Watchers of the Dead

Alec Lonsdale #2

by Simon Beaufort

An escaped assassin. A group of cannibals on the run. A threatening letter. Newspaper reporter Alec Lonsdale is on the case in this compelling Victorian mystery.

“All Londoners will see what the Watchers are capable of on Christmas Eve …"

December 1882. Attending the opening of the new Natural History Museum, Pall Mall Gazette reporter Alec Lonsdale and his colleague Hulda Friederichs are shocked to discover a body in the basement, hacked to death. Suspicion immediately falls on a trio of cannibals, brought over from the Congo as museum exhibits, who have disappeared without trace.

Alec however has his doubts – especially when he discovers that three other influential London men have been similarly murdered. When he and Hulda discover a letter in the victim’s home warning of a catastrophic event planned for Christmas Eve, the pair find themselves in a race against time to discover who exactly the Watchers are and what it is they want …

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Historical Mystery

256 pages, Hardcover

Published July 1, 2019

About the author

AKA Susanna Gregory with Beau Riffenburgh (her husband).
Simon Beaufort is the pseudonym of Elizabeth Cruwys, a Cambridge academic who was previously a coroner's officer. She writes detective fiction.

Reviews

[♥ Sandi ❣ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars Second book in the Alec Lonsdale Victorian series.

On reason that I like this series so much is that Beaufort (a pseudonym for author Susanna Gregory and an unnamed partnering historian) bases her characters on real people, then gives you a Historical Note at the back of the book explaining and describing each real person. The book is fiction, and loosely based on actual times and events.

I am not sure that I enjoyed this book as much as I did the first book in the series. This book plotted out a totally different type of mystery. The same main characters were in this story as in the first book and they had advanced with the additional story lines, but the basis of this mystery was not as appealing to me. However the author(s) did open up some new problems and relationships that will be interesting to follow in the next book of the series.

This story followed the death of a number of wealthy men, who belonged to a secret sect within a Gentleman's Club. The killings were blamed on 3 African natives - ie. purported to be 'cannibals' - that were brought to London to be part of a exhibit at the newly opened Natural History Museum. The protagonist, Alec Lonsdale and his side-kick Hulda Friederichs, both reporters for the Pall Mall Gazette, were investigating these deaths and the disappearance of the 'cannibals'.

Even though I really didn't care for the plot of this story, I will continue with the series, as it appears that the characters are becoming more entwined and involved with each other. I also like the Victorian story aspect, in addition to the authors vernacular style.

[Carole (Carole's Random Life) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review can also be found at https://carolesrandomlife.com/

This was an okay read for me. I liked it but I didn’t love it and ultimately, I believe this will be a rather forgettable read. This is the second book in the Alec Lonsdale series but I feel that it would read just fine as a stand-alone. I have to admit that I didn’t like it quite as much as I did the first book in the series. There was a lot going on in the story and once I started reading the book proved to be a rather quick read.

Alec and Hulda stumble upon a murder at the same time they learn that cannibals are on the loose in the city. Things get more complicated as the murders start to pile up. Throw in a little romantic drama for Alec and an upset potential father-in-law and there is no shortage of things to keep Alec busy. There are quite a few characters to keep straight and I have to admit that I was confused from time to time. I liked Alec and Hulda quite a bit and had no doubt that they would be able to get to the bottom of everything going on.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that David Thorpe did an acceptable job with the narration. I think that this was the first time that I have listened to his narration so there might have been a bit of an adjustment period for me. There were a few voices used for characters that were slightly difficult to understand. Overall, I think that he did a good job with the story.

I think that this book will appeal to readers who enjoy historical mysteries. This was an enjoyable mystery that I enjoyed for the most part. I wouldn’t hesitate to read more books written by this writing pair.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Severn House via NetGalley and purchased a copy of the audiobook.

Initial Thoughts
This was okay. I didn't like it quite as much as I did the first book in the series. There are quite a few characters to keep straight and I have to admit that I was confused from time to time. Alec and Hulda stumble upon a murder at the same time they learn that cannibals are on the loose in the city. Things get more complicated as the murders start to pile up. Throw in a little romantic drama for Alec and an upset potential father-in-law and there is no shortage of things to keep Alec busy. I listened to the audiobook and thought that David Thorpe did an acceptable job with the narration.

[Gram · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story opens with an assassination attempt on Queen Victoria. Her attacker is subdued by a senior police officer and Burnside - a down at heel photographer. The latter expects to gain some sort of Royal commission for his bravery but the Queen's courtiers ignore his pleas. Meanwhile, the would be assassin, Maclean, is declared insane and incarcerated in the high security mental asylum at Broadmoor but he escapes.

The action moves forward to December 1882. Two Pall Mall Gazette journalists - Alec Lonsdale and his colleague Hulda Friederichs - are at the opening of the new Natural History Museum in London's Kensington when there is the shocking discover of a body in the basement, hacked to death.

The most likely suspects are three "cannibals" from the African Congo - human museum exhibits - who seem to have vanished. But, when Alec and Hulda subsequently discover a letter in the victim's home they are shocked to read that two catastrophic events are planned for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, organised by a secret group known as "The Watchers". It seems that this secret society is based at the Garroway Club - a gentlemen's club in London's West End. The journalists further discover that three other notable men have been killed in a similar manner to the man murdered in the museum - and all four were members of The Garroway.

Set in Victorian London, this historical mystery/thriller mixes fiction with actual events and real individuals of the late 19th Century. I felt that too much time was spent in introducing the reader to a plethora of characters and one third of the story passes before the reader first learns of The Watchers and their evil plan. Or at least the fact that there is an evil plan. The same goes for Lonsdale's romantic life. He is engaged to Anne, who's none to happy with him being a newspaper reporter. Her father, Mr Humbage, is also disparaging of Lonsdale's chosen profession and the two spend a large part of the story bickering with each other. To add to his woes, Anne's sister Emelia detests him.

Lonsdale seems far more suited to Hulda and the two of them spend most of their time interviewing various friends and relatives of the various victims. With the aid of a sympathetic policeman, they race to discover who is behind the killings and what the Watchers have planned for Christmas.

The plot is somewhat convoluted and the large number of characters (there are at least 3 senior Scotland Yard officers investigating the murders at one time or another. Imagine if Sherlock Holmes had to deal with three Inspector Lestrades at the same time!) had me confused and checking back to see which was which. That said, the action does speed up as Christmas Eve draws closer and there are some shocks in store for Lonsdale and Hulda before they find out the truth. A decent historical mystery which will appeal to fans of tales of Victorian London.

My thanks to Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for a copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.

[Patty · Rating 2 out of 5]

The second in the Alec Lonsdale series, murder mysteries set in Victorian London and starring an intrepid newspaper reporter. Watchers of the Dead opens with the murder of Professor Dickerson, who was working with the brand-new British Natural History Museum to put on a human zoo: a supposedly educational but usually horrendously racist display of real people, in this case ~~savage cannibals from the darkest jungles of the Congo~~. Unfortunately the Africans disappear on the same day as the murder, making them prime suspects. Lonsdale and his fellow reporter Hulda Friederichs set out to find and protect the Africans and simultaneously catch Dickerson's real killer. They soon discover multiple similar murders, all of prominent men, which have been covered up. Are the deaths connected to Roderick Maclean, who years earlier attempted to assassinate Queen Victoria and who has recently escaped from his insane asylum? Or is the culprit the mysterious gentlemen's club known only as The Watchers, who have an "unspeakable Happening" planned for Christmas Eve? Or does snobby and pompous Sir Humbage, father of Lonsdale's fiancée, know more than it seems?

It's an intriguing premise, but unfortunately the writing in Watchers of the Dead dragged it down beyond recovery. There's an enormous and hard to remember cast who are given little characterization beyond the shallowest of caricatures. Even Lonsdale, who as main character should get more depth, is bizarrely unemotional about topics such as his fiancée, death threats, friends' secrets, and change of job. There's extremely little descriptive writing of setting, background, or characters' looks, and what few bits we do get is poor:
Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum was imposing and rather frightening. A giant complex encompassing fifty-three acres within its secure area, its entrance was through giant metal gates housed between two massive rectangular towers.
A giant complex with giant gates! Such a rich vocabulary on display here.

There are major plot mistakes, as when characters know things they shouldn't (and in a mystery, you really need to keep track of who has what information). Another mistake that bugged me is that early on, Lonsdale is given a deadline for the Dickerson investigation, as the newspaper's editor is heading to Ireland to investigate a different case and Lonsdale will have to take over editing duties. A short while later, we're told that the Ireland case has been solved, but the deadline remains Lonsdale's major motivation for the entire rest of the book, despite the regular editor presumably no longer needing to leave town. There's also no resolution to this at the end of the book – does Lonsdale ever become editor? How long does he remain so? Who knows! Certainly not the reader of Watchers of the Dead. There are also minor mistakes that I found equally annoying, such as this complaint from Lonsdale about his fiance: Anne talked about independence of spirit but would rather admire it in others than express it herself. He thought she might, when they had first met, but since becoming engaged she had fallen happily into the role of the traditional Victorian lady and all that entailed. Would anyone in the Victorian era actually think of themselves as, well, "in the Victorian era"? I certainly don't see myself in such broad historical terms. If no one in 2019 is priding themselves on being a proper Second Elizabethan lady, why would people in the past do so? I know it's a minor point, but it feels so weirdly anachronistic.

But my biggest problem with Watchers of the Dead is that the whole book feels rushed and summarized, like a plot outline that hasn't been fully fleshed out. The idea of a mystery centered around a human zoo is fantastic, but the Africans barely appear on screen and their situation and its ramifications is given little attention. Characters consistently enter and exit scenes without acknowledgement, chases and fights are recapped rather than allowed to be exciting action displays, and conversations break off suddenly. It's hard to describe exactly how frustrating such summarizing feels, but imagine an entire book that reads like this scene, where Hulda needs to write a secret message that the intended recipient will understand but that no one else will be able to parse:
Lonsdale handed them over, and she went to lean on a wall to write. He read over her shoulder, marvelling at the cleverly cryptic nature of her words. She phrased the message in such a way that no one but Peters would know she was the sender, or that she wanted him to hasten to Cleveland Square at his earliest opportunity.
Really excellent writing there. Tell the readers how awesome this note is, while not bothering to come up with anything to actually show us. And yet somehow there's enough time for not one, not two, but three twist endings.

In short, there are far, far too many other Victorian mystery series to bother with this one.

Also, because I really need to complain about this despite spoilers: the Africans' hiding place is eventually uncovered because Lonsdale smells them out. Yes, really. In a book published in goddam 2019. I mean, it's described as a nice smell, and it turns out to be the scent of their favored bush tea rather than the Africans themselves, but that just leads to another problem. Bush tea (better known as rooibos these days) is not particularly strong-smelling. It wouldn't linger after it's been drunk, nor would you be able to smell it from the next room over when it's still in the packet. What a bizarre plot point.
I read this as an ARC via NetGalley.

[Meredith Rankin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a few reviewers have noted that this book moves a bit slowly. I noticed that as well, but honestly, this issues didn’t diminish my enjoyment of it. I don’t expect historical mysteries to move at a neck-breaking speed.

There’s at least one more Alec Lonsdale novel prior to Watchers of the Dead, but it is not necessary to read the books in order. This book works as a standalone.

What I enjoyed:

1. Alec and Hulda
Alec is an extremely sympathetic character. He’s a journalist with The Pall Mall Gazette, a respected London newspaper. Though his fiancee’s father disdains Alec’s investigations into the murder, and repeatedly orders him to cease and desist, Alec refuses. Multiple people are dead. The police have been ordered to declare the deaths natural when they were clearly murder. If an investigative journalist doesn’t snoop around, the dead will not receive justice. He has principles and he’s clearly bothered by this injustice and the exploitation of humans.

Hulda is quite a character. One of my notes reads, “I like her. I think.” It took me a while to warm up to her, but she won me over with her dogged determination, intelligence, and blunt–often abrasive–words. It’s fairly obvious that she and Alec are better suited than Alec and his intended. Oh, and baking allows her to think, she tells others in chapter three, as she presents a plate of lavender biscuits to the Gazette office staff. Questionable flavor aside, anyone who brings baked goods to work is a winner with me.

2. The historical details
Beaufort does a great job making the Victorian era come to life. Obviously, the author’s done a lot of research. We read about everything from the public opinion of evolutionary theory to London’s dismal December weather to the newly-opened Natural History Museum’s interior to the the infamous Broadmoor where poor Maclean lives.

Many of the characters are actual historical persons. It’s really interesting to see how Beaufort works with what is known about these people. This is especially true of Hulda, who was an actual London journalist at the Gazette.

3. The journalism
Years ago, I worked in the local newspaper’s newsroom as a “gofer.” (Person who made coffee, “ran copy” between typesetters and newswriters, did dinner runs for late night employees–usually the sports writers–and answered the phone: you get the idea.) When Beaufort describes the Gazette building, it reminded me so much of my old job site. And yes, the editors could be quite quirky and strongly opinionated, just like those at the Gazette.

The competition between the London papers feels familiar, too, as does the differing attitudes toward news gathering. Some, like Voules, write whatever sells, no matter how outrageous and divorced from the truth. Others, like Lonsdale and Hulda, feel a moral obligation to print the truth and only the truth. This isn’t easy to do, especially when powerful people distort facts, lie, or refuse to speak at all. It often puts the journalists at risk, too. The physical methods of journalism may have changed, but certain other things have not.

These are all strong aspects of the book.

Where the book falters, though, is the actual mystery. It’s good but not spectacular. The reasons for the killings feels weak. I would’ve liked a bit more insight into this aspect. Plus, the plot does move rather slowly, though it builds up steam in the last half of the book.

Overall, though, I truly enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more about Alec Lonsdale and Hulda Friederichs.
4 1/2 stars

blog post will go live on June 24, 2019.

[Pam Ritchie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Watchers of the Dead by Simon Beaufort is set in London, 1882, with the Natural History Museum only recently opened! There are cannibals and dinosaur bones. Yes, three people from Africa are going to be on show, except they've gone missing.

Alec Lonsdale, a reporter for Pall Mall Gazette stumbles on the body in the basement of the Natural History Museum when hunting for the cannibals! This leads him to discover there's been some other murders, and the cannibals are the police's chief suspects!

I found Watchers of the Dead to be full of people from the time, which is really interesting from a historical perspective, but I feel the story fell a bit flat, with quite a lot going on that got a little muddled, and then what felt like big character moments being dealt with in one line.

Crime books are one of my favourite genres, and I read them for different reasons. Cosy crime (which I'm afraid I would lump Golden Age crime in to) is my midnight read, historical for a bit of a history lesson, crime thriller are ones not to read at bedtime because you'll be sucked in to the action.

When I think of historical crime, I think of C.J Sansom (Matthew Shardlake), Lindsey Davis (Falco), and Ellis Peters (Cadfael), and I'm afraid Watchers of the Dead didn't quite measure up to these!

Watchers of the Dead was published on 1st July 2019, and is available to buy on Amazon and on Waterstones. I've found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!

Simon Beaufort is two people! Susanna Gregory and Beau Riffenburgh, who write together under the name Simon Beaufort.

You can follow Susanna Gregory on her website, and you can follow Beau Riffenburgh on this page.

If you're interested in historical crime book, then here's some others I've reviewed:

Season of Darkness by Cora Harrison 🌟🌟🌟

The Confessions of Frannie Langton by Sara Collins 🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Wolf and the Watchman by Niklas Natt och Dag 🌟🌟🌟🌟

I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Severn House (the publishers) for this book.

Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

[Jean Kolinofsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simon Beaufort’s second Victorian mystery to feature Alec Lonsdale begins with the opening of the National History Museum. As a reporter for the Pall Mall Gazette, Lonsdale is covering the opening and has heard rumors of a live exhibit with cannibals. Their disappearance of these cannibals and the discovery of a brutally murdered employee of the museum leads the police to concentrate their investigation strictly on them, ignoring any evidence to the contrary. Lonsdale learns that there have been three previous murders carried out in the same way. Each victim was an influential figure and each case was closed as a death by natural causes. Each victim was also a member of the Garraway Club. As he searches the study of the current victim, he finds letters signed Grim Reaper that allude to an action at Christmas that would call attention to a group called the Watchers. As Lonsdale tries to discover who the Watchers are and what they have planned, the names of the previous victims are also associated with the group and each victim was also found with a piece of a plant known as the Watcher of the Dead.

Lonsdale is assisted by Hulda Friedrichs, another reporter from the Gazette., in his search for the cannibals as well as the Watchers. Although he is engaged to Anne, as his investigation progresses he often compares his very proper fiancé to Hulda, who is not afraid to take chances. The more he works with Hulda, the more he begins to doubt his decision to marry someone who disapproves of his chosen profession.

As the Christmas holiday approaches there is an urgency to discover just what the Watchers have planned. The streets of London, the gentlemen’s clubs and even an asylum for the insane gives the reader a clear picture of Victoria’s England. There are a number of twists and red herrings to keep the story moving and a surprising conclusion. Watchers of the Dead is an entertaining story that I would recommend to fans of historical mysteries.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Severn House for providing this book for my review.

[Sarah Zama · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting a lot more from this mystery, which had a very intriguing premise: a murder is committed in a museum in 1880s London, where ‘cannibals’ are going to be exhibited. I was immediately hooked by the setting (a Victorian museum), even more so when I discovered a secret society was going to be involved. There were so many elements that I love.

But the mystery in itself turned out to be quite messy and random. There was never a clear-cut, logical take at it and the sleuths (reporters of the London magazines and newspapers rather than policemen) seemed to run from one place to another without any strong theory.
The insertions of Lonesdal’s personal life into the narrative and his clear uninterest for his soon-to-be-wife do nothing for the story, aside from distracting for the main plot.

Really, the story was all over the place, and it became more distracting, less likely and less engaging the closer I got to the conclusion so the in the end I really just wanted to be done with it.
Shame, but that’ show I felt.

The historical setting was quite lame and there were many places where I had my doubts about accuracy.
Such a pity. I wanted to love this story.

[Symon Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable. Sadly, though, it's definitely not as good as the first in the series, 'The Mind of a Killer'. Nonetheless, it explores varied attitudes to science, class and race in late Victorian England, in a fairly gentle way through a good plot with engaging characters.

I gather than Simon Beaufort is a pseudonym for two writers working together. One of them is Susanna Gregory, and I have to say this book is very much written in Gregory's usual style (much more so than the first one in this series). It shares many characteristics of Gregory's books in the Matthew Botholomew and Thomas Chalenor series: written in the third person, but only following the thoughts of one character so that it feels almost first-person; the main character bumping into key characters by chance with improbable frequency; a very high number of attempts on the main character's life. But like them, it's also an enjoyable story in a fairly realistic historical setting. I'm certainly looking forward to the third in the series.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

December 1882 and at the opening of the Royal Court of Justice a body is discovered. Then on the opening day of a new exhibition at the Natural History Museum, another body is discovered. But this is not the last. But why the cover-up, as the Commissioner of Police is told to record them as natural deaths. So to the detriment to solving the cases Superintendent Hayes and Inspector Peters are taken off them. But they encourage newspaper reports Alec Londsdale and Hulda Frederichs to investigate, but they only have eight days, with a lot of ground to cover.
I enjoyed this mystery, the second in this well-written series, I especially liked the two main characters.
A NetGalley Book

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very silly book. I took it for a serious novel as I had read the first in the series, which was infinitely better than this one. When I discovered that it was written by Susanna Gregory, the author of the even sillier Matthew Batholemew books, then a lot was explained. Taken in this context much can be forgiven, but what I could not bear was the way in which the main protagonist Alex treated his fiancee Ann. In the last book he couldn't make up to Ann quickly enough and she was the best thing since sliced bread. However, in this book his inconstant affections seem to have moved on to his appalling colleague Hulda, a woman with just about the worst personality in christendom and with absolutely no redeeming features at all. All he seems to do is compare this awful woman to his fiancee Ann, and Ann comes off worst every time. It's clear to see where the author is going with this and I can heartily wish Alec and Hulda well of each other. Ann will be well shot of him. Not recommended reading at all.

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the first book a while ago, recalling that I really liked it. This one, however, I'm declaring a mess. The main character and his colleague, Hulda, were fine, but the rest of were either forgettable, or in large part unlikeable. The "cannibals" angle should never have been accepted by the publisher, obvious that premise was never going to come out right. Changing the narrator was fine with me as I'm a fan of Thorpe's work.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first in this series was quite promising and I had eagerly anticipated this follow-up.

However, the plot of this was somewhat confusing and I found it difficult to engage with the characters.

A major disappointment from an author of this quality.

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for the digital ARC.

[Cindy Ladensack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three and a half stars. Fast-paced mystery centered around two reporters’ investigation of a series of high-profile murders in December 1882. While I liked the premise, the execution felt somewhat rushed and incomplete—events that should have had more exploration were often barreled through to get to the next plot point, and most of the massive cast of characters never felt fully developed.

[Annarella · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was attracted by the blurb and had quite expectations. Unfortunately they were not met as I found the plot confusing and the book fell flat.
Many thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Good Victorian Whodunnit

I thoroughly enjoyed this book . The early 1880's London with its class divides is well portrayed and the characters are are all suitably eccentric to hold you to the last page

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cannibals...dinosaurs...reporters...oddly fascinating...murders...

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first book in this series more than this one.

[Sherry Grooms · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just read a review and save some time. Disappointment!

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a really fun story, intriguing plot, which weaves historical facts and information into a fun, intriguing and fast paced fictional story.

[Marion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook - different narrator from the first one, but another very pleasant "read".

[Fleur · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely brilliant series

Well plotted, well written, great characters, a real feel for the era. An all round thoroughly enjoyable flight of fancy, rooted in historical accuracy.

[Alexa]

These characters weren’t interesting to me and this story feels so slow to start... by the time I got to a point where the plot may start moving forward, I'd completely stop caring about it.

[Heather Bennett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Watcher of the Dead was just not for me. Sometimes a book maybe not for a reviewer. I love Victorian mysteries, but this one I just struggled with.

[Kendra · Rating 2 out of 5]

This si the kind of mystery novel wherein the protagonists do a lot of research, much of it not adding up, then are trapped/kidnapped/accosted by the perpetrator, who monologues about why they're doing what they're doing and then leaves the protagonists to die in an ineffectual and often silly way. The protagonists escape, of course. In this case the plot is accompanied by several red herrings, none of which seem terribly urgent, and the subplot dealing with one protagonist's love life, which is mostly just an annoyance and doesn't ever feel very important. The majority of the characters are pretty flat; the exceptions being one of the investigators, Hulda Friedricks, who is unfortunately still described in sexist terms--at one point being likened to a harpy--and a giddy great-aunt, who, it is implied, is loose with her morals and the bottle, another sexist stereotype.