Mayhem: Mayhem and Murder Book I (Dr. Bond Victorian Forensics Mystery, #1) (Mayhem and Murder)

by Sarah Pinborough

From the Number One bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes. Delve into a gaslit London, where Jack the Ripper is making headlines, but another, much more dangerous, madman is on the loose.

When a rotting torso is discovered in the vault of New Scotland Yard, it doesn't take Dr Thomas Bond, Police Surgeon, long to realise that there is a second killer at work in the city where, only a few days before, Jack the Ripper brutally murdered two women in one night.

This is the hand of a colder killer, one who lacks Jack's emotion.

And, as more headless and limbless torsos find their way into the Thames, Dr Bond becomes obsessed with finding the killer. As his investigations lead him into an unholy alliance, he starts to wonder:

Is it a man who has brought mayhem to the streets of London, or a monster?

'A compulsively readable story that starts as a conventional murder mystery and morphs, by degrees, into a horrifying supernatural thriller' Guardian

• ISBN10: 1780871252
• ISBN13: 9781780871257
• Publish Date: 25 April 2013
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 25 May 2015
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Quercus Publishing
• Imprint: Jo Fletcher Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 352
• Language: English

Reviews

[Beth C.]

Jack the Ripper is one of the most well-known serial killers ever. He was never caught, even after the brutality he evidenced in his killings. Many theories have been put forth about who he may have been and/or why he was killing prostitutes, but no definitive answer has ever been able to be given. Sarah Pinborough uses that fact to her advantage, crafting a novel around not only those killings, but another set of killings that haunted London around the same time.
What if Jack the Ripper was influenced by another killer? A killer so strong, and so old, that the entire city could feel its malevolence without truly understanding it? This is a part of the central core of Mayhem, and it's as plausible a "theory" as many others that have actually been put forth as reality.
I wasn't sure if this would be something I liked or not, but I have always been fascinated with Jack the Ripper (as so many have) and so I gave it a shot. I found myself truly engrossed and hating whenever I had to put it down for something else. The characters are well crafted (though I would have liked more information about the mysterious priest) and the storyline itself made for fascinating reading.
I don't spend a lot of time reading mysteries, but I am certainly pleased that I decided to read this one.

[kimbacaffeinate]

Part investigation, part paranormal and utterly fascinating we meet key investigators and Dr. Bond as we hunt for the “torso killer” We travel the streets of Whitechapel and visit the opium dens as Dr. Bond looks for answers. The tale had a disturbingly realistic vibe that made even the paranormal elements feel frightfully real.
The tale is shared with us from multiple PoV’s including those of the killer and victims. Dr. Bond is a troubled soul who suffers bouts of insomnia, in part due to his examinations of the killer’s victims. Having examined victims of Jack the Ripper, his observations of this second group of victims terrifies him. He is very observant, and notices two men in his nightly travels. One is an unkempt barber named Aaron Kaminski, whom the police suspect and the other a Jesuit priest. Both of these characters added to the suspense and gave Pinborough’s story depth and believability.

Mayhem while dark is not overly gory. Yes, we get details of the bodies and imagery of what happens to these poor woman but Pinborough uses the victim’s voice to create suspense, and fear. She allows the reader to see all aspects of the case unfold. We are privy to newspaper clippings, letters, police reports, autopsy notes and Dr. Bond’s thoughts. One of the most interesting threads was from the killer himself. The imagery brought the city and its people to life. I felt at times as if I were walking alongside Dr. Bond and felt the urge to look over my shoulder. Pinborough weaved real people and events creating a macabre tale. The supernatural elements especially that of the Upir created a dark atmospheric tale that had me completely enthralled.

Copy received in exchange for unbiased review​. Full review originally published @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer​