closure of the series, but I hope not. It is, in any case, the last available for now, and I will certainly look out for any future volumes. A five star rating from me.… (plus d'informations)

Volume 7 in the series does not disappoint, with two mysteries: one for Jones to investigate and one for Dickens though it wasn't surprising that the two eventually dovetailed. There were a number of villains in this one, to keep things moving along, and the dead hand of the worst of all, Sir Gerald Hawke, extended from the grave to continue the malice he exercised in life. Also the foreshadowing regarding Dicken's youngest child is a sombre note when you know what happened to her.

I did wonder whether Scrap would appear, when he hadn't done so in the first half, but eventually he did arrive and the sequence when he and Dickens visit Hawke Hall under cover was great fun. Thoroughly enjoyed the book and am awarding 5 stars, not something I do often!… (plus d'informations)