Murder as a Fine Art

The author combined real-life events by inserting Thomas de Quincey, a sensational novelist known as the Opium Eater, into a reproduction of the Ratcliffe Highway murders that took place in 1811. The story takes place around the time of the Crimean War in Victorian England. Mr. Morrell has done a fine job of detailing the history and weaving a believable murder mystery. I was immersed in how he wrote about Victorian society and learned a lot, not only about the poverty-stricken residents of the East End of London but the hypocritical morals of the upper classes.The characters are diverse, but the best parts of the story for me are told as journal entries by De Quincey's daughter, Emily. She is a much more forthright female for that era, and her observations are a delight.It's a very enjoyable read, with an engaging story and setting.

I just wrote that Joe Hill's NOS4A2 was probably the best horror novel of 2013. Well, David Morrell's newest novel, Murder as a Fine Art, is probably the best police procedural/serial killer thriller to hit the shelves this year and maybe even this past decade. It carefully sucked me into its tension-filled grip and then blew me away when I least expected. It had me reading each page as if someone was holding a pistol to my head, urging me to hurry or else. That I wanted to find out who the killer was and how he would be dealt with was no secret.Murder as a Fine Art takes place in 1854 London, England and begins with the brutal, savage deaths of five individuals inside a clothing shop. It isn't long before the public becomes aware that the slayings are a direct imitation of similar murders that took place during 1811, or are they? You see the tragedy of 1811 was written about by the infamous Thomas de Quincey in his essay, Murder Considered as a Fine Art. It's certainly possible that de Quincey's writings may have inspired a new killer to copycat the earlier crimes. Or, maybe de Quincey is the actual serial killer, who has come back to London to relieve his first creation forty-three years earlier.Other than de Quincey and his daughter, Emily, the next important characters are Detective Ryan and Constable Becker who investigate the killings. The two policemen question the possible suspects, only to realize that someone could be using the writings of de Quincey to throw off suspicion.Realizing a good thing when it's thrown into his lap, Detective Ryan decides to use de Quincey as a consultant to help him and Becker find the murderer before more killings can take place. Of course, they have to go against the explicit command of the most powerful man in England, who wants de Quincey arrested. The two police officers, however, have minds of their own and suspect they're on a time clock because the real murderer wants to destroy London as his final piece of art.David Morrell's newest novel is definitely one of sheer brilliance. It incorporates his two years of diligent research to bring 1854 London alive in the reader's mind. His facts about the citizens and the city are never boring. In many ways, I would call it a history lesson that excited me with its nuggets of information that added realism to the story and its many characters.The writing, of course, is professional in every sense of the word, flowing with an ease that reminded me of a spring meadow running quietly through the forest. After more than thirty-five years of writing, Mr. Morrell knows how to use words to tell a great story and to build a multitude of characters that shine with authenticity.There was one chapter in particular that held me spellbound within its mesmerizing grip. It told the story of the killer and his journey to India where he learned to smuggle opium into Chine for the British East India Company and how to fight the Hindu Thugs, whose method of killing was strangulation with a knotted rope. The Thugs worshipped Kali, the Goddess of Destruction, and were so skilled in inflicting death upon the British and their allies that a person seldom heard them approach until the rope was wrapped around their neck. This chapter was utterly fascinating to me.It should also be pointed out that many of the characters in the novel are based on actual people who lived: Thomas de Quincey and his daughter, Emily, John Williams, Lord Palmerston, and others. This certainly adds to the story's provocative theme and its vivid description of murder at its worse.If you're interested is fantastic reading for the end of the summer, then buy yourself a copy of Murder as a Fine Art. It should also be noted that David Morrell is busy at work on a sequel to this great book.

Liked it so much I got the other 2 books. Will continue reading his books.

For three fourths of the book I was engaged. The remainder fell into the trap of trying to be too sensational.

Took some time to get to where the book needed to go but it was well worth it. I am used to the other books by this author which truly are different. But in the long run there are still tons of similarities

Looking for mysteries set in mid century Central London, I came across this novel and got it for my Kindle. I was not disappointed, although I figured out the identity of "the artist" early in the novel (and would have liked several red herrings to throw me off the track), and I appreciated the amount of research and characterisation by the author. The personalisation of Thomas de Quincey, a brilliant man and the author of the infamous and cautionary Confessions of an English Opium Eater, and On Murder Considered as One of the Fine arts is central to the story. A murderer is loose in the Wapping area of London who is using the latter tract of de Quincey's as a model to repeat the terrible Ratcliffe murders, and an Irish Deputy Inspector Ryan and his assistant, as well as de Quincey's daughter work together to track down the perpetrator.The best thing about this fast-paced novel is the style of writing which takes the reader right into a fog-plagued, filthy London which was the centre of the British Empire, and which unashamedly received profit from the opium trade, including the uber-powerful Lord Palmerston. The panic which happens as a result of the copy-cat murders 43 years after the first Ratcliffe murders was chilling to read; there was no discrimination in the attacks nor any shame from mobs who attacked anyone who was "different". The emerging and understaffed police force has to deal with so much within a very small area of densely-packed London, and the pressures on them to find the perpetrator are so severe that it is a wonder they could ever keep order. One of the better researched novels on mid-century London, the author makes us feel as if we should be looking over our shoulder for all those things that go "bump in the night".Would love to see a follow-up to this novel, the characters were all unique and a bit quirky; I hope he could develop Ryan a bit more, I felt as if he was taking a backseat to the other characters at times and I do not know him enough.

This novel set in Victorian London uses Thomas De Quincey, controversial author of "Confessions of an English Opium-Easter" and "On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts" as the central character in this novel. De Quincey's essay, "On Murder..." dramatised the infamous Ratcliffe Highway killings which terrorised the country in 1811, when the inhabitants of both a shop and a tavern were murdered viciously. Now it is 1854 and De Quincey and his daughter, Emily, are staying in London at the request of an unknown benefactor, who has arranged lodging for them. However, when there is an apparently motiveless murder of an entire family which mirrors that of the Ratcliffe killings, De Quincey's knowledge of the crimes makes him a suspect."There is no such thing as forgetting..." wrote De Quincey and he must go back in time to discover why his work and reputation are being used against him. In many ways this is an excellent novel - Detective Inspector Sean Ryan and Constable Becker are great characters, as is De Quincey's daughter. However, I do agree strongly with the previous reviewer - with the obvious research that has gone into this novel, Americanisms like "cookie" and "sidewalk" jar horribly. Also, it did sometimes seem that the author was insistent on using every bit of research and side stories, such as that featuring Dr John Snow and the cholera epidemic, did not also fit the storyline. Overall, though, this is an exciting read, with past crimes intruding on the present, conspiracy in high places and a fast moving plot.

An absolutely super read, though the murders are really very violent and bloody. However, they are based on the horrible Ratcliff Highway Murders which really happened and were just as awful scaring not only Londoners but people up and down the country.I found the little group of protagonists, Thomas de Quincey, Emily his daughter, constable Becker and Inspector Ryan very sympathetic characters and you really cared about what they did, said and thought so you were hoping that the conclusion would not diminish the group in any way.I also like the conceit of writing in the first person at times and third person at others and then given you plain facts about life in those times, like a short history lesson. Apparently books were often written like this in those long off days.I didn't know David Morrell wrote the Rambo stories. He is a very interesting writer.

Having read virtually every one of David Morrell's fiction collection I would say that "Murder as a Fine Art" is up there with the best of them, (everyone will have their own favourite).As always, the quality and depth of David Morrell"s research is plain to see, as is his interest in the subject matter. Ok, so a couple of very minor Americanisms do creep in, but they in no way detract from the story. It would be easy to assume an error in detail, and considering that the author is from Canada could perhaps have been forgiven. However, I suspect that they are not errors at all and are the intentional use of words Americans especially would be familiar with, however much we in the UK might prefer pavement to sidewalk or street to block. I don't think that David Morrell can be criticized for this, after all, the US would no doubt be the books biggest market.This is a different style for David Morrell, but it's meant to be. A highly enjoyable read.

David Morrell is an extremely versatile writer; having penned intelligent spy thrillers, horror, suspense and some period work. With Murder as a Fine Art, he brings you a book he has obviously researched thoroughly in that you can almost imagine being on those foggy streets of 19th century London.Using Thomas DeQuincy as the central figure and the Ratcliffe Highway murders is an intriguing concept and allows Morrell to draw on rich and bloody past whilst incorporating his own elements into the story. Though it starts out with a copycat killing of the Ratcliffe Highway murders but takes a more interesting turn into a conspiracy and revenge story which I won't spoil for you but which I found to be a nice twist.Like the previous reviews, i didn't find the Americanism's too jarring (though it was odd he referred to biscuits as 'biscuits' then used cookie later), but the rest of the language and references were expertly used and made for an interesting historical read.

Having seen a glowing review for the second book in this series, I thought I'd read the first, first. A great story, and great research by the author - the details of Thomas de Quincey's life and literary output were superb - but I found the 'lectures' by the author, explaining the historical background, rather clumsy. As he claims in his afterword, it may have been standard for authors of the time to give us this background in the midst of the story, but I didn't care for it. I'm hoping the second novel in the series avoids this. But yes, this book was a gripping if horrifying read about a real series of murders. I shall certainly read the next.