Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed on 12/27/2017 + 1224 more book reviews

I really enjoyed this fast-paced riveting read about the Scotland Yard Murder Squad taking place a year after London was terrorized by Jack the Ripper. The novel tells several concurrent storylines from the perspective of both the Yard detectives and the murderer(s). First there is inspector Walter Day who is put in charge of solving the brutal murder of a fellow policeman who was found stabbed to death with his eyes and mouth sewn shut in a trunk at Euston Station. Day is put in charge in spite of his relative inexperience by newly appointed police commissioner, Sir Edward Bradford. He is helped by others in the force including Constable Hammersmith and Dr. Kingsley, a coroner at the University Hospital who is looking into new methods of solving crimes including the use of fingerprints. Hammersmith is one of the most interesting characters in the book, a very dedicated policeman who rarely takes time to sleep or bathe and usually can be found in a dirty blood-soaked uniform. He is also working on another case on his own to find the chimney sweep who left a young boy dead stuffed in a chimney. Along with the murdered policeman there is also a series of murders of bearded men who have their beards shaved and then their throats cut. Is this case related to the police killing? Well Day and his crew have their hands full and move at a frenetic pace to solve the crimes and catch the killer before he can kill again.

A very entertaining read and I'll be looking forward to reading the other books in this series.

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