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September, 1873. Private enquiry agents Matthew Grand and James Batchelor have been hired by timber merchant Selwyn Byng following the disappearance of his heiress wife. The only clue they have to go on is a badly spelled note demanding the princely sum of £5,000 if Byng is ever to see Emilia again. As the two investigators assess whether Byng has been telling them the whole truth, a second package brings an extremely unwelcome surprise.
At the same time, a human torso is found floating in the River Thames. Could there be a connection to Emilia Byng’s disappearance … ?
At the same time, a human torso is found floating in the River Thames. Could there be a connection to Emilia Byng’s disappearance … ?
224 pages, Hardcover
Published September 28, 2018
4 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
M.J. Trow
149 books119 followersMeirion James Trow is a full-time teacher of history who has been doubling as a crime writer for seventeen years. Originally from Ferndale, Rhondda in South Wales he now lives on the Isle of Wight. His interests include collecting militaria, film, the supernatural and true crime.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
December 16, 2018
I’m a sucker for a good Victorian detective novel, and M. J. Trow’s “The Ring” seemed like it would fit the bill. Batchelor and grand are “enquiry agents,” a term they insist others adhere to, a profession they feel is more honorable than if they were performing the same duties for the police.
Mr. Trow paints a wonderful picture of London in the 1870s, helping the city come alive for me. Although this is Book 5 in the series, I had no trouble reading it as a standalone. The author provided enough of a backstory to give me enough knowledge of the characters. Truthfully, I felt the descriptions of London and how the major and minor characters interacted with the city were 5-star elements in this story.
This is not a deadly serious story. There is plenty of wit to go around here, some of the humor of the tongue-in-cheek variety. While the characterizations were not deep, there was enough displayed to keep the story interesting. In truth, the minor characters inserted much charm into the story, and even though they might have been on the one-dimensional side, the traits shown helped make the story interesting and kept it moving.
The detecting aspects of the story were good, and the ending was somewhat unexpected. The author does a good job leaving both clues and red herrings about, making it difficult to accurate determine the truth about the murders that have been occurring. While the ending felt a bit forced, it didn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of the book. Recommended reading. Four stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for an advance complimentary ebook of this title.
Mr. Trow paints a wonderful picture of London in the 1870s, helping the city come alive for me. Although this is Book 5 in the series, I had no trouble reading it as a standalone. The author provided enough of a backstory to give me enough knowledge of the characters. Truthfully, I felt the descriptions of London and how the major and minor characters interacted with the city were 5-star elements in this story.
This is not a deadly serious story. There is plenty of wit to go around here, some of the humor of the tongue-in-cheek variety. While the characterizations were not deep, there was enough displayed to keep the story interesting. In truth, the minor characters inserted much charm into the story, and even though they might have been on the one-dimensional side, the traits shown helped make the story interesting and kept it moving.
The detecting aspects of the story were good, and the ending was somewhat unexpected. The author does a good job leaving both clues and red herrings about, making it difficult to accurate determine the truth about the murders that have been occurring. While the ending felt a bit forced, it didn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of the book. Recommended reading. Four stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Severn House for an advance complimentary ebook of this title.
September 20, 2019
This is an historical crime story that follows our two intrepid investigators as they try and track down the wife of businessman Selwyn Byng. I really liked the two detectives and the way they bounce off each other. I also liked that most of this is set in or against a Victorian Thames. It made for a different story line than I've read n a while. It's a really wonderful portrayal of 19th Century London. The twist wasn't too original but I still enjoyed it. I also lost track of who some of the police were. There are a lot of characters in here.
Overall though I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the next one.
Overall though I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the next one.
January 6, 2019
Dark doings in Victorian London!
I loved the setting of this novel! The dark and forbidding underside of London in Victorian times. The mists around the Thames, the hovels, and the disappearance of Emilia Byng, the wealthy wife of a timber merchant Selwyn Byng.
Gruesomely female body parts are turning up in the waterways. Is there a link?
There's a fair smattering of humor throughout the writing and some interesting secondary characters. So all the prerequisites are in place for a cracking read, but for me this just didn't quite get to a four star read. I must admit to having trouble identifying with the main protagonists, Private enquiry agents Matthew Grand and James Batchelor.
A NetGalley ARC
I loved the setting of this novel! The dark and forbidding underside of London in Victorian times. The mists around the Thames, the hovels, and the disappearance of Emilia Byng, the wealthy wife of a timber merchant Selwyn Byng.
Gruesomely female body parts are turning up in the waterways. Is there a link?
There's a fair smattering of humor throughout the writing and some interesting secondary characters. So all the prerequisites are in place for a cracking read, but for me this just didn't quite get to a four star read. I must admit to having trouble identifying with the main protagonists, Private enquiry agents Matthew Grand and James Batchelor.
A NetGalley ARC
October 13, 2019
First, a question about Trow. He's written a number of series--mostly historical, but some set in the present day--and very good they are, if a bit gruesome at times. But there are so many of them! How does any one person manage to turn out such a great quantity without compromising the quality of his work? In this one, set in Victorian London, Civil War veteran Matthew Grand and his partner, former journalist James Batchelor, are hired to find a kidnapped woman. Her distraught husband has been warned to stay away from the police, so he resorts to the private enquiry agents. Does the woman's disappearance have anything to do with the body parts that have been appearing in the Thames?
April 7, 2019
First Sentence: It had been a long time since William Bisgrove had seen a woman.
Mrs. Rackstraw, the housekeeper to Private Enquiry Agents Matthew Grand and James Batchelor, has labeled their new client a lunatic. Yet the two men agree to take on the case of timber merchant Selwyn Byng who received a ransom note demanding £5,000 for the return of his wife, heiress to a tea import business. The next package Byng receives causes Batchelor and Grand to take the case more seriously. Is their case linked to the naked torso found by the Thames River Police? As more parts show up, it's clear there is more than one victim, and possibly, more than one killer.
In spite of the rather gruesome theme, Grand and Batchelor are just plain fun to read. Trow has delightfully wry, humor—"She looked closely at Grand. 'Are you foreign?' She raised her voice slightly, as all nicely brought up maiden ladies do when speaking to foreigners, dogs, children, and the indigent." That same humor makes even the grimmest scene enjoyable –'...Mother of God; what's that?' Crossland held the white thing in both hands, as though he was offering the inspector dessert. 'It's a body, sir…' 'Take it up top, man. God knows what it'll do to my Stilton.'
Victorian England is such a perfect setting for a murder mystery and Trow uses the setting to full advantage. He paints vivid pictures of everything from a prison cell, and the muddy banks of the Thames, to an overblown Victorian parlor. London becomes as much a character to the story as do the actual characters, and Trow creates wonderful characters.
Even though their time in the story may be short, we come to know each one; their names--and what fun he has with names--and a bit of their background. They're not just anonymous figures. Each is special, with Mrs. Rackstraw and the sweet between maid Maisie being particularly important.
The plot is nicely done with the detective work and forensic details being rather fascinating. There are red herrings and twists aplenty.
"The Ring" has a very interesting conclusion and a lesson to be learned. That the story is layered upon a series of actual, unsolved murders is very cleverly done.
THE RING: A Victorian Mystery (Hist-Grand/Batchelor-England-1873) – G+
Trow, M.J. – 5th in series
Severn House – Dec 2018
Mrs. Rackstraw, the housekeeper to Private Enquiry Agents Matthew Grand and James Batchelor, has labeled their new client a lunatic. Yet the two men agree to take on the case of timber merchant Selwyn Byng who received a ransom note demanding £5,000 for the return of his wife, heiress to a tea import business. The next package Byng receives causes Batchelor and Grand to take the case more seriously. Is their case linked to the naked torso found by the Thames River Police? As more parts show up, it's clear there is more than one victim, and possibly, more than one killer.
In spite of the rather gruesome theme, Grand and Batchelor are just plain fun to read. Trow has delightfully wry, humor—"She looked closely at Grand. 'Are you foreign?' She raised her voice slightly, as all nicely brought up maiden ladies do when speaking to foreigners, dogs, children, and the indigent." That same humor makes even the grimmest scene enjoyable –'...Mother of God; what's that?' Crossland held the white thing in both hands, as though he was offering the inspector dessert. 'It's a body, sir…' 'Take it up top, man. God knows what it'll do to my Stilton.'
Victorian England is such a perfect setting for a murder mystery and Trow uses the setting to full advantage. He paints vivid pictures of everything from a prison cell, and the muddy banks of the Thames, to an overblown Victorian parlor. London becomes as much a character to the story as do the actual characters, and Trow creates wonderful characters.
Even though their time in the story may be short, we come to know each one; their names--and what fun he has with names--and a bit of their background. They're not just anonymous figures. Each is special, with Mrs. Rackstraw and the sweet between maid Maisie being particularly important.
The plot is nicely done with the detective work and forensic details being rather fascinating. There are red herrings and twists aplenty.
"The Ring" has a very interesting conclusion and a lesson to be learned. That the story is layered upon a series of actual, unsolved murders is very cleverly done.
THE RING: A Victorian Mystery (Hist-Grand/Batchelor-England-1873) – G+
Trow, M.J. – 5th in series
Severn House – Dec 2018
February 21, 2019
Set during the1870s in London, The Ring finds private inquiry agents Matthew Grand and James Batchelor hired by oddball timber merchant Selwyn Byng to find his kidnapped wife. Byng can’t involve police, or his wife will be killed. Since Byng isn’t forthcoming and there are too many holes in his story, Grand and Batchelor begin a half-hearted investigation. But when body parts start resurfacing in the River Thames and one part may belong to Byng’s wife, the private inquiry agents need to involve the River Police but also corrupt officials to get to the bottom of the kidnapping and the body parts.
The tone of The Ring was light-hearted. The witty banter between Grand and Batchelor was amusing as well as the colourful characters of the River Police Chief Daddy Bliss, the hard-working Doctor Kempster, the Puritanical housekeeper Mrs. Rackstraw, and the lawyer-thug Richard Knowes. But on resolution, the plot turns twisted and ugly, upsetting the light-hearted ending I expected. The large cast of characters was difficult to keep straight especially when his or her part in the plot was miniscule to extraneous and thrown in simply to keep the reader off the scent.
The Ring was an enjoyable read until the resolution of the kidnapping and the body parts. Then, it wasn’t funny any longer.
Reviewed for Historical Novel Society
The tone of The Ring was light-hearted. The witty banter between Grand and Batchelor was amusing as well as the colourful characters of the River Police Chief Daddy Bliss, the hard-working Doctor Kempster, the Puritanical housekeeper Mrs. Rackstraw, and the lawyer-thug Richard Knowes. But on resolution, the plot turns twisted and ugly, upsetting the light-hearted ending I expected. The large cast of characters was difficult to keep straight especially when his or her part in the plot was miniscule to extraneous and thrown in simply to keep the reader off the scent.
The Ring was an enjoyable read until the resolution of the kidnapping and the body parts. Then, it wasn’t funny any longer.
Reviewed for Historical Novel Society
September 15, 2018
Matthew Grand and James Batchelor, the one a worldly-wise ex-soldier, and the other, a naive former journalist, make for an interesting pair of private investigators.
Unfortunately this fifth instalment in M.J. Trow's Victorian Mystery series pitches them into familiar territory for readers of historical mysteries based in 19th century London. A missing wife (and her maid), a distraught husband, assorted eccentric and vaguely Dickensian characters, and bodies found floating in the murky Thames, are staple fare and there really is not much to distinguish this somewhat mundane story from a host of others.
Usually the wit and erudition of the author are enough to see me through, but there is little enough of them in evidence here. Even the "twist" in the solution brought little to surprise.
I was disappointed, having greatly enjoyed Grand and Batchelor in their previous investigations.
Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House Publishers for the digital review copy.
Unfortunately this fifth instalment in M.J. Trow's Victorian Mystery series pitches them into familiar territory for readers of historical mysteries based in 19th century London. A missing wife (and her maid), a distraught husband, assorted eccentric and vaguely Dickensian characters, and bodies found floating in the murky Thames, are staple fare and there really is not much to distinguish this somewhat mundane story from a host of others.
Usually the wit and erudition of the author are enough to see me through, but there is little enough of them in evidence here. Even the "twist" in the solution brought little to surprise.
I was disappointed, having greatly enjoyed Grand and Batchelor in their previous investigations.
Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House Publishers for the digital review copy.
January 6, 2019
Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
In 1873 London, James Grand and Matthew Bachelor are hired by Selwyn Byng who wants them to find his kidnapped wife. A badly spelled note he received asked him to pay 5,000 pounds for the return of his wife, or she will be killed.
At the same time, a part of a body was recovered from the Thames, with subsequent parts found subsequently.
The book is a fair read, with a strong sense of place of 1800's London, which was enjoyable. The two private enquiry agents are charismatic
and I got a kick out of their tempestuous housekeeper. Selwyn Byng is odious, juvenile and unreliable. All in all I enjoyed the story, it was well written and amusing.
In 1873 London, James Grand and Matthew Bachelor are hired by Selwyn Byng who wants them to find his kidnapped wife. A badly spelled note he received asked him to pay 5,000 pounds for the return of his wife, or she will be killed.
At the same time, a part of a body was recovered from the Thames, with subsequent parts found subsequently.
The book is a fair read, with a strong sense of place of 1800's London, which was enjoyable. The two private enquiry agents are charismatic
and I got a kick out of their tempestuous housekeeper. Selwyn Byng is odious, juvenile and unreliable. All in all I enjoyed the story, it was well written and amusing.
December 6, 2018
September, 1873 and private enquiry agents Matthew Grand and James Batchelor have been apprached by a distraught Selwyn Byng to find his kidnapped wife. Meanwhile lunatic William Bisgrove has escaped from Broadmoor looking for his lost love. Added to this the river police are finding parts of female bodies in the river Thames.
This is my first read of a book in the series, and it was a satisfying read but nothing more. The two main characters didn't really stand out as personalities enough for me.
A NetGalley Book
This is my first read of a book in the series, and it was a satisfying read but nothing more. The two main characters didn't really stand out as personalities enough for me.
A NetGalley Book
January 14, 2020
The fifth case for Grand & Batchelor takes places in London. A distressed man called Selwyn Byng appears at their door asking for their help in finding his wife. Byng has received a ransom note from the kidnappers wanting £5000 for his wife's release. The private detectives take on the case and all is not as it seems.
This was a much better book than the previous two. The plot was interesting and more actually happened within the narrative. There were some comic characters and I found myself laughing out loud at one or two parts. An enjoyable read.
This was a much better book than the previous two. The plot was interesting and more actually happened within the narrative. There were some comic characters and I found myself laughing out loud at one or two parts. An enjoyable read.
January 16, 2019
This, the fifth in the Grand/Batchelor series, is at first a hard read. This is likely to not only not having read the first 4 in the series, and never having read any books by this author, but likely compounded by the very 'English' nature of the prose itself. Set in 1870's London, the story (and characters) eventually emerged. The procedural was an enjoyable read, and I may someday go back to the author and read the first 4 in the series. Recommended.
August 19, 2020
3.5 stars. 1873, London. Women's body parts are turning up in the Thames, but who do they belong to? A murderer has escaped from Broadmoor. At the same time Grand and Bachelor are retained to find the kidnapped wife of Selwyn Byng — a very odd man. How these event might be connected creates a very quick-paced page-turning mystery. Recommended.
January 27, 2019
Good characters and plot Fast read. Good ending
July 1, 2020
A book based in true crimes. Very well written, hard to put it down!
Private enquiry agents Grant and Batchelor are hired to find the lost wife of a timber merchant, but the case becomes more complicated when parts of female human bodies begin to appear floating in the Thames..
Private enquiry agents Grant and Batchelor are hired to find the lost wife of a timber merchant, but the case becomes more complicated when parts of female human bodies begin to appear floating in the Thames..
December 10, 2018
Body parts keep turning up in the Thames!
This novel is based on a series of actual murders which took place along the Thames between 1873 and 1889.
Set in the late 1800s enquiry agents Matthew Grand and James Batchelor share a house where they employ a Mrs Rackstraw as a housekeeper. This formidable woman caters for their every need while imposing her own will so forcefully that the gentlemen sometimes are unsure as to who is the employer and who the employee!
When they arrive home to find her in high dudgeon regarding a ‘lunatic’ who has been hanging around the house, they make the acquaintance of Mr Selwyn Byng, an unprepossessing character who entreats them to find his missing wife, Emilia, an heiress who has been kidnapped. The plot thickens!
At the same time, the Thames Police, led by the eccentric Inspector ‘Daddy’ Bliss, are fishing female body parts from the river at an alarming rate.
This very readable story canters away at a cracking pace and soon the bodies are mounting and Grand and Batchelor have any number of leads to follow. The suspense continues to build and the threads of both investigations become confusingly knotted.
The writing brings to life the social differences in London at the time and provides a good insight into social history, as well as a jolly good yarn.
Grand and Batchelor are great foils for each other, and their conversations contain more than a little humour.
Altogether a gripping read which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Pashtpaws
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
This novel is based on a series of actual murders which took place along the Thames between 1873 and 1889.
Set in the late 1800s enquiry agents Matthew Grand and James Batchelor share a house where they employ a Mrs Rackstraw as a housekeeper. This formidable woman caters for their every need while imposing her own will so forcefully that the gentlemen sometimes are unsure as to who is the employer and who the employee!
When they arrive home to find her in high dudgeon regarding a ‘lunatic’ who has been hanging around the house, they make the acquaintance of Mr Selwyn Byng, an unprepossessing character who entreats them to find his missing wife, Emilia, an heiress who has been kidnapped. The plot thickens!
At the same time, the Thames Police, led by the eccentric Inspector ‘Daddy’ Bliss, are fishing female body parts from the river at an alarming rate.
This very readable story canters away at a cracking pace and soon the bodies are mounting and Grand and Batchelor have any number of leads to follow. The suspense continues to build and the threads of both investigations become confusingly knotted.
The writing brings to life the social differences in London at the time and provides a good insight into social history, as well as a jolly good yarn.
Grand and Batchelor are great foils for each other, and their conversations contain more than a little humour.
Altogether a gripping read which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Pashtpaws
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.
December 29, 2018
I love historical mystery and this was a very good one.
The plot reminded me of an Anne Perry's mystery and it was really good and engaging.
I loved the cast of characters and the well researched historical setting.
The plot was good, it kept me hooked till the last page.
As this is part of a series I think it would be better to read the other books as it will surely help to understand the characters and the setting.
I look forward to reading other books in this series.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for this ARC
The plot reminded me of an Anne Perry's mystery and it was really good and engaging.
I loved the cast of characters and the well researched historical setting.
The plot was good, it kept me hooked till the last page.
As this is part of a series I think it would be better to read the other books as it will surely help to understand the characters and the setting.
I look forward to reading other books in this series.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for this ARC
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews