Liked It: Silk by Chris Karlsen

Series: The Bloodstone Series 1

Format: Mobi
Release Date: December 14, 2014 
Publisher: Books To Go Now
Source: Author via Tour Organizer
Recommended By: Candace's Book Blog
Genre: Historical | Thriller

Silk on the skin—luxurious, luscious..lethal.

London-Fall, 1888
The city is in a panic as Jack the Ripper continues his murderous spree. While the Whitechapel police struggle to find him, Detective Inspector Rudyard Bloodstone and his partner are working feverishly to find their own serial killer. The British Museum’s beautiful gardens have become a killing ground for young women strangled as they stroll through.

Their investigation has them brushing up against Viscount Everhard, a powerful member of the House of Lords, and a friend to Queen Victoria. When the circumstantial evidence points to him as a suspect, Rudyard must deal with the political blowback, and knows if they are going to go after the viscount, they’d better be right and have proof.

As the body count grows and the public clamor for the detectives to do more, inter-department rivalries complicate the already difficult case. What would you do to stay young: Lie, Manipulate..kill?

First off, can we all take a moment to admire SILK's cover art? I mean it is so gorgeous! 

Cover whore moment done... I liked SILK. I've read so many historical novels where they romanticize Victorian London. Sure, this time period is interesting, pivotal even, but so few novels show the grit of the time period. The divide between the classes is still evident, certain things are still luxuries like regular baths, three square meals, not to mention the entitlement of the aristocrats. These things Chris Karlsen included and used as a foundation for her novel, and I loved her for it. 

Another thing that appealed to me was the plot. You see Jack the Ripper on the blurb and you immediately expect that SILK is about him. Well it's not that straightforward. Jack might be roaming the streets of London during this time, but there's another killer on the loose, and his motive is somewhat incidental, or one can even say, the consequences of practicing a delicate fetish coupled with his quest for the elixir of life. I wouldn't necessarily call the perpatrator here a serial killer, because to him, murder wasn't much about the thrill of taking someone's life. Rather it became a convenient a way for him to get himself out of sticky situations. 

That said, SILK unfolded in a very interesting way. Right away, the identity of the "bad guy" was revealed and his POV alternated with the coppers. I just wish there was more dimension to the characters, tension to the story in lieu of a mystery, and the chase more thrilling and suspenseful. The detectives worked out the crimes as expected, however I wish the villain was more cunning with his crimes, more creative in trying to get away with it. Instead, said villain just lies until it finally caught up with him. 

Now, there's a good twist in the end. But if you pay close attention to the story, you'd see it coming because not everything adds up the way it should be. There's a lot of series out there based on Jack the Ripper and I am curious if CKarlsen plans to include Jack in her cast as an active member, or just name drop him in the coming books...

Amazon

I was born and raised in Chicago. My father was a history professor and my mother was, and is, a voracious reader. I grew up with a love of history and books.

My parents also love traveling, a passion they passed onto me. I wanted to see the places I read about, see the land and monuments from the time periods that fascinated me. I’ve had the good fortune to travel extensively throughout Europe, the Near East, and North Africa.

I am a retired police detective. I spent twenty-five years in law enforcement with two different agencies. My desire to write came in my early teens. After I retired, I decided to pursue that dream. I write two different series. My paranormal romance series is called, Knights in Time. My romantic thriller series is, Dangerous Waters.

I currently live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband, four rescue dogs and a rescue horse.

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