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THE MESMERIST'S APPRENTICE
by L.M. Jackson
Arrow, March 2009
369 pages
7.99 GBP
ISBN: 0099498421


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Sarah Tanner, protagonist/heroine of this series in which THE MESMERIST'S APPRENTICE is the second book, is the owner of a coffee-house cum eating place in a fairly down-market part of 1850's London. She has a mysterious 'past' and is the ex-mistress of Arthur DeSalle who is now married to a rich bride according to his family's expectations. The events of this book open with a young man claiming that Sarah's beef hash is in fact horse-meat. She soon discovers that this is part of a campaign against the butcher who supplies her meat; but the reasons for this campaign are far from simple. Sarah is drawn into a chain of events involving 'The Brass Band' - a criminal gang of Lambeth youths, a mysterious 'nurse' who is attending Arthur DeSalle's gravely ill father and 'Dr' Stead a practitioner of the newly popular 'science' of mesmerism.

The world of the Victorian mystery is a crowded one and there seems to be either an enormous appetite or a publisher's passion for the sub-genre. In such a crowded market-place, as in those described in this book, it needs something special to really stand out. THE MESMERIST'S APPRENTICE does not really have that something special. This is not to say that it is a bad book. The narrative slips along easily enough, the descriptive writing is colourful enough, the plot just about sustains interest. The main weakness is the love affair between Sarah and Arthur which, to be kind, might be described as hackneyed. Much the best parts of the book occur towards the end when Sarah emerges in rather a different light and the book saves an excellent punch for its very last line (so it is well-worth finishing if you do start!).

Overall however THE MESMERIST'S APPRENTICE, whilst in general a pleasant enough read, does not do enough to compete in a crowded market-place. Amongst current Victorian mysteries if you want serious social and historical observation try Andrew Pepper, or for a lively female heroine, Caro Peacock (not that either of these series are in any way perfect). Perhaps this sort of comparative criticism is unfair but equally it is inevitable when so many series are elbowing one another in a crowded market. It might be of advantage to both writers and readers if some less popular period (the seventeenth century is comparatively unpopulated for instance) were mined for its criminal potential.

Reviewed by Nick Hay, February 2009

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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