Mayhem (Dr. Thomas Bond #1) by Sarah Pinborough

Final Rating: 4.4/5

 History and Horror with every turn of the page

  I admit this time of year always plays fiendish tricks with my imagination and working at night, I can’t but notice the creeping fog that surrounds me on my brief nocturnal intermissions or the crumpled leaves swirling toward the vintage themed light poles and the only sounds echoed are those of footsteps buffeted by the chilling wind. If I let it, my mind can conjure quite the scene and a craving to delve into the dark mysteries of history. That craving is always hard to ignore and has me searching for a certain “something” to satisfy. A formulated scary movie or ghost documentary simply won’t do- I want a twisted thrill that fools with reality but also be educated at the same time. Surprisingly I found just that special seasonal “something” with finally picking up Mayhem (Dr. Thomas Bond #1) by Sarah Pinborough.

  It saddens me that it took me this long to purchase and sit down with this title, but in this case: better late than never and this was a much needed treat with History and Horror with every turn of the page. It seems this novel was waiting for me with its careful attention to unsolved historic crimes (particularly centering on the Whitechapel Murders, The Thames Torso Murders and the Pinchin Street torso), impressive injection of Slavic Folklore, gritty (though elegant) symbolism, and Classic Gothic-styled passages; so I was willing to be patient in the measured beginning and just go with the constant time shifts but I cannot deny it did become hard at certain times. Still overall the fantastic scenes the passages stirred (with an admitted nightmare or two when it came to the dinner scene and the final act) were all worth the wait and I eagerly look forward to following Dr. Thomas Bond with Murder (Dr. Thomas Bond #2). 

-purchased and read on nook 


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