In very good debut novel about a young girl, Hester, who, after being saved from the London slums when she is hit by a carriage, finds herself in the company of the owner, Calder Brock. When Hester is passed on to his sister Rebekah, to be tutored, she finds solace in her company and their friendship develops. When events conspire that propel Hester to run away from the Brock household, she finds herself at a loss – with no family or money, Hester is forced again to seek help from Rebekah, but this time they develop a partnership – men, women and children are going missing at an alarming rate, and the pair seek to find the truth behind the disappearances. Secrets meant to be kept are found out, with devastating consequences for both Hester and Rebekah.

Although I read an e version of this book the first thing I have to say is pleasssse buy the real thing, it is beautiful. The added bonus is the very attractive cover hides a very good book indeed. Historical, gothic, horrifying and entertaining this had shades of Sarah Waters at her finest. It does drag a little in the middle but ratchets up the pace for a slam dunk ending. Looking forward to more from this author.

Hester is a young woman in Victorian England who has fallen on hard times, She was a genteel daughter of a parson but has been taken in by their gardener and wife after her parents die and moved to London. Strange things are going on in the city and ordinary people are disappearing. Hester is involved in an accident and is taken into be cared for by the gentleman and given to his sister to be educated as an experiment in social mobility.

The writing and atmosphere reminded me of Sarah Waters and Philip Pullman. It was very well written and the Gothic darkness of Victorian England was very well portrayed. I enjoyed this book very much.

This book was absolutely brilliant and I am looking forward to reading more from this author. A superb debut novel, the storyline was gripping and emotional, the characters were amazing to read and so easy to develop an understanding of them. The ending was fantastic and so well planned I did not see it coming and loved this book even more for it

Loved this book. Perfect for fans of Sarah Waters' The Fingersmith.

This book was so deliciously intense! I really enjoyed every page and flew through it without bothering with mundane tasks such as sleep. As a debut novel. this is truly impressive and I cannot wait to get more of Laura Carlin.

While atmospheric and evocative, there's something missing from "The Wicked Cometh" that would elevate this above average and I can't put my finger on what. I found it hard to follow at times, despite the fact that the plot at its heart is really rather basic.

People are going missing in London and nobody knows why. The police don't seem to be doing anything, despite the fact that many of the disappearances are linked to a particular household. In fact, the police make very little appearance in this tale that instead revolves around a young woman who finds herself taken in by the Brock family and tutored in a "My Fair Lady" type of scenario, allegedly to demonstrate that nobody is beyond salvation.

Engaging enough to make me want to know what came next, there were no real surprises along the way, and nothing ground breaking here. If you enjoy atmospheric Victorian novels, you'll like this, but it isn't amazing.

I'm in love with this book.

Ever since I last put it down, it's crossed my mind repeatedly. I get excited to keep reading and then sadly remember I've already finished it.

Laura Carlin writes with the most beautiful prose I've ever read, and I usually hate reading anything poetic. But her writing is so fitting with the history she's encapsulating, it felt like I was there with the characters, in the intoxicating Victorian past.

I think I read this book twice over with the amount of times I stopped to reread a passage that was so Goddamn gorgeous, I had to take it in again before I could move on.

I could provide my favourite quotes but that would be pretty much the whole book. The atmosphere was spine-tingling, the twists were masterful, the characters were original and solid and real. I could not get enough of The Wicked Cometh and I hope the author publishes more work soon, I NEED IT!!!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Quality Rating: Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Two Stars

Disclaimer: I got around 18% through this book and stopped reading not because it was bad but because I just wasn't interested. There was promise in the writing and the story, but moving into what should've been Act 2 nothing had really moved forward. I would also point out that the plot revolves around our protagonist getting taken in to be an example of how the lower classes of the period could be educated into sophistication - the big issue being that our protagonist is an orphaned aristocrat thrown into poverty. It might be a characteristic to aid the mystery and manipulation, but I found it quite confusing to the events happening. Hester deals with each obstacle easily because of this. It's hard to root for an underdog that isn't actually an underdog.

This is the usual book for me but I was intrigued by the description. I really enjoyed it . It's a dark and atmospheric book and would be lovely for a book club. It reminds me a lot of Sarah Waters books which isn't a bad thing!

What a glorious cover! One of the prettiest I've ever seen. Unfortunately the book inside doesn't quite live up to it. It's not terrible by any means – Carlin can clearly write, and I'll happily read whatever she publishes next. The story just didn't engross me, and I didn't believe in the central romance – which is a shame, as we always need more stories about love between women. I'm glad this book exists, I just didn't really enjoy it.

I was sent a copy of The Wicked Cometh by Laura Carlin to read and review by NetGalley.
This novel I found to be a bit of a mixed bag. While the premise of the story was good and there were twists and turns and parts of the story that kept me avidly reading there were also times when I felt a little apathetic. Somehow the writing was a little too clean and safe – I’m not sure that anyone will grasp what I actually mean by that! But somehow it all felt a little superficial. This Novel although listed as an adult historical novel to me felt as though it should be listed as young adult. It has been likened in quality to The Essex Serpent (which I adored) but it was nowhere near as sophisticated in its writing and I personally didn’t feel the same level of connection with the characters.
I know that The Wicked Cometh has had really good reviews and I did on the whole enjoy the book – I almost gave it 4 stars but couldn’t quite bring myself to go that far! I am sure that the author’s writing will mature over time and I would not be averse to reading future publications, but this novel still has me perplexed at how good and also how unsatisfactory it can be at the same time!

The Wicked Cometh is a dark, gritty Victorian tale centering on heroine Hester White and her attempts to escape a life in the slums. All the while, whispers of wicked and dangerous acts appear to be happening to the poorest of the community, with people mysteriously disappearing. Thrust into upper society after a chance accident, Hester falls under the tuteledge of the charismatic Rebekah as the pair set out to uncover what's really going on.

The descriptions of Victorian London within the novel are fantastic. Everything is vividly brought to life in wonderful detail and was very atmospheric. It's very easy to immerse yourself in Hester's world, and I got fully wrapped up in the gritty, dark London slums.

Hester is a great character. She's determined, and not one to wallow in self pity. She's practical and straight forward, but also an opportunist with a good heart. She's the perfect heroine for this kind of story, as she was interesting enough to carry the tale without being boring or overly unrealistic. However, she is quite simplistic in nature, without much emotional depth. Rebekah is the more complicated character. She's intelligent, and desperate to voice her views in a male dominated society that doesn't seem so far out of character for a woman of this era. Their combined relationship is also really strong, gradually building over time into something genuine and lovely. This was definitely the strongest aspect of the novel.

My main issues with the novel are the pacing, which is very stop and start in places (particuarly the middle) and the ending - which falls very flat. I found it didn't really work with regards to the rest of the feel of the book. It was far fatched, unbelievable and felt like a let down compared to the wonderful writing that proceeded it.

Read for the great descriptions of London and a great female relationship.

I really loved this book. It was a slow starter for me but I soon couldn't put it down. I really enjoyed the twists and turns of Hester's young life back in 1831. Ms Carlin paints a graphic picture of the slums so much so you can imagine being there. I found the ending a little unbelievable but I was glad Hester got the ending she wanted. I look forward to another of Ms carlin's books.

"But I know that even if the sun were to illumine the whole borough, it would still be dark. Dark with the business of the people who live here. Dark with the deeds that are done."

Laura Carlin's The Wicked Cometh is an atmospheric, gothic novel set in the Victorian slums of London. Her evocative prose conjures up the smokey, dirty backstreets overflowing with crime and poverty with ease. However, this is in someways at the expense of character development. I feel like a heavy portion of the book was dedicated to painting a grim picture of the dense alleyways and slums, leaving the main characters Hester, Rebekah and Calder a little underdeveloped. It also means the book has a tendency to meander at times, spending a lot time scene-setting that could possibly be better used in helping the reader empathise and care about the characters more.

The plot itself was as twisty and tense as Carlin's wonderfully imagined London slums, leaving me constantly wondering where it was going to move to next, until the last few paragraphs. I saw the twist coming from a mile off, but that didn't dampen my enthusiasm for the story in general.

As part of the LGBTQ+ community, I found it incredibly heartening that the slow-burning, but passionate relationship between Hester and Rebekah was given time to grow organically, and never felt gratuitous or scene-stealing from the main story.

On the whole, there were parts I enjoyed about this book, but felt it was let down a little by length and slow pace at the beginning. I'm glad that I read it, but I wouldn't do so again.

A plague of missing people is running through the lowest levels of 1830s’ London. The people worst affected by poverty are those most likely to disappear. Hester is an orphaned young woman living in miserable circumstances who finds herself taken in as a social project by a surgeon, Calder Brock and his sister Rebekah. As Rebekah and Hester grow closer, Hester finds herself drawn into Rebekah’s obsession with the missing people and their investigation leads them into great danger.
This is a well-researched historical crime novel with a fast pace. The level of detail is impressive, painting vivid images of the setting. The dark, seedy atmosphere of filthy historic London pulls you in.
The relationship between Hester and Rebekah is wonderful as it develops from a mistress/servant dynamic to something more. Hester has lost all her family and is determined to survive and she finds her match in the strong Rebekah. The rest of the cast of characters are fascinating and deeply flawed but colourfully painted.
I look forward to Laura Carlin’s next book.

Our main character here is 18 year old Hester White. She grew up surrounded by love in the north of England. Her mother died in childbirth and her father passed away just 6 months later from typhoid when Hester was just 11 years old.
Hester has nowhere to go but the gardener and his wife take Hester in and they all move down to London.
Unfortunately, they are all living in the back alleys of London, having fallen on hard times.
Hester has a job as a copier of manuscripts as she had been well educated when she was younger.

The author does a truly fantastic job of transporting the reader to the London that Hester finds herself living in. You can almost smell the disease as the fetid squalor is described.

Hester needs to escape from this environment and goes everyday to Smithfield to try and find Edward, a cousin.
It is during one of these trips where Hester is injured by a carriage but the passenger of the carriage, Calder Brock is a doctor and he takes Hester to his home while she recuperates.
This is where Brock explains to Hester that she can travel with him to his country home where his sister will teach her. Brock believes Hester to be just a normal street urchin who has not be educated.

This has such a Dickensian feel to it with twists and turns throughout but as a very comfortable pace.
The ending is a little outlandish but it fits well with the rest of the book.

A very enjoyable book.

In the dark alleyways of London, in 1831, people are disappearing; the vulnerable poor, children, elderly, homeless. Missing posters line the streets. But none are found. ‘The Wicked Cometh’ by Laura Carlin is a 19th century crime thriller with two women, divided by class and background, who are determined to find the truth but who never once suspect the depth of wickedness they will uncover.
When 18-year old Hester White is hit by a carriage, physician Calder Brock takes her to his London home. Cared for by his servants, he questions Hester about her birth. Ashamed of her bad luck – growing up at a country parsonage, she was orphaned and taken in by her parents’ servants whose own income declined so now they live in an East End slum – Hester hides her education with a deftly-adopted London accent. Brock rescues her as an experiment in educating the poor. He takes Hester to Waterford, his childhood home in the country, where he lives with his sister Rebekah and their Uncle Septimus. Rebekah is to be Hester’s tutor. What follows is a story of lies laid upon more lies, murder, theft, friendship and love. As the women set out to discover what happened to Hester’s missing cousin, and two servants who worked for Rebekah, they enter into an underworld neither guessed exists. Being female hinders their attempts to investigate and they put themselves into increasingly dangerous situations in their efforts to gather evidence.
This is a melodramatic rollercoaster which in places grew so convoluted that I at first re-read passages, but then simply skipped paragraphs. It would benefit from some robust editing. At its heart is a gruesome Victorian murder mystery and the love of two women. The answer to the mystery that Hester and Rebekah set out to solve – and I started with high hopes of the two female investigators - is perhaps predictable but the details are dense and colourful though at times needlessly confusing. Some of the descriptions are unbelievably gory, unnecessarily so.
There are two endings, difficult to describe without giving spoilers. Suffice to say I found the final ending unsatisfactory; too neat and tidy for me. The part of the book I enjoyed the most was the beginning, with the development of Hester’s character, her stop-start relationship with Rebekah, and the whispers that unsettle Hester so she doesn’t know who to trust. The London setting is well-written; the filth so real you can smell it. The medical detail is gruesome so be warned, a few pages require a strong stomach. Another positive is the two strong female protagonists. I particularly liked Rebekah. All of this is well done. What let it down for me? It simply didn’t hold my attention in places.
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The Wicked Cometh by Laura Carlin was a perfect read for a snowy day. Foggy streets, missing persons, dark deeds, deceit, and two women who are determined to uncover the awful truth. Historical fiction run through with mystery, a love story and a nice touch of the gothic. The scenes involving mistaken / false identity reminded me of Wilkie Collins’ novels.

This book can be succinctly summed up as a rather sinister mystery wrapped around a beautiful love story.