Mayhem and Murder

It would probably take a very tall bookcase to hold all of the fiction and non-fiction books about the Jack the Ripper.  Add in all of the documentaries, movies, articles, and television shows and you could probably fill a sizable library with materials based on the infamous White Chapel slayings. I happen to be a humongous fan of Victorian mystery and horror so, unsurprisingly, I have read and watched  a substantial number of these.




















Recently, though, I was surprised to learn that there was another grisly series of deaths in London, The Thames Torso Murders, that were also committed during the late 1800s in England. British author, Sarah Pinborough, delves into the lurid history of Jack the Ripper and the Thames Torso killer and brilliantly combines them with paranormal horror in her book Mayhem and its recently published sequel, Murder.

The protagonist of Mayhem and Murder is Dr. Thomas Bond who was the actual police surgeon who examined the victims of both Jack the Ripper and the Thames Torso Killer.  Pinborough takes historical details from Bond's life to create an empathetic and tortured hero. Throw in a fantastical and horrific solution to the Ripper and Thames Torso mysteries and these books are terrifying, cannot-put-down, do-not-read-late-at-night fun.

If blood makes you squeamish these are probably not books that will make it on your "to read" shelf. However, if you are a fan of the macabre and love books featuring the heavy fog and juxtaposition of grime and gentility of Victorian London then pick up Mayhem and Murder today. You will not be disappointed.