G1054 Book Review of A Knife in the fog by Bradley Harper
Author: Bradley Harper
ISBN: 978-1-63388-486-1
Publisher: Seventh Street
Part of a Series: Prequel to Queen's Gambit
Type of book: Jack the Ripper, Sherlock Holmes prototype, Arthur Conan Doyle, England, 1888, Margaret Harkness, Joseph Bell, mystery, immigration attitudes, history, murders, friendship, mentoring, observation
Year it was published: 2018
Summary:
Physician Arthur Conan Doyle takes a break from his practice to assist London police in tracking down Jack the Ripper.
September 1888. A twenty-nine-year-old Arthur Conan Doyle practices medicine by day and writes at night. His first Sherlock Holmes story, A Study in Scarlet, although gaining critical and popular success, has only netted him twenty-five pounds. Embittered by the experience, he vows never to write another "crime story." Then a messenger arrives with a mysterious summons from former Prime Minister William Gladstone, asking him to come to London immediately.
Once there, he is offered one month's employment to assist the Metropolitan Police as a "consultant" in their hunt for the serial killer soon to be known as Jack the Ripper. Doyle agrees on the stipulation his old professor of surgery, Professor Joseph Bell--Doyle's inspiration for Sherlock Holmes--agrees to work with him. Bell agrees, and soon the two are joined by Miss Margaret Harkness, an author residing in the East End who knows how to use a Derringer and serves as their guide and companion.
Pursuing leads through the dank alleys and courtyards of Whitechapel, they come upon the body of a savagely murdered fifth victim. Soon it becomes clear that the hunters have become the hunted when a knife-wielding figure approaches.
Characters:
Main characters include Arthur Conan Doyle, a former physician who desires to become a writer and seems to be struggling with his next Sherlock Holmes story. He is protective, and really looks up to his former teacher, Joseph Bell. (I am thinking that in Holmes' mind, Bell was Sherlock while he was Watson.) There is also Joseph Bell, a very talented and observant physician who takes on to solve the case and who also happens to be protective of his partners. He often teaches Arthur Conan Doyle his methods and often encourages him to continue studying. I really admired Joseph Bell's powers of observation. Margaret Harkness is a fearless journalist who also cross-dresses when necessary and is the brave one in the group, rarely needing someone to help her out. She also has a soft heart towards her neighbors and will do what she can.
Theme:
Expect the unexpected
Plot:
The story is in first person narrative from Arthur Conan Doyle's point of view, and its definitely chronological. I feel as if everything was well done and not even the smallest detail was missed by the author, although I think that its good to have an overall timeline of the events of Jack the Ripper before starting to read the novel because at the time I wasn't sure what was going on. The author does tackle some controversial topics that was raised by Jack the Ripper case and there is weariness and suspense within the tale, especially how the characters feel as Jack the Ripper case just drags on.
Author Information:
(From the book)
Bardley Harper is a retired US Army colonel and pathologist, experienced in autopsies and forensic investigation. This is his first novel.
Opinion:
First of all, I have to give kudos to the author for creating a dark and atmospheric tale of when the hunter becomes the hunted and I also admired how well the characters were drawn, in particular Margaret Harkness. Probably like a lot of readers, I knew very little about Arthur Conan Doyle, aside from the fact that he was the writer of Sherlock Holmes mysteries and I even heard a rumor that he possibly killed someone which is how he became good. I also liked finding out about Margaret Harkness and Joseph Bell, the man on whom Sherlock Holmes was based. I knew a bit more about Jack the Ripper (thanks to a college class where the teacher talked about Victorian England) and I had a lot more knowledge on how minorities were treated. I also enjoyed learning more about the Jack the Ripper case and I was surprised in the direction it went.
This was given to me for a review
4 out of 5
(0: Stay away unless a masochist 1: Good for insomnia 2: Horrible but readable; 3: Readable and quickly forgettable, 4: Good, enjoyable 5: Buy it, keep it and never let it go.)
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