Really enjoyed the world and characters in this book - definitely one to get lost in. It very much had a Sarah Waters vibe to me! I was a bit disappointed by the ending, but overall an enjoyable read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Hodder and Stoughton and Laura Carlin for the ARC of The Wicked Cometh in return for my honest and unbiased review.

This is the debut novel from the author and was compelling reading. Historical fiction is not usually my first choice but the backdrop of Victorian London was so well portrayed brought the story to life.

In addition, the characters were well developed and rounded. I warmed to Hester from the start and although down on her luck and struggling there was no self pity.

The plot kept me engaged and surprised throughout. A thoroughly refreshing read.

Highly recommended.

Wowwowwow, just back from the murky world of London’s Victorian East End and loved every second of it! You know these rare books where you conciously slow down your reading because you don’t want the book to end? Two protagonists from different worlds: well-off Rebekkah in her uncle’s house and Hester, grown up in the roughest part of the East End after her parents died, strike up an unlikely alliance. Trying to solve the mysterious disappearance of several people, they stumble upon more than they could ever imagine. Richly furnished with Dickensian characters, with twists, turns and discoveries around every corner, it is an absolute pleasure to read!

An astonishing book. It had me gripped to it's pages, even though technically it didn't have any. ;P I always love Historical Fiction so this was incredible. So enchanting.

Laura Carlin's debut novel, written in a manner to reflect the times in which it's set was a really good story. It melds Pygmalion, Burke and Hare plus a smattering of 'Oranges are not the only fruit'. Set mainly in a very grimy London where you can almost smell the malodour, slip on the excrement and mud in the streets and become very aware of each felon that passes, it weaves at tale of missing persons, poverty, good fortune and unrequited love. The novel has pace, sensitivity and an interesting twist at the end. Trying to use the language of the time and yet make it work for modern readers must have been a painstaking achievement.

Rich in atmosphere, characterisation and vocabulary, this historical fiction follows the character of Hester White, an 18-year-old living in squalid conditions in 19th century London. A carriage accident may well prove her salvation - passenger, the charismatic Calder Brock, seems determined to rescue her from the gutter, his sister Rebekah to be entrusted with her education.

Following closely in Sarah Waters' footsteps, this is a Victorian pastiche that returns to those perennials of murder, identity, prostitution and female survival. Carlin writes with fluency and conjures up a grim, dank, seedy London where the only sanctuary for our heroine is in female friendship

While this is an enjoyable read, it does feel more generic than original, and there are some clumsy tricks such as the extended death-bed confession/life-story at the end. Great for fans of Victoriana.

The year is 1831. Down the murky alleyways of London, acts of unspeakable wickedness are taking place and no one is willing to speak out on behalf of the city's vulnerable poor as they disappear from the streets. Out of these shadows comes Hester White, a bright young woman who is desperate to escape the slums by any means possible.

When Hester is thrust into the world of the aristocratic Brock family, she leaps at the chance to improve her station in life under the tutelage of the fiercely intelligent and mysterious Rebekah Brock. But whispers from her past slowly begin to poison her new life and both she and Rebekah are lured into the most sinister of investigations.

Hester and Rebekah find themselves crossing every boundary they've ever known in pursuit of truth, redemption and passion. But their trust in each other will be tested as a web of deceit begins to unspool, dragging them into the blackest heart of a city where something more depraved than either of them could ever imagine is lurking...

The Wicked Cometh includes several elements that I enjoy in a novel: a determined heroine, a suspicious sounding society, and plenty of dark deeds with people going missing, never to be heard of again, and it came as something of a surprise that I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as I expected to.

Starting with the positive, I thought that Hester was a great character, and I loved her determination to improve her situation. Her parents died when she was young, and, with no family willing or able to take her in, she moved to London with her family's gardener and his wife. There, they struggle, and this educated young lady finds herself living in ever-worsening conditions through no fault of her own. This background gives Hester a brilliant strength of character, and makes her increasingly determined to achieve something better. I loved that she wasn’t intending to wait for some man to improve her situation, but was willing to make her own way in life.

I also loved Carlin’s writing style, and I thought that it was very in keeping with the time in which the novel is set, with a dark, Gothic edge that fits perfectly with the story. Similarly, the mystery element of the novel – the missing people – is well-delivered, particularly as Hester and Rebekah begin to investigate. And I enjoyed this element of the plot, which becomes increasingly dark as they begin to unravel the mystery.

I did, however, find the pace to be a little slow, particularly to begin with, and this is perhaps why I struggled with this novel a little more than I expected to. Additionally, I didn’t like the big reveal. Not in the sense of the outcome, which I did enjoy, but the way in which it was delivered. This is purely personal preference, and I’m sure that others will like it more than I did, but it just wasn't for me.

The Wicked Cometh will be published on 1 February. Many thanks to the publisher, Hodder & Stoughton, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this title in advance of its publication. Whilst it wasn't entirely suited to my tastes, I think that those who enjoy dark, gothic mysteries will like this one.

Wow! This was a fantastic read! The author has a really engaging lyrical style which evoked the setting of Victorian London excellently. An atmospheric tale of missing people, Victorian crime (don't want to give too much away!), and family secrets. It could be a bit of a slow read at times, but to be honest, I quite liked that as I enjoyed the setting and the characters enough to be happy to take my time with them. My only real gripe would be that I didn't really find the ending believable, and for me it should have just cut the final part out (again, not wanting to spoil anything), but otherwise I loved this, and am excited to see what this author has in store for us in the future.

I liked everything about this book. I thought it was superbly written, great characterisation and the vocabulary and style make the descriptions live. The story itself is typically Victorian which blends perfectly with the style of writing. The mystery element is believable and well constructed developing slowly at first and coming to a satisfactory conclusion and explanation. For me what makes a book worthwhile is caring what happens to the main characters and in this book I did, I really wanted to read to the end to find out what happened. An excellent read.

For me normally historical books bore the socks off me so I was really unsure as to wether or not I was going to like it but in all honesty this book has totally revamped the genre in my option it was a fantastic gripping read....definitely an author to watch out for,

I tried a new genre however, unfortunately, this was not my cup of tea.

This is a must-read book of 2017. Based around the resurrectionists of the Victorian era, along the lines of Burke and Hare, it is a captivating story of life, love and loss amongst the desolate poverty of Victorian Britain.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book which centres on Hester White, aged 17 in 1831, who has been living in squalor in the East End of London for six years. Hester's father was a parson in Lincolnshire but her parents died within 6 months of one another when Hester was 11. There were no other relatives so she was taken in by Meg and Jacob. Jacob, who just to be the family gardener, is an alcoholic and behaves very badly towards his wife and Hester.

Following an accident Hester comes into contact with Calder Brock, a doctor, and his sister Rebekah. Hester sees a chance to improve her desperate circumstances while in their home recuperating and so begins a friendship with Rebekah who has been ordered to be her tutor in an experiment by Calder to see if a girl in the gutter could be educated. Hester chooses to hide the fact that she had a decent background and education up to the age of 11 as she is desperate to escape the poverty she's been in. It then emerges that a lot of people are hiding a lot of things and the plot picks up considerably in the second half.

It was a good story and well-written with a lot of twists. I would give it more stars but I actually wished that I hadn't read it by the end as there are some very dark and disturbing scenes in the second half with horrific things happening to people and animals. but having said that I think it's a very good book and if these sort of scenes do not disturb you, as they do me, it's an excellent read.

With thanks to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for a free copy of this book.

I love a good murky mystery and tie one didn’t disappoint! A rare departure from what I usually read these days, glad I did though! You might want to read with the light on!

Initially there is a Dickensian feel to this novel, both with the setting and characters, but the aS the story develops it becomes reminiscent of Wilkie Collins and Sarah Waters. It is well written, highly atmospheric and the complex story sweeps the reader along. The latter part of the book is really gruesome and chilling, and it becomes a genuine page turner.
An excellent, atmospheric and unusual mystery.

Great book. Really enjoyed the strong plot. I found it to be a real page turner. Highly recommended

Many thanks to Netgalley and Laura Carlin for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

An awful lot of historical murder mysteries with a blossoming relationship between 2 women from different backgrounds are inevitably compared to the wonderful writing of the inimitable Sarah Waters, and most fall terribly short of the mark.

In the Wicked Cometh, this comparison is almost justified. Apart from a drawing out of the story in the middle which made it drag a teeny bit the storyline is excellent. Set in the grimiest courts and alleys of 1830s London where foul deeds are afoot, it is a rags to riches story of the very best kind which follows the fortunes of Hester, a young woman dragged up in the slums who lands in the lap of wealthy family by accident, literally, and ends up being offered a post as a companion to the mistress of the house the slightly mysterious spinster Rebekah Brock.

As the two women are drawn together in their search to discover what is happening to the many folk in poorer parts of the city who are gong missing they become closer but the wickedness they uncover is darker than even they imagined.

The characters have great pseudo Dickensian names, the locations are suitably filth and disease ridden to make one shudder and there is a budding romance.

With a creditable twist in the tail and a real sense of misdemeanor and foulness its a gripping mystery and very dark in places.

Well worth a read for anyone who like me is drawn to the seedier parts of london in a byegone era.

I found myself wanting to read more and more of this, as I was gripped by the story line and characters. The book is well written, moves along at a good pace and goes into the right amount of detail on the various characters. However, a couple of minus points:
a) the book makes a good effort to make the reader understand the massive difference between 'have' and 'have-nots' in pre-victorian England' but I did not properly feel the squalor and hopelessness of the poor areas of east London
b) I'm unable to work out if how the characters all link is cleverly interwoven or is somewhat contrived.. Each reader needs to make up his/her own mind on this

Victorian London and something dastardly is afoot. People are disappearing and no-one knows what's happening to them. Our heroine Hester, raised as a parson's daughter, has fallen on hard times and is now living in the slums of London, taken in by her family's former gardener and his wife.. A misfit amongst the illiterate and criminals of the slums, she fits in by mimicking their accent and their ways, but she is desperate to escape. Then suddenly her luck seems to turn as she is taken, Pygmalion-style, by the dashing Mr Brock to spend time being educated by his mysterious sister Rebekah. As the two grow closer, so they find themselves embroiled in a mystery as thick as a London pea-souper. I really enjoyed this book, so evocative of classic Victorian literature with a twist. Definitely a recommended read.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2213932862?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Thanks to Netgalley for an Arc copy of this book. I do enjoy a crime drama and I love historical fiction, so this book ticked both boxes. It was well written. I loved Hester, the main character. And I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of London, which felt very real. However, towards the end I felt the story jumped about a bit and was almost far fetched in places. That said, it's a nice story and easy to read and I did want to find out what happened in the end.