Description (from cover):
‘Gaslit London is brought to its knees in David Morell’s brilliant historical thriller.
Thomas De Quincey, infamous for his memoir, Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, is the major suspect in a series of ferocious mass murders identical to ones that terrorized London forty-three years earlier.
The blueprint for the killings seems to be De Quincey’s essay ‘On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts.’ Desperate to clear his name but crippled by opium addiction, De Quincey is aided by his devoted daughter Emily and a pair of determined Scotland Yard detectives.
In Murder as a Fine Art, David Morell plucks De Quincey, Victorian London, and the Ratcliffe Highway murders from history. Fogbound streets become a battleground between a literary star and a brilliant murderer whose lives are linked by secrets long buried but never forgotten.’
My thoughts:
This was historical murder thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. Twists and turns are all over this story and I simply couldn’t put this one down. This book is not for the faint of heart or people who do not like to read about gory murder details. They are in abundance in this book and it is quite gruesome in areas. But the genius of David Morell shines throughout this book and rumor has it this is the first book in a planned trilogy. If the other books are as good as this one, this trilogy will be quite famous among historical mystery lovers.
I loved this book. I don’t even know where to start. The eccentric ways of the main character Thomas De Quincy and his patient and understanding daughter Emily make these characters unforgettable. Scotland Yard Detectives Ryan and Becker are so endearing that you root for them all along the way and hope that they will succeed in bringing down a ruthless killer who is obsessed with the past. I stand firm in stating that this book will be a huge hit. Fantastic writing, fantastic characters and a murder mystery that left me begging for more.
De Quincey is most famous for his memoir about his own addiction to opium and while the opium has destroyed his life, his mind is in superb form. Scotland Yard first suspects him of being the murderer but they quickly realize their error and use his brilliance to help them with their investigations. No one is safe. London is in a panic as everyone feels that they can’t trust anyone even the police whose duty it is to protect the public. Friends turn against friends and mobs run rampant in the foggy streets. A great read that really set the tone of Victorian London and mixed a thriller that left me enthralled from page one.
Overall Rating: 5+
Title: Murder as a Fine Art
Author: David Morell
Series: N/A
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Publication Date: May 7, 2013
Pages: 368
Genre: Historical Mystery
Get It: Amazon; Barnes and Noble
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Disclaimer: This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for my honest review. I reviewed this book without compensation of any kind. All thoughts and opinions are solely mine.
Girl Lost In a Book 
I haven't read a mystery other than a cozy for a long time—so this should be a nice change, historical with some gore.suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
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I love mysteries, especially historical mysteries. So, this is right up my alley!
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I am fascinating by the era, and I love “historical mystery thillers” and I love Scotland Yard stories so much. I want to read this book so much!!!CarolNWong(at)aol(dot)com
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I'd love to read it since I love mysteries, but have yet to read a historical one!
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I am captivated with this author and the historical thriller that sounds intriguing. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
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