It’s August of 1888, just three weeks before Jack the Ripper will begin his grisly spree in the London slum of Whitechapel, and another serial murderer is stalking the gas-lit streets of New York. With taunting messages in backwards Latin left at the crime scenes and even more inexplicable clues like the fingerprints that appear to have been burned into one victim’s throat, his handiwork bears … all the hallmarks of a demonic possession.
But consulting detective Harrison Fearing Pell is convinced her quarry is a man of flesh and blood. Encouraged by her uncle, Arthur Conan Doyle, Harry hopes to make her reputation by solving the bizarre case before the man the press has dubbed Mr. Hyde strikes again.
From the squalor of the Five Points to the high-class gambling dens of the Tenderloin and the glittering mansions of Fifth Avenue, Harry and her best friend, John Weston, follow the trail of a remorseless killer, uncovering a few embarrassing secrets of New York’s richest High Society families along the way. Are the murders a case of black magic—or simple blackmail? And will the trail lead them closer to home than they ever imagined?
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This book was pitched somewhere (I can’t remember where I saw it) as Sherlock Holmes meets X-Files. Which on one hand, yes. On the other, makes it sound like it’s not its own thing. But the pitch worked, because I checked it out from the library as this is 100% something I’m into. I really enjoyed it. I loved the setting, the characters were really fun and interesting, and the story creepy and delightful. I bought it and the next two in the series.
Loved this book historical paranormal thriller. Highly entertaining.
Loved this book – thoroughly enjoyed reading and getting to know the characters. Feisty Harry and laid back John. Well worth reading.
Murder mystery Sherlock Holmes style with heavy supernatural twists, set in Victorian England. Which is my current go-to-read, give me more gaslamp I say! Best part? This first book really just sets up a fantastic new world to explore, and there are heaps of books to read in the series.
One of the best books I have read in awhile, Excellent writing, detailed and characters.
Another great book from M. Ross. Excellent crime story told with a lot of detail to the history of the time including both fictional and non-fictional characters from the time period woven in. And also historical events. We pleasantly surprised to have a tornado from the late 1800s in my home town included in the story. HIghly recommend this book and series.
I thought that this book, as more of a historical thriller, may not be especially good, but I was thoroughly impressed. I have yet to read the second book in this series, The Thirteenth Gate, but I strongly suspect that it will be as good as this one.
Quite a good read, interesting historic NYC.
I love her amount of historical research. I felt I was back in late 1800s NYC!
This was a really great read. What a find!
Kat has created a brave and quirky lead character. The other folks in the novel each have a distinct voice, too (that seems rare these days).
Great story you’ll gobble up quickly. Check it out!
Really enjoyed this book. Realistic depiction of 1888 New York City and way of life. Love strong female leads.
This is a very pleasant historical fiction. It reads very much like a Sherlock Holmes narration. In my opinion there is too much attention given to clothing that has little to do with the story, much less the plot. Lady readers may enjoy, and it does support the historical period of the story. In this particular tale, the young sister of an established lady investigator tries her hand at detective work and possible supernatural phenomena.
Much name dropping takes place, to include being semi related to Sir Arthur C. Doyle. 🙂 Enjoy the read, i did.
Super author weaving an intense story. Looking for more from Katie Ross
For Sherlock’ fans
Kept my attention to the end!
I enjoyed this book, but wished it had a little more oomph. It wasn’t predictable per se, but the twist wasn’t exactly shocking.
The story is a rewriting of the “Alienist” by Caleb Carr, with a touch of the supernatural. A bit long to get to the demon loose in the world, but an enjoyable read. I look forward to the next book in the series.
As good a story as one about Holmes and Watson
Couldn’t put it down! I’m now reading Kat’s other series. Great summer read.
“The Daemoniac” is a venture into a new genre by epic fantasy author Kat Ross. It is, as it says in the subtitle, a Gaslamp Gothic story, meaning set in the late Victorian era. 1888, to be precise, shortly after Sir Arthur Conan Doyle published “A Study in Scarlet,” and shortly before Jack the Ripper’s notorious killings.
I bring those up because they are referenced specifically, and are integral to the plot. Harry, our heroine, is the younger sister of a brilliant if strange female investigator, and they are both the nieces of “Uncle Arthur,” who is making a name for himself writing mysteries with a character based loosely off of Myrtle, Harry’s older sister. Harry yearns to distinguish herself too, so when clients show up looking for Myrtle, Harry pretends to be her sister and takes on her first case. But it turns out to be much weirder than she was expecting…
Despite its name, “The Daemoniac” is largely a serial-killer mystery, not a fantasy story. Harry, in fact, is determined to debunk her friends’ theories about demonic possession, and comes up with plausible non-supernatural explanations for *almost* everything. I don’t want to give away the plot any more than that, but the mystery is solved and the murderer caught, although of course there’s a surprising twist.
“The Daemoniac” has enough of a foot in the world of the occult to appeal to steampunk and gaslamp fantasy fans, and I know because I’ve read a later book in the series that things become a lot more magical later. However, this first installment, with its comparative lack of magic and the occult, is also likely to appeal to fans of steampunk/gaslamp/historical mysteries. It’s much more in the vein of the Sherlock Holmes mysteries than it is in straight-up fantasy.
Either way, Harry is an appealing character and the plot is full of twists and turns, making this a very readable introduction to what promises to be a highly entertaining series, whether you’re coming to it for the mystery or the fantasy.