When a vengeful, sadistic killer terrorizes London twenty years before Jack the Ripper will stalk its same streets, an unlikely duo is prompted to investigate: one of Britain’s first female physicians, Dr. Julia Lewis, and Scotland Yard’s Inspector Richard Tennant, a Crimean War veteran with lingering physical and psychological wounds.
In the winter of 1866, Inspector Tennant calls Dr. Lewis to examine a murder victim. When Dr. Julia Lewis joins the investigation instead of her grandfather, Dr. Andrew Lewis, the officers at Scotland Yard are bemused and, later on, impressed. Especially lead investigator Inspector Richard Tennant. Murder by Lamplight by Patrice McDonough is an excellent debut mystery and (hopefully) the start of a new historical mystery series set in Victorian England.
Historical mystery with educational benefits
Author Patrice McDonough is a historian and her background may be one reason this book not only tells a compelling story but also shares facts from Victorian England between 1830 to the mid-1860s. We learn about London’s cholera epidemics, life in Britain’s workhouses, STIs in an age before penicillin, the Crimean War, and the lives and rights of women and the LGBTQ community in Victorian England — even members of the upper classes.
Like here when describing the raid of a ‘molly house’, where gay men meet:
At the doorway, the major stopped. “Our names—will they be recorded?”
“Yes. But they’ll be buried in a large case file. No charges will be brought.”
The major rested his forehead against the frame. “Christ,” he whispered. He moved to leave and stopped again. “All we want is to live our lives without fear or harassment. You…” He swept his arm and dropped it at his side. “The police and the world make that impossible.
Donough’s Dr. Julia Lewis is a heroine in the tradition of Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell and Dr. Elizabeth Garrett Anderson. Fighting for her right to practice medicine as a female doctor as much as her right to be her own person even though she’s ‘just’ a woman, she sees this case as an additional chance to prove that women are just as capable as men. Especially to uptight Inspector Tennant.
Seeming all professional and distant on the outside, Richard Tennant had a tumultuous history himself. Coming from money and a good family, this fortune turns, and after serving his duty in the military and being critically wounded in the Crimean War, he returns home and joins Scotland Yard.
An interesting and illustrious cast of side characters who add their share to the story joins the two main characters and some of them will probably turn up again in another book of the series.
New series on the horizon?
Murder by Lamplight — a title that rather conveys a certain mood than describing an actual scene in the book — works as the first book of a new historical mysteries series. As such, it sets the tone and establishes the main characters, their relationships with each other, and the rest of the characters.
Julia and Richard share a reluctance to even imagine an alternative life other than their chosen path of solitude for various reasons. It will be interesting to see what the author makes of it. I’m rooting for them and hope that they keep learning from each other as they did in this first installment.
I also loved that the author included tidbits of British history, sometimes quite casual — like mentioning that there were four assassination attempts on Queen Victoria up to the year 1866 or correcting the misconception that Prince Albert introduced the tradition of the Christmas tree when in reality Princess Charlotte did so in the 18th century, all just mentioned in casual conversations. Being a lifelong learner whenever I get the chance, I’m curious about what could come up next for the duo Lewis and Tennant which also serves as an opportunity for the author to share some historical knowledge.
Still room for improvement
While I enjoyed Murder by Lamplight, there were passages that told us more about the story than telling the actual story, something I don’t appreciate. Let me share a few examples.
Here we have Inspector Tennant returning from a meeting with the chief inspector which he mentioned in the paragraph above:
Tennant slammed it [the door] behind her. Bloody woman. She speaks to me as if I’m an imbecile. And the chief inspector—what does that pillock want?
Hell and damnation.
[next paragraph]
Tennant returned to his office after the chief inspector’s grilling and loosened his tie.
Clark had been withering about the mistakes and lack of progress in the case. Still, the bastard is enjoying himself, Tennant thought. Watching me twist in the wind.
Instead of depicting the encounter, the author gives a brief description of what happened. Concerning Chief Inspector Clark, this happens several times and results in the reader not getting to know the character apart from descriptions, when there would have been ample opportunity to actively include him in the story. Instead, remains a sort of distant mold representing the typical features of the angry superior.
In another scene, Tennant is about to interview one of Sir Harry Jackson’s workers, which angers the latter. Nevertheless, he concedes and leads the inspector to the man he wants to speak to.
Sir Harry glared. Tennant returned his gaze. Finally, the brewer stood and opened his pocket watch. He snapped it shut and stuffed the ornate case back into his pocket.
My foreman will be on the loading dock. Follow me.”
But the man had nothing useful to tell Tennant. Still, the inspector went through the motion of an interview.
Again, not even the slightest mention of the questions asked, how the foreman behaved, what exactly happened. Saving time by cutting out unnecessary scenes is a good idea, but in these instances, it might have gone a bit too far.
One could also say this is lazy storytelling, but I don’t think so. The author shows great dedication to her story and characters most of the time, so I assume on the rare occasion this happens, it serves as a sort of skipping ahead. In doing so, we don’t get lost in possibly mundane sideshows. However, it didn’t always work out for me. With the author gaining more experience in what works and what does not, I’m sure these sudden cuts will become more subtle.
Conclusion: It’s a keeper…
I’m a fan of cozy and historical mysteries, and while this book was most definitely not a cozy, it was an intriguing historical mystery and the promising start of a new series. I appreciate the thorough research and the in-depth depiction of the main characters (as well as some of the side characters). Having enjoyed reading this novel, I highly recommend it to fellow lovers of historical mysteries set in Victorian London in all its grimy glory.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC.
