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Ira Adler #1
The Affair of the Porcelain Dog
London, 1889. For Ira Adler, former rent-boy and present plaything of crime lord Cain Goddard, stealing back the statue from Goddard's blackmailer should have been a doddle. But inside the statue is evidence that could put Goddard away for a long time under the sodomy laws, and everyone's after it, including Ira's bitter ex, Dr. Timothy Lazarus. No sooner does Ira have the porcelain dog in his hot little hands, than he loses it to a nimble-fingered prostitute.
As Ira’s search for the dog drags him back to the mean East End streets where he grew up, he discovers secrets about his own past, and about Goddard's present business dealings, which make him question everything he thought he knew. An old friend turns up dead, and an old enemy proves himself a friend. Goddard is pressing Ira for a commitment, but every new discovery casts doubt on whether Ira can, in good conscience, remain with him. In the end, Ira must choose between his hard-won life of luxury and standing against a grievous wrong.
As Ira’s search for the dog drags him back to the mean East End streets where he grew up, he discovers secrets about his own past, and about Goddard's present business dealings, which make him question everything he thought he knew. An old friend turns up dead, and an old enemy proves himself a friend. Goddard is pressing Ira for a commitment, but every new discovery casts doubt on whether Ira can, in good conscience, remain with him. In the end, Ira must choose between his hard-won life of luxury and standing against a grievous wrong.
288 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2011
14 people are currently reading
735 people want to read
About the author
Jess Faraday
29 books112 followersJess Faraday is the author of the award-winning Ira Adler historical mysteries, the standalone steampunk adventure The Left Hand of Justice and a number of historical adventures in short story and novella form.
Her novella, The Strange Case of the Big Sur Benefactor, won a Rainbow Award for Lesbian Historical. Fool's Gold won a Rainbow Award for Best Gay Historical, and was a runner-up for Best Gay Novel. Turnbull House was a runner-up for Best Gay Historical, and The Affair of the Porcelain Dog was both a Lambda Awards finalist, and won Honorable Mention for Best Novel of the Year from Speak Its Name.
She has edited several award-winning short story collections for Elm Books, including Death and a Cup of Tea (one of Foreword Review's top Indie mysteries of 2015), Undeath and the Detective (Finalist for a Silver Falchion Award for Best Multi-Author Anthology), and Fae Love, which won an Aspen Gold Reader's Choice Award.
You can read more about Jess and her books at http://www.jessfaraday.com
Her novella, The Strange Case of the Big Sur Benefactor, won a Rainbow Award for Lesbian Historical. Fool's Gold won a Rainbow Award for Best Gay Historical, and was a runner-up for Best Gay Novel. Turnbull House was a runner-up for Best Gay Historical, and The Affair of the Porcelain Dog was both a Lambda Awards finalist, and won Honorable Mention for Best Novel of the Year from Speak Its Name.
She has edited several award-winning short story collections for Elm Books, including Death and a Cup of Tea (one of Foreword Review's top Indie mysteries of 2015), Undeath and the Detective (Finalist for a Silver Falchion Award for Best Multi-Author Anthology), and Fae Love, which won an Aspen Gold Reader's Choice Award.
You can read more about Jess and her books at http://www.jessfaraday.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 92 reviews
November 9, 2011
It says something about today's publishing market that someone thought this would sell better billed as m/m romance than as what it really is: a mystery. Yes, there are homosexuals in the book, but if you go in expecting either Hott Sexxxy Times or Love Conquering All Odds you will be gravely disappointed. What you will get instead is Ira Adler running (or walking, or riding in carriages) around various mostly grimy parts of London trying to figure out who is blackmailing his crime lord lover/employer Goddard Cain and where the evidence is hidden. As he investigates, Ira is drawn into a wider web of mysteries, secrets, and crimes involving various figures from his and Goddard's separate pasts. The more he learns, the more Ira finds himself questioning his relationship with Goddard and the ethical choices that they have both made.
This is in some ways also a (forgive-the-phrase!) coming-of-age story. Ira was a young prostitute when Goddard decided to "employ" him as his "secretary." Two years later the men are emotionally close in some ways, but their relationship is a very unequal one. The money, power, education, and contacts are all Goddard's and Ira is as much his employee as his lover. Ira got luxury and safety in exchange for fidelity and obedience. This seemed like a better deal than selling himself for a paltry fee and risking venereal disease, but the more he finds out about exactly what criminal activities finance his lover's nice house and servants, the more uncomfortable he becomes. Could Goddard possibly love him enough to change his ways? And if not, is Ira strong enough to walk away?
Faraday strikes an excellent balance between traditional mystery-investigating activity (guarded conversations, spontaneously brawls, a little burglary) and personal and interior concerns. There are plenty of plots twists (if not particularly startling ones) for mystery fans, and by the end of the story I really felt like I had watched Ira grow, without feeling overwhelmed with angst or self-absorption. Crime and prostitution are neither glamorized nor voyeuristically dwelt over; rather, they are unhappy facts of life for people without money, families, or legal protection. Life is rough and people make the best of it -- or not -- and face the consequences.
This is in some ways also a (forgive-the-phrase!) coming-of-age story. Ira was a young prostitute when Goddard decided to "employ" him as his "secretary." Two years later the men are emotionally close in some ways, but their relationship is a very unequal one. The money, power, education, and contacts are all Goddard's and Ira is as much his employee as his lover. Ira got luxury and safety in exchange for fidelity and obedience. This seemed like a better deal than selling himself for a paltry fee and risking venereal disease, but the more he finds out about exactly what criminal activities finance his lover's nice house and servants, the more uncomfortable he becomes. Could Goddard possibly love him enough to change his ways? And if not, is Ira strong enough to walk away?
Faraday strikes an excellent balance between traditional mystery-investigating activity (guarded conversations, spontaneously brawls, a little burglary) and personal and interior concerns. There are plenty of plots twists (if not particularly startling ones) for mystery fans, and by the end of the story I really felt like I had watched Ira grow, without feeling overwhelmed with angst or self-absorption. Crime and prostitution are neither glamorized nor voyeuristically dwelt over; rather, they are unhappy facts of life for people without money, families, or legal protection. Life is rough and people make the best of it -- or not -- and face the consequences.
June 22, 2017
If this book will become a movie one day- and I hope very much it will-I would recommend Guy Ritchie as a director! (For those who don't know: an English film-maker, well-known for his Sherlock Holmes movies, though I prefer his Snatch.) And, honestly, it'll be such a shame not to film this story!
Great action packed historical mystery, very atmospheric and very hard to put down.
Just some keywords:
London 1889.
Opium trade.
Child trafficking.
Criminal activities and organisations.
Sodomy as a criminal activity in London 1899.
Former rent-boy.
Blackmailers.
Criminals of a big caliber.
Corrupted politicians.
Heroic feats.
LOVE.
SECRETS.
I found that a romance frames nicely the story, but the main focus is set on the mystery. And I LOVE IT!
Highly recommended for all fans of a historical mystery!
April 1, 2014
This is most definitely not a romance, and I found I didn't miss it at all. The mystery to this story is compelling, and well developed. Although the book was slow building, I found myself drawn into the world of the characters, and was fascinated by their relationships, and interactions. The characters themselves are well developed, and richly nuanced. I like how well set in the time period this book feels, and how it doesn't fall victim to a rosy or romanticized view of the past, and avoids becoming some sort of melodrama, or morality tale. Watching Ira grow and change throughout the story was a pleasure, and even though this book wasn't an easy read I ended up truly enjoying it.
February 14, 2015
Phew what a ride, this was one hell of an action packed story. At times I thought I was
Told by Ira, a pragmatic fellow with any romantic notions deeply hidden but when push comes to shove, Ira shows what he is made of, heroic steel. Romantic fantasies cannot be given heed when your first priority is food and shelter.
I like Faraday’s take on the Sherlockian lore. She takes us to the other side and I liked the view from there. It also reminded me of the Michael Caine, Ben Kingsley film Without a Clue and the role reversal there.
On a more serious note – this quite enjoyable action story also touches greed, drugs, slavery, the politics of war which I would like to remain in my history but unfortunately the parallels with what is still happening today are too obvious to dismiss. So yes this is a historical but unfortunately the story it tells could so easily be a contemporary.
And yes I’m so ready to read the second book.
BR with Irina
May 20, 2011
Not your normal Holmes clone, that’s for sure. Although this story is set in late Victorian London, and around the Baker Street area, there’s a highly enjoyable twist.
The point of view is told, first person, by Ira Adler. But instead of being a Doctor Watson clone,and the companion of a great detective, Ira is the live-in companion, “private secretary” and lover of Cain Goddard, the dread “Duke of Dorset Street.” Goddard is a crime lord, so in some respects, he’s a Moriaty clone. But not quite. Because in this fictional imagining, the “great detective” of the time is Andrews St Andrews who is, frankly, a bit of a twat (written to be so) and adds some great giggles to the text. He’s a real Holmes wanabee, a poseur and frankly not very good at his job. The brains of the St Andrews outfit is St Andrews’ companion, Tim Lazarus–and Lazarus is an ex-lover of Ira. Already it promises to be quite tortuous and it won’t let you down on that score.
The beginning was excellently paced–and in no time at all we into an action scene that just begged to be filmed.
The plot is very nice indeed. It’s more Philip Marlowe than Conan Doyle. Each clue leads you deeper in and further away from where you began, and it’s as opaque as the London smog.
The characterisations are excellent, all round. Some books you read, characters have similar voices, but each and every character here, and there’s a good dusting, is his own person with his own demons and issues. And boy are there are lot of demons. This is the underbelly of London in the 19th century and it’s not a nice place. Either you are a leader or you get used. Child labour, opium dens, brothels, and exploitation of every kind. Ira holds an interesting position in this world, because he came from the gutter, but now he steps in an upper middle-class world where never thought he would, but retains his knowledge and connections that he’d rather have left behind forever.
I absolutely loved–with a big squishy heart–the bittersweet relationship between Ira and Cain Goddard. In a way,this is a coming of age story, because Ira has to face to harsh truths, look deep inside him, and make some hard decisions. He has a massive chip on his shoulder, but that’s only to be expected. He started his relationship with Cain as his prostitute, so he finds it hard that Cain really and truly cares for him–and similarly, Cain would have similar fears. Despite there being much that is wrong about their relationship, and who Cain is, I wanted them to be happy.
Yes, there seems to be a good deal of homosexuality in the book: There area few couples. But seeing as how Ira was a renter before Goddard took him under his wing,that’s not really surprising. The homosexuality is never glossed over, though,never treated lightly. You are always aware of Labouchere’s Amendment hanging like a sword of Damocles over everyone’s heads–and it’s this threat, in fact which launches the story, as both Goddard and St Andrews are being blackmailed. There’s a lovely scene in Hyde Park where they walk so they can hold hands in public (in the dark) and you can’t help but feel sorry for them, that even the smallest of touches have to be considered –you never know who’s watching.
Be warned,you don’t get a “Romance” ending, and more than that I will not say, but the ending is beautifully done, and leaves it wide open for a sequel or more and I hope there will be. I’m dying to see what Ira gets up to. This will apppeal to a broad swathe of readers–and should do, in a fair world this should be picked up by a mainstream audience, because other than homosexual themes there’s nothing a non m/m reader would find uncomfortable to read–whether you like detective fiction, noir, Victorian stories or just damned good love stories, this will appeal to you. I neglected to mention this is her first novel. Well done Ms Faraday.
The point of view is told, first person, by Ira Adler. But instead of being a Doctor Watson clone,and the companion of a great detective, Ira is the live-in companion, “private secretary” and lover of Cain Goddard, the dread “Duke of Dorset Street.” Goddard is a crime lord, so in some respects, he’s a Moriaty clone. But not quite. Because in this fictional imagining, the “great detective” of the time is Andrews St Andrews who is, frankly, a bit of a twat (written to be so) and adds some great giggles to the text. He’s a real Holmes wanabee, a poseur and frankly not very good at his job. The brains of the St Andrews outfit is St Andrews’ companion, Tim Lazarus–and Lazarus is an ex-lover of Ira. Already it promises to be quite tortuous and it won’t let you down on that score.
The beginning was excellently paced–and in no time at all we into an action scene that just begged to be filmed.
The plot is very nice indeed. It’s more Philip Marlowe than Conan Doyle. Each clue leads you deeper in and further away from where you began, and it’s as opaque as the London smog.
The characterisations are excellent, all round. Some books you read, characters have similar voices, but each and every character here, and there’s a good dusting, is his own person with his own demons and issues. And boy are there are lot of demons. This is the underbelly of London in the 19th century and it’s not a nice place. Either you are a leader or you get used. Child labour, opium dens, brothels, and exploitation of every kind. Ira holds an interesting position in this world, because he came from the gutter, but now he steps in an upper middle-class world where never thought he would, but retains his knowledge and connections that he’d rather have left behind forever.
I absolutely loved–with a big squishy heart–the bittersweet relationship between Ira and Cain Goddard. In a way,this is a coming of age story, because Ira has to face to harsh truths, look deep inside him, and make some hard decisions. He has a massive chip on his shoulder, but that’s only to be expected. He started his relationship with Cain as his prostitute, so he finds it hard that Cain really and truly cares for him–and similarly, Cain would have similar fears. Despite there being much that is wrong about their relationship, and who Cain is, I wanted them to be happy.
Yes, there seems to be a good deal of homosexuality in the book: There area few couples. But seeing as how Ira was a renter before Goddard took him under his wing,that’s not really surprising. The homosexuality is never glossed over, though,never treated lightly. You are always aware of Labouchere’s Amendment hanging like a sword of Damocles over everyone’s heads–and it’s this threat, in fact which launches the story, as both Goddard and St Andrews are being blackmailed. There’s a lovely scene in Hyde Park where they walk so they can hold hands in public (in the dark) and you can’t help but feel sorry for them, that even the smallest of touches have to be considered –you never know who’s watching.
Be warned,you don’t get a “Romance” ending, and more than that I will not say, but the ending is beautifully done, and leaves it wide open for a sequel or more and I hope there will be. I’m dying to see what Ira gets up to. This will apppeal to a broad swathe of readers–and should do, in a fair world this should be picked up by a mainstream audience, because other than homosexual themes there’s nothing a non m/m reader would find uncomfortable to read–whether you like detective fiction, noir, Victorian stories or just damned good love stories, this will appeal to you. I neglected to mention this is her first novel. Well done Ms Faraday.
December 12, 2018
Original 2016 review: Squeeeeeeeeee!
2018 Edit since somebody noticed this "review":
Yo, peeps! FYI, this is my favorityest, most awesome MM adjacent novel ever.
My summary of this one from my review of the sequel:
The Affair of the Procelain Dog: A crime-solving rentboy, his victorian crime boss lover, watson-like veteran doctor former client and would be lover, blackmail plots, warring drug lords, opium dens, anarchists, human trafficking, a MacGuffin hunt, and more, all without the boring yet seemingly obligatory on page sex that plagues almost everything with a gay protagonist these days. In other words buckets of awesome which couldn't have been anymore perfectly up my alley if Faraday had set out to write a book just for me.
2018 Edit since somebody noticed this "review":
Yo, peeps! FYI, this is my favorityest, most awesome MM adjacent novel ever.
My summary of this one from my review of the sequel:
The Affair of the Procelain Dog: A crime-solving rentboy, his victorian crime boss lover, watson-like veteran doctor former client and would be lover, blackmail plots, warring drug lords, opium dens, anarchists, human trafficking, a MacGuffin hunt, and more, all without the boring yet seemingly obligatory on page sex that plagues almost everything with a gay protagonist these days. In other words buckets of awesome which couldn't have been anymore perfectly up my alley if Faraday had set out to write a book just for me.
August 4, 2015
This was great!
A historical mystery with a frisson of romance, lots of suspense and shady characters, and a series too.
And also really well written. I do love a good mystery that keeps me guessing to the end and the author did that. I also liked the back stories of the characters and the twists and turns of their past and I liked the fact that there are no obvious heroes.
Everyone is kind of tainted to a greater or lesser degree but in seeking to do the right thing some of the characters develop a kind of 'honour amongst thieves.'
I have book two ready to go and will definitely go on to book 3. Another lovely series to lose myself in.
A historical mystery with a frisson of romance, lots of suspense and shady characters, and a series too.
And also really well written. I do love a good mystery that keeps me guessing to the end and the author did that. I also liked the back stories of the characters and the twists and turns of their past and I liked the fact that there are no obvious heroes.
Everyone is kind of tainted to a greater or lesser degree but in seeking to do the right thing some of the characters develop a kind of 'honour amongst thieves.'
I have book two ready to go and will definitely go on to book 3. Another lovely series to lose myself in.
August 17, 2012
A solid, entertaining read. The MC has a wonderfully wry, self-deprecating way of looking at his pampered life as a crime lord's kept man. As things heat up in the race to find the porcelain dog, Ira finds himself knee deep in opium lords and evil doctors - murder and mayhem ensues! There is no onscreen sex and no HEA as such but the ending is satisfying.
I'll definitely be reading more of Jess Faraday's work.
I'll definitely be reading more of Jess Faraday's work.
April 1, 2014
Jess Faraday shows off her beautiful, skillful writing skills in this unique historical mystery. It is most certainly not a romance book, though, if you are interested solely in that. It reminded me a great deal of the Lord John series (starting with Lord John and the Private Matter), which is what got me interested in M/M in the first place.
I'm not a mystery lover but I enjoyed it, even if I was a bit lost at times. I felt like I got a great sense for the time period and I quickly got into the spirit of the story.
Interestingly enough, I think I've seen my first case of , which fascinates me and makes me love this book a little for that alone.
Overall, this was a solid three star read for me, but if you are into well written mysteries this could easily be a five star read for you.
I'm not a mystery lover but I enjoyed it, even if I was a bit lost at times. I felt like I got a great sense for the time period and I quickly got into the spirit of the story.
Interestingly enough, I think I've seen my first case of , which fascinates me and makes me love this book a little for that alone.
Overall, this was a solid three star read for me, but if you are into well written mysteries this could easily be a five star read for you.
January 4, 2023
I'm a lover of audiobooks. Even if I were able to physically read on the bus - I can't, it makes me feel ill - there's still something so incredibly wonderful about the spoken word, and the experience of listening to a great story being told. Usually, I do this to make the time pass by on the long trek to and from work, or when I'm doing something tedious like the laundry or dishes. For "The Affair of the Porcelain Dog" I was instead scurrying around, trying to find any excuse to be able to keep listening, and even wearing my ear-buds while I did routine stuff all the way to the moment I had to open the doors for the day.
I listened on my break. I listened on my lunch. I listened in the bath. I even got up early on the day of my closing shift so I'd have the two full hours of time I needed to finish the book before my work shift started.
In short? Jess Faraday's "The Affair of the Porcelain Dog" was the best audiobook experience I've had in years. There are a few sides to that experience.
One, the writing was so completely engaging that I was happily drawn into the narrative from step one.
Two, the performance. Oh how Philip Battley narrated the heck out of this book! He took Jess Faraday's amazing story and put such an incredible performance behind his reading. Every accent and every tone just burst with verisimilitude. It kills me that the search on his name over on audible only showed one other audiobook. I sincerely hope there's more from him.
Third - and last - there weren't compromises in the historical setting including gay characters. I rarely read historical gay fiction because so often the gay stuff sort of slides unnoticed among the rest of the tale. Somehow everyone the characters meet are happy and open-minded folks who understand these guys aren't evil (despite religion, law, and everything about the current culture saying they are). That these men are gay is a huge factor to the story, but not in a way that doesn't ring true.
Okay. I'm moving past reviewing and into gushing. Just trust me on this one. Read it or listen to it - I'm totally going to suggest you listen to it if you're at all an audiobook lover - and rejoice in the fact that there's a sequel, Turnbull House, on its way.
I listened on my break. I listened on my lunch. I listened in the bath. I even got up early on the day of my closing shift so I'd have the two full hours of time I needed to finish the book before my work shift started.
In short? Jess Faraday's "The Affair of the Porcelain Dog" was the best audiobook experience I've had in years. There are a few sides to that experience.
One, the writing was so completely engaging that I was happily drawn into the narrative from step one.
Two, the performance. Oh how Philip Battley narrated the heck out of this book! He took Jess Faraday's amazing story and put such an incredible performance behind his reading. Every accent and every tone just burst with verisimilitude. It kills me that the search on his name over on audible only showed one other audiobook. I sincerely hope there's more from him.
Third - and last - there weren't compromises in the historical setting including gay characters. I rarely read historical gay fiction because so often the gay stuff sort of slides unnoticed among the rest of the tale. Somehow everyone the characters meet are happy and open-minded folks who understand these guys aren't evil (despite religion, law, and everything about the current culture saying they are). That these men are gay is a huge factor to the story, but not in a way that doesn't ring true.
Okay. I'm moving past reviewing and into gushing. Just trust me on this one. Read it or listen to it - I'm totally going to suggest you listen to it if you're at all an audiobook lover - and rejoice in the fact that there's a sequel, Turnbull House, on its way.
February 14, 2015
As far as mysteries go, this was a gripping one. A tangled mess of illegal activities, old secrets, blackmailing and cruel villains, packed with action to boot, it was a nail-biting suspense.
However, my romantic heart was thoroughly disappointed.
Don't let my opinion stop you from reading it though. The writing is flowing and an author has done a great job with depiction of a late 19th century London. Historical mystery fans will enjoy it, I'm sure.
***3.5 stars***
BR with Sofia - thank you!
However, my romantic heart was thoroughly disappointed.
Don't let my opinion stop you from reading it though. The writing is flowing and an author has done a great job with depiction of a late 19th century London. Historical mystery fans will enjoy it, I'm sure.
***3.5 stars***
BR with Sofia - thank you!
dnf
May 9, 2023dnf @ 38%
i really didn't want to DNF another book, i swear, but it's taken me like three weeks to get to this point and i have to force myself to read a couple of pages, and life is just too short for that bro.
i really didn't want to DNF another book, i swear, but it's taken me like three weeks to get to this point and i have to force myself to read a couple of pages, and life is just too short for that bro.
March 1, 2014
A-MAZE-ING
There are NO words to portray how truly amazing this book is! Dammit, but I have to try. Here goes…
Its London, summer of 1889. Ira Adler has spent the last two years playing live-in-lover to the wealthy crime lord Cain Goddard. After two years of warm baths, luxurious clothes and Egyptian tobacco, Ira has no plans of going back to his former life of selling his ass in order to survive. But Goddard is being blackmailed…blackmailed with something that will send him to prison and Ira back to the streets. Ira must recover the ugly, porcelain dog that can expose Goddard’s secret and take all the luxuries Ira has become accustomed to…if the pesky itch that has inflamed his bollocks doesn’t ruin him first. From the posh digs on York Street to the dirty, back alleys and brothels of Whitechapel, The Affair of the Porcelain Dog is a dark, non-stop read of mystery and murder and lies, where the next twist is waiting to be revealed as soon as you turn the next page.
The Setting: I love novels set during the time of Jack the Ripper: the grime and the grit and the soot. They are usually so dark and never hesitate to delve deep into the underbelly of London society. This book perfectly captures that period. A perfect place for blackmail and drugs and crimes against humanity. All perfect elements to spin a suspenseful mystery…
The Mystery: I’m not going to go into any details, don’t want to spoiler. But this had the perfect balance of intrigue and manipulation where there are bad guys and good guys and bad guys wanting to be good guys. The end game was a complicated web of ‘who did what’ and ‘who can be trusted’. Yes, it got really confusing a few times, but Ira was right there to lay out all the pieces he had collected up to that point and explain the conclusions he had made.
The Voice: Ira Adler, oh how I adore him. The story is told in first person from his POV. He immediately drew me in and I felt like I was right there in the story with him…taking this journey with him. I felt everything he felt, I saw everything he saw, I smelled everything he smelled. He’s dimensional in every dimension that exists. The rent-boy turned kept-man…that is confronted with the ultimate choice of living the easy life or living with his conscious. Will he choose the man he thinks he loves or his own independence?
The Romance: Okay, this really isn’t a romance at all, but there is a wonderful underlying love story with all the bittersweet tastes of self corruption and self destruction. I’m not going to reveal if there is HEA or HFN ending…that’s not what this story is really about. Also, there is NO on page sex here, so don’t connect ‘former rent-boy’ with ‘kinky twinkie sex’. Honestly, throwing in a sex scene here are there would have seriously crippled the pace and direction of this book.
The End Product: Flawless. Thats what this book is. If there were flaws, I certainly didn’t notice; I was too wrapped up in devouring every word Ira gave me.
Thank the gods there is a sequel, Turnbull House, which I will be starting as soon as I hit ‘publish’ on this review.
Reviewed for The Blogger Girls
There are NO words to portray how truly amazing this book is! Dammit, but I have to try. Here goes…
Its London, summer of 1889. Ira Adler has spent the last two years playing live-in-lover to the wealthy crime lord Cain Goddard. After two years of warm baths, luxurious clothes and Egyptian tobacco, Ira has no plans of going back to his former life of selling his ass in order to survive. But Goddard is being blackmailed…blackmailed with something that will send him to prison and Ira back to the streets. Ira must recover the ugly, porcelain dog that can expose Goddard’s secret and take all the luxuries Ira has become accustomed to…if the pesky itch that has inflamed his bollocks doesn’t ruin him first. From the posh digs on York Street to the dirty, back alleys and brothels of Whitechapel, The Affair of the Porcelain Dog is a dark, non-stop read of mystery and murder and lies, where the next twist is waiting to be revealed as soon as you turn the next page.
The Setting: I love novels set during the time of Jack the Ripper: the grime and the grit and the soot. They are usually so dark and never hesitate to delve deep into the underbelly of London society. This book perfectly captures that period. A perfect place for blackmail and drugs and crimes against humanity. All perfect elements to spin a suspenseful mystery…
The Mystery: I’m not going to go into any details, don’t want to spoiler. But this had the perfect balance of intrigue and manipulation where there are bad guys and good guys and bad guys wanting to be good guys. The end game was a complicated web of ‘who did what’ and ‘who can be trusted’. Yes, it got really confusing a few times, but Ira was right there to lay out all the pieces he had collected up to that point and explain the conclusions he had made.
The Voice: Ira Adler, oh how I adore him. The story is told in first person from his POV. He immediately drew me in and I felt like I was right there in the story with him…taking this journey with him. I felt everything he felt, I saw everything he saw, I smelled everything he smelled. He’s dimensional in every dimension that exists. The rent-boy turned kept-man…that is confronted with the ultimate choice of living the easy life or living with his conscious. Will he choose the man he thinks he loves or his own independence?
The Romance: Okay, this really isn’t a romance at all, but there is a wonderful underlying love story with all the bittersweet tastes of self corruption and self destruction. I’m not going to reveal if there is HEA or HFN ending…that’s not what this story is really about. Also, there is NO on page sex here, so don’t connect ‘former rent-boy’ with ‘kinky twinkie sex’. Honestly, throwing in a sex scene here are there would have seriously crippled the pace and direction of this book.
The End Product: Flawless. Thats what this book is. If there were flaws, I certainly didn’t notice; I was too wrapped up in devouring every word Ira gave me.
Thank the gods there is a sequel, Turnbull House, which I will be starting as soon as I hit ‘publish’ on this review.
Reviewed for The Blogger Girls
November 16, 2024
The name Ira Adler instantly made me wonder if this was supposed to be some sort of Irene Adler/Sherlock fanfic. There were a few nods to Sherlock Holmes, and while you could easily find similarities between the characters here and those in Holmes, those similarities are superficial at best. This is its own thing.
Ira was interesting to follow along as he went down a rabbit hole that started with what should have been a simple B&E. Soon, he's caught up in a much larger mystery that threatens his cushy life. You could easily sympathize with why he would keep his head down and ignore the criminal activities of his sugar daddy. Goddard treated him well and doted upon him, and Ira knew too well the dangers of the streets and his former occupation. Yet even he reaches a point where he can't look the other way.
The mystery - or mysteries - was pretty well plotted. There is a lot going on, but in the end, it was all pretty simple and came together pretty well. I liked how, in a way, it even connected back to Ira's own past. There was a point where I wasn't certain if Ira was running around without shoes; he's pretty smart, but he also locked himself out of his own home in the middle of the night and didn't think to ring the bell, so he has some blind spots.
Ira was interesting to follow along as he went down a rabbit hole that started with what should have been a simple B&E. Soon, he's caught up in a much larger mystery that threatens his cushy life. You could easily sympathize with why he would keep his head down and ignore the criminal activities of his sugar daddy. Goddard treated him well and doted upon him, and Ira knew too well the dangers of the streets and his former occupation. Yet even he reaches a point where he can't look the other way.
The mystery - or mysteries - was pretty well plotted. There is a lot going on, but in the end, it was all pretty simple and came together pretty well. I liked how, in a way, it even connected back to Ira's own past. There was a point where I wasn't certain if Ira was running around without shoes; he's pretty smart, but he also locked himself out of his own home in the middle of the night and didn't think to ring the bell, so he has some blind spots.
February 9, 2018
So, this is not a romance novel. I don't read a lot of non-romance novels these days, so it was kind of nice to read about a gay character and not know what to expect. I figured the main character would survive, but otherwise, I had no idea what would happen at any point.
The plot is very exciting. But the blurb and other reviews do a good job of summarizing it, and this isn't a recent book. So I won't retread that too much.
Ira Adler is a young man in a relationship with a crime lord. Based only on that fact, I was expecting Ira to be sort of naive and sweet, but that isn't true at all. He is tough, smart, and prickly. At certain points, he is as grumpy and selfish as George Costanza. He's ended up in his situation because he really loves the luxury of living with someone so wealthy.
So, Ira isn't a cinnamon-roll type of character at all. Sometimes, I found him hard to like, but I never found him hard to sympathize with. He is a victim of circumstance for much of the story, but the overall plot is really about him taking control of his own destiny, and deciding what matters to him. I found it satisfying to see him come into his own in this way.
I'm very interested to discover what will happen in the rest of the series. All of the side characters, even the somewhat minor ones like Pearl and Mrs. Lazarus, really came alive for me, and I hope their stories continue in the other two books. I also liked (what I interpreted as) a positive portrayal of a bisexual man, Tim Lazarus. I feel he loved Ira in the past, and maybe still does, but he also loves his wife. It's far more common for queer historicals to portray bisexual men as unable to commit to anyone, and I was very glad to see another type of character here.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Philip Battley, who also narrates one of my favorite current series, Oxford Medieval Mysteries. He's very talented, and he really performs his narrations, with subtly distinct voices for each character.
I think there's an overlooked market for these kinds of books. I see a lot of requests on Reddit and Twitter from people who are looking for stories about queer characters that aren't romances. I'm very happy to add this one to my recommendations list.
The plot is very exciting. But the blurb and other reviews do a good job of summarizing it, and this isn't a recent book. So I won't retread that too much.
Ira Adler is a young man in a relationship with a crime lord. Based only on that fact, I was expecting Ira to be sort of naive and sweet, but that isn't true at all. He is tough, smart, and prickly. At certain points, he is as grumpy and selfish as George Costanza. He's ended up in his situation because he really loves the luxury of living with someone so wealthy.
So, Ira isn't a cinnamon-roll type of character at all. Sometimes, I found him hard to like, but I never found him hard to sympathize with. He is a victim of circumstance for much of the story, but the overall plot is really about him taking control of his own destiny, and deciding what matters to him. I found it satisfying to see him come into his own in this way.
I'm very interested to discover what will happen in the rest of the series. All of the side characters, even the somewhat minor ones like Pearl and Mrs. Lazarus, really came alive for me, and I hope their stories continue in the other two books. I also liked (what I interpreted as) a positive portrayal of a bisexual man, Tim Lazarus. I feel he loved Ira in the past, and maybe still does, but he also loves his wife. It's far more common for queer historicals to portray bisexual men as unable to commit to anyone, and I was very glad to see another type of character here.
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Philip Battley, who also narrates one of my favorite current series, Oxford Medieval Mysteries. He's very talented, and he really performs his narrations, with subtly distinct voices for each character.
I think there's an overlooked market for these kinds of books. I see a lot of requests on Reddit and Twitter from people who are looking for stories about queer characters that aren't romances. I'm very happy to add this one to my recommendations list.
March 3, 2013
Really enjoyed this historical not-quite-romance, and felt transported back to the days of Labouchere's Amendment.
August 14, 2012
Reviewed By BlackTulip for Booked Up
I've always been fond of Victorian era mysteries and this one is not only good it is simply outstanding! Jess Faraday takes you into a very bleak, dangerous and inhuman realm. A world without mercy. But despite all this, she's able to deliver a beautiful and romantic story.
This wild ride begins when Ira Adler is sent by his lover, crime lord Cain Goddard, to retrieve a certain porcelain dog from a blackmailer which contains dangerously incriminating evidence linked to his mysterious past. Where it should have been very easy, it was anything but; as soon as he gets it, it is stolen again! And the more you read, the less you know ...
From that moment on, Ira's fragile but comfortable new life begins to collapse little by little and he finds himself entangled in a murky and perilous situation involving the very worst of this underworld. And in spite of his best efforts, he is forced to revisit a past he wanted to forget and never to face again.
The more Ira uncovers Cain's present and past the more he begins to ask himself questions. Eventually when the whole truth is revealed, he will have to make a very important and life-changing decision.
Ira and Cain are two wonderfully flawed characters who have a strange romantic relationship. Ira is very easy to like, as for Cain it's another story. He is much more difficult to appreciate because of who he is although he's certainly a generous man when it comes to Ira. He's very dangerous and intriguing. Throughout the novel we are able to see Ira evolve and mature and become aware of some important things that he couldn't really understand or maybe wasn't willing to acknowledge. I love the fact that Jess Faraday didn't choose an easy and predictable ending and that she stayed true to Ira's state of mind.
This book was a real treat to read. This clever multi-layered mystery skillfully combined with some very strong characters will definitely keep you in suspense until the very end. I highly recommend it. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel and any other books from this marvelous writer. I enthusiastically give five stars!
I've always been fond of Victorian era mysteries and this one is not only good it is simply outstanding! Jess Faraday takes you into a very bleak, dangerous and inhuman realm. A world without mercy. But despite all this, she's able to deliver a beautiful and romantic story.
This wild ride begins when Ira Adler is sent by his lover, crime lord Cain Goddard, to retrieve a certain porcelain dog from a blackmailer which contains dangerously incriminating evidence linked to his mysterious past. Where it should have been very easy, it was anything but; as soon as he gets it, it is stolen again! And the more you read, the less you know ...
From that moment on, Ira's fragile but comfortable new life begins to collapse little by little and he finds himself entangled in a murky and perilous situation involving the very worst of this underworld. And in spite of his best efforts, he is forced to revisit a past he wanted to forget and never to face again.
The more Ira uncovers Cain's present and past the more he begins to ask himself questions. Eventually when the whole truth is revealed, he will have to make a very important and life-changing decision.
Ira and Cain are two wonderfully flawed characters who have a strange romantic relationship. Ira is very easy to like, as for Cain it's another story. He is much more difficult to appreciate because of who he is although he's certainly a generous man when it comes to Ira. He's very dangerous and intriguing. Throughout the novel we are able to see Ira evolve and mature and become aware of some important things that he couldn't really understand or maybe wasn't willing to acknowledge. I love the fact that Jess Faraday didn't choose an easy and predictable ending and that she stayed true to Ira's state of mind.
This book was a real treat to read. This clever multi-layered mystery skillfully combined with some very strong characters will definitely keep you in suspense until the very end. I highly recommend it. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel and any other books from this marvelous writer. I enthusiastically give five stars!
April 12, 2018
April 2018 - I listened to the audiobook several months ago and forgot to add a review. I really enjoyed this book when I first read it, but I have to say that the audiobook made it even better. The narrator is excellent and I want to listen to more books narrated by him. It's a shame the other books in the series aren't available in audio because I would buy them all. This audiobook lifted a four star read into to a five star listen, it was that good.
A nifty little m/m mystery featuring a former rent boy, a cultured crime lord and a missing piece of pottery that is being sought after by three men who have much to lose should it fall into the wrong hands. There is very little 'romance' as such (read: no sex) but this story didn't need that distraction. Told entirely from the perspective of Ira Adler, the slightly naive but charming lover of one of London's most notorious crime lords, this book takes you on a journey through London's slums to the city's finest streets. I loved Ira's voice in this book. Although he could have easily been a world-weary character, he manages to carry an air of naivety about him and is entirely unaware of his effect on other people. I absolutely fell in love with him.
The side characters are all brilliantly written as is the setting and the general mood of the book. It was reminiscent of K.J. Charles and likely the reason why I enjoyed it so much. 4 stars
A nifty little m/m mystery featuring a former rent boy, a cultured crime lord and a missing piece of pottery that is being sought after by three men who have much to lose should it fall into the wrong hands. There is very little 'romance' as such (read: no sex) but this story didn't need that distraction. Told entirely from the perspective of Ira Adler, the slightly naive but charming lover of one of London's most notorious crime lords, this book takes you on a journey through London's slums to the city's finest streets. I loved Ira's voice in this book. Although he could have easily been a world-weary character, he manages to carry an air of naivety about him and is entirely unaware of his effect on other people. I absolutely fell in love with him.
The side characters are all brilliantly written as is the setting and the general mood of the book. It was reminiscent of K.J. Charles and likely the reason why I enjoyed it so much. 4 stars
May 23, 2019
This book- a historical mystery set during Victorian England and starring a gay MC - was so so *GOOD*. Faraday is an excellent writer. Her writing and dialogue is rich with characterization and detail without feeling bloated. She seamlessly builds scenes and moves the plot along, and I just sink right in. Ira is sympathetic and clever, but not faultless, and was a great lead to follow along with.
This book is *not* a romance though. It's a mystery, so do yourself a favor and don't bring in your romance novel expectations. It's not a queer tragedy though, so no worries there! Just go in and enjoy the enjoyable writing.
I listened to the audio version and it was *great*. The narrator did a fantastic job, and I'm super sad that only vol. 1 of this (so far) trilogy has an audio version. (I'm going to assume it's too costly for what this series brings in.)
Looking forward to reading the next book in this series, and am super impressed with Faraday in general. One of the best writers I've read in a while. Happily would recommend this one to any historical mystery fans.
This book is *not* a romance though. It's a mystery, so do yourself a favor and don't bring in your romance novel expectations. It's not a queer tragedy though, so no worries there! Just go in and enjoy the enjoyable writing.
I listened to the audio version and it was *great*. The narrator did a fantastic job, and I'm super sad that only vol. 1 of this (so far) trilogy has an audio version. (I'm going to assume it's too costly for what this series brings in.)
Looking forward to reading the next book in this series, and am super impressed with Faraday in general. One of the best writers I've read in a while. Happily would recommend this one to any historical mystery fans.
March 25, 2020
4.5 Stars
Damn, that was good! Unexpected but very much appreciated ending; doing the right thing is hard, and having a conscience can mean personal sacrifice. I'll definitely be reading the next one...although, I sure do wish it was on audio because Philip Battley did a great job with the narration.
Damn, that was good! Unexpected but very much appreciated ending; doing the right thing is hard, and having a conscience can mean personal sacrifice. I'll definitely be reading the next one...although, I sure do wish it was on audio because Philip Battley did a great job with the narration.
February 12, 2014
Ira Adler - what a lovely name, it rolls of the tongue so nicely (shades of a Sherlock H character perhaps). Ira is young, he’s gorgeous, he’s gay and he’s a survivor. His childhood (which is revealed slowly throughout the book) is full of traumatising memories, deep hurts, abandonment and broken promises. After selling body and soul for years, Ira has finally climbed his way to security and success – for the past two years, he’s been the current live-in lover for Cain Goddard, failed academic and philanthropist of sorts. Cain Goddard who is also known as a crime baron/lord. When Cain sends Ira out back into the streets of Victorian London to retrieve a black china figurine of a dog, little does Ira know that his hard-won seemingly secure and pampered world is about to come crashing down around him.
Utilising all his acquired street-smarts and lock-picking skills, Ira has to battle all manner of folk to get his hands on that porcelain dog – he knows that Cain’s reputation as well as their lives depend on his successful mission. In doing so, Ira comes face to face with Cain’s underworld connections, dealings, businesses and foes; all manner of nefarious and unsavoury goings-on come to light. Ira is aided and thwarted in his quest by past lovers, friends and acquaintances from his ‘bum-boy’ working days, as well as high-powered, well-placed society folk. Something big and bad is going down, especially as (to quote a phrase from “Thoroughly Modern Millie”), the Chinese are involved LOL!
And it becomes increasingly clear to Ira, as he follows lead after lead as to the whereabouts of that dog, his dilemma and predicament is over whether he can trust those from his own camp. His ‘position’ in Cain’s household is threatened by those within who resent his upstart presence. Can he trust Cain’s motives behind this seemingly foolhardy mission? Can Ira turn a blind eye and accept his lavish, protected lifestyle, given what is being revealed regarding the financial source of Cain’s wealth and power. Should he even trust Cain the man himself, given the mysterious disappearances of his predecessors?
Faraday does a superb job with the world-building / setting of the late 19th century London. The streets and landscapes, the sights, smells and sounds, the people from various levels of society – my mind’s eye was captured and taken to a whole ‘nother world. This is no quiet melodrama – a LOT happens over the course a few action-packed days. The author also provides a big cast of characters (most of whom are well drawn) but these are all integral and necessary for the plot. ‘Good guys’ as well as ‘bad guys’ get killed. And as for the romance aspects – there’s not a lot of descriptive sex folks – but I didn’t mind this too much since I approached the book from a mystery-crime reading angle anyways.
There was a satisfactory resolution of the mystery-plot (what exactly is in that dog that makes so many people want to get their hands on it – even kill for it?) but I have ambivalent feelings regarding the not HEA ending (some important things were left “up in the air”). I was also a little taken aback by where the author took the Tim Lazarus character – I remain unconvinced and unsatisfied with how Tim and Ira attempted to resolve/overcome their common past.
I’m so glad that Faraday will be releasing the next book Turnbull House in this series shortly, as I do want some sort of resolution/development for Ira and Cain (and yes even for Tim). It will be very interesting indeed to see how the author integrates a notable/infamous person (Oscar Wilde) with the books’ cast of characters. Goody goody. I'm also very keen to explore what else Faraday has published to date.
Utilising all his acquired street-smarts and lock-picking skills, Ira has to battle all manner of folk to get his hands on that porcelain dog – he knows that Cain’s reputation as well as their lives depend on his successful mission. In doing so, Ira comes face to face with Cain’s underworld connections, dealings, businesses and foes; all manner of nefarious and unsavoury goings-on come to light. Ira is aided and thwarted in his quest by past lovers, friends and acquaintances from his ‘bum-boy’ working days, as well as high-powered, well-placed society folk. Something big and bad is going down, especially as (to quote a phrase from “Thoroughly Modern Millie”), the Chinese are involved LOL!
And it becomes increasingly clear to Ira, as he follows lead after lead as to the whereabouts of that dog, his dilemma and predicament is over whether he can trust those from his own camp. His ‘position’ in Cain’s household is threatened by those within who resent his upstart presence. Can he trust Cain’s motives behind this seemingly foolhardy mission? Can Ira turn a blind eye and accept his lavish, protected lifestyle, given what is being revealed regarding the financial source of Cain’s wealth and power. Should he even trust Cain the man himself, given the mysterious disappearances of his predecessors?
Faraday does a superb job with the world-building / setting of the late 19th century London. The streets and landscapes, the sights, smells and sounds, the people from various levels of society – my mind’s eye was captured and taken to a whole ‘nother world. This is no quiet melodrama – a LOT happens over the course a few action-packed days. The author also provides a big cast of characters (most of whom are well drawn) but these are all integral and necessary for the plot. ‘Good guys’ as well as ‘bad guys’ get killed. And as for the romance aspects – there’s not a lot of descriptive sex folks – but I didn’t mind this too much since I approached the book from a mystery-crime reading angle anyways.
There was a satisfactory resolution of the mystery-plot (what exactly is in that dog that makes so many people want to get their hands on it – even kill for it?) but I have ambivalent feelings regarding the not HEA ending (some important things were left “up in the air”). I was also a little taken aback by where the author took the Tim Lazarus character – I remain unconvinced and unsatisfied with how Tim and Ira attempted to resolve/overcome their common past.
I’m so glad that Faraday will be releasing the next book Turnbull House in this series shortly, as I do want some sort of resolution/development for Ira and Cain (and yes even for Tim). It will be very interesting indeed to see how the author integrates a notable/infamous person (Oscar Wilde) with the books’ cast of characters. Goody goody. I'm also very keen to explore what else Faraday has published to date.
September 23, 2012
The Affair of the Porcelain Dog, Jess Faraday’s auspicious debut novel, is set in London in 1889—Oscar Wilde’s world.
Dr. Cain Goddard is a night lecturer at King’s College, hoping to become a professor. He sponsors and takes part in an athletic group known as the “Fighting Arts Society.” He’s also, secretly, a powerful crime lord known as the Duke of Dorset Street who owns brothels, gambling houses, and opium dens. A blackmailer who suddenly surfaces has evidence hidden in a porcelain dog that could send Goddard, despite his connections to the police and courts, to prison for sodomy.
Ira Adler is the twenty-five-year-old former rent boy Goddard rescued from the streets and took into his magnificent house as his kept boy two years previously.This is the way Goddard explains the situation: “It may be easier to love a poor man than a rich one, but life is much more comfortable with a rich one.” In his former existence as a petty thief as well as a rent boy, Adler became an expert at picking locks. Goddard, having discovered the location of the porcelain dog, sends Adler to steal it. Goddard’s enemy, Andrew St. Andrews, a detective, also wants the dog. A scandal some years ago got both Goddard and St. Andrews expelled from Cambridge.
A reader might expect Goddard and Adler to be entirely cold and calculating. Theirs is a world where ill-gotten money pays for sex. I discovered, to my delight, that they, as well as the other major characters in the novel, are many-layered, complicated human beings. Goddard is obviously in love with Adler. He educates him in order to pass him off as his personal secretary, but he also does it as an act of kindness. Adler isn’t certain that what he feels for Goddard is love, but he genuinely admires the intellectual and physically fit crime lord and returns his affection.
The main conflict arises when Adler, in his frantic attempt to thwart the blackmailer, discovers Goddard’s connection to a criminal activity far darker than prostitution, gambling, and selling opium. Adler questions whether he can remain the lavishly kept boy of the Duke of Dorset Street even if he does love him. But what kind of a life can Adler have if he leaves Goddard?
I greatly enjoyed reading The Affair of the Porcelain Dog. Every sentence made me believe I was in late Victorian London. The writing often took my breath away: “Truth be told, I [Adler] should rather have liked for someone to take a peek at the rash on my bollocks. An itch might have only been an itch in Goddard’s world, but where I came from it was often a harbinger of something worse. I’d not strayed from Goddard’s bed since he took me in. Of course, many a pestilence could sleep for years before thrusting its head through the floor of a perfectly serviceable domestic arrangement.” (It turns out there’s a reason other than a sexually transmitted disease for Adler’s itchy “bollocks.”)
Again: “Nurse Brand didn’t take kindly to interlopers upsetting the apple cart. When Goddard had upset mine, Lazarus’s had tipped clean over, in turn causing the nurse’s own steady cart to throw a wheel.” And again: “But I was not in any shape to ask questions, or even to listen to that quiet voice of better judgment reminding me the worst things happen to whores foolish enough to accompany gentlemen home.”
A most pleasing surprise in Faraday’s epilogue was the icing on the cake for me. The novel is a mystery, LGBTQ fiction, historical fiction—and a great deal more.
(As originally reviewed on Rainbow Book Reviews. Please visit www.rainbowbookreviews.com for other reviews that may be of interest.)
Dr. Cain Goddard is a night lecturer at King’s College, hoping to become a professor. He sponsors and takes part in an athletic group known as the “Fighting Arts Society.” He’s also, secretly, a powerful crime lord known as the Duke of Dorset Street who owns brothels, gambling houses, and opium dens. A blackmailer who suddenly surfaces has evidence hidden in a porcelain dog that could send Goddard, despite his connections to the police and courts, to prison for sodomy.
Ira Adler is the twenty-five-year-old former rent boy Goddard rescued from the streets and took into his magnificent house as his kept boy two years previously.This is the way Goddard explains the situation: “It may be easier to love a poor man than a rich one, but life is much more comfortable with a rich one.” In his former existence as a petty thief as well as a rent boy, Adler became an expert at picking locks. Goddard, having discovered the location of the porcelain dog, sends Adler to steal it. Goddard’s enemy, Andrew St. Andrews, a detective, also wants the dog. A scandal some years ago got both Goddard and St. Andrews expelled from Cambridge.
A reader might expect Goddard and Adler to be entirely cold and calculating. Theirs is a world where ill-gotten money pays for sex. I discovered, to my delight, that they, as well as the other major characters in the novel, are many-layered, complicated human beings. Goddard is obviously in love with Adler. He educates him in order to pass him off as his personal secretary, but he also does it as an act of kindness. Adler isn’t certain that what he feels for Goddard is love, but he genuinely admires the intellectual and physically fit crime lord and returns his affection.
The main conflict arises when Adler, in his frantic attempt to thwart the blackmailer, discovers Goddard’s connection to a criminal activity far darker than prostitution, gambling, and selling opium. Adler questions whether he can remain the lavishly kept boy of the Duke of Dorset Street even if he does love him. But what kind of a life can Adler have if he leaves Goddard?
I greatly enjoyed reading The Affair of the Porcelain Dog. Every sentence made me believe I was in late Victorian London. The writing often took my breath away: “Truth be told, I [Adler] should rather have liked for someone to take a peek at the rash on my bollocks. An itch might have only been an itch in Goddard’s world, but where I came from it was often a harbinger of something worse. I’d not strayed from Goddard’s bed since he took me in. Of course, many a pestilence could sleep for years before thrusting its head through the floor of a perfectly serviceable domestic arrangement.” (It turns out there’s a reason other than a sexually transmitted disease for Adler’s itchy “bollocks.”)
Again: “Nurse Brand didn’t take kindly to interlopers upsetting the apple cart. When Goddard had upset mine, Lazarus’s had tipped clean over, in turn causing the nurse’s own steady cart to throw a wheel.” And again: “But I was not in any shape to ask questions, or even to listen to that quiet voice of better judgment reminding me the worst things happen to whores foolish enough to accompany gentlemen home.”
A most pleasing surprise in Faraday’s epilogue was the icing on the cake for me. The novel is a mystery, LGBTQ fiction, historical fiction—and a great deal more.
(As originally reviewed on Rainbow Book Reviews. Please visit www.rainbowbookreviews.com for other reviews that may be of interest.)
April 6, 2019
That was nice, nothing more and nothing less. I'm all there for crime novels that just happens to feature a gay character without being a romance but this simply didn't captivate me. Ira wasn't particularly likeable, the plot average and a bit too much "Lone wolf character hasn't slept in ages and got beaten up repeatedly is still running around, gets into fights and solves everything alone".
As a first novel, it's decent and I'll give another book from the author that's from a different series a try but unless it turns out to be beyond amazing I won't pick up the sequel to this one.
As a first novel, it's decent and I'll give another book from the author that's from a different series a try but unless it turns out to be beyond amazing I won't pick up the sequel to this one.
November 26, 2018
What a great book and a superb narrator.
Its a pity this author just has one audiobook as I would love to listen to more of her work
Its a pity this author just has one audiobook as I would love to listen to more of her work
Read
January 8, 2012I really, really liked this historical adventure/mystery novel, despite all the ugliness it dealt with it managed to be also sweet and romantic, but I cannot avoid to think the author was a little too severe with one of her characters and I hope she will come back to these men and time.
Former whore Ira Adler is now well nestled with crime lord Cain Goddard. Ira knows Cain’s affair are probably against the law, it was the reason why he ended up with him: Cain was one of Ira’s usual customers, and when the young man came to one of their appointment beaten up by a constable, Cain took care of him and of the constable, only that the output was very different. Cain offered to Ira the role of confidential secretary, teaching him the job, sure, but matching it with other special tasks, tasks that Ira is more than willing to complete.
Aside for being a crime lord, Cain is a perfect romance hero, he is always careful of Ira’s well-being, he never questions him, even when Ira’s word is against that of one of Cain’s oldest employee; Cain is the first to speak the word love, and even if he is aware that Ira is not meeting his feelings, he is also willing to wait for the young man to be ready (of course we are speaking of emotion, on a physical level they are already sharing a life like a married couple and probably more, considering the custom of the time); when time is passing, and Ira is not yet ready, instead of being impatient, Cain is willing to again open his heart and gifting Ira with a tangible sign of his love. I think that, if Ira doesn’t want him, I’m ready to fall in love for him myself.
I understand Ira’s integrity, he hasn’t never had one and now that he has found that being honest is giving him an independency he didn’t know, he is not willing to let it go. And to think that all is due to the only mistake that Cain commits, i.e. to ask to his lover, former pickpocketing thief, to retrieve an object from a man that is blackmailing him. A simple task, something that a former whore like Ira could do blinded, but an event that will also cause Ira to go out from Cain’s umbrella, to go back to his old life for the first time in two years. As I said, that is Cain’s only mistake, he had Ira in a golden cage, a wonderful paradise bird who was singing only for him, but he let it go, and now it will be difficult to convince him to come back.
Ira in his way, feels for Cain, but he is not in love with the man. Ira is probably stronger than Cain, and a little harder to fall in love. Actually, the reader will learn that all of Cain’s trouble, past and present, are always due to his tendency of falling in love, and that is a situation when you are weaker. Again you will understand that, even if I really like Ira, my favourite is Cain, and I hope that, in the end, Ira will see that with love, you can change even the most devil of the crime lords, and Cain is far from being the worst.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1602822301/?...
Former whore Ira Adler is now well nestled with crime lord Cain Goddard. Ira knows Cain’s affair are probably against the law, it was the reason why he ended up with him: Cain was one of Ira’s usual customers, and when the young man came to one of their appointment beaten up by a constable, Cain took care of him and of the constable, only that the output was very different. Cain offered to Ira the role of confidential secretary, teaching him the job, sure, but matching it with other special tasks, tasks that Ira is more than willing to complete.
Aside for being a crime lord, Cain is a perfect romance hero, he is always careful of Ira’s well-being, he never questions him, even when Ira’s word is against that of one of Cain’s oldest employee; Cain is the first to speak the word love, and even if he is aware that Ira is not meeting his feelings, he is also willing to wait for the young man to be ready (of course we are speaking of emotion, on a physical level they are already sharing a life like a married couple and probably more, considering the custom of the time); when time is passing, and Ira is not yet ready, instead of being impatient, Cain is willing to again open his heart and gifting Ira with a tangible sign of his love. I think that, if Ira doesn’t want him, I’m ready to fall in love for him myself.
I understand Ira’s integrity, he hasn’t never had one and now that he has found that being honest is giving him an independency he didn’t know, he is not willing to let it go. And to think that all is due to the only mistake that Cain commits, i.e. to ask to his lover, former pickpocketing thief, to retrieve an object from a man that is blackmailing him. A simple task, something that a former whore like Ira could do blinded, but an event that will also cause Ira to go out from Cain’s umbrella, to go back to his old life for the first time in two years. As I said, that is Cain’s only mistake, he had Ira in a golden cage, a wonderful paradise bird who was singing only for him, but he let it go, and now it will be difficult to convince him to come back.
Ira in his way, feels for Cain, but he is not in love with the man. Ira is probably stronger than Cain, and a little harder to fall in love. Actually, the reader will learn that all of Cain’s trouble, past and present, are always due to his tendency of falling in love, and that is a situation when you are weaker. Again you will understand that, even if I really like Ira, my favourite is Cain, and I hope that, in the end, Ira will see that with love, you can change even the most devil of the crime lords, and Cain is far from being the worst.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1602822301/?...
September 6, 2016
This review will be filled with rambliness.
I don't know why I took so long to read this. I'm not sure I can explain why it pulled me in so much. The Sherlock references (huge fan)? Starting with the MC's name, Ira Adler? His bittersweet relationship with criminal underlord Dr. Goddard? The web of secrets and intrigue that Ira finds himself stumbling into and which had me absorbed in reading for the entire day? I was just hooked. I loved that I was expecting this to be just a simple, typical MM historical read, but it turned out to be anything but. My heart and my feelings twisted at the ending, I both loved and hated it. My impressions of the MCs kept changing back and forth. I can't really promise you'll get wrapped up or even be any impressed by this book as I did, but I'm rating this 5 stars for pure enjoyment factor. I don't know, it just got my head spinning. I thought it was sort of amazing, despite a lot of niggles I had with the MC by the end. I'm now a huge fan of this writer. Thank god the sequel just came out, because I can't wait to get my hands on it (once the outrageous price goes down!)
Posted 3/1/14 --> http://aimeekim.booklikes.com/post/80...
I don't know why I took so long to read this. I'm not sure I can explain why it pulled me in so much. The Sherlock references (huge fan)? Starting with the MC's name, Ira Adler? His bittersweet relationship with criminal underlord Dr. Goddard? The web of secrets and intrigue that Ira finds himself stumbling into and which had me absorbed in reading for the entire day? I was just hooked. I loved that I was expecting this to be just a simple, typical MM historical read, but it turned out to be anything but. My heart and my feelings twisted at the ending, I both loved and hated it. My impressions of the MCs kept changing back and forth. I can't really promise you'll get wrapped up or even be any impressed by this book as I did, but I'm rating this 5 stars for pure enjoyment factor. I don't know, it just got my head spinning. I thought it was sort of amazing, despite a lot of niggles I had with the MC by the end. I'm now a huge fan of this writer. Thank god the sequel just came out, because I can't wait to get my hands on it (once the outrageous price goes down!)
Posted 3/1/14 --> http://aimeekim.booklikes.com/post/80...
January 20, 2015
I'm hard pressed to remember the last time I read such a "Goldilocks" book -- everything was just right. The right amount of gritty, the right amount of sweetness, the right amount of humor, the right amount of backstory, the right amount of action. All the elements of a good story were present and well balanced.
As other reviewers have noted, this is billed as a "gay book," when it's really more a mystery. The only reason I can think of that this book is not more widely read and rec'd is that it is straddling these two genres that do not have a similar readership. It is too gritty and unromantic to appeal to the majority of M/M readers, but the gay elements are going to scare off the silver-haired core mystery readership. Which is a big pity, because it really stands on its own away from genre-labeling.
Plotline bears strong similarity to A Broken Vessel, though the "romantic" subplots are quite different.
As other reviewers have noted, this is billed as a "gay book," when it's really more a mystery. The only reason I can think of that this book is not more widely read and rec'd is that it is straddling these two genres that do not have a similar readership. It is too gritty and unromantic to appeal to the majority of M/M readers, but the gay elements are going to scare off the silver-haired core mystery readership. Which is a big pity, because it really stands on its own away from genre-labeling.
Plotline bears strong similarity to A Broken Vessel, though the "romantic" subplots are quite different.
February 18, 2018
WHAT A GREAT BOOK!! A++ recommend! It's a fun romp through a Sherlock Holmes-type story from the perspective of a lovable rent boy/thief/former street urchin who teams up with a "Watson" and has background "Sherlock" and a couple of "Moriartys" and many wondeful background characters. It was so much fun I didn't even notice the lack of on-page sex until I reached the end and realized it never happened. SHOCKING!
March 2, 2015
I disagree with the above blurb.
I didn't find Dr. Timothy Lazarus at all bitter. I found him heartbroken.
What bugs me is when a heartbroken GAY man "suddenly" finds happiness in a heterosexual relationship.
I didn't find Dr. Timothy Lazarus at all bitter. I found him heartbroken.
What bugs me is when a heartbroken GAY man "suddenly" finds happiness in a heterosexual relationship.
April 4, 2015
Very well done mystery set in Victorian times. Gritty and not romanticized, with good pacing. The stakes are high and there are no easy answers.
I hope there are more books coming in this series.
I hope there are more books coming in this series.
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