MAYHEM

Ancient beasts, primitive mysteries, and supernatural possibilities are key in this chilling novel. Multiple points of view and various settings give narrator Steven Crossley much to work with. Two serial killers are on the loose in Whitechapel in 1888--the infamous Jack the Ripper and the lesser known Thames Torso killer. The story is told in part by Dr. Thomas Bond, the police surgeon who assisted on both actual cases, and in part by other characters and newspaper articles. Crossley is most devastating when he lets us into the minds of the madman's victims, moments before death. As the bloody, brutalized bodies turn up, Bond, a mysterious priest, and a Polish visionary set out to slay a monster. Crossley masterfully delivers shifts in point of view as well as the book's shrewd subplots and clever plot twists. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2014]