Yvonne
Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house during the last week.
Be warned that Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.
Your host for July 2013 is: Tasha over at ‘Book Obsessed’
This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!
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It is great to have concrete evidence that many authors do appreciate the features and reviews that bloggers take the time to compile and publish. D.E. (Denise) Meredith contacted me right out of the blue, after I had left a comment for Tracy, over at ‘Pen And Paper’, following her review of ‘The Devil’s Ribbon’.
Within hours of the comment going live, Denise was on email to enquire whether or not I would be interested in reading and reviewing the book for myself. Never one to let the grass grow under my feet when it comes to getting my hands on a great sounding story, I accepted.
I am now the proud owner of a signed and dedicated hardcover edition of ‘The Devil’s Ribbon’, with the promise of a guest post from Denise, to follow.
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THE DEVIL’S RIBBON
July, 1858. London swelters, and trouble is brewing. Forensic scientist Adolphus Hatton and his trusty assistant Albert Roumande have a morgue full of cholera victims to attend to, and an eager apprentice to teach. But alongside the cholera outbreak, London is also home to a growing unrest. When a leading politician of the Irish Unionist movement is murdered, the flamboyant Inspector Grey calls on Hatton and Roumande to help solve the case.
But Inspector Grey proves difficult to deal with – callous and hot-headed, he is determined to catch his criminals using any method, no matter how corrupt. When it becomes clear that they are dealing with a series of violent killings, Hatton and Roumande must attempt to find the connection between the victims – at the same time unravelling a bombing campaign by a group of would-be terrorists and exploring the method of fingerprinting, their newest forensic tool.
And amongst all this, Professor Hatton finds himself dangerously distracted by a beautiful woman and painful memories from his past. As the kaleidoscope of outlandish characters, dockside strikes, bomb blasts and violent retribution reaches a crescendo, Hatton’s skillsare tested to the limit.
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D.E. (DENISE) MEREDITH
Denise has travelled far and wide to some of the remotest places on Earth, which has fuelled her imagination and continuing lust for travel.
After reading English at Cambridge University, she became a campaigner for the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) and spent ten years working for the environment movement.
She has flown over the Arctic in a biplane, skinny-dipped in Siberia, hung out with Inuit and Evenki tribespeople and dodged the Russian mafia in downtown Vladivostok.
Denise later became a spokesperson for the British Red Cross, spending six years travelling through war zones and witnessing humanitarian crises.
The experience strongly influenced her crime writing, with its themes of injustice and inequality. She currently lives on the outskirts of London, with her husband and two teenage sons. When not writing, she runs, bakes cakes and does yoga to relax.
Visit Denise at her author website here …
Stop by Denise’s author page at independent publishers, Allison & Busby here
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I can’t wait to discover all your own great new finds this week … so please stop by and share your link
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All the ingredients for a mystery thriller! I like the period as well.
Hi Mystica,
I have read a couple of historical mystery / thrillers and if well researched and sympathetically portrayed relevant to the time-line, they can be very exciting.
I particularly like the names of the main protagonists in this series, ‘Hatton and Roumande’, although two people who sound less like forensic scientists, you wouldn’t wish to find.
Thanks for stopping by, I always appreciate your comments.
Sounds like a thrilling story! Enjoy!
Hi Pat,
Aside from the many kilings, terrorist threats and a currupt police officer, I am looking forward to reading just how ‘Hatton and Roumande’ tackle the forensic diognostics in the period.
I can still imagine procedures being very basic and almost crude and after watching more modern televised forensic dramas such as BBC’s ‘Silent Witness’, the comparison should be interesting.
Thanks for stopping by, I always appreciate your comments.
Thanks for the mention. I’m so looking forward to reading your thoughts on this book.
Hi Tracy,
No problem, I enjoy being able to link to someone else’s site whenever possible, it is great to share views and comments.
I probably won’t get around to reading the book for sometime yet, however Denise has also kindly sent me through a guest post, which I shall be publishing soon.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, I appreciate it.
I love the cover of The Devil’s Ribbon. It sounds like quite a page turner. I hope it’s a winner for you!
Hi Kathy,
Both this and the first book in the series ‘Devoured’ have similar style covers, very simple, yet totally effective and I love them.
It seems as though the books can be read as independent, stand-alone stories, which is also good for me.
Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate your comments.
The Devil’s Ribbon sounds sooooo good. London in the 1800’s is the best place to have a story like this. 🙂
ENJOY!!
Elizabeth
Silver’s Reviews
My Mailbox Monday
Hi Elizabeth,
London in the times of ‘Sweeney Todd’, ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ and ‘Jack The Ripper’, sounds like the perfect setting for a cholera outbreak and a corrupt police officer. Especially if you are experimenting with new forensic procedures and trying to train new forensic pathologists into the bargain.
I am anticipating murder, blood and gore, with plenty of suspense and thrills, from this great sounding storyline!
Thanks for visiting today, I appreciate your comments.
Have a good week.
That’s lovely, and I agree, it’s great when that happens, ie that an author evidently has appreciated the time and effort that a blogger has put in. I hope you enjoy this book. I bought the first one in the series though I haven’t had chance to read it yet.
Thank you for your lovely comment on my Diane Chamberlain review. All the best, Lindsay
Hi Lindsay,
I haven’t read the first book in the ‘Hatton and Roumande’ series, however I am reliably informed that the books work fine as stand alone stories, so that’s okay for me. Looking at the height of my review request pile, it is going to be some time before I actually get to read ‘The Devil’s Ribbon’, so meanwhile I shall keep a look out for your review of ‘Devoured’.
It is always gratifying when an author actively participates in a post about themselves or their books and the speed with which Denise acted upon my comment was amazing, as well as sending me a dedicated hardcover copy.
Thank you for visiting today and for your lovely comments, I appreciate the thought.
I do love the sound of The Devil’s Ribbon! Happy reading and happy Monday 🙂
Hi Naida,
The Victorian era was so richly interesting and vibrant, that if Denise has captured those elements and woven them into a historical thriller with a strong sense of time and place, together with the emergence of the science of forensics, then I should be in for a real treat with ‘The Devil’s Ribbon’.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope that your first week back on the blogging circuit is going well so far.
Sounds like a real exciting read, enjoy!
http://tributebooksmama.blogspot.com/2013/07/mailbox-monday_29.html
Hi Mary Ann,
There certainly seems to be a lot going on in this story, so there shouldn’t be a dull moment!
Thanks for stopping by.
I’m loving the cover for this one (which is always a good sign for me!) and the synopsis sounds greart too. I hope you enjoy it and I’m looking forward to reading your thoughts on the book.
P.S. – You’ve been mentioned in my ‘Budget Bucket List’ post…
Hi Nikki,
I think I am right in saying that you have read one or two of the Edward Marston, ‘Railway Detective’ series, so I should imagine this book would be right up your street!
Thanks for the mention, I shall stop by and check it out.
Hope that you haven’t been flooded out, we spent last night without power, which was fun!!
Hi Yvonne,
No, I’ve not read the Edward Marston books, but a similar series called the Jim Stringer series by Andrew Martin.
No flooding here, thought quite a lot of rain. Thankfully, it stayed dry (and a bit too hot) during my week and a half off work. It’s wet now I’m back at my desk!
I hope you’re well.
Nikki
Hi Nikki,
My mistake, sorry about that!
However I do quite enjoy reading about the detectives of the 1800’s and early 1900’s. In some ways it is obvious that in terms of forensic and evidence gathering techniques, things have moved on and improved exponentially, but I am not so sure that the standards of policing have improved by the same measure!
Very hot and humid here tonight, although the weather doesn’t look too bad for the weekend. We will be out checking some of our ‘Treasure Trails’ in Hampshire, so I am hoping at least for a dry one!
http://www.treasuretrails.co.uk/
What about yourself?