The Music of the Spheres

Fairly well done murder mystery set in London in 1795. Its most profound flaw is the choice to use an omnipotent narrative voice, which simply does not work in a mystery: if the narrator knows all, why is certain information being withheld from the reader? And the connection with the protagonist is lost when the reader is not looking at the clues from his point of view.

Set in 1795 London against the backdrop of the disastrous English-backed Royalist invasion of Revolutionary France, Elizabeth Redfern's first novel, The Music of the Spheres (2001) is a dark, rich tale of international espionage, astronomical observation, and diabolical murder. All three of those themes combine to create a very creepy literary thriller, best not read immediately before bedtime (which was, naturally, when I read most of it).

None of Redfern's characters are very likable (in fact they are to a person rather the opposite), but that only adds to the murkiness of the book. The author has, though, captured the essence of her time period and setting very well, and she's written a book which is sure to hold its reader's show more attention (even if it's only to find out what horrible thing happens next). The ending may be apparent somewhat in advance (it was for me), but even having guessed what was coming I had no idea how Redfern was going to get us there.

If you enjoyed The Alienist, or Instance of the Fingerpost, or The Interpretation of Murder, I'd recommend this one as well.

http://philobiblos.blogspot.com/2007/12/book-review-music-of-spheres.html show less

The mystery kept me interested and engaged. The author has a nice style and knows how to interweave characters and historical events.
I found the sexual threads unnecessary and distracting. Why must so many of the characters be deviants? Why and how does Augustine wield so much power over so many? Nothing in the story leads me to a reasonable understanding of this.
This novel is ok. What makes me sad is that I think it is just steps away from being good. I doubt I would select another of her books. Time is an investment and this did not have enough of a payoff in my view.

A jack-the-ripper-flavored story, set in 18th-century London - but with
enough original elements to make it a more than worthwhile read.
Jonathan Absey is a government clerk whose career has not been going very
well since he went out on a limb to get his estranged brother a pardon for
homosexual acts - and it's gone from bad to worse as he becomes obsessed
with finding the killer of his daughter. Since the girl, also estranged,
was a prostitute at the time, he's officially discouraged from pursuing
the case... but when more and more women of his daughter's description
keep turning up dead, it's hard for him to concentrate on his offical
assignment: scouring the mails for signs of French espionage.
But both murders and spies seem to lead to a show more group of odd and enigmatic
astronomers, obsessed with finding a new planet that they call Selene.
Cover-ups, betrayals, madness, perversion and violence will ensue before
all is revealed in this dark and gripping mystery. show less

This felt strangely familiar, or perhaps inevitable would be a better description. There are the down-trodden though spirited prostitutes of 18th–19th century London. There are the men who are persecuted for preferring boys. There are the spheres within spheres of clandestine work by and against the government – this time surrounding the aftermath of the Revolution in France. (Napoleon is waiting in the wings.) A character's death which seemed probable was inevitable; the main character, Jonathan Absey, has a dogged determination to discover his daughter's murderer which combines with a growing disregard for his own safety, professionally and physically, which has predictable results. (The man has some of the most truly, show more consistently terrible luck of anyone in the world, his or ours.)

I enjoyed parts of this book very much. The entire astronomical angle was fascinating – that strange cross between poetry and dreams and hard science, and the elusive planet they believed had to exist between Mars and Jupiter – the formulae were only slightly tortured, and while it might be something very like the "Kennedy had a secretary named Lincoln and Lincoln had a secretary named Kennedy, etc." string of correlations, it's still a fascinating thing. Despite some of the well-worn tropes that went into him, Jonathan's half-brother Alexander had some real originality to him, and I enjoyed him and his past and his circumscribed world. Poor man – his luck isn't much better than his brother's. There were some good ideas for the espionage aspect. The setting was not done poorly; it was very vivid in places. The unfortunate thing was that it just felt like so many of the gaslit mysteries I've read. And the shocking revelation of who the killer was … wasn't that shocking. Not as shocking as some of what happened to minor characters, at least. I had hoped that there was a sequel, perhaps, in which Alexander and Jonathan search for a person who goes missing near the end of the book – but I guess the little part of me that became invested in the book and its world will just have to go on worrying about him.

Honestly, I think it was largely the sheer unrelenting bad fortune Absey experienced that made this less than a favorite. Blow after blow after blow … in a way it's reminiscent of Harry Dresden taking beating after beating and still plowing forward. But Harry has much more of a sense of humor, and so do the Dresden Files. And that makes all the difference.

http://www.universetoday.com/14869/was-there-a-planet-between-mars-and-jupiter/ show less

I enjoyed this story of espionage, serial killers and astronomy in the late 18th century, a lot more than I thought I would. There was a lot of historical detail, particularily about the advances in astronomy during that time and the period was brilliantly brought to life.

This is really "can't put it down" mystery filled with interesting characters, just enough history, (maybe a bit much astronomy -- but necessary) and lots of twists and turns. I hope Redfern is working on another one. Overall good reading!