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Alfred Swain #3
Jekyll Alias Hyde
Robert Louis Stevenson's strange and sinister tale of the gentle Dr Jekyll and the sadistic Mr Hyde is filled with oddities suggesting a dark reality behind a classic fiction. That dark reality is laid bare in the casebook of Inspector Swain.The 'parliamentary murder' of 1884 leads the inspector and his portly sergeant, Lumley, from plush drawing-room to madhouse cell in search of the link between a coward in the red-coated ranks at Isandhlwana, a killer in Cheyne Walk and the satanic persona of Edward Hyde.
- GenresFiction
310 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1988
20 people want to read
About the author
Donald Serrell Thomas
66 books33 followersaka Francis Selwyn
Donald Serrell Thomas is an English author of (primarily) Victorian-era historical, crime and detective fiction, as well as books on factual crime and criminals, in particular several academic books on the history of crime in London. He has written a number of biographies, two volumes of poetry, and has also edited volumes of poetry by John Dryden and the Pre-Raphaelites.
Donald Serrell Thomas is an English author of (primarily) Victorian-era historical, crime and detective fiction, as well as books on factual crime and criminals, in particular several academic books on the history of crime in London. He has written a number of biographies, two volumes of poetry, and has also edited volumes of poetry by John Dryden and the Pre-Raphaelites.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 7, 2011
I pretty much liked this book and might be inclined to give it a "3.5", but not a "4". After reading and liking "The Ripper's Apprentice" I was hoping that this effort would be as strong. Unfortunately, it falls a little short of the other tale.
I did find it interesting to re-visit the classic tale and his twists around the characters Jekyll & Hyde are interesting. In the spirit of not creating spoilers, I can't offer much about how he mixes things up. If you are a purist, then perhaps it will annoy you. If you like looking at something a bit differently, then perhaps you will enjoy the ride.
Whereas this tale is based off another's fictional story (sorry if someone out there thought there really was a Dr. Jekyll), the ripper tale was based on a set of historical deaths. One of my personal annoyances is how Mr. Thomas re-uses a couple of characters from the other book. The lead investigator and his chief underling appear in both, but almost as if they are in parallel worlds. Except for wanting the same or similar primary characteristics, I didn't see the point in re-using them. Perhaps he just liked them and thought that it gave him a more solid starting point. Or, possibly these two are scattered throughout his historical fiction. I have only read these two plus several of the Holmes collections.
On the whole, the author writes with a keen eye to the period. The book is littered with (one assumes accurate) references to popular interests, technology, and learning. As before, our lead investigator works to better himself, to the derision of his colleagues and superiors. As Mr. Thomas is an expert in the time period, his books create the appropriate "atmosphere" both in material and writing style. The language of his characters matches that of stories written during and just after Victoria's reign.
Although I was hoping for something a bit different, I enjoyed reading this book. If you like well-crafted period pieces, clever re-use of well-known characters and plots, or just crime detection, it is a interesting and well-written book. A very solid offering.
I did find it interesting to re-visit the classic tale and his twists around the characters Jekyll & Hyde are interesting. In the spirit of not creating spoilers, I can't offer much about how he mixes things up. If you are a purist, then perhaps it will annoy you. If you like looking at something a bit differently, then perhaps you will enjoy the ride.
Whereas this tale is based off another's fictional story (sorry if someone out there thought there really was a Dr. Jekyll), the ripper tale was based on a set of historical deaths. One of my personal annoyances is how Mr. Thomas re-uses a couple of characters from the other book. The lead investigator and his chief underling appear in both, but almost as if they are in parallel worlds. Except for wanting the same or similar primary characteristics, I didn't see the point in re-using them. Perhaps he just liked them and thought that it gave him a more solid starting point. Or, possibly these two are scattered throughout his historical fiction. I have only read these two plus several of the Holmes collections.
On the whole, the author writes with a keen eye to the period. The book is littered with (one assumes accurate) references to popular interests, technology, and learning. As before, our lead investigator works to better himself, to the derision of his colleagues and superiors. As Mr. Thomas is an expert in the time period, his books create the appropriate "atmosphere" both in material and writing style. The language of his characters matches that of stories written during and just after Victoria's reign.
Although I was hoping for something a bit different, I enjoyed reading this book. If you like well-crafted period pieces, clever re-use of well-known characters and plots, or just crime detection, it is a interesting and well-written book. A very solid offering.
Displaying 1 of 1 review