Laura Carlin (1)

Hester White lives with her aunt and uncle in the poor streets of London. Jester dreams of leaving and living a better quality of life. Circumstances send Hester on an adventure with a way out when she comes across the Brock family and especially Rebekah.

I was expecting so much more from this story. I usually like books set in old London especially the poor. The story had elements similar to Charles Dickens/Sarah Waters with some of the story line and the descriptions.

For me I found a lot of show more the book quite boring. I enjoyed the setting, the descriptions of the poor and the female friendship/ relationship that developed between the two women. I find the plot tedious and found myself getting quite bored. I have to admit to skipping a few pages just to hurry up and get to the end. show less

Hester was left an orphan after the death of her parents and taken in by two of their servants, through ill-luck the family has fallen into abject poverty in the east of London. Hester wants to escape her drab life and the violence of the surroundings but is concerned about the growing number of people 'disappearing' from the streets of London. After an accident she is taken up by a young doctor as a project, his sister Rebekah will tutor Hester. Hester and Rebekah become close but after a show more misunderstanding Hester finds herself on the London streets again. With Rebekah at her side Hester determines to find out what has happened to the 'disappeared' and the answer is a lot closer to home than either thought.

There are many aspects of this book that are really excellent, not least the imagining of early 19th century London and the life of the poor. As a pastiche of 'gothic' stories it works well at many levels. I also didn't mind the sapphic love story between Hester and Rebekah even if some of the descriptions were a little florid at times. However put all of this together and it didn't really work for me as a whole, there was just too much and the ending was both convenient and irritating. show less

In the dark alleyways of London, in 1831, people are disappearing; the vulnerable poor, children, elderly, homeless. Missing posters line the streets. But none are found. ‘The Wicked Cometh’ by Laura Carlin is a 19th century crime thriller with two women, divided by class and background, who are determined to find the truth but who never once suspect the depth of wickedness they will uncover.
When 18-year old Hester White is hit by a carriage, physician Calder Brock takes her to his show more London home. Cared for by his servants, he questions Hester about her birth. Ashamed of her bad luck – growing up at a country parsonage, she was orphaned and taken in by her parents’ servants whose own income declined so now they live in an East End slum – Hester hides her education with a deftly-adopted London accent. Brock rescues her as an experiment in educating the poor. He takes Hester to Waterford, his childhood home in the country, where he lives with his sister Rebekah and their Uncle Septimus. Rebekah is to be Hester’s tutor. What follows is a story of lies laid upon more lies, murder, theft, friendship and love. As the women set out to discover what happened to Hester’s missing cousin, and two servants who worked for Rebekah, they enter into an underworld neither guessed exists. Being female hinders their attempts to investigate and they put themselves into increasingly dangerous situations in their efforts to gather evidence.
This is a melodramatic rollercoaster which in places grew so convoluted that I at first re-read passages, but then simply skipped paragraphs. It would benefit from some robust editing. At its heart is a gruesome Victorian murder mystery and the love of two women. The answer to the mystery that Hester and Rebekah set out to solve – and I started with high hopes of the two female investigators - is perhaps predictable but the details are dense and colourful though at times needlessly confusing. Some of the descriptions are unbelievably gory, unnecessarily so.
There are two endings, difficult to describe without giving spoilers. Suffice to say I found the final ending unsatisfactory; too neat and tidy for me. The part of the book I enjoyed the most was the beginning, with the development of Hester’s character, her stop-start relationship with Rebekah, and the whispers that unsettle Hester so she doesn’t know who to trust. The London setting is well-written; the filth so real you can smell it. The medical detail is gruesome so be warned, a few pages require a strong stomach. Another positive is the two strong female protagonists. I particularly liked Rebekah. All of this is well done. What let it down for me? It simply didn’t hold my attention in places.
Read more of my book reviews at http://www.sandradanby.com/book-reviews-a-z/ show less

When his mother dies Alwin of Whitaker is told to go on pilgrimage to Walsingham to find the truth about his parentage. After witnessing a horror perpetrated by a noble he teams up with his mentor, a priest, and a band of others, he travels forward. However as the women in the party are killed in unusual circumstances Alwin doubts everything he has been told and when the truth is revealed to him then Alwin has to make changes to live his life in peace.
The plotline of this novel is seemingly show more very dynamic with lots going on and some quite profound character trajectories. When reading, however, I found the book slight and couldn't understand why. It's not that it is not an enjoyable read, it's just a very easy read considering everything. show less