Lee Jackson's Victorian Mysteries

IMHO Jackson's an odd case - he's obviously a great researcher and a very helpful chap, as his website www.victorianlondon.org proves, and he has an eye for evocative historical detail. But I've read all three of his mysteries so far London Dust, A Metropolitan Murder and The Welfare of the Dead, and all of them I found lacking in plot and characterization. Things happened, but not because they *had to*, if you see what I mean.

I feel particularly bad about saying this because I know Jackson has talent - I remember in particular a hilarious ghost story he published in "All Hallows", the Ghost Story Society magazine. (It was called "Full House" and about a man having to deal with the ghost of a highly theatrical luvvie in his flat.) I read that story and wondered why I didn't get that "Yes! Brilliant!" buzz from his full-length mysteries.

Just as a follow-up to this, Jackson's branched out into a new series featuring a female sleuth, Sarah Tanner - book one is A Most Dangerous Woman. It's a decent read, even if I think Sarah gets on the trail of the murderer a little too easily ;)

OK, this is it. With The Mesmerist's Apprentice Jackson has finally done it. He's gone from "competent but cold" to "warm, engaging and unguessable", and his heroine Sarah Tanner is a breathing, complex human being.

I loved this one. Anyone who likes Victorian period mysteries should give this a try, you don't need to have read the first to "get it". Read it. Don't hesitate!