Saturday, August 6, 2022

A Knife in the Fog by Bradley Harper

 
From the blurb:  "Physician Arthur Conan Doyle is invited to take a break from his practice to assist London police in tracking down Jack the Ripper. Doyle agrees, with the stipulation his old professor of surgery, Dr. Joseph Bell––Doyle’s inspiration for Sherlock Holmes––agrees to work with him. Soon the two are joined by Margaret Harkness, an author who knows how to use a Derringer as well as she knows the dank alleys and courtyards of the East End where she resides. Pursuing leads through London and Whitechapel becomes infinitely more dangerous for the trio when the hunters become the hunted in this adventurous debut novel and series starter."

My thoughts:  I've always been drawn to novels about Jack the Ripper, and this one is exceptional. I loved the voice Harper creates for Arthur Conan Doyle as he narrates his adventures on the streets of Whitechapel with Professor Bell and Margaret Harkness. Margaret is an equally great character: independent, capable, and fierce. (And apparently a real person, too.) I enjoyed how the author weaves these historical figures into the infamous murder investigation of Jack the Ripper and his victims. This novel is atmospheric and well-plotted. Harper's attention to historical detail really brings London's East End to life. His writing is amazing, and this novel is suspenseful, unexpected, riveting and fun. For me, this was a 5-star read. 

Happy Reading!

42 comments:

  1. Oooh, this sounds good, Lark! I love a good Victorian, foggy London, Jack the Ripper yarn. :-)

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    1. I'm not surprised; we are bookish twins in many ways. ;D

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  2. I too am fascinated by novels about Jack the Ripper and there is no place more gothic and haunting in my opinion then the East End of London in the late 19th century. And Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as the detective an added plus. This book is definitely at the top of my list.

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    1. YES! I think you might really like this one. At least, I hope you do. :)

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  3. I tend to be drawn to books about Jack the Ripper too. This sounds like one that I need to add to my list. Glad you enjoyed it so much! :)

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    1. I think it's that Victorian time period and London setting that adds to the intrigue of Jack the Ripper novels, at least for me. :)

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  4. I haven't read anything Ripper related in ages - and this sounds amazing, thank you for the rec. I'm adding it to my goodreads!

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  5. Arthur Conan Doyle was the first author who I learned to love. That was long, long ago in the previous century, but I still love him! I can see how he would be a wonderful character for a novel. I think I have to read this book.

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    1. I thought it was really good. I love the way Harper writes.

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  6. Another book to add to my Need to Read list! :-)

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    1. If you like historical mysteries, this is a really good one!

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  7. This sounds great. Can you believe I've never read a Jack the Ripper story (or Sherlock)? I love how atmospheric this sounds, and the mixing of real characters with fictional.

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    1. It's only hard to believe because there's SO many Holmes and Ripper stories out there! But I think this one's one of the better ones out there. :)

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  8. This does sound like fun. Anything involving Arthur Conan Doyle works for me.

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    1. The fact that he's the main narrator in this one was a lot of fun. I really liked Harper's take on his character. :)

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  9. It sounds wonderful. I have not read a story about Jack the Ripper, but this sure tempts me.

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    1. There are a lot of Jack the Ripper novels to choose from, that's for sure. I think this is one of the better ones. :)

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  10. It sounds very tempting. I'd like to find this too.

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  11. This one does sound exceptional.

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    1. There's something about the way Harper writes that I really loved.

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  12. Jack the Ripper type stories are interesting. This sounds really good.

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    1. It's odd that I find Jack the Ripper such a fascinating part of history, but there you go. :)

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  13. Jack the Ripper mysteries are exciting, but I love that real life people- Doyle, Bell, and Harkness are included, too. This is going on my list. :)

    Sophia Rose

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    1. I loved that the author chose to include real life people in this book; it made it more fun.

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  14. I've always been intrigued with Jack the Ripper stories, too. This sounds like a great mash-up of real life characters, fiction and mystery. I'm even more interested since you gave it 5 stars! Must check into this one! :)

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    1. I loved the writing! And his characterization of Doyle just felt spot on. It worked for me.

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  15. Glad you loved it. www.rsrue.blogspot.com

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  16. We visited London years ago and one of the things my husband and I did was a Jack the Ripper tour. It was really fascinating!

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  17. This sounds so good. I've always been fascinated by the Jack the Ripper story too so this book definitely appeals to me.

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    1. I think a lot of people find the Jack the Ripper story fascinating. There are certainly a lot of books centered around it. :)

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  18. I'm drawn to novels about Jack the Ripper, too. This one sounds like a good read. :)

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    1. It was good...and so well-written! A must read if you like historical fiction/mysteries.

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  19. Okay, I need to read this -- I've just gotten sucked into a True Crime podcast that is going through the Ripper case and then I see this and yeah, I am totally getting sucked in! That's for putting this on my radar!

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    1. If you like this time period and are fascinated by the Jack the Ripper cases, this books is definitely one to read. :)

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  20. I have a feeling that this would be one that I would really enjoy.

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    1. The writing surprised me with how good it was. And I enjoyed all three characters.

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