Jon Redfern

Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com

Children of the tide is an Inspector Endersby Mystery.

Expected publication: February 28th.

If you like detective stories and Victorian London, what could possibly be better than to combine the two? Set in 1841 in London, Children of the Tide does just that.

This is the first of the Endersby Mysteries that I've read, so it is possible that I just missed a lot of the character descriptions in the previous book, but they felt a bit flat to me. Endersby himself seems to be a good police officer, switching to the new more reliable form of policing - searching for witnesses and most importantly proof -, and husband, but the rest of the characters never came to life for me.

Ensdersby gets stuck with a difficult case; to solve two almost identical murders. In both cases, a matron in a workhouse has been killed and a girl named Catherine has been abducted, only to be left just outside the workhouse's gates. It's not hard to find suspects, but which one of them -if any- is the gruesome murderer? Endersby won't rest until he solves the case.

The story was that of a nice detective. Some questions however were never answered. It took some time to really get interesting, but afterwards it was a very fast and enjoyable read. I might check out some of the other novels in this series, as I liked the Victorian setting.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.… (plus d'informations)

Children of the Tide is the second novel featuring inspector Owen Endersby, though it’s the first novel in I’ve read in this series—and I am hoping it will be a many-volumed series. While the book is set in Victorian London, Endersby is one of those characters whose views bridge his purported time and our own, allowing for a commentary on life in Victoria’s England that is perhaps a bit modern in its outlook, but that is also sympathetic and not unbelievable.

Endersby critiques the norms of his time, while living comfortably within them. In this case, he is investigating the murders of two workhouse matrons and the aborted kidnapping of two workhouse girls, both named Catherine. Early on we’re told “Any mention to [Endersby] of workhouses and their cruelty to children roused a deep anger in his heart. Many times he had passed the filthy courtyards of the city’s eight workhouses and seen their young inmates marching around them in circles, their faces wan, their eyes sad like those of inmates he’d seen in the yard of Fleet Prison.” Once inside one of these workhouses, Endersby reflects: “What sorrow pervades the morning light…. What thin hands and thin bodies are arrayed on the rows of beds. Why does our time treat women so cruelly?” Whether or not such questions were typical of his time, they are worth asking.

Endersby began his career as a Bow Street Runner, more concerned with seeing someone convicted of a crime than with finding the actual perpetrator. Now, as a member of the city’s new police force, he is more cautious and contemplative, more interested in uncovering what has happened than he is in quickly finding someone, anyone on whom to place the blame. He talks his way through a crime as if it were one of the wooden puzzles he amuses himself with during the evenings.

Endersby is also a theater-goer with a particular love of Shakespeare. Children of the Tide contains echoes of both Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In fact, the first Endersby mystery (which I’ve just ordered through my local, independent bookseller) takes place within the theater world. I’m eager to read it.

Jon Redfern has plotted this mystery well, with a number of tantalizing solutions hanging for readers to pluck like a bunches of ripe grapes. And because Redfern leaves so many possibilities open, the reader really does remain in doubt until the finish of the book. Redfern and Endersby are a gift to readers of mysteries and historical fiction—I urge you to open these books and to enjoy them for yourself.… (plus d'informations)

There is something about London during the Victorian era that lends itself so emphatically to the historical mystery. Perhaps it’s the dark damp weather, the dark dank slums, or perhaps just the familiarity most of us have with the writings of Dickens or the Brontes or maybe it’s the murders of Jack the Ripper – whatever, Victorian England seems to be the perfect setting for an odd little murder or two. And author Jon Redfern uses the atmosphere of the time to great advantage in his novel, Children of the Tide with its workhouses and Foundling Hospitals.

Set in London in 1841, two murders have been committed by a man with a scar and a horrible smell. In each case, he broke into a workhouse, killed a matron and kidnapped a girl. Both girls were named Catherine and both were quickly abandoned unharmed outside the house. At the same time, just outside the city, a dying woman is writing her confession about her years as a matron and the punishments she heaped on the children in her care.

Detective Inspector Owen Endersby is in charge of the case. He prefers the ‘new’ scientific methods of policing – deduction, reliable witnesses and proof - over beatings but even these don’t seem enough to solve these murders. Endersby is a very likeable and sympathetic character, a thoughtful empathetic policeman at a time when a good crack on the head with a truncheon was considered the best way to a confession. He loves his wife, is aware of his flaws, and cares about the people he must deal with in his investigations, whether victims, witnesses or perpetrators.

Redfern does an admirable job of capturing the feel of Victorian England at its best and worst, the thriving metropolis alight with all the new technologies and industries side-by-side with the abject poverty of the slums, the terrible working and living conditions, and the cruelties, both big and small, faced by the poor daily. This is a dark and atmospheric tale with a great many story lines and characters. Somehow, though, Redfern manages to keep them all separate. The story, itself, is a bit slow-paced but it provides an interesting historical mystery and a fascinating portrait of London during the Industrial Revolution, a city full of great potential and even greater misery.… (plus d'informations)

3.5 stars

It's London, 1841 & Queen Victoria has just had her first child. The city is bustling with gas & steam powered industry & it's a time of great change.
This is reflected at the Metropolitan Detective Police Force where forensics is in its' infancy. Detective Owen Endersby began his career as a Bow Street runner, the young coppers who favoured fists over evidence when it came to getting a conviction. He embraces the new scientific methods of "deduction, reliable witnesses & proof". But his latest case is keeping him up nights.
Two murders have been committed. In each case, a scarred & grubby man broke into a work house, killed a matron & kidnapped one of the young girls. Both of the children were named Catherine & both were left just outside the gates.
Endersby & his trusty sidekick Sgt. Thomas Caldwell employ "modern" techniques, don disguises & enlist the help of scam artists & pickpockets in an effort to nab their man. But they're just a little too successful. Despite the culprit's distinctive appearance, they soon have an embarrassment of suspects.
Meanwhile, in a small village outside the city, a sickly woman begins to write a confession of her sins. She was once a work house matron, known for never sparing the rod. Her story & those of each of the suspects are interspersed with the current murder investigation. As the book progresses, the author pulls them all together as Endersby gradually weeds through the red herrings to solve the case.
This victorian police procedural is a quick, atmospheric read. The author describes the teeming streets, dark alleys & desperate living conditions of the poor in ways that appeal to all the sense. He's obviously done his homework. Even the smallest details of every day life such as clothing, meals & bathing habits are period perfect. The dialogue consists of the formal address & colloquialisms that are appropriate for the time. I confess I had difficulty understanding much of the conversations between Endersby & his street deputies, relying on the characters' actions to help me get the gist of what was happening.
Characters range from the proper detectives to a colourful slew of Dickens like street urchins. thieves & flesh pedlars. But the book belongs to Endersby, a decent man who is dedicated to his wife, the job, Shakespeare & good cheese (not necessarily in that order). He's a deep thinker, continually pondering the injustice & frailty he sees all around. It overwhelms him at times, tempting him to slip back into the physical aggression of his youth. He refers to this as his "demon familiar'. While I enjoyed the internal struggle for control, I did tire of the author's frequent use of this phrase.
This is the second of the series, following "Trumpets Sound No More" which won the 2008 CWC Arthur Ellis Award. It's a meticulously researched victorian murder mystery with an authentic feel for fans of the genre.… (plus d'informations)