The Dark Asylum

Jem Flockhart, Book 2

By: E S Thomson

Narrated by: Rachel Atkins

A chilling and atmospheric thriller perfect for fans of The Silent Companions and The Strangers Diaries.
1851, Angel Meadow Asylum. Dr Rutherford, principal physician to the insane, is found dead, his head bashed in, his ears cut off, his lips and eyes stitched closed. The police direct their attention towards Angel Meadow's inmates, but to Jem Flockhart and Will Quartermain the crime is an act of calculated retribution, rather than of madness.
To discover the truth Jem and Will must pursue the story through the darkest corners of the city - from the depths of a notorious rookery, to the sordid rooms of London's brothels, the gallows, the graveyard, the convict fleet and then back to the asylum. In a world where guilt and innocence, crime and atonement, madness and reason, are bounded by hypocrisy, ambition and betrayal, Jem and Will soon find themselves caught up in a web of dark secrets and hidden identities.
“Complex, harrowing and highly enjoyable.” - DAILY EXPRESS
“A tale of Victorian London to freeze your blood on a cold winter's night.” - EVENING TELEGRAPH©2017 E S Thomson (P)2023 W. F. Howes Ltd

Kept my attention

In case it helps at all, I've listened to over 500 books found through a Mysteries/historical search on Audible. This search parameter usually results in a nice list of cozy mysteries. I tend toward female protagonists and narrators. The Jem Flockhart books also fall into the 'horror' category on Audible, but for me, they just read as sometimes gruesome descriptions fitting the story settings rather than as a 'horror story'. I am enjoying these grittier than usual stories as I tend toward airy, fun stories (think: the Royal Spyness series or Lady Hardcastle series) and even more serious minded series (Bess Crawford series, Lady Julia Grey). but when authors are too over the top descriptive of murder scenes and such, I tend to shy away from them. These books are well written and entertaining and the gore feels like it is just part of the period of the story and profession of the main character. I particularly like that the main character is complex and that her relationships with the other main characters is full. I am not big on too much sex in a cozy mystery (fast forward is a blessing) mostly because it often feels awkwardly dropped into some stories. Some is fine if it doesn't detract and in this story, the sex is part of the story arc. Overall, I highly recommend this series.

Really didn’t need the lesbian sex scenes

The lesbian sex scene added nothing to the plot. Which made it feel like it was put in just to make some kind of point or tick a LBGTQ+ check box. I’ll give one more book in the series a go, but if there is a repeat of graphic sex of any kind I’m going to stop with this series. That just isn’t what I’m looking for in a historical mystery.