As a new century approaches, Edinburgh is a city divided. The wealthy residents of New Town live in comfort, while Old Town’s cobblestone streets are clotted with criminals, prostitution, and poverty.Detective Inspector Ian Hamilton is no stranger to Edinburgh’s darkest crimes. Scarred by the mysterious fire that killed his parents, he faces his toughest case yet when a young man is found … found strangled in Holyrood Park.
With little evidence aside from a strange playing card found on the body, Hamilton engages the help of his aunt, a gifted photographer, and George Pearson, a librarian with a shared interest in the criminal mind. But the body count is rising. As newspapers spin tales of the “Holyrood Strangler,” panic sets in across the city. And with each victim, the murderer is getting closer to Hamilton, the one man who dares to stop him.
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Carole Lawrence’s Ian Hamilton Victorian mystery series is an entertaining read. This book is set in 1880s Edinburgh and Detective Ian Hamilton encounters a mix of amusing and twisted characters as he attempts to track down a serial strangler. I like the combination of dark and light in this book: gritty scenes are followed by lighter scenes with witty dialogue. The characters are well-drawn, Detective Ian Hamilton is likeable with a story arc of his own. My only small gripe is that this series isn’t fastidious on historical detail, e.g. in the second book Ian Hamilton appears to have running hot and cold water with a bath and a fast boiling kettle in his humble house – unheard of for many people until well into the 20th century. However this book is an entertaining, fast-paced read. It’s a quick read and very enjoyable too.
I enjoyed the book, the characters were interesting and complex. the story caught me from the start. I enjoyed the historical/period scene descriptions
I want to finish this book.. But I can’t. I don’t mind a slow paced book at all. But you’ve got to keep me intrigued. This did enough to get me to the halfway mark but I’m done. I like Detective Ian. Hell…I like Sergeant Dickerson but it’s too long of a book to keep at this pace. It’s almost like the author is dragging her heels to stretch it out. Which is a pity because I don’t hate the book or the characters and I want to see how it ends….but apparently not enough to keep reading. 400 + pages is too long if you’re going to be this wordy.
An excellent start to this series! I found this book well-written with engaging characters and exciting sequences. The series is a bit like the Liberty Lane series by Caro Peacock, but there are big differences between the 2 series as well. I look forward to reading more of both…
I love the hero, of course. DI Ian Hamilton is a good man and such a dedicated officer. Aunt Lillian is incorrigible. Young Derek is a charmer. And Bacchus the cat is delightful. Edinburgh is another character in this atmospheric and engaging romp that crosses her Scottish mile, which made me miss walking along those cobbled streets.
Good character development.
Slow start but when I got into it i had to keep reading. i was more interested in the police interaction more than the romance part. Almost a happily ever after. Might read the next book in the series but I have too many books to read.
We went to Edinburgh for a short visit, so I thought it would fun to read. The author did not disappoint! The story was from many years ago, but the places mentioned were things I remembered from our trip. I will look forward to her next book coming out.
Let me begin my review by pointing out that I normally do not do novels set this far back in time. Matter of fact, I try to avoid them at all cost, especially if I’m reading it for the purpose of a public review. Also, it didn’t say anywhere in the description that this story took place in 1881.
However . . . I thoroughly enjoyed Edinburgh Twilight from the very first page to the very last.
Honestly, I can’t say enough, it’s well thought out, well plotted, and well written. All the characters are enjoyable and developed right. There is an escalating tension as the story progresses, which only adds to the mystery.
And the dialogue is absolutely hilarious at times. Though, I’ll openly admit that I am quite fond of the Scottish people; my very best friend is one. Which was fantastic, because I understood the wordage perfectly. In saying that, I’m certain that even if I wasn’t familiar with the phrases and words, it would have still been enjoyable to read and easy to understand because it’s that well written.
I loved this book. The characters are wonderful and well written and the detail to historical items is amazing. You can imagine the whole scene in your head. I am excited to read the next book with the detective inspector…
Good introductory book to a new historical mystery series set in nineteenth century Scotland. It is gritty and dark but Carole Lawrence has provided us with an interesting set of characters, all of whom appear flawed. As a child, Detective Inspector Ian Hamilton was trapped in a burning house while his parents died in the flames. This left him with what, today, we would probably term PTSD. He’s lonely, unable to form successful relationships and angry with his older brother, who didn’t save either him or their parents. This serves as a backdrop to the appearance of a serial killer in Edinburgh who is all too successful in escaping detection.
Very well written, and I hope the lead character, Ian, has a 2nd book!
This was a great start for a new series. The characters were well thought out and the ending was a surprise. I enjoyed DI Hamilton’s use of the primitive and new at the time forensic tools.
I was impressed by the author’s obvious understanding of the Scottish and Gaelic languages, I especially appreciated the Glasgow accented speech being written as it is spoken.
I am looking forward to DI Hamilton’s next case.
ENJOYED READING ABOUT EARLY EDINBURGH AS SO MANY HISTORICAL MYSTERIES TAKE PLACE IN ENGLAND. IF THERE IS A SECOND BOOK WITH THESE CHARACTERS I WILL ORDER IT.
Excellent character development and world building made this 19th century mystery and entertaining read.
I can’t wait for the next one in this series. The Edinburgh depicted is something you can see today. Not too many red herrings, but the resolution still is thrilling.
Loved the characters and can’t wait for the next book!
When is the next book!! Great read on a snowy afternoon.
This is the first book to the series. I loved the second book but this one was so much better. I love a good mystery!
Can’t wait to read the next book in series!
I really liked this and hope there’s a sequel soon.