A Mortal Likeness: A Victorian Mystery
Jan 2018 · A Victorian Mystery Book 2 · Crooked Lane Books
4.7star
3 reviewsreport
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304
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About this ebook
Fresh off the Jack the Ripper case, Sarah Bain and her ragtag team of investigators search for the missing child of a wealthy banker—who may be more perpetrator than victim
A photographer in 1889 London, Miss Sarah Bain runs a private detective agency with her friends, Lord Hugh Staunton and former street urchin Mick O’Reilly. Their sole credential is that they solved the Jack the Ripper case, a secret they can never tell because they did it outside the boundaries of the law. Their new big case arises when a wealthy banker, Sir Gerald Mariner, posts a handsome reward for finding his missing infant. All of London joins in the search. But Sarah has an advantage—a photograph she took during a routine surveillance job, which unexpectedly reveals a clue about the kidnapping.
After Sir Gerald hires Sarah, Hugh, and Mick to find his son, they move into his opulent mansion and discover a photograph of baby Robin. It eerily resembles postmortem photographs taken of deceased children posed to look as if they’re alive. Was the kidnapping real, or a cover-up for a murder? Is the perpetrator a stranger, or someone inside the troubled Mariner family?
The case hits close to home for Sarah as it intertwines with her search for her father, who disappeared after he became the prime suspect in a murder twenty-three years ago. She finds herself on the wrong side of the law, which threatens her budding romance with Police Constable Barrett. But Sarah must uncover the truth about Robin’s kidnapping, and her own family, before her past catches up to her in A Mortal Likeness, the gripping follow-up to award-winning author Laura Joh Rowland’s The Ripper’s Shadow.
A photographer in 1889 London, Miss Sarah Bain runs a private detective agency with her friends, Lord Hugh Staunton and former street urchin Mick O’Reilly. Their sole credential is that they solved the Jack the Ripper case, a secret they can never tell because they did it outside the boundaries of the law. Their new big case arises when a wealthy banker, Sir Gerald Mariner, posts a handsome reward for finding his missing infant. All of London joins in the search. But Sarah has an advantage—a photograph she took during a routine surveillance job, which unexpectedly reveals a clue about the kidnapping.
After Sir Gerald hires Sarah, Hugh, and Mick to find his son, they move into his opulent mansion and discover a photograph of baby Robin. It eerily resembles postmortem photographs taken of deceased children posed to look as if they’re alive. Was the kidnapping real, or a cover-up for a murder? Is the perpetrator a stranger, or someone inside the troubled Mariner family?
The case hits close to home for Sarah as it intertwines with her search for her father, who disappeared after he became the prime suspect in a murder twenty-three years ago. She finds herself on the wrong side of the law, which threatens her budding romance with Police Constable Barrett. But Sarah must uncover the truth about Robin’s kidnapping, and her own family, before her past catches up to her in A Mortal Likeness, the gripping follow-up to award-winning author Laura Joh Rowland’s The Ripper’s Shadow.
Ratings and reviews
4.7
3 reviews
Linda Strong
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December 31, 2017
This is a real treat for lovers of historical fiction. A MORTAL LIKENESS sees the return of Sarah Bain, Lord Hugh Staunton, and Mick O'Reilly. Sarah and Hugh run a private detective agency... mainly because they are unsuitable for any other type of employment and they solved a major previous murder case. The author has done a fine job of combining two different stories. It's when they dovetail that things get really dangerous. Sir Gerald Mariner hires Sarah and Hugh to find his kidnapped infant son. Sarah feels that something is not quite right. Finding a picture of the baby, she notices that it looks a lot like the practice of posing deceased children to look as though they are still alive. Is the baby really missing? Kidnapped? Or something much, much worse? During an unrelated surveillance, Sarah notices a man in the background of a photo she took. He greatly resembles her father, who went missing over 20 years ago after he became a suspect in a murder. Sarah must uncover the truth about Robin’s kidnapping, and her own family, before her past catches up to her. Although this is a follow-up to THE RIPPER'S SHADOW, it does well as a stand alone. There are several mentions of their first case, so I would highly recommend reading these in order. The characters are outstanding and I love how they interact with each other ... with love and caring ... and sometimes frustration and worry. The suspense is palpable in places and I found it impossible to put the book down. I don't read a lot of historical fiction, so I found the descriptions of life in 1889 much enjoyable. I loved how they carry their cameras in boxes... my imagination was running on overdrive. Many, many thanks to the author and Crooked Lane Books for the advance digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
About the author
Laura Joh Rowland is the bestselling author of the samurai detective Sano Ichiro mystery series set in 17th century Japan, as well as a historical suspense series starring Charlotte Bronte. Her work has been published in 21 countries; nominated for the Anthony Award, the Hammett Prize, and the Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Award; won RT Magazine’s Reader’s Choice Award; and been included in the Wall Street Journal’s list of the five best historical mystery novels. Laura holds a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Michigan. She is a former aerospace scientist, a painter, and a cartoonist. She lives in New York City with her husband Marty. This is her second Victorian mystery.
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