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Julian Lynes and Ned Mathey #2
A Death at the Dionysus Club
In the sequel to Lambda Literary Award-winning Death by Silver, metaphysician Ned Mathey and private detective Julian Lynes again challenge magical and murderous threats in a Victorian London not quite the city in our history books. Mathey is recruited by Scotland Yard to assist the new Metaphysical Crimes Squad in the case of a literally heartless corpse. Mathey soon discovers that the magic used to rob the man of his heart and life does not conform to the laws of modern metaphysics and then a second victim turns up. Meanwhile, a minor poet hires Lynes to track down and stop the blackmailer threatening to reveal him as the pseudonymous author of popular romances. When another target of the same blackmailer, a friend of Mathey's assistant Miss Frost, appeals for aid, Lynes and Mathey begin to suspect murders and blackmail are connected. Digging deep into the clandestine worlds of lawless antique magic and the gay demimonde, Mathey and Lynes must uncover the source and nature of a heart-stealing supernatural creature before it can kill them too, even as they face the scandal of exposing themselves as sodomites in order to close the case.
303 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 16, 2014
23 people are currently reading
506 people want to read
About the author
Melissa Scott
100 books447 followersScott studied history at Harvard College and Brandeis University, and earned her PhD. in comparative history. She published her first novel in 1984, and has since written some two dozen science fiction and fantasy works, including three co-authored with her partner, Lisa A. Barnett.
Scott's work is known for the elaborate and well-constructed settings. While many of her protagonists are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered, this is perfectly integrated into the rest of the story and is rarely a major focus of the story. Shadow Man, alone among Scott's works, focuses explicitly on issues of sexuality and gender.
She won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in Science Fiction in 1986, and has won several Lambda Literary Awards.
In addition to writing, Scott also teaches writing, offering classes via her website and publishing a writing guide.
Scott lived with her partner, author Lisa A. Barnett, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire for 27 years, until the latter's death of breast cancer on May 2, 2006.
Scott's work is known for the elaborate and well-constructed settings. While many of her protagonists are gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgendered, this is perfectly integrated into the rest of the story and is rarely a major focus of the story. Shadow Man, alone among Scott's works, focuses explicitly on issues of sexuality and gender.
She won the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in Science Fiction in 1986, and has won several Lambda Literary Awards.
In addition to writing, Scott also teaches writing, offering classes via her website and publishing a writing guide.
Scott lived with her partner, author Lisa A. Barnett, in Portsmouth, New Hampshire for 27 years, until the latter's death of breast cancer on May 2, 2006.
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March 7, 2016Absolutely cracking murder mystery/magic/gay romance. Lovely alt-Victorian background with a really well worked out magic system and interestingly flawed characters. Just a huge delight of a read, I enjoyed every minute.
December 16, 2014
I'm blown out of the water by this. I had been a little reluctant to get involved in it, because the plot was striking me as "Oh another magical Victorian steampunk thingie" and Melissa Scott, while a fine writer who is enjoyed by many people, has never really worked very well for me.
I'm so, so glad I did. The premise may not be astoundingly original, but it's seldom so well handled, with an excellent grounding in Victorian sensibilities. Nothing get short shrift here. Not the mystery, not the relationship, not the magical universe. Much of the historical fiction about LGBT people, especially that of a lighter variety, glosses over historic realities. This is speculative fiction, so the author would be forgiven for taking liberties. She doesn't. Instead she weaves them into an integral part of her tale, making it yet richer.
I haven't read the first book, although I may, and I am eagerly looking forward to any sequels. I was also delighted that such an enjoyable read was available through the KU program.
I'm so, so glad I did. The premise may not be astoundingly original, but it's seldom so well handled, with an excellent grounding in Victorian sensibilities. Nothing get short shrift here. Not the mystery, not the relationship, not the magical universe. Much of the historical fiction about LGBT people, especially that of a lighter variety, glosses over historic realities. This is speculative fiction, so the author would be forgiven for taking liberties. She doesn't. Instead she weaves them into an integral part of her tale, making it yet richer.
I haven't read the first book, although I may, and I am eagerly looking forward to any sequels. I was also delighted that such an enjoyable read was available through the KU program.
March 13, 2017
I think I love this book even more than Death by Silver.
Same quality writing (still, there are a few pesky typos, but who cares, they are just that - typos), with amazing characters. Take Dolly Hall, for example. He dies in the very beginning of the book, but his presence is palpable all the way through the end. Challice, the poor soul. Stuck in a straight marriage, thinking himself an abomination at the same time longing for family and kids. There is not much of him in this story, either, but I couldn't help worrying about him and his wife.
Magic. Spells. Curses. Sex magic. Forbidden magic. Evil creatures. Half House. No, literally, Half House :) Yeah... pretty cool!
London. I was attached to both my ipad and my phone, following the streets on Google Maps and checking out the landmarks while reading. I only visited all the usual tourist traps for the most part when I was there, but it made it easier for me to orient myself. London is one of the most spectacular cities I've ever seen (step aside, Paris!) and one of my favorites.
Evil sorcerer. Well, not quite a sorcerer, but he used some pretty weird messed up magic. This time he was much harder to pin. In Death by Silver the murderer was very predictable and it caused me a lot of frustration. Every time the said criminal was on page, I couldn't help but yell at the boys: Right there! See? How can you be so blind! Figure it out already!
I could not put the book down and didn't want it to end. If you love KJ Charles, you will like this, too.
The MCs are under much pressure where their affection for each other is concerned (those were the times *sign*), so don't expect prolonged or explicit sex scenes. But the tenderness is there.
Very much recommended.
Same quality writing (still, there are a few pesky typos, but who cares, they are just that - typos), with amazing characters. Take Dolly Hall, for example. He dies in the very beginning of the book, but his presence is palpable all the way through the end. Challice, the poor soul. Stuck in a straight marriage, thinking himself an abomination at the same time longing for family and kids. There is not much of him in this story, either, but I couldn't help worrying about him and his wife.
Magic. Spells. Curses. Sex magic. Forbidden magic. Evil creatures. Half House. No, literally, Half House :) Yeah... pretty cool!
London. I was attached to both my ipad and my phone, following the streets on Google Maps and checking out the landmarks while reading. I only visited all the usual tourist traps for the most part when I was there, but it made it easier for me to orient myself. London is one of the most spectacular cities I've ever seen (step aside, Paris!) and one of my favorites.
Evil sorcerer. Well, not quite a sorcerer, but he used some pretty weird messed up magic. This time he was much harder to pin. In Death by Silver the murderer was very predictable and it caused me a lot of frustration. Every time the said criminal was on page, I couldn't help but yell at the boys: Right there! See? How can you be so blind! Figure it out already!
I could not put the book down and didn't want it to end. If you love KJ Charles, you will like this, too.
The MCs are under much pressure where their affection for each other is concerned (those were the times *sign*), so don't expect prolonged or explicit sex scenes. But the tenderness is there.
Very much recommended.
December 11, 2014
A Death at the Dionysus Club
By Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold
4.5 stars
Ned Mathey and Julian Lynes are old school chums. They also might be in love with each other. The emotional bass line of this beautifully crafted novel is how these two men, without any support from the society around them, negotiate creating a life together. What I love most about this book is the fact that this crucial theme is rarely the overt focus of the story. It is ever-present, but delicately interwoven into the complex action that pretends to be the main point. This is Holmes and Watson with a gay back-story where the back-story is, ultimately, more important.
Period novels always make me nervous. I’m too deeply immersed in the 19th century professionally (museum curator), and have read too much Victorian literature not to be aware of writing styles and anachronisms. I was well into “A Death at the Dionysus Club” when I realized that Mesdames Scott and Griswold had managed to write another novel that didn’t push any of these buttons to spoil my simple reading pleasure.
The second piece of tremendous bravado is the fact that the authors have created a believable, vivid late Victorian London in which magic—normalized into practical parlance by the term metaphysics—is as much a part of everyday life as, say, technology is today. Without making a big fuss about it, Scott and Griswold have created a false reality that rings true, even to dividing the magical into trained and amateur, and within the profession into theoretical (metaphysicists) and practicing (metaphysicians). It is all done so matter-of-factly that it barely distracts from the building of the narrative and the characters. (I can’t help but compare this with J.K. Rowling’s fevered depiction of the separate Muggle and Magical worlds in her much-loved Harry Potter books.)
This second in the Lynes/Mathey series is richer and deeper than the first. It delights less in the presence and appearance of magic (at least until the end, which is pretty hair-raising) and focuses on the lives of two gay men in Victorian London, as they work together and try to establish the boundaries of their relationship in the context of a virulently anti-homosexual world. The painful realities of living as sodomites (their word!) is more significant, ultimately, than the use and abuse of metaphysics by the citizens, high and low, of a great metropolis.
But it is magic, in the end, that casts a brilliant, painful spotlight on what Ned and Julian mean to each other, and the discreet, low-key way in which the authors make this clear touched me deeply. Because it felt right. It felt true.
This was a deeply satisfying book to read. I look forward to seeing where Scott and Griswold will take Ned and Julian next.
By Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold
4.5 stars
Ned Mathey and Julian Lynes are old school chums. They also might be in love with each other. The emotional bass line of this beautifully crafted novel is how these two men, without any support from the society around them, negotiate creating a life together. What I love most about this book is the fact that this crucial theme is rarely the overt focus of the story. It is ever-present, but delicately interwoven into the complex action that pretends to be the main point. This is Holmes and Watson with a gay back-story where the back-story is, ultimately, more important.
Period novels always make me nervous. I’m too deeply immersed in the 19th century professionally (museum curator), and have read too much Victorian literature not to be aware of writing styles and anachronisms. I was well into “A Death at the Dionysus Club” when I realized that Mesdames Scott and Griswold had managed to write another novel that didn’t push any of these buttons to spoil my simple reading pleasure.
The second piece of tremendous bravado is the fact that the authors have created a believable, vivid late Victorian London in which magic—normalized into practical parlance by the term metaphysics—is as much a part of everyday life as, say, technology is today. Without making a big fuss about it, Scott and Griswold have created a false reality that rings true, even to dividing the magical into trained and amateur, and within the profession into theoretical (metaphysicists) and practicing (metaphysicians). It is all done so matter-of-factly that it barely distracts from the building of the narrative and the characters. (I can’t help but compare this with J.K. Rowling’s fevered depiction of the separate Muggle and Magical worlds in her much-loved Harry Potter books.)
This second in the Lynes/Mathey series is richer and deeper than the first. It delights less in the presence and appearance of magic (at least until the end, which is pretty hair-raising) and focuses on the lives of two gay men in Victorian London, as they work together and try to establish the boundaries of their relationship in the context of a virulently anti-homosexual world. The painful realities of living as sodomites (their word!) is more significant, ultimately, than the use and abuse of metaphysics by the citizens, high and low, of a great metropolis.
But it is magic, in the end, that casts a brilliant, painful spotlight on what Ned and Julian mean to each other, and the discreet, low-key way in which the authors make this clear touched me deeply. Because it felt right. It felt true.
This was a deeply satisfying book to read. I look forward to seeing where Scott and Griswold will take Ned and Julian next.
June 5, 2024
Good! I appreciate a dual-POV romance where the MCs have clear philosophical differences of opinion but you still believe they’re both committed to the relationship. Surprisingly rare! And I felt like the relationship plotline in general here was not quite as good as book #1 but still nuanced and interesting in a way that felt authentic to the characters and setting. Also a good murder mystery investigatory set up! I think it’s hardest to come up with side characters that are developed enough to have realistic, complicated motivations, and that’s done extremely well here - the stuff with Challice especially was excellent, and I liked the way it did (or didn’t) resolve emotionally for Lynes (or Lynes and Mathey).
The twist was pretty silly, and there were a few things that didn’t quite come together: the MCs had a conversation early on where they brainstormed about how exactly their two investigations might be related, but all I could think was I had missed where the book had indicated there was ANY reason to think they were related other than, uh, the fact that they were both plotlines in the same book. And when Lennox showed up at the eleventh hour (read: 84%) to smooth some things over, I thought “who’s Lennox?? I don’t remember this guy at ALL.”
But in general, this was just the tone and style I was looking for so very glad I picked it up. I don’t think there are any more to look forward to (?) but before starting book #1 I wasn’t sure if it would be worth reading if the series wasn’t “resolved,” and I ended up really enjoying it - and the exact same thing happened here. Would recommend!
ETA that as I was reading this, it also made me think about why KJC’s Death in the Spires didn’t work as well for me as I was hoping - this book and that one both have the post-university queer secret-having social crowd murder mystery thing going for them. But I felt like Death in the Spires maybe didn’t take the time to build up the side characters like this one did, so it lacked the emotional investment/punch that comes with that.
That said, I think KJC was aiming more for the Agatha Christie style and stock side characters are par for the course there. But then the tone of the two MCs in Death in the Spires fits more in *this* kind of book’s style (whereas I don’t think Agatha Christie MCs have much more depth than the side characters!). So maybe it was just the style mishmash? But idk, I think Death in the Spires might have been improved by being a little bit more expansive in how it told its story, like this one is.
The twist was pretty silly, and there were a few things that didn’t quite come together: the MCs had a conversation early on where they brainstormed about how exactly their two investigations might be related, but all I could think was I had missed where the book had indicated there was ANY reason to think they were related other than, uh, the fact that they were both plotlines in the same book. And when Lennox showed up at the eleventh hour (read: 84%) to smooth some things over, I thought “who’s Lennox?? I don’t remember this guy at ALL.”
But in general, this was just the tone and style I was looking for so very glad I picked it up. I don’t think there are any more to look forward to (?) but before starting book #1 I wasn’t sure if it would be worth reading if the series wasn’t “resolved,” and I ended up really enjoying it - and the exact same thing happened here. Would recommend!
ETA that as I was reading this, it also made me think about why KJC’s Death in the Spires didn’t work as well for me as I was hoping - this book and that one both have the post-university queer secret-having social crowd murder mystery thing going for them. But I felt like Death in the Spires maybe didn’t take the time to build up the side characters like this one did, so it lacked the emotional investment/punch that comes with that.
That said, I think KJC was aiming more for the Agatha Christie style and stock side characters are par for the course there. But then the tone of the two MCs in Death in the Spires fits more in *this* kind of book’s style (whereas I don’t think Agatha Christie MCs have much more depth than the side characters!). So maybe it was just the style mishmash? But idk, I think Death in the Spires might have been improved by being a little bit more expansive in how it told its story, like this one is.
September 22, 2018
This is a solid sequel to Death by Silver. There is still no steam here, and while there is some focus on Julian and Ned's relationship, this is first and foremost a mystery. Anyone looking for romance and smex will need to either look elsewhere or adequately adjust their expectations before diving into this.
The mystery here had several layers to it and took awhile to untangle them all. The suspects were many, and the motivations just as numerous. It was fun following along as Ned and Julian tried to figure out what was going on, and learning more about how the magic in this world works. There's old magic, or non-conforming, now considered uncouth. And there's the new magic, or conforming magic, that's been designed to be more humane (no need for animal parts or blood, for instance). Of course, the two systems don't clash well at all, and when a particularly nasty bit of non-conforming magic starts to kill off men, it leaves Ned, Julian and Hatton in a bind on how to handle it, much less even figure out how it works and who is working it.
Complicating matters further, it seems that the culprit is part of the Dionysus Club, and Julian and Ned have every bit as much of an interest in keeping connections to the club and its membership away from the police investigation. They could face jail time or hanging themselves in their private inclinations become publicly known. This is not a world progressively-minded people or "as long as you're happy" platitudes, and these men have to be very careful who they trust with the truth, and even those who might know and support them - or at least be willing to turn a blind eye - aren't reckless enough to come out and say it.
We get to meet one of Miss Frost's friends, and more of Julian's crowd from his wilder days. Miss Barton is a hoot, and Julian didn't exactly have the best taste in men in his youth to say the least, lol. And then there's Challice, who I couldn't help feeling sorry for.
This is a tightly-written book, with smart characters who are actually good at their jobs (so many books that claim their characters are the best in their fields are actually filled with rampaging idiots) and who know how to communicate with each other when they discover things the other needs to know. Fancy that! They're not as good as communicating when it comes to their relationship, but Ned and Julian find ways to do that as well, no matter how uncomfortable it might make them.
This could have used another pass through by an editor, since there was some unnecessary repetition and a lot of missing words. A less misleading title wouldn't have gone amiss either. But those are my only quibbles.
The mystery here had several layers to it and took awhile to untangle them all. The suspects were many, and the motivations just as numerous. It was fun following along as Ned and Julian tried to figure out what was going on, and learning more about how the magic in this world works. There's old magic, or non-conforming, now considered uncouth. And there's the new magic, or conforming magic, that's been designed to be more humane (no need for animal parts or blood, for instance). Of course, the two systems don't clash well at all, and when a particularly nasty bit of non-conforming magic starts to kill off men, it leaves Ned, Julian and Hatton in a bind on how to handle it, much less even figure out how it works and who is working it.
Complicating matters further, it seems that the culprit is part of the Dionysus Club, and Julian and Ned have every bit as much of an interest in keeping connections to the club and its membership away from the police investigation. They could face jail time or hanging themselves in their private inclinations become publicly known. This is not a world progressively-minded people or "as long as you're happy" platitudes, and these men have to be very careful who they trust with the truth, and even those who might know and support them - or at least be willing to turn a blind eye - aren't reckless enough to come out and say it.
We get to meet one of Miss Frost's friends, and more of Julian's crowd from his wilder days. Miss Barton is a hoot, and Julian didn't exactly have the best taste in men in his youth to say the least, lol. And then there's Challice, who I couldn't help feeling sorry for.
This is a tightly-written book, with smart characters who are actually good at their jobs (so many books that claim their characters are the best in their fields are actually filled with rampaging idiots) and who know how to communicate with each other when they discover things the other needs to know. Fancy that! They're not as good as communicating when it comes to their relationship, but Ned and Julian find ways to do that as well, no matter how uncomfortable it might make them.
This could have used another pass through by an editor, since there was some unnecessary repetition and a lot of missing words. A less misleading title wouldn't have gone amiss either. But those are my only quibbles.
June 28, 2022
A delightful sequel! I enjoyed seeing more of these characters and this world, though there were definitely still a lot of bits of the magic system that were a little unclear, and I wish the authors had spent a bit more time explaining it. Which is something I've notices in Scott's other books--they tend to leave a lot up to the reader, which I generally appreciate, but sometimes I just want a bit of extra help! I liked getting to see Julian & Ned's relationship deepen, and while I was a little frustrated by the return of the miscommunication trope, it wasn't dragged out *too* long. Interesting case, and an enjoyable read all around! This is one of those series that feels satisfying as it is, but could also easily be added to in the future should the authors be so inclined.
October 11, 2019
My goodness that was good. With a rousing finale. I normally am not a big mystery fan, but it’s a shame this series never continued. Love the characters. And it’s so intelligently written.
November 6, 2014
Truth in advertising requires that I divulge that there actually is not a death at the Dionysus Club at all. There is a "molly club" known as the Dionysus Club (frequented by one of our MCs, Julian Lynes); and there are also deaths aplenty (assuming you don't require Jack the Ripper numbers), BUT, there actually isn't a death at the club. The club and the death(s) never actually overlap, except as a starting point for a series of rather unique deaths, as well as to show us in a delicately explicit way that, even in Victoria's era, grown-up boys did, in fact, continue to be boys in true m/m fashion.
To the story. The time is a few months subsequent to the meet-and-greet that occurred between Lynes and Mathey in the first novel (Death by Silver.) Julian (Lynes) is hosting a bemused Ned (Mathey) at one of his clubs, said Club Dionysus. After a glossed-over look at the Dionysian goings-on - authors Scott and Griswold are charter members of the Sean Kennedy school of eyes averted during actual acts of sexual congress - our lads (literally) bump into an extremely intoxicated and frightened fellow member of the club, one Charles (Dolly) Hall. Dolly is quickly bundled into a cab babbling about something metaphysical getting "out of hand" because "he" isn't being sensible, and things are going to turn into an "utter disaster." Exit Dolly from the club and, subsequently, life itself. It seems that next morning his seemingly undisturbed body is discovered in his bed, cold and dead, dead, dead. An autopsy discovers that somehow Dolly's heart has been removed without any physical evidence of how said removal has been accomplished.
Mathey has accepted a continuing position under Scotland Yard's Inspector Hatton (met first in Silver) as metaphysician to their newly-minted Metaphysical Crimes Squad. Ned quickly deduces (as, to be fair, does Inspector Hatton) that evil metaphysical things are afoot. This is only the first of several identically perplexing deaths; and that's really all the plot, along with the secondary blackmail scheme, you need to know. The true meat of this novel lies in our continuing discoveries about the pasts of both Lynes and Mathey, as well as whether their relationship is going to actually go anywhere, or just turn into another of les affaires du coeur that each has had in his (rather active) past.
At this point, I have to confess to a somewhat misbegotten mental conflation of the MCs of the Mathey/Lynes series with that of the somewhat similar, in MCs only, Whybourne & Griffin series. I think it's the common occupation of detective by one MC in each series, along with the other two MCs being in singularly esoteric professions. Whatever. In any case, I was extremely surprised to discover that Ned and Julian's "thing" is not nearly as steady and committed as that of Messrs. Whybourne and Griffin. I mention this only to preview what our younger readers have to look forward to as the cobwebs gather in the temporal lobes of their cerebral cortex(es), and to preview what is one of the most interesting plot points in this novel. Neither man is absolutely sure about the level of commitment of his partner. The beginning of a resolution of that worry makes for fascinating reading. Page-turner reading, in fact.
This is a long way around saying that, as excellent as Death by Silver was, this novel is far, far better. The mystery of the deaths; the presentation of the problems of being gay in England in the late 19th Century; along with a veritable smörgasbord of wonderful secondary characters (especially the increasingly necessary Miss Frost); our wonderfully quirky MCs, of course; and a dark humor, as dry as a winter wind off the Sahara, all combine to provide a top-tier novel that I had to force myself to apportion in one or two-hour segments to keep from reading the thing in one sitting.
Very, very highly recommended.
To the story. The time is a few months subsequent to the meet-and-greet that occurred between Lynes and Mathey in the first novel (Death by Silver.) Julian (Lynes) is hosting a bemused Ned (Mathey) at one of his clubs, said Club Dionysus. After a glossed-over look at the Dionysian goings-on - authors Scott and Griswold are charter members of the Sean Kennedy school of eyes averted during actual acts of sexual congress - our lads (literally) bump into an extremely intoxicated and frightened fellow member of the club, one Charles (Dolly) Hall. Dolly is quickly bundled into a cab babbling about something metaphysical getting "out of hand" because "he" isn't being sensible, and things are going to turn into an "utter disaster." Exit Dolly from the club and, subsequently, life itself. It seems that next morning his seemingly undisturbed body is discovered in his bed, cold and dead, dead, dead. An autopsy discovers that somehow Dolly's heart has been removed without any physical evidence of how said removal has been accomplished.
Mathey has accepted a continuing position under Scotland Yard's Inspector Hatton (met first in Silver) as metaphysician to their newly-minted Metaphysical Crimes Squad. Ned quickly deduces (as, to be fair, does Inspector Hatton) that evil metaphysical things are afoot. This is only the first of several identically perplexing deaths; and that's really all the plot, along with the secondary blackmail scheme, you need to know. The true meat of this novel lies in our continuing discoveries about the pasts of both Lynes and Mathey, as well as whether their relationship is going to actually go anywhere, or just turn into another of les affaires du coeur that each has had in his (rather active) past.
At this point, I have to confess to a somewhat misbegotten mental conflation of the MCs of the Mathey/Lynes series with that of the somewhat similar, in MCs only, Whybourne & Griffin series. I think it's the common occupation of detective by one MC in each series, along with the other two MCs being in singularly esoteric professions. Whatever. In any case, I was extremely surprised to discover that Ned and Julian's "thing" is not nearly as steady and committed as that of Messrs. Whybourne and Griffin. I mention this only to preview what our younger readers have to look forward to as the cobwebs gather in the temporal lobes of their cerebral cortex(es), and to preview what is one of the most interesting plot points in this novel. Neither man is absolutely sure about the level of commitment of his partner. The beginning of a resolution of that worry makes for fascinating reading. Page-turner reading, in fact.
This is a long way around saying that, as excellent as Death by Silver was, this novel is far, far better. The mystery of the deaths; the presentation of the problems of being gay in England in the late 19th Century; along with a veritable smörgasbord of wonderful secondary characters (especially the increasingly necessary Miss Frost); our wonderfully quirky MCs, of course; and a dark humor, as dry as a winter wind off the Sahara, all combine to provide a top-tier novel that I had to force myself to apportion in one or two-hour segments to keep from reading the thing in one sitting.
Very, very highly recommended.
October 3, 2025
I really really hope there will be a third book in this series because the improvement between the first (which was already good) and second book is very noticeable. The authors find their way with both the MCs’ relationship and the magical system and are deepening and nuancing both. The case is well plotted and intriguing, the encounters with the creature felt creepy and truly scary. The secondary characters (Hatton, Lennox, Ms Frost…) are fleshed out and incredibly likeable and I especially enjoyed dialogues in this instalment. Third book when?
September 24, 2018
В общем, я разочарована. Вторая книга мне понравилась гооораздо меньше первой. Поэтому, под конец уже читала по-диагонали.
Первая книга была открытием, подарком, мелочи и детали были просто великолепны. Вторая - безбожно затянута. Слишком много внимания уделено заклинаниям, их объяснениям и прочей белиберде. Мы же понимаем, что никаких заклинаний не существует, зачем нагораживать эти фантазии? Для реализма? Так меня все это только утомило. Кроме заклинаний, слишком много описаний лишних действий, хождения и диалоги, переливающиеся из пустого в порожнее, передвижения, описанные до мелочей. К чему? Лучше бы постельные утехи парочки поподробнее хоть капельку. Я не извращенка (вру, конечно), но мне не хватило.
Первая книга была открытием, подарком, мелочи и детали были просто великолепны. Вторая - безбожно затянута. Слишком много внимания уделено заклинаниям, их объяснениям и прочей белиберде. Мы же понимаем, что никаких заклинаний не существует, зачем нагораживать эти фантазии? Для реализма? Так меня все это только утомило. Кроме заклинаний, слишком много описаний лишних действий, хождения и диалоги, переливающиеся из пустого в порожнее, передвижения, описанные до мелочей. К чему? Лучше бы постельные утехи парочки поподробнее хоть капельку. Я не извращенка (вру, конечно), но мне не хватило.
February 24, 2015
4.5 stars
November 7, 2019
Holy hell, this was an absolutely magnificent follow-up to the first Lynes and Mathey novel! Far, far better than its predecessor, the murder mystery was engaging, bizarre and thrilling this time and I wasn’t bored at any point or felt my thoughts wander. Our two friends slash romantic partners, an investigator and a metaphysician, have become one of my favorite duos in a very short time, their relationship feels organic and natural, unsentimental and believable.
The writing is excellent, fresh and sharp without a single superfluous word. There’s no purple prose to be found in a ten mile radius. I adore the setting in Victorian London, I love the view into the discreet gentlemen’s clubs where men of mutural “interests” met - and in this one we run into sweet Harry “Bunny” Manders, from E W Hornung’s Raffles the gentleman thief stories. It’s brief but as I love Bunny and Raffles, I admit to squealing in delight.
I also for probably the first time ever actually like a magic system, which feels very specific and much like math - or metaphysics as it is, and I finally understand what a wand is used for.
5 stars for bringing something new to this genre, 5 stars for characters, 5 stars for the story.
The writing is excellent, fresh and sharp without a single superfluous word. There’s no purple prose to be found in a ten mile radius. I adore the setting in Victorian London, I love the view into the discreet gentlemen’s clubs where men of mutural “interests” met - and in this one we run into sweet Harry “Bunny” Manders, from E W Hornung’s Raffles the gentleman thief stories. It’s brief but as I love Bunny and Raffles, I admit to squealing in delight.
I also for probably the first time ever actually like a magic system, which feels very specific and much like math - or metaphysics as it is, and I finally understand what a wand is used for.
5 stars for bringing something new to this genre, 5 stars for characters, 5 stars for the story.
March 29, 2017
I'm a big fan of Melissa Scott's Astreiant series, so I didn't hesitate to read Death by Silver when I found it, and as soon as I had I was desperate for a sequel. And now there is A Death at the Dionysus Club - hurrah! I don't know the second author, Amy Griswold, at all outside of these two books (and must clearly remedy that), but one thing I love about Scott's Astreiant is her world-building, and the world inhabited by Ned Mathey and Julian Lynes is just as wonderful. It's an alternative Victorian London, with a touch of steampunk, where the use of a scientifically-based magic is everyday, to the point that magically patented coffee makers and hats enchanted against the rain are the sort of useful things that every household - or at least Mathey and/or Lynes - should have. It's not pretty sparkly magic, though, it's a slightly darker kind that's rooted in nature (in the same way that the weather is a kind of wild magic for us today, if that makes sense), because nature is the one thing that we really can't control or even predict very well, no matter how much we try. It's also not treated as something exotic, metaphysics is part of everyone's lives and accepted as such, so that although it's very much there, it doesn't intrude in the story by being explained every five minutes - it's a proper part of it, and we just pick it up as we go along, as we do things in life. And this is what I love - that there's a depth to the world that Scott and Griswold have created.
I'm very fond of their characters too - Mathey and Lynes are old school friends who drifted apart at just the wrong time, when they each went out into the world to find their place in it, and although they've now come back together as friends and lovers, they both need to negotiate that gap in their lives, and reconcile it with their growing new relationship. Mathey is a metaphysician, and Lynes a private detective who also trained in metaphysics, and so their paths cross not only personally but professionally - and the joy of reading that is how happy that makes them both. They're neither of them perfect, but they're both likeable, and they're both interesting. I want to find out more about them, both as individuals and together. The secondary characters in the book are all individuals in their own right too: Miss Frost, Ned's secretary; Mrs Clewett, his landlady; Julian's landlady Mrs Digby; Inspector Hatton, Lennox, Malcolm Straun and many others. London is populated with people, and we see them - again, it's a real world.
This second Mathey/Lynes story centres around a murder, which turns out to be a series of murders, of members of the Dionysus Club, a gentlemen's club for gentlemen who prefer gentlemen. It's one of the more disreputable clubs of its kind, it's members abandoning pretense once they're behind closed doors. When Lynes introduces Mathey to its slightly dubious joys they soon become involved in a melodrama that was far more dramatic than they imagined, drawing in Scotland Yard and a series of both metaphysical and real consequences for other people and then for themselves. Through it all they have to live the other parts of their lives, and relationships with each other and other people, and it all comes together to create a book that I didn't want to put down. And that I picked up and read again straight away when I'd finished it...
It stands up to re-reading in the same way that good films and tv shows stand up to repeated watches - there's so much going on that it's a joy to come across something that now you realise fits, or to latch onto a different view of things that you'd paid less attention to the first time. Scott and Griswold have a great line in show-not-tell, almost to the point of sometimes needing just slightly more of the latter, but again it makes for happy re-reading as you become more familiar with the world. I blinked at the occasional typo and the odd word, but never enough that it pulled me away from the story, and I'm afraid I am picky about things like that. All the things that matter to me in a story - characters, place, atmosphere, plot - were all solidly in place, and the joy of them kept me reading.
Trouble is, I'm now desperately hoping for a third book in the series, and I have no idea whether one is planned - but surely it must be, this is too good a series to stop at two...
I'm very fond of their characters too - Mathey and Lynes are old school friends who drifted apart at just the wrong time, when they each went out into the world to find their place in it, and although they've now come back together as friends and lovers, they both need to negotiate that gap in their lives, and reconcile it with their growing new relationship. Mathey is a metaphysician, and Lynes a private detective who also trained in metaphysics, and so their paths cross not only personally but professionally - and the joy of reading that is how happy that makes them both. They're neither of them perfect, but they're both likeable, and they're both interesting. I want to find out more about them, both as individuals and together. The secondary characters in the book are all individuals in their own right too: Miss Frost, Ned's secretary; Mrs Clewett, his landlady; Julian's landlady Mrs Digby; Inspector Hatton, Lennox, Malcolm Straun and many others. London is populated with people, and we see them - again, it's a real world.
This second Mathey/Lynes story centres around a murder, which turns out to be a series of murders, of members of the Dionysus Club, a gentlemen's club for gentlemen who prefer gentlemen. It's one of the more disreputable clubs of its kind, it's members abandoning pretense once they're behind closed doors. When Lynes introduces Mathey to its slightly dubious joys they soon become involved in a melodrama that was far more dramatic than they imagined, drawing in Scotland Yard and a series of both metaphysical and real consequences for other people and then for themselves. Through it all they have to live the other parts of their lives, and relationships with each other and other people, and it all comes together to create a book that I didn't want to put down. And that I picked up and read again straight away when I'd finished it...
It stands up to re-reading in the same way that good films and tv shows stand up to repeated watches - there's so much going on that it's a joy to come across something that now you realise fits, or to latch onto a different view of things that you'd paid less attention to the first time. Scott and Griswold have a great line in show-not-tell, almost to the point of sometimes needing just slightly more of the latter, but again it makes for happy re-reading as you become more familiar with the world. I blinked at the occasional typo and the odd word, but never enough that it pulled me away from the story, and I'm afraid I am picky about things like that. All the things that matter to me in a story - characters, place, atmosphere, plot - were all solidly in place, and the joy of them kept me reading.
Trouble is, I'm now desperately hoping for a third book in the series, and I have no idea whether one is planned - but surely it must be, this is too good a series to stop at two...
August 25, 2015
Nasty and Sweet
This is a nasty piece of work when it comes to the deaths in the title. Let us not quibble, for the methods of demise are not described, just presented as indecipherable facts by medical examiners, Scotland Yard, and our intrepid hero MC's, metaphysician Ned Mathey and private detective Julian Lynes, best friends and now rather steady lovers.
This one moves at a swifter pace than the previous one in this series--perhaps because there are more deaths and more suspects to chase. But what is more important, at least to me, is the personal relationship that Ned and Julian pursue, and how discreet and yet totally alive they become during this adventure.
This is not a book for the squeamish or those who have some problems dealing with the occult and paranormal, especially in Victorian times. But it is unique and well constructed and well written and what else do you want in a good read?
This is a nasty piece of work when it comes to the deaths in the title. Let us not quibble, for the methods of demise are not described, just presented as indecipherable facts by medical examiners, Scotland Yard, and our intrepid hero MC's, metaphysician Ned Mathey and private detective Julian Lynes, best friends and now rather steady lovers.
This one moves at a swifter pace than the previous one in this series--perhaps because there are more deaths and more suspects to chase. But what is more important, at least to me, is the personal relationship that Ned and Julian pursue, and how discreet and yet totally alive they become during this adventure.
This is not a book for the squeamish or those who have some problems dealing with the occult and paranormal, especially in Victorian times. But it is unique and well constructed and well written and what else do you want in a good read?
April 22, 2016
EXACTLY the kind of gleeful adventure that I needed after these brutally good books I've been reading. Murderous writing desks! Blackmail! Scandalous schoolteachers! Magical grammatical problems distorting space and time! Awkward victorian sex clubs! Police bro-friendships! The look the coroner gives you when you bring him a body that sometimes shoots ice shards! This was so much FUN.
The series doesn't take itself too seriously, but at the same time it absolutely commits itself to the logical end of all its ideas, from magical grammar gone wrong (Do NOT bring a poet to a magic fight) to the social implications of magic (magicians are gentlemen, unlike those dirty tradesmen romance writers). It has the same sort of tone as Leverage.
And oh my word the QUOTES.
The series doesn't take itself too seriously, but at the same time it absolutely commits itself to the logical end of all its ideas, from magical grammar gone wrong (Do NOT bring a poet to a magic fight) to the social implications of magic (magicians are gentlemen, unlike those dirty tradesmen romance writers). It has the same sort of tone as Leverage.
And oh my word the QUOTES.
July 30, 2016
Fantastic sequel to Death by Silver.
Ned and Julian as a couple are getting there, and the magical mystery in this book feels slightly more complicated.
The feeling of an other worldly London is beautifully evoked, as is the society that Julian mainly, but now by association Ned, inhabits.
I loved the language , some minor niggles -sidewalk instead of pavement ? Ned and Julian work beautifully as detectives and romantically, and the removal of some of their relationship doubts pleased me no end.
There should be more of these books.
Ned and Julian as a couple are getting there, and the magical mystery in this book feels slightly more complicated.
The feeling of an other worldly London is beautifully evoked, as is the society that Julian mainly, but now by association Ned, inhabits.
I loved the language , some minor niggles -sidewalk instead of pavement ? Ned and Julian work beautifully as detectives and romantically, and the removal of some of their relationship doubts pleased me no end.
There should be more of these books.
July 29, 2018
This was even more enjoyable than the first one. While the first book did have a murder that was committed with magic, the motive could still have been from a regular mystery. This one has magic and murder much more intertwined and the plot simply wouldn't work in a non-fantastical world. That means the solution wasn't quite as predictable this time.
The atmosphere also feels much more Victorian than Death by Silver (and don't we all love some proper Victorian fog? With perhaps some sinister chasing you?)
Julian and Ned (and Miss Frost) remain delightful and it was also a joy to see the romance/friendship develop further between them.
The atmosphere also feels much more Victorian than Death by Silver (and don't we all love some proper Victorian fog? With perhaps some sinister chasing you?)
Julian and Ned (and Miss Frost) remain delightful and it was also a joy to see the romance/friendship develop further between them.
July 23, 2022
Another fun mystery with these two. The relationship progress was fun, the mystery plot was twisty and well-paced, and there were plenty of interesting side characters to both love and hate.
Again, CW for abuse, this time centered on a side character, but relevant to the mystery and mentioned numerous times.
Again, CW for abuse, this time centered on a side character, but relevant to the mystery and mentioned numerous times.
August 5, 2022
I really like what the authors of this series did with magic and how it’s integrated into British society. And the characters themselves are great. But both books are let down by excessive use of miscommunication as the sole source of conflict, well beyond the point of reason… half the drama in this book would not have needed to happen if Ned and Julian just had a single conversation about their feelings.
April 17, 2017
Really quite delightful, apart from the heart-eating magic thief.
November 9, 2018
4.5 stars
An absolutely wonderful read that makes me wish there were more books in this series. Ned and Julian need an HEA.
An absolutely wonderful read that makes me wish there were more books in this series. Ned and Julian need an HEA.
May 23, 2025
Even better than the first book and left me completely devastated that this series is only two books long. The magic system, the mystery elements, the world building, the characters, the romance - it's all complex but very self-assured. Loved it, loved it, loved it.
January 27, 2024
I really liked the first murder mystery book starring Ned and Julian, so I bought the second one. Holy wow, I loved A Death at the Dionysus Club. The reason for the murders was different, the method for the murders was different, and the book took place in a hidden part of Victorian England I knew very little about; clubs for upper class men. Specifically gay men, who had to choose between marriage and hiding who they were, or living a lie outside their club.
And it was a lonely, frequently dangerous life, subject to all the perils of living on the margins and dealing with blackmail, assault, and knowing that many, many people saw your life, and who you chose to love as a crime. Ned and Julien were lucky, and they found someone to fall in love with, and who loved them. Life is easier if you're not heart crushingly lonely.
Not a perfect book, but 5 stars for sure. An accurate picture of what life was like for upper class men and women who were nonetheless marginalized always gets five stars from me. Compassion is important if you're going to write.
And another five stars for the creature, who at times scared the stuffing out of me, and for parts of the book being deeply tongue in cheeks. I liked this book!
And it was a lonely, frequently dangerous life, subject to all the perils of living on the margins and dealing with blackmail, assault, and knowing that many, many people saw your life, and who you chose to love as a crime. Ned and Julien were lucky, and they found someone to fall in love with, and who loved them. Life is easier if you're not heart crushingly lonely.
Not a perfect book, but 5 stars for sure. An accurate picture of what life was like for upper class men and women who were nonetheless marginalized always gets five stars from me. Compassion is important if you're going to write.
And another five stars for the creature, who at times scared the stuffing out of me, and for parts of the book being deeply tongue in cheeks. I liked this book!
October 27, 2014
I do declare this second book is even better than the 1st one Death by Silver (Julian Lynes and Ned Mathey series Book 1) in this series. As in the 1st book, I enjoy the well crafted setting of Victorian London. I love that the writers have taken the guys' British reserved romance, restrained by the times, to a more realistic level where they are forced to examine their feelings if what they have is to survive. Both guys are such charming characters, Julian the more rebellious one with less regard for the law and Ned the more restrained one but no less valiant. The mystery part of the plot with its magic and supernatural aspect is most intriguing as layers are revealed with each death, the last part have me riveted to my seat even if I know our heroes will make it! The new development with Ned's permanent engagement by the police certainly adds more depth to the guys' investigation.
What really stands out in this book is how well the writers examined the gay community during that time. The dangers if discovered, who could protect them, not only from hostile outside forces but from their "own kind", the malice within the gay community itself where the vulnerable ones are abused, and yet the need to preserve the community and its clubs because it is so vital for their sanity. All these is seamlessly weaved into the story which at its core is a supernatural mystery permeated by a sense of urgency as the number of bodies piled up. This second book with its quality writing is such a pleasure to read and I hope there is much more to come, Please!
What really stands out in this book is how well the writers examined the gay community during that time. The dangers if discovered, who could protect them, not only from hostile outside forces but from their "own kind", the malice within the gay community itself where the vulnerable ones are abused, and yet the need to preserve the community and its clubs because it is so vital for their sanity. All these is seamlessly weaved into the story which at its core is a supernatural mystery permeated by a sense of urgency as the number of bodies piled up. This second book with its quality writing is such a pleasure to read and I hope there is much more to come, Please!
October 5, 2016
Holy heck.
Okay it's now 3am, and I stayed up reading this because leaving the metaphysical issue mid-resolution would have kept me up anyway. I rather like my metaphysical issues resolved so the more paranoid parts of my mind can't agonize on "but what if they ARE real, and out there, and going to get you?" which it rather will anyway, but getting myself to the resolution hopefully will help mitigate that. Thomas Harris by way of Hannibal (TV) rather hit the nail on the head when Alanna said fear was the price of imagination 8)
This really managed to create and capture the ambiance of creepiness, along the lines of Weeping Angels (as they were with 10). That aside, I found the characters quite compelling, and unlike with the first book, which left me rather unsatisfied wigh where the main characters were interpersonally, I think this one got them to a good place which solidified them. Authors led into it nicely, too.
And I didn't mention before, but the world is quite fascinating. The concepts of metaphysics are quite involved, and does touch upon and delve into some rather complex implications which I appreciated. They unsettled me - in a "how DO you manage when someone literally fucks with the laws of physics" sort of way - but rather a good way because it indicates the concept and world are fleshed out.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'll have to lay here in darkness being unsettled by as I attempt to fall asleep
Okay it's now 3am, and I stayed up reading this because leaving the metaphysical issue mid-resolution would have kept me up anyway. I rather like my metaphysical issues resolved so the more paranoid parts of my mind can't agonize on "but what if they ARE real, and out there, and going to get you?" which it rather will anyway, but getting myself to the resolution hopefully will help mitigate that. Thomas Harris by way of Hannibal (TV) rather hit the nail on the head when Alanna said fear was the price of imagination 8)
This really managed to create and capture the ambiance of creepiness, along the lines of Weeping Angels (as they were with 10). That aside, I found the characters quite compelling, and unlike with the first book, which left me rather unsatisfied wigh where the main characters were interpersonally, I think this one got them to a good place which solidified them. Authors led into it nicely, too.
And I didn't mention before, but the world is quite fascinating. The concepts of metaphysics are quite involved, and does touch upon and delve into some rather complex implications which I appreciated. They unsettled me - in a "how DO you manage when someone literally fucks with the laws of physics" sort of way - but rather a good way because it indicates the concept and world are fleshed out.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'll have to lay here in darkness being unsettled by as I attempt to fall asleep
June 12, 2015
After demolishing the second novel in this brilliant series I am left truly left wanting more. Ned Mathey and Julian Lynes are old school friends and lovers in victorian England. The book is extremely special because the authors craft these two men, who must navigate creating a life together in a world that will never see them as lovers. But this crucial theme of the book is overlooked and is definitely not the overt focus of the novel. it is ever present but interwoven into the complex action of this story which pretends to be the main plot. this is Holmes and Watson with a backstory, which is more important than the action taking place at the forefront.
I found this second novel in the series richer and more engaging as we saw more into Lynes and Mathey's struggle to create boundaries of their relationship in a very anti- homosexual world. It is only at the end of this book when magic comes into play are we shown with a brilliant and painful spotlight what Ned and Julian mean to one another, through the discrete low key way these authors have capture Victorian England brilliantly. this scene made it very clear how these two cared and it touched me deeply as it felt right and true.
I found this second novel in the series richer and more engaging as we saw more into Lynes and Mathey's struggle to create boundaries of their relationship in a very anti- homosexual world. It is only at the end of this book when magic comes into play are we shown with a brilliant and painful spotlight what Ned and Julian mean to one another, through the discrete low key way these authors have capture Victorian England brilliantly. this scene made it very clear how these two cared and it touched me deeply as it felt right and true.
September 26, 2019
Just as good as the first book. Great magical mystery, and the romance is lovely. I wish there were more of this - as it is, I will give The Astreiant series a try instead.
ETA: I finished listening to the audiobook and if anything, I like it even better now. I adore Julian and Ned, and while there is suspense and drama, it has a very understated feeling to it that I just love. I still haven't gotten around to reading the Astreiant series but I will start it during my holidays.
ETA: I finished listening to the audiobook and if anything, I like it even better now. I adore Julian and Ned, and while there is suspense and drama, it has a very understated feeling to it that I just love. I still haven't gotten around to reading the Astreiant series but I will start it during my holidays.
September 21, 2016
I finally have to admit this is not my cup of tea, and I'm not sure why. I found it boring and unengaging. The only character I really cared about was Miss Frost.
July 27, 2016
Loved it. Hope there is more to come in this series.
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