Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Series: An Inspector Corravan Mystery #1
Format: Hardcover and ebook, 363 pages
Genre: Historical Mystery
Synopsis
In the vein of C. S. Harris and Anne Perry, Karen Odden’s mystery introduces Inspector Michael Corravan as he investigates a string of vicious murders that has rocked Victorian London’s upper crust.
London, 1878. One April morning, a small boat bearing a young woman’s corpse floats down the murky waters of the Thames. When the victim is identified as Rose Albert, daughter of a prominent judge, the Scotland Yard director gives the case to Michael Corravan, one of the only Senior Inspectors remaining after a corruption scandal the previous autumn left the division in ruins. Reluctantly, Corravan abandons his ongoing case, a search for the missing wife of a shipping magnate, handing it over to his young colleague, Mr. Stiles.
An Irish former bare-knuckles boxer and dockworker from London’s seedy East End, Corravan has good street sense and an inspector’s knack for digging up clues. But he’s confounded when, a week later, a second woman is found dead in a rowboat, and then a third. The dead women seem to have no connection whatsoever. Meanwhile, Mr. Stiles makes an alarming discovery: the shipping magnate’s missing wife, Mrs. Beckford, may not have fled her house because she was insane, as her husband claims, and Mr. Beckford may not be the successful man of business that he appears to be.
Slowly, it becomes clear that the river murders and the case of Mrs. Beckford may be linked through some terrible act of injustice in the past—for which someone has vowed a brutal vengeance. Now, with the newspapers once again trumpeting the Yard’s failures, Corravan must dredge up the truth—before London devolves into a state of panic and before the killer claims another innocent victim.
My Thoughts
Karen Odden's previous Victorian mystery featured a gentlemanly detective ably assisted by a young woman. In Down a Dark River Odden changes direction and brings to the page a grittier storyline and a rougher, street-wise, male protagonist, raised in the slums of Whitechapel.
Michael Corravan, orphaned at a young age, owes much to kindhearted Ma Doyle, who took him in, recognised his potential, and forced him to seek a life beyond the poverty and crime of London's East End. Working his way up through the ranks, Corravan is now one of the only senior Scotland Yard inspectors remaining after a corruption scandal decimated the division.
When a well-to-do young woman's body is discovered in a boat floating on the Thames, Corravan hands his current case concerning the missing wife of a shipping magnate to his young colleague, Stiles. Pressured by his superiors, the newspapers, and unfavourable public opinion to solve the murder quickly, Corravan is hampered by the lack of leads. With more women's bodies found in similar circumstances, Corravan's worst fear is that Le Loup, a serial killer the police failed to apprehend, has resurfaced.
Having weathered the corruption scandal together and developed a good working relationship at that time, Corravan and Stiles appear to be ideal partners. While Corravan's hard-nosed policing style gets results, he is the first to acknowledge that Stiles's amiability is often required to gain a victim's or witness's trust and cooperation.
As they continue to work their separate cases which takes them to asylums and the homes of the upper classes, they discover a link between the two. The race is then on to find the murderer before he can strike again. With Stiles unable to help and witnesses reluctant to make their evidence official, Corravan faces a dilemma in bringing the murderer to justice and also ensuring that the perpetrators of another horrendous crime he and Stiles have uncovered are held accountable.
The story unfolds at a steady pace, gaining momentum towards the end and the confrontation between Corravan and the murderer. The outcome is a surprise that reveals more of Corravan's nature, in particular his sense of justice and compassion.
Interwoven with the criminal investigation is Corravan's personal life: his gratitude to Ma Doyle, the young man of sixteen he takes into his home at her request, his unusual relationship with novelist Belinda Gale, and his friendship with Dr. James Everett.
Down a Dark River is another exciting mystery from an author I've recently discovered. Darker and more atmospheric than her previous novels, it showcases her knowledge of Victorian London, its political and societal mores, and an ability to capture the reader's imagination and instill the horror of the crimes without being too graphic.
Down a Dark River is a great introduction to a new series. It will appeal to fans of historical mysteries and tempt those unfamiliar with the genre. I'm looking forward to the next case involving Corravan and Stiles
Where to PurchaseAmazon | Barnes and Noble | BAM | IndieBound
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Giveaway (US Only)
Enter HERE to win a copy of Down a Dark River by Karen Odden!
The giveaway is open to the US only and ends on December 1st. You must be 18 or older to enter.
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