Book review: Murder as a Fine Art

Murder as a Fine Art

I read Jdelveaux’s review of Murder as a Fine Art. Truly, I was hooked at the mention of Victorian England. I borrowed the audiobook from hoopla that very day. 

David Morrell (the author) tells us, at the end of the book, he spent 2 years submerged in the world of Thomas De Quincey. His research and passion for his subject is obvious. Not only does he show us Victorian England in great detail. We get a vivid verbal picture of his supporting characters; so much so that I found myself rooting for De Quincey and Inspector Detective Ryan.  

Morrell also spells out a side of the British East India Company, it left me thinking, ‘is that real’? This book is under historical fiction. Wow! If it is true, and we know it COULD be, it’s sickening to me. 

Thomas De Quincey wrote an essay Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, in a time when privacy and decorum were of the upmost importance. Not only did he outline his addiction, a very private subject; he talked about love and affections. Subjects so taboo that his essay sickened the people that read it. 

I’m not going to share too much detail about the content of the book (no spoiler alerts here). 

If you have watch From Hell with Johnny Depp, I found myself drawing some similarities between the 2 works. Murder as a Fine Art is not about Jack the Ripper. I feel like it is a precursor in someways. 

Thanks to Murder as a Fine Art, I have been introduced to a host of period authors that I look forward to listening to: Thomas De Quincey, Samuel Coleridge, and Wilkie Collins. 

Thank you for the review, Jdelveaux.

Book Review: Murder as a Fine Art – Plantlife