The Diabolical Miss Hyde

O_o! I've just finished The Diabolical Miss Hyde, and for once the name is apt. It's diabolical. Delicious. Vividly Gothic. Marvellously twisted and dark... I know without a doubt that this is another of my reading highlights of 2015.



Contrary to the graphics on this blog, I don't read that many steampunk books per year to make it a dominant genre for me, but from what I read I can make a list of traits that would endear me to the author forever. It has to be dark, grisly and Gothic. The world building must be lush and complex, and the characters must toe the line between good and evil until it's slightly blurred.

Dr. Eliza Jekyll investigates horrible murders with Detective Griffin. The connection between them is old and established. show more They already caught one serial killer, Razor Jack, to whom Eliza feels a strange attraction, and now they are trying to find The Chopper, a murderer severing limbs from talented working women and committing his crimes so fast that there are no witnesses.

Eliza is a busy girl and a woman of many secrets, one of which is her shadow self, Lizzie Hyde. Where Dr. Jekyll is prim and proper, - a beautiful lady, Lizzie Hyde feels familiar with the slams of London. She is a gorgeous, voluptuous redhead with a fine temper and a taste for gin and laudanum. They share some memories but feel like two different characters with distinct personalities.

The book reminded me of Silence of The Lambs and Penny Dreadful. There are secrets upon secrets, connections which make you think that this is not the first book in the series. Eliza visits patients in Bethlem trying to help them. She tries to suppress Lizzie with experimental tonics, she has a mysterious guardian, she has a weird connection to Mr. Todd (oh Mr. Todd, how I loved thee!),a serial killer she helped to catch and lock in the asylum for the insane previously....

Then there is Remy Lafayette, a representative of The Royal, a certain institute akin to Inquisition. He is dashing and attractive, sarcastic as hell (the banter between him and Eliza is positively sizzling) and full of his own secrets.

This book is so choke full of action, the reader flies through it. The world is vivid to almost fairytale quality, and Lizzie's voice is particularly strong. In fact, Miss Hyde and Mr. Todd were my two absolute favourite characters.

Sometimes things are confusing, and the ending is a stalemate, but it positively made me itch to get my hands onto the next book as soon as humanly possible. If you are a fan of Bec McMaster, Emma Jane Holloway, Emma Cornwall and Amy Carol Reeves, read it and let me know what you'd think. This book is not without its flaws, but it's never boring. show less

I was provided a gratis copy of the book by the publisher.

Right from the first page, I loved the voice of this and how the author handled the split nature of Eliza Jekyll and Lizzie Hyde. The plot is part mystery, part horror. It's a dark read that delves into serial killers, the sordid underbelly of London society, and the fluctuating nature of medical science and invention in an altered steampunk Victorian time period. It's not a book for everyone, and there were certainly times when I went, "Yikes!" but it remained an engrossing read. Carr wrote something of a love letter to Victorian literature. It's a twisted, topsy-turvy love letter, but a well-done homage just the same.

I got a copy of this book to review through Edelweiss. This was a wonderfully dark steampunk story with an investigative urban fantasy feel to it. I loved the characters, the world, and the plot. The story was very engaging and incredibly fun to read.

Dr. Eliza Jekyll is the daughter of the notorious Henry. She is a doctor and works both as a crime scene investigator and as a doctor at the insane asylum Bethlam. She’s been helping to investigate a series of murders where women are found with their limbs chopped off, the murderer is being called the Chopper. Things get complicated when the Royal’s Captain Lafayette is put on the case as well, he has a side mission to prove that Eliza is a sorceress. Of course Eliza does have many dark show more secrets of her own, the main one being her Shadow persona...Lizzie. Eliza does a good job of keeping Lizzie locked away but once in a while Eliza has to take an elixir to let Lizzie out to play...

This book reminds a bit of the Penny Dreadful TV series; it incorporates a number of characters from literature during the Victorian time period in London. Also our main heroine is generally very composed as Eliza but when Lizzie comes out to play things get pretty dark.

Carr does a wonderful job of making Eliza and Lizzie two very different people. I really enjoyed reading about them both. Eliza is witty and smart and has all of these really nifty mechanical devices she likes to use. Eliza is struggling to make it as a woman doctor in an age where there just aren’t women doctors. Lizzie is all grit and sass and tough as nails and is a hoot to read about. The two have an interesting relationship together and I enjoy how they took care of each other and helped each other in their own ways.

The description throughout the book is fantastic, it is easy to picture settings and characters. There are a number of interesting side characters. Sweeney Todd is in here and he is delightful evil, yet intriguing. Captain Lafayette also has many dark and intriguing secretes. Then there is the mysterious man that sponsors Eliza’s lodging...

More than anything this book is just delightfully fun to read. It is gory and dark at points, but never over the top. The story does an excellent job of reflecting that Jack the Ripper era of London, but in an alternate history sort of way. Speaking of which this book is definitely set in an alternate London where there are Fey throughout the city who are seen as lesser citizens. I would have liked to see the world-building and history of this new and alternate London gone into a bit more, but that is really my only complaint about this book.

Overall this book was wonderful fun and I can't wait to read the next book in this series. I love the characters in here and enjoy the setting of an alternate London. The book has a very investigative urban fantasy feel to it, but also has a lot of steampunk elements and some horror elements. I definitely recommend both to steampunk fans and urban fantasy fans. This is an excellent retelling/extension of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and it was great fun to read. I will definitely be reading more books in this series. show less

Firstly...I've never read nor seen Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. About the closest I've gotten is the BBC mini-series starring James Nesbitt (Jekyll) and I don't remember that beyond thinking "gosh this is bloody" (I saw it before I saw Dexter. Or Game of Thrones). So I went into this book with really only a bare hint of knowledge for the original. Given what I enjoyed most about this book was Lizzie, let's all just assume I'll never read the source material and move on.

In my initial thoughts on the book I remember noting how...uneasy I felt. If you look at the cover that's obviously Lizzie portrayed there, its Lizzie the title refers to and its Lizzie who seems to be fun. And she is. Oh how she is. Carr did a bit of a trick and had all of show more Lizzie's portions told in first person--further illustrating this is Lizzie's story, while Eliza's are in third person. It makes for some confusing moments, especially in the latter half as Lizzie comes out to play more often and Eliza begins to have more stressful problems.

Lizzie is wild, she's reckless and brash and can take care of herself most of the time. She knows low people and is fiercely protective of only one person in this world--Eliza. She notions herself Eliza's big sister, her watchman and vengeful aide. Eliza isn't weak, but she fears doing things that need doing. She fears becoming like her father--a mad man who loses control and goes feral. She garbs herself in dull clothes and prim manners to be taken seriously, but its Lizzie who helps her. Whispering in her ear, taunting her at times or reprimanding her. Warning her and cajoling her.

Carr doesn't spare much in terms of grim realities of murder or of the time period. Yes there's steam powered industry and yes the world developed differently, but its not too far out from what Victorian England was like in terms of social stratification or the dark underbelly. New toys, same tricks. Interestingly for me was that though Eliza dwelt moreso in the darker side of the world and saw its the gruesome ends those in it met with, it was Lizzie who was constantly chiding her to think first. Then again despite all signs otherwise its Lizzie who trusts first and Eliza who's paranoid.

I guessed at the killer (and the reasoning) fairly quickly, though I was quite shocked at how it all came together. It would have been sad had the killer not been so damned creepy. Character had ISSUES as a person.

What made me uneasy was a certain part that's a spoiler so I'll be vague here--Eliza is the dominant personality, she uses a brew to keep Lizzie at bay for the most part. That said Lizzie has her own ideas on life and from what I gathered she lived a rather more...robust social life then Eliza. However, despite the superficial differences that occur from one to the other, they share a body. The scene in question made me uncomfortable since it felt like something Lizzie should have at least consulted Eliza with. The consequences would have affected them both.

Which on that train of thought, if Eliza got pregnant what would happen to the child as she switched from Eliza to Lizzie? Or what if Lizzie got pregnant? While they share a body it appeared as if there was certain superficial differences....though how far does that extend. Different fingerprints? Genetically would they register the same? There's a character with extraordinary sense of smell--does Lizzie smell different from Eliza? The same? Similar but with a hint of something more?

These are the kind of questions that plagued me the further into the book I read and both girls feared being caught out (for different reasons) Eliza has some amazing do-dads, is experimental and always trying new things (she kind of reminds me of Murdoch from "Murdoch Mysteries" actually), though the level of science (or more importantly how its stifled) would get in the way.

Then there's the matter of the ending. I'm not entirely sure how to take Eliza's reaction. The confusing mixture of emotions she exhibits (and Lizzie vaguely mentions) left me kind of cold. I need more, equation does not compute, before I can really understand my jumble of feelings towards the book. However Lizzie is wonderful and Carr has an engaging voice (though it did feel over long) with her characters all feeling different and layered. I cautiously recommend with the caveat your mileage will vary I suspect. show less

The Diabolical Miss Hyde is very nearly a sequel to “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” set in an alternative, steampunk London. It explores many of the themes of the original novella by Robert Louis Stevenson – the duality of human nature, and the oppressiveness of class expectations in Victorian England – while addressing the additional oppressiveness of being female.

Miss Eliza Jekyll, daughter of scientist Henry Jekyll, lives alone under the care of a guardian to whom her father’s entire estate has been willed—she owns nothing of her own. She works both at Bethlem insane asylum and as a forensic doctor for the police, though her position at either is precarious because she is a female in a non-traditional female show more role for the time. At the hospital, at least, she is suffered only because she is Henry’s daughter.

Eliza’s “sister,” Lizzy Hyde, is her shadow – the dark and angry side, the side that wants to drink and cavort, be sexy and brave, and stand up for her rights. Eliza wears grey dresses while Lizzy wears red; Eliza is prim and proper while Lizzy dances and sings and speaks her mind in public. I really enjoy how the author indicates who is speaking: Lizzy or Eliza. Lizzy’s parts are written in first person and in a cockney dialect. Eliza’s parts are written in third person and are typically very prim. One can very nearly hear the clipped sounds of her proper British accent.

While sometimes Eliza and Lizzy are at odds with each other, during the book, they also come to depend on each other, being strong where the other is weak, defending each other, even developing some affection for each other. Toward the end of the book, Eliza is encouraged to let Lizzy out once in a while, not keep her so tightly controlled, for her own sanity as well as Lizzy’s. I think Carr is taking Stevenson’s exploration of the duality of human nature one step further, saying that we need both sides of our nature to survive, and that they need not always be seen as good and evil.

Carr also explores the question of who the monsters really are. Nearly every character in the story is revealed to have two sides, though maybe not as literally as Eliza. I don’t want to give away any of the surprises, but the idea here is that people are rarely who you think they are, and they are rarely all good or all evil.

I absolutely love the nods to the original story and the references to Frankenstein as well. The backstory with Newton, Faraday, and the Royal Society is very interesting and I look forward to hearing more of that. I think I was most impressed, however, by reading the Author’s Note. Miss Carr did her research! While I’m not thoroughly familiar with English history of the time, it was fascinating to me to read how much of real history was woven into this book, even if as the basis for the alternate timeline. As a lover of history, I really appreciate the effort to be authentic in some respects.

If you aren’t interested in any of the thematic or historical aspects, this novel still succeeds in pure entertainment. The murder mystery is really good; the descriptions of the steampunk technology create a wonderful mental picture; and I just love Hippocrates, Eliza’s mechanical pet. Of course, I always love the pets. The characters feel real, the conflict feels real, and it’s very easy to care about Eliza, Lizzy, and all the characters in Carr’s world.

There did not seem to be a resolution to the situation between Eliza and the Royal Society, however, which makes me believe there will be another novel in the series. I have confirmed on Amazon that The Devious Dr. Jekyll is due out in October of this year. I think I’m going to go preorder it right now. In the meantime, I’m checking out my options for audiobook editions of “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.” I want to refresh myself on the story so I don’t miss any more details or references that Miss Carr might choose to include. I’m pretty sure this series will be one of my favorites for the year.

Oh, Miss Carr, might there be an audio version of the book in the works? I would LOVE listening to this in audio.

Purchased. Review courtesy of onebooktwo.com | one book, two reviews. show less

There is a murderer loose in London that is slicing of women’s limbs for some insidious purpose. Dr. Eliza Jekyll is a crime scene investigator and she is called out to the first crime scene and there she meets Captain Lafayette from the Royal Society. She must be very careful around him since magic is strictly forbidden and the Captain is hunting anyone that uses magic of any kind. But the need for her to take the elixir is sometimes too strong for her to resist.

I bought The Diabolical Miss Hyde a couple of months ago, well this spring actually. And, I even started to read it, but then other books came between and then a couple of weeks ago did I finally return to it. And, oh Wow! This is a fantastical great steampunk book.

I liked show more Eliza Jekyll and Lizzie Hyde very much and I liked that Lizzie and Captain Lafayette relationship which is, even more, interesting because Eliza isn’t feeling the same way about him and since they share the same body is that a bit of a problem. The same body? Yes, Eliza and Lizzie are “the daughter” of Henry Jekyll from the classic book: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. And, Eliza is the good daughter and Lizzie is the bad one that is turned loose when Eliza drinks her father’s elixir.

I loved that the book had no vampires or that it felt YA. Instead, it felt gloriously dark and adult to read. Yes, the story could be a bit predictable. It wasn’t that hard to figure out who was the guardian for Eliza Jekyll and Lizzie Hyde and I wasn’t that surprised when the true killer was revealed. But, nevertheless, I enjoyed reading this book immensely.

I was very curious about Eliza’s “relationship” with Razor Jack (Malachi Todd), a serial killer that she caught before everything happened in this book. Eliza and Todd felt a bit like Clarice and Hannibal Lecter. I especially got that vibe when she was in the mental hospital where he is and he is telling her what the killers want (well telling her very subtle, she had to figure it out herself of course). Does it feel a bit weird to ship Eliza with Jack? Yeah, it does, but I just can’t help it. And then again Eric Northman (Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris) is hardly a saint and I liked him. I hope to read in the future about how Eliza captured him, not just as a flashback in a book. I want the whole story. show less

A steampunk riff on Jekyll and Hyde in which Henry Jekyll's daughter, Eliza, spends her days working as a medical investigator and physician at Bethlem Hospital while her alter ego, Lizzie spends her nights lurking in Seven Dials among the magical folk whose powers have been outlawed by the Royal Society. When a murderer begins hacking off limbs from his victims it becomes clear both Eliza and Lizzie will need to put all their powers into the investigation.

I went into this hoping for some high quality steampunk fluff with some riffs on classic literature and it didn't quite deliver. Something about the writing didn't quite suck me in the way I'd hoped and while the riffing is fun the mystery was too easy for me to figure out in advance show more of the characters. That said, the plot threads left hanging at the end of this novel and my interest in the characters are sufficient for me to put the next book in the series on The List. Hesitantly recommended for those who always thought Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde could have used more steampunk. show less