Northminster, 1840: a once-picturesque cathedral city, where dirty smoke stacks now rival ancient spires. When workmen make the shocking discovery of a mutilated corpse in a ditch outside the ancient walls, Giles Vernon and Felix Carswell are charged with solving the case. Intelligent and practical, Chief Constable Major Vernon has transformed the old city watch into a modern police force, and he … and he throws himself into the investigation with the same energy. But as he probes a murky world of professional gamblers and jilted lovers, he is drawn into a dangerous emotional game that threatens to undermine his authority.
Newly-qualified police surgeon Felix Carswell is determined to make his way in the world on his own terms despite being the bastard son of prominent local grandee Lord Rothborough. Called to treat a girl in an asylum for reformed prostitutes, what he uncovers there brings him into conflict with his new employer, Vernon, and throws the case into disarray.
Together they must overcome their differences and find the brutal truth behind the mystery of The Butchered Man.
The Butchered Man is the first Northminster Mystery featuring intrepid early-Victorian detectives Vernon and Carswell.
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Fascinating mystery set at the beginning of the industrial revolution in the UK. I’m not as familiar with this time in Victorian Britain. Great plot and character development. The main characters are both flawed humans which makes them more real. I look forward to reading the next in the series.
I am a crazy reader of these types of mid-English Victorian murder mysteries with a dash of romance and several twists and turns thrown in. One of the main characters, a surgeon, disgraced for breaking off an engagement and the illegitimate son of a nobleman, seems to have many layers we are only introduced to in this book. His police supervisor, caught in a marriage to a mentally ill wife, also is slowly revealed as to his character as well as weaknesses. This is the first book in the series so it involves introducing a lot of characters and scenery, but it left me wanting to go onto the others in the series. Currently reading the second installment, so hoping it will continue to hold my interest.
Great read….love all the scenarios…well written!!
I found this book held my interest to the last page. Am checking out other books by this author
it started out slow,then picked up a little. It was ok.
Historical fiction, an unusual setting
I found I was not in the mood for blood; perhaps another day it would captivate my attention
Who done it? Really?
This was an interesting take on the police procedural drama – set in Victorian England before modern forensics, DNA, fingerprinting, phone and credit card records. I would have given this book four stars but the proofreading seemed non-existent. Much of the book appears to be cut and paste errors. It was highly distracting from what is a unique take on a popular genre and a decent start to character development in a series opener.
This was my first book by this author, but I liked the characters and the storyline well enough to purchase the next in the series.
Intend to read more of this series.
I figured out the murderer but it was very enjoyable reading. Very likable characters. This author has a habit of recurring themes but books are still good reads.
Somewhat predictable but I enjoyed the story and want to know how the characters progress. There’s much more to explore and the characters move forward in their lives. I’ve already ordered the next novel in the series. I would have liked the story to be longer and more detailed into some of the secondary characters backgrounds.
Not a bad read, somewhat predictable.
Interesting characters & situations. I enjoyed having a main character who was not, in himself, a detective, but someone attached to such.
Well written, good characters, interesting time period, good pace and plotting.
Loved it
The Butchered Man is a well written historical mystery filled with complex characters. There are no plaster saints here making both the law enforcement officers and the suspects very interesting . Motives and means abound, so the book keeps one guessing. With a novice and complicated police medical examiner teamed with a veteran and respected police inspector, the murder investigation takes a personal toll on each while revealing far more about the town than most would have thought possible.
I enjoyed this cleverly done mystery.
Loved the historical information and setting.
Just not my style or story type. Was hard for me to keep interested in it.