The House on Vesper Sands
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- Create Date：2021-01-13 04:16:49
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Paraic O'Donnell
- ISBN：9781951142247
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Summary
Notes From Your Bookseller
Such a brilliant cast of characters in this fantastical novel！ This novel is so rich with description of the setting， it feels like we're living in Victorian England。 The fog and snow， at times， had me worrying I'd catch a "death of a cold"and it would have been worth it！ I became engrossed in every character I was introduced to， no matter how brief or extended their stay in the story。 Gideon Bliss and Inspector Cutter would have starring roles if there were ever such thing as a "Victorian buddy plot movie。" Serious fun in this one！
An Irish Times and Guardian Book of the Year
A January Indie Next Pick
London， 1893: high up in a house on a dark， snowy night， a lone seamstress stands by a window。 So begins the swirling， serpentine world of Paraic O’Donnell’s Victorian-inspired mystery， the story of a city cloaked in shadow， but burning with questions: why does the seamstress jump from the window？ Why is a cryptic message stitched into her skin？ And how is she connected to a rash of missing girls， all of whom seem to have disappeared under similar circumstances？
On the case is Inspector Cutter， a detective as sharp and committed to his work as he is wryly hilarious。 Gideon Bliss， a Cambridge dropout in love with one of the missing girls， stumbles into a role as Cutter’s sidekick。 And clever young journalist Octavia Hillingdon sees the case as a chance to tell a story that mattersdespite her employer’s preference that she stick to a women’s society column。 As Inspector Cutter peels back the mystery layer by layer， he leads them all， at last， to the secrets that lie hidden at the house on Vesper Sands。
By turns smart， surprising， and impossible to put down， The House on Vesper Sands offers a glimpse into the strange undertow of late nineteenth-century London and the secrets we all hold inside us。
Editor Reviews
★ 11/02/2020
In Irish writer O’Donnell’s stellar historical， his stateside debut， 1893 London is abuzz with stories about the Spiriters， a shadowy group allegedly led by the wealthy Lord Strythe that’s said to steal the souls of working-class women。 One winter night， seamstress Esther Tull jumps to her death from a window in Strythe’s home trying to escape from her usual work stitching intricate white gowns to the measurements of women she never sees。 After Inspector Cutter of New Scotland Yard unsuccessfully seeks Strythe for questioning about Tull’s death， Cutter connects the case to the plight of former millinery worker Angela Tatton， who speaks deliriously about dark air and brightness and is confined to a hospital。 Rev。 Herbert Neuilly， who lives in the same boarding house as Cutter， had ministered to Tatton and other poor， sickly， young women。 Neuilly， like Strythe， has gone missing， and his nephew， Cambridge divinity student Gideon Bliss， arrives in London concerned for him。 Cutter brings Bliss along when he travels to Vesper Sands， the home of Strythe’s only living relation， hoping Strythe is hiding there。 There they face mortal danger before learning the truth about the Spiriters。 Making smart use of classic gothic imagery， O’Donnell excels at concocting eerie scenes。 Yet he’s also very funny， particularly in exchanges between the profane Cutter and the verbose but perceptive Bliss。 Fans of Sarah Perry （not to mention Dickens and Wilkie Collins） will be captivated by this marvelous feat。 （Jan。）
Reviews
B&NMarieC
，
The spirtualist movement is so interesting and mysterious—there's spiriters， mediums， ghosts， and even a mention of Madame Blavatsky herself—and makes for a great foundation at the heart of this novel。 Paraic O'Donnell really delivers in House on Vesper Sands with a cast of incredible characters， mysterious disappearances， and a little bit of murder。 I couldn't put this book down！
Laura
，
DNFI had high hopes for this book， but it feel flat from the start。 I don’t know why folk rave about Octavia because at over 200 pages in the most she had done was ride a bike around London。 Cutter & Bliss didn’t grab my imagination and I just got bored。 So bored I couldn’t even skim the last 150 pages。
Nelda Brangwin
，
This isn’t your standard Victorian Gothic novel， part mystery， part fantasy。 When a seamstress falls to her death a police investigation is launched and a newspaper woman， a theology student and a determined， brusque police detective are sent into a hunt for men who are turning women into ghosts。 As I write this， my description does not sound that appealing， but believe me， once the reader is enmeshed in the story line and the interesting set of characters， it turns into a compelling read。 It is This isn’t your standard Victorian Gothic novel， part mystery， part fantasy。 When a seamstress falls to her death a police investigation is launched and a newspaper woman， a theology student and a determined， brusque police detective are sent into a hunt for men who are turning women into ghosts。 As I write this， my description does not sound that appealing， but believe me， once the reader is enmeshed in the story line and the interesting set of characters， it turns into a compelling read。 It is tense and well-paced， and the quiet， almost monotone voices the narrator gave to some of the characters fit will。 。。。more
Lara
，
I felt like this 400 hundred page book really didn't get going until the last 100 pages。 Mr。 O'Donnell is good with words， but I think his editor should have helped more with the story。 I felt like this 400 hundred page book really didn't get going until the last 100 pages。 Mr。 O'Donnell is good with words， but I think his editor should have helped more with the story。 。。。more
Raelyn Torngren
，
Thank you to Tin House and HighBridge Audio for this advanced listener copy for review。 The House of Vesper Sands is a Victorian mystery firmly rooted in the tradition of Sherlock Holmes。 The story follows detective duo Gideon Bliss and Inspector Cutter as they attempt to find the connection between a string of missing girls and the seamstress who just committed suicide and whose skin bears a mysterious message。 Gideon is a delightful character， and the writing is atmospheric to a tee， but I hav Thank you to Tin House and HighBridge Audio for this advanced listener copy for review。 The House of Vesper Sands is a Victorian mystery firmly rooted in the tradition of Sherlock Holmes。 The story follows detective duo Gideon Bliss and Inspector Cutter as they attempt to find the connection between a string of missing girls and the seamstress who just committed suicide and whose skin bears a mysterious message。 Gideon is a delightful character， and the writing is atmospheric to a tee， but I have to admit that I was mostly bored while listening to this one。 The beginning was entertaining， but as more characters are introduced—and less plot—I had a hard time following what was happening—or rather， not happening—and by the end when the culprit is revealed， I couldn’t really remember who they were。 Since it’s a Victorian mystery， I fully expected there to be a dramatic parlor scene with a flashy reveal—and there was， only I was left disappointed。 The villain is revealed and gets his comeuppance， but it felt too standard， just…lacking。 [𝚖𝚒𝚗𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚛𝚜]About halfway through the narrative， a supernatural element gets introduced to the story。 I was all for it， but also slightly confused as to if this was meant to be shocking， or if I had missed something while listening （entirely possible）。 This is one of the reasons I think I may have enjoyed this one better on the page。 But also， the supernatural element added to my disappointment in the rather bland parlor scene/finale。 。。。more
Shilo
，
The House on Vesper Sands is a tale filled with fantastical intrigue and a sort of dark whimsy juxtaposed against a classic Sherlockian type mystery。 The story moves between the pov of Gideon a young man preparing to be a clergyman but playing at being a police sergeant， and Octavia， a society reporter possessed with the light of someone coming into her own power。 It is set in the late 1800's in London and the nearby coast， and is filled with all you would desire in a mystery and a great deal of The House on Vesper Sands is a tale filled with fantastical intrigue and a sort of dark whimsy juxtaposed against a classic Sherlockian type mystery。 The story moves between the pov of Gideon a young man preparing to be a clergyman but playing at being a police sergeant， and Octavia， a society reporter possessed with the light of someone coming into her own power。 It is set in the late 1800's in London and the nearby coast， and is filled with all you would desire in a mystery and a great deal of unexpected elements as well。 。。。more
Cait McKay
，
A strong opening pulls us directly into the spooky fold; a seamstress with a secret hurls herself from a very important man's very high attic window。The House on Vesper Sands has all of the hallmarks of a Victorian throw-back; mazes of manners， decrepit mansions， and gin-soaked police populate a scuzzy world of destitute working girls， complicated family histories， and genteel young men all-aflutter。The Spiritualist movement is in full-swing and a cloaked and creepy group of "Spiriters" may be r A strong opening pulls us directly into the spooky fold; a seamstress with a secret hurls herself from a very important man's very high attic window。The House on Vesper Sands has all of the hallmarks of a Victorian throw-back; mazes of manners， decrepit mansions， and gin-soaked police populate a scuzzy world of destitute working girls， complicated family histories， and genteel young men all-aflutter。The Spiritualist movement is in full-swing and a cloaked and creepy group of "Spiriters" may be responsible for a rash of disappearances amongst the derelict waifs of the workhouse。 There are shades of From Hell and other modern takes soaking the pages， and I was briefly worried early on that we were in for another Jack the Ripper rag when characters were being shepherded off to investigate in Whitechapel。 Luckily that worry was in vain; the mystery culprit of those murders does not play at all within the mysteries of this novel。"I don't believe in angels， Miss Hillingdon。 Why should I start believing in devils？"The supernatural whispers and winds around our three protagonists; and they all approach it with a stiff upper lip and an eye for the curious。 Unfortunately， we don't see many of these ideas and hunts through their eyes; they tell us word-for-word exactly what they are thinking， doing， seeing， and saying。 The presentation of action is almost operatic; our three protagonists all belong to the school of "park and bark"。 A gruff but curious detective， a plucky bicycle-riding female reporter （BIG shades of gothic girl scout。 Please sir， gimme a chance to write about MORE than balls and society！）， and a hopelessly besotted young divinity student shout monologues at each other on nearly every single page。 If， for some reason， one of these characters is incapacitated， then their thoughts and actions will still be broadcast to the reader through pages of articles written or crime-scene notes taken。 It would be exhausting if it weren't for the chapter-ending "zinger" moments that keep the creep factor cranked up high。 The monologuing goes over the edge within the last 100 of this 400 page book; nearly the entire final quarter is weirdos， side characters， and villains giving their "this is how I did it， and I'll do it to you too！" speeches with guns trained （sometimes literally） on captive audiences。 The silliness of it all propelled the final hours into a Crimson Peak-esque melodrama wrapped in moldering black lace。 The bones of something stark and creepy rest somewhere within this story; it feels like a screenplay stretched into a book， or perhaps a series was planned but combined into one tome instead。 There are moments of pure horror， but you'll have to dig through a good deal of hot air to find them。 I received this ARC from the Tin House Galley Club in exchange for a fair and honest review 。。。more
Ashley
，
tThe atmosphere of this book is delightfully gothic at heart。 O’Donnell takes us to foggy London in 1893， where a seamstress jumps from a windowsill。 Inspector Cutter， Gideon Bliss， and Octavia entangle themselves in this mystery as they unearth the secrets of The House on Vesper Sands。 tO’Donnell immerses the reader into the supernatural world of 19th century London。 Though， I felt the supernatural aspect was lacking a bit。 It was almost the end of the book when I remembered that this book had tThe atmosphere of this book is delightfully gothic at heart。 O’Donnell takes us to foggy London in 1893， where a seamstress jumps from a windowsill。 Inspector Cutter， Gideon Bliss， and Octavia entangle themselves in this mystery as they unearth the secrets of The House on Vesper Sands。 tO’Donnell immerses the reader into the supernatural world of 19th century London。 Though， I felt the supernatural aspect was lacking a bit。 It was almost the end of the book when I remembered that this book had fantasy and supernatural elements to it。 The mystery itself felt too “real” in a sense-making me believe that I was going to be let down by the unraveling of the mystery。 I wasn’t， but for a while， it felt that way。 tI think O'Donnell does an excellent job at writing a Victorian mystery， but I think the numerous genres he bundled into the story made it “muddy”。 The mystery and gothic nature were there， but the supernatural and fantasy aspects felt lackluster， almost as if they could have been done away with。 Though the conclusion does hinge on supernatural elements， I felt that the story could have been written just as well without them。 tOverall， I did enjoy this book， it just felt muddled at some points， and that drew me away from the story。 Maybe on a second read， I’d enjoy it more （especially since I’d remember that it’s a supernatural/fantasy story）。 The ending hints at a possible continuation of Cutter， Bliss， and Octavia working together again。 If that is accurate， I am very intrigued to see where O’Donnell leads them next。 。。。more
Brittany Baker
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Reasons this book is fantastic: its wonderful Victorian London/Gothic ambience， the unusual and interesting characters， multiple surprising twists， its frequent funny dialogue/interactions， and at its core， a page-turning （supernatural？？） mystery。
Susan
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Audiobook provided by NetGalley and HighBridge Audio in exchange for an honest review。O'Donnell's novel fully immerses readers in Victorian London and has the feel of novels written during that time。 Starting with the death of a young woman that has sewed a cryptic message into her own skin， THE HOUSE ON VESPER SANDS is told in two different story arcs where readers meet a bicycle riding （scandalous！） Octavia Hillingdon who is determined to be taken seriously as a journalist and Cambridge schola Audiobook provided by NetGalley and HighBridge Audio in exchange for an honest review。O'Donnell's novel fully immerses readers in Victorian London and has the feel of novels written during that time。 Starting with the death of a young woman that has sewed a cryptic message into her own skin， THE HOUSE ON VESPER SANDS is told in two different story arcs where readers meet a bicycle riding （scandalous！） Octavia Hillingdon who is determined to be taken seriously as a journalist and Cambridge scholar Gideon Bliss who is in London to meet his uncle - who is missing。 After a night where a young woman he has feelings for goes missing as well under strange circumstances， Bliss happens to be in the right place at the right time to pretend to be a police sergeant to try and enlist the help of surly Inspector Cutter to help him find both missing persons。 The dynamic between Bliss and Cutter is entertaining and I appreciated how it grew throughout the novel。 As with most good Victorian novels， all is not as it appears and there is a rash of missing girls that seems to be tied with the growing mysticism trend in high society。Overall this was an enjoyable read， it's a slow moving story， but this is on par for a Victorian novel。 The mystery was entertaining and the main characters were interesting。 The conclusion was a bit odd and wasn't as fleshed out as I was hoping given how much of the story was spent leading up to the climax。 I felt like not all loose ends were tied up。 Charles Armstrong does a good job with the audiobook and I think this story was enhanced by listening to it。 。。。more
Faith Hurst-Bilinski
，
The House on Vesper Sands is a tale of a lot of things that seem disconnected。 Crimes happening all over that， if you can get to it， do come together in the end。 Unfortunately， it was a slog for me to get to that point and the pay off was good enough to redeem the story some， but not make the previous ten hours enjoyable。 The narrator had a good voice and he expressed the right mood。 However， it was sometimes hard to distinguish characters。
Lauren
，
A beautifully-rendered Victorian mystery with a supernatural twist。On a snowy night in 1890s London， a seamstress with a cryptic message stitched into her skin jumps from a window。 Her death follows a series of disappearances of working-class girls， rumors of Spiriters， and the entanglement of the upper echelon of society with the occult。 On the case is an unlikely trio: a stiff but soft-hearted detective， a divinity college drop out in love with one of the missing girls， and bicycle-riding fema A beautifully-rendered Victorian mystery with a supernatural twist。On a snowy night in 1890s London， a seamstress with a cryptic message stitched into her skin jumps from a window。 Her death follows a series of disappearances of working-class girls， rumors of Spiriters， and the entanglement of the upper echelon of society with the occult。 On the case is an unlikely trio: a stiff but soft-hearted detective， a divinity college drop out in love with one of the missing girls， and bicycle-riding female journalist。 From secret ceremonies in London to the mysterious house on Vesper Sands， they all have a role to play in uncovering the strange and sordid crimes and bringing their perpetrators to justice。A haunting and beautiful tale to read on a dark winter night！ 。。。more
Kelly
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 ***Thanks to HighBridge Audio via NetGalley for providing a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review。*** The story of mysterious goings on in late-19th century London， The House on Vesper Sands transported me through both time and place。 I enjoyed the unique premise: several seemingly unrelated incidents eventually appear to be linked as a pattern of violence against young， poor working girls who share in common some mystical quality。 I think this story was harder for me to get on ***Thanks to HighBridge Audio via NetGalley for providing a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review。*** The story of mysterious goings on in late-19th century London， The House on Vesper Sands transported me through both time and place。 I enjoyed the unique premise: several seemingly unrelated incidents eventually appear to be linked as a pattern of violence against young， poor working girls who share in common some mystical quality。 I think this story was harder for me to get on board with and follow along closely to because I listened to the audiobook; I wish I had read it instead。 I was confused a few times by the minor characters， and the multiple or similar names characters shared。 The setting， which I don't encounter often in my reading， may also have been trickier than normal。 A fine historical mystery， presented by an excellent narrator。 。。。more
Samantha
，
After finishing this book I’m still unclear on whether it aspired to be a mystery or a ghost story， but unfortunately it failed at both。 I love Victorian mysteries and most ghost stories and I’m not terribly picky about either， so this one should have been a slam dunk。 Alas， the book is nothing like what it was purported to be。 I find misleading publishers summaries to be one of the most irritating things in the world， and this one was especially off the mark。 I was gearing up for a slightly cre After finishing this book I’m still unclear on whether it aspired to be a mystery or a ghost story， but unfortunately it failed at both。 I love Victorian mysteries and most ghost stories and I’m not terribly picky about either， so this one should have been a slam dunk。 Alas， the book is nothing like what it was purported to be。 I find misleading publishers summaries to be one of the most irritating things in the world， and this one was especially off the mark。 I was gearing up for a slightly creepy historical mystery helmed by clever protagonists。What I got was a bleating， absurdist mess mostly comprised of incessantly bickering characters that was clearly intended to be funny but was instead exceptionally obnoxious。 So obnoxious that the story itself （which might actually have made for a fine mystery） became completely irrelevant。 I don’t love absurdist humor， largely because most authors aren’t good at it， and this book was sadly no exception to that rule。 And of course， despite being so prevalent as to take over the book， there wasn’t even a hint of this in the summary or I would have steered far clear of it。 I also don’t love an out of left field supernatural element tossed into an otherwise reality-based mystery， but this book lost me far before that even came up。 For audiobook readers: This format didn’t help and may have made it worst。 The narrator’s exaggerated vocalizations for the absurd arguments between characters make them even more cringey than they already are in written form。 *I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。* 。。。more
Jen Borden
，
So grateful to HighBridge audio and NetGalley for this audio book。 This is such a breath of fresh air。 If you are sick of girls locked in basements with serial killers， WWII heroines， or teenagers who are mad at the system， this book is fo you。 Gabriel Bliss goes to find his uncle， a clergyman， but instead runs into a drunken sargent， and ends up working for Scotland Yard under Cutter。 The dialog between them is great。 They are looking for men who are killing young women who have an aura。 Enter So grateful to HighBridge audio and NetGalley for this audio book。 This is such a breath of fresh air。 If you are sick of girls locked in basements with serial killers， WWII heroines， or teenagers who are mad at the system， this book is fo you。 Gabriel Bliss goes to find his uncle， a clergyman， but instead runs into a drunken sargent， and ends up working for Scotland Yard under Cutter。 The dialog between them is great。 They are looking for men who are killing young women who have an aura。 Enter Octavia， a plucky reporter and London society， and you have a great mystery book。 This is the first in a series and I can’t wait for the sequel。 。。。more
Stacie Lauren
，
If you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes and last year's novel， Things in Jars， I think you will really enjoy The House on Vesper Sands。 Set in Victorian London， some missing girls and a stitched message on a seamstresses arm sets off a hunt to solve a mystery。 Inspector Cutter and his Sergeant Gideon Bliss （but not really a sergeant because he is really a theology school dropout） must figure out what happened to the missing girls and what they all have in common。 Along the way their paths cross with If you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes and last year's novel， Things in Jars， I think you will really enjoy The House on Vesper Sands。 Set in Victorian London， some missing girls and a stitched message on a seamstresses arm sets off a hunt to solve a mystery。 Inspector Cutter and his Sergeant Gideon Bliss （but not really a sergeant because he is really a theology school dropout） must figure out what happened to the missing girls and what they all have in common。 Along the way their paths cross with Octavia Hillingdon， a female journalist determined to tell important stories rather than just fluff pieces。 Part mystery， part supernatural， the story is solidly built around strong characters。 This story was fun to listen to for me。 The audio reader has a great accent and did multiple voices for the various male and female characters so the listener could easily follow along。 Some parts of this story were a little slow for me and I found myself drifting off a few times。 Maybe it was the melodic British accent？ It was a good story and I enjoyed it， but I'm not sure how much it will stick with me over time。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to a free copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Maureen Tumenas
，
Yet another one that simply was not my type of book。 This was kind of like an Agatha Christie， but I just could not get into the characters or the story。 The narrator was fine。
Angela
，
I received this and as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review。 Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for giving me access。London in the 1890's with a mystery？ Yes please。Listening to The House on Vesper Sands was an experience。 Not in the fact that it was full cast -- because it wasn't -- but because I just absolutely love the era in which it takes place。 Although I usually am reading about a woman in the MC's place of a story like this， O'Donnell still keeps me captivat I received this and as an eARC to read for free in exchange for my honest review。 Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for giving me access。London in the 1890's with a mystery？ Yes please。Listening to The House on Vesper Sands was an experience。 Not in the fact that it was full cast -- because it wasn't -- but because I just absolutely love the era in which it takes place。 Although I usually am reading about a woman in the MC's place of a story like this， O'Donnell still keeps me captivated with Gideon's character。 This was， overall， a very enjoyable story with a smidgen of darkness to please my soul。 。。。more
Caroline Bartlett
，
Read my full review here: https://www。howdidthatbookend。com/hou。。。 I don’t read much historical fiction or Victorian mysteries， so I wasn’t sure if I would like this book going into it。 I’m so glad I took the chance on it， though， because I really enjoyed it！ The atmosphere of this wonderful spooky mystery pulled you right into the London fog。 I thought the characters were incredibly well-written。 The banter between Cutter and Gideon had me chuckling out loud， and provided comic relief to the he Read my full review here: https://www。howdidthatbookend。com/hou。。。 I don’t read much historical fiction or Victorian mysteries， so I wasn’t sure if I would like this book going into it。 I’m so glad I took the chance on it， though， because I really enjoyed it！ The atmosphere of this wonderful spooky mystery pulled you right into the London fog。 I thought the characters were incredibly well-written。 The banter between Cutter and Gideon had me chuckling out loud， and provided comic relief to the heaviness of the topic。 I enjoyed Octavia as well as the dogged reporter。 The plot was interesting， but as I haven’t read much in this genre I don’t have much to compare it to。 I’m still undecided on how I feel about paranormal novels， but I believe it worked in this case。 As a police procedural， it was entertaining but left a little to be desired as far as suspense and how the information was presented。 The House on Vesper Sands reminded me a bit of The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle， if only because I don’t often read books from this time period。 The audiobook styles were similar as well （perhaps even the same narrator？ I should check）。 I regretted listening to Evelyn instead of reading a physical copy， but Vesper Sands was much easier to follow。 I could also see this appealing to fans of Tana French。 It seemed like the ending left an opening for a sequel， and I would love to see these characters again in another novel。 Many thanks to Tin House Publishing for an advanced reader’s copy and to RB Media and NetGalley for an audiobook version。 The House on Vesper Sands will be available in the US on January 12， 2021。 。。。more
Andrea Johnson
，
3。5 stars。 This sounded intriguing to me， a gothic mystery， but I found it a bit confusing。 Perhaps it was the supernatural aspect that I had difficulty following。 Some lovely writing and I liked some of the characters， particularly the relationship between Inspector Cutter and Bliss。 Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the ARC。
Kay Renée
，
Historical mystery is one of my favorite genres， and this is exactly the type of book I gravitate toward within it。 Though it was a bit slow to start ， once it got going I found the pace and the story to be quite enjoyable。 This definitely could have been 4 stars from me， but it took so long to hook me it’s closer to 3。5。I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator was pleasant and enjoyable， I’d definitely recommend listening to this one。Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ALC of th Historical mystery is one of my favorite genres， and this is exactly the type of book I gravitate toward within it。 Though it was a bit slow to start ， once it got going I found the pace and the story to be quite enjoyable。 This definitely could have been 4 stars from me， but it took so long to hook me it’s closer to 3。5。I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator was pleasant and enjoyable， I’d definitely recommend listening to this one。Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an ALC of this title。 。。。more
Liz
，
This Victorian mystery gives us a crazy trio of characters。 Gideon Bliss is a Cambridge dropout， who purposely allows a case of mistaken identity to pretend to be a police sergeant。 His motive is so he can track down a young lady who has gone missing。 He’s working with Detective Inspector Cutter， who is researching the suspicious death of a young seamstress。 And then， there’s Octavia Hillingdon， a young reporter who’s tired of reporting on “women’s issues”。 O’Donnell gives us a great atmospheric This Victorian mystery gives us a crazy trio of characters。 Gideon Bliss is a Cambridge dropout， who purposely allows a case of mistaken identity to pretend to be a police sergeant。 His motive is so he can track down a young lady who has gone missing。 He’s working with Detective Inspector Cutter， who is researching the suspicious death of a young seamstress。 And then， there’s Octavia Hillingdon， a young reporter who’s tired of reporting on “women’s issues”。 O’Donnell gives us a great atmospheric mystery with overtones of Sherlock Holmes。 There’s a wry humor to this story， especially when Cutter is at the forefront。 This isn’t a fast paced story and at times， I felt it could have done with a better editing job。 But then， those golden age detective stories never were fast paced。 Be aware， there is a supernatural element to this story。 I am not a fan of the paranormal， so I wasn’t enthralled by this aspect of the story。 The plot hinges on it， so there’s no escaping it。 Charles Armstrong is the narrator and he perfectly captures the tone of the story。 My thanks to netgalley and Highbridge Audio for an advance copy of this audiobook。 。。。more
Melissa
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Mystery set in 1893 London。 I received this from a Goodreads giveaway。 I liked it although it was often sad。 Definitely recommend。
Shannon
，
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to listen to the audio version of this book。 This book is outside my reading norm and after being introduced to all the characters， and having time to get acclimated to the accents， I was thoroughly hooked。 The relationship between Inspector Cutter and Bliss made me laugh out loud。 I would have liked to read more from Octavia’s point of view as I found her to be tenacious in her curiosity and truth seeking。 At about the 3/4 mark the story got a little too supe Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to listen to the audio version of this book。 This book is outside my reading norm and after being introduced to all the characters， and having time to get acclimated to the accents， I was thoroughly hooked。 The relationship between Inspector Cutter and Bliss made me laugh out loud。 I would have liked to read more from Octavia’s point of view as I found her to be tenacious in her curiosity and truth seeking。 At about the 3/4 mark the story got a little too supernatural for me and I wasn’t sure I was going to stick with it， but I’m glad I did as the action picked up nicely at the end。 This book left the ending open enough for another book with the same characters， and I would enjoy reading with them again。 。。。more
Ady
，
The House on Vesper Sands by Paraic O’DonnellFirst， the disclaimer: I received this as an audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 The opinions that I express are my own and are not influenced by having received this ARC for free。 The good: This is a classic-style mystery set in Victorian London， so get prepared for a wonderfully atmospheric gaslamp setting。 The characters are the cookie-cutter characters that are part of the allure of classic-style mysteries though and I was a The House on Vesper Sands by Paraic O’DonnellFirst， the disclaimer: I received this as an audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 The opinions that I express are my own and are not influenced by having received this ARC for free。 The good: This is a classic-style mystery set in Victorian London， so get prepared for a wonderfully atmospheric gaslamp setting。 The characters are the cookie-cutter characters that are part of the allure of classic-style mysteries though and I was able to delight in them。 Inspector Cutter， Gideon， and Octavia are all quite likable and there are some amusing exchanges between long-winded Gideon and gruff Inspector Cutter。 The bad: The plot was a little thin to me as a mystery due to implausible coincidences and supernatural occurrences。 I did not realize that this would be part Victorian mystery， part gothic， and part fantasy when I started reading this book， but to me， it felt as though the book didn’t quite know what it wanted to be。Who should read this？: I think that fans of Stuart Turton would also likely enjoy Paraic O’Donnell’s writing。 They both seem to specialize in genre mash-ups。 CAWPILE Total: 43CAWPILE Average: 6。143 Star Rating: 3。5 starsREAD ON AUDIO ARC – 10 hrs。 21 mins。 / 406 pages 。。。more
Lee Behlman
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I had a lot of fun with this neo-Victorian gothic suspense novel。 I picked it up after Benjamin Dreyer raved about it on Twitter， and it reminded me a bit of Mark Frost's entertaining "The List of 7，" but this one is better。 I had a lot of fun with this neo-Victorian gothic suspense novel。 I picked it up after Benjamin Dreyer raved about it on Twitter， and it reminded me a bit of Mark Frost's entertaining "The List of 7，" but this one is better。 。。。more
Aly
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The characters are what made this story interesting for me。 Gideon is smart， but trips over himself when he gets flustered。 He's in love with a woman and is willing to do whatever it takes to find her after she goes missing。 Inspector Cutter is great， he's an amazing detective with no patience for others and I really enjoyed his back and forth with Gideon。 And best for last， Octavia。 She's a journalist trying to break big stories in a time where women weren't even really working in professional The characters are what made this story interesting for me。 Gideon is smart， but trips over himself when he gets flustered。 He's in love with a woman and is willing to do whatever it takes to find her after she goes missing。 Inspector Cutter is great， he's an amazing detective with no patience for others and I really enjoyed his back and forth with Gideon。 And best for last， Octavia。 She's a journalist trying to break big stories in a time where women weren't even really working in professional settings。 Octavia never gives up and I want to be her sidekick！The plot was a bit difficult to follow at times and I wasn't sure if there were paranormal things happening or not。 Some of the side characters were hard to keep straight and the ending to the mystery left me with questions。 I think there's some great potential for more crime solving with Cutter， Octavia， and Gideon as a team。 They have a nice dynamic and if there are more books， I will check them out！I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
N
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This is a good novel。 A mismatched pair including an over-educated divinity student Gideon teamed up with quickwitted ，impatient ，sharp and brusque Inspector Cutter。 Throw in bicycle riding Octavia， a go getting society columnist and you have a novel that is eerie yet humorous。 This is not your usual chilling Victorian murder mystery。 Is it a murder mystery， a thriller， a literary drama or social commentary on 1890s London showing power imbalance and gender bias？ All in all， it’s good storytelli This is a good novel。 A mismatched pair including an over-educated divinity student Gideon teamed up with quickwitted ，impatient ，sharp and brusque Inspector Cutter。 Throw in bicycle riding Octavia， a go getting society columnist and you have a novel that is eerie yet humorous。 This is not your usual chilling Victorian murder mystery。 Is it a murder mystery， a thriller， a literary drama or social commentary on 1890s London showing power imbalance and gender bias？ All in all， it’s good storytelling from beginning to end。 Satisfying with the compelling plot。 It’s an evocative， atmospheric read with engaging characters。 I recommend it to anyone who wants to laugh but have goosebumps at the same time。 Thanks to Goodreads Giveaways and Tin House books for the complementary copy。 。。。more
Marian
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This book was pretty good。 It is set in 1893 and is a gothic mystery。 The three main characters were well written and quite charming。 It starts with a death of a seamstress and then a female reporter starts to investigate other missing girls and is sure they must be related。 This was a well told story。I was given a complimentary audio copy of this book through NetGalley。
Nicole Parnell
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Thank you #netGalley for the gifted copy。 I enjoyed this dark mysterious gothic tale set in Victorian London。 @netgalley
Veronica Moreno-Nestojko
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