A darkly atmospheric novel with plenty of twists and turns. I wondered from the title whether there would be elements of the supernatural, and there aren't, but it's plenty wicked enough for all that. Hester, an 18 year old orphaned daughter of a country parson, has fallen on hard times and now lives with her parents' previous gardener and his wife in a slum area of London. A chance encounter with Calder Brock leads her to his country house and a chance of leaving behind her former life. First, though, she has to solve the mystery of why the poor have been disappearing from the area in London where she was living.

This is a well-plotted debut from Laura Carlin. The storyline moves speedily with plenty of cliff hangers to keep the reader hanging on. There were a few too many coincidences (I felt), but nonetheless it's an enjoyable foray into the murkiest depths of London's criminal underworld in 1831.

Set in 1831, this debut novel centres on Hester, a young girl who finds herself struggling in poverty ridden London after her parents die.
After a chance accident, Hester is transported to the home of the Brock family. At first, feeling like her life has been turned around, Hester and her newfound friend Rebekah, the lady of the house, soon become embroiled in an ongoing mystery, the sudden disappearance of men and women who leave no trace.
I thought for a debut novel this was an accomplished start. Laura has an excellent writing style and she paints a vivid picture of the squalor and filth of Victorian London. It may have been a little overlong in parts but the characters are well drawn and it has an interesting plot.
I enjoyed it!
My thanks to Netgalley for this copy.

If you enjoy a good old Victorian, high drama, mystery,  with a bit of romance thrown in, then this book is right up your street. Set in Victorian London, we meet Hester, a young girl who was brought up in a reasonably wealthy family, and well educated, but tragedy struck and she ended up in the slums of London, 'adopted' by their old gardener.

Strange things are afoot in the slums, people are going missing, posters appearing on walls, and people are never seen again....something is going on...

Without spoiling....events lead Hester to the Brock family, a wealthy family, who decide to 'experiment' on Hester and see if it is possible to educate this 'slum girl' - her upbringing is unknown to them but Hester sees this as a way to get back onto her feet and have a better life. Hester is tutored by Rebecca Brock, an unmarried member young female in the family.

Hester discovers that Rebecca is already looking into the disappearance of her maid, and together they start looking deeper into where people are disappearing to, drawing them deeper and deeper in...

I really enjoyed this book - I do love the Victorian era and this book takes you right into the back alleys and yards to the big houses with servants -it takes quite a few twists and turns - especially at the end, and I found myself constantly surprised and unable to put this book down in parts because I just had to know what was going to happen next! One of the final plot twists is a biggie, and I was left open mouthed in shock - if that's what the author intended, then she got it from me...

It's quite a short book as well, I managed it in just over a weekend, and I'm a slow reader (and have a problem sitting down for more than 10 minutes at  time!), so it's one you could sit down and get through in a day if you put your mind to it.

My thanks to Netgalley & Hodder & Stoughton for this copy

I'm always looking for historical fiction and mystery stories with female protagonists set in Victorian England. Sadly I have also often been burned during that search. It takes a deft touch to combine all those different aspects and not have one of them become disastrous. So when I saw The Wicked Cometh I was immediately intrigued. People are going missing? Wickedness in London? A bright young woman in the midst of it all? I am SO here for it! Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In a sense The Wicked Cometh is a mystery novel that tries to answer a straightforward question: why are people disappearing? But Laura Carlin uses this as a way to address class which, in my eyes, definitely elevates the plot. Hester is poor, incredibly poor, living among equally poor and hungry and cold people in London the 1800s. But her life wasn't always like this. When her parents were alive she enjoyed comfort and education, but now, as an orphan, she has not much to hope for. That is, until pure chance literally throws her in the way of the Brock family where she gets another chance. Through Hester, Carlin is able to show the harsh divide between the rich and poor, how the former can look down upon the latter with disgust and zero awareness of how they came to be poor. The constant clash between expectations and reality are really interesting and add an extra layer of meaning to The Wicked Cometh.

In the next paragraph I'm going to discuss two different themes running through the novel, however, these are pretty much spoilers. So please ignore the rest of this paragraph if you want to remain unspoiled! Still with me? Ok, let's go! At the heart of the wickedness taking place in London lies the working on human corpses in the hope to gain, at least initially, medical knowledge. It is something that also popped up in Rawblood, the contemporary terror of people at the mere thought of human corpses being operated on in order to advance medical knowledge. Carlin strikes a successful balance in showing both the understandable fear of her characters, as well as how her bad guy has lost his subjectivity when it comes to his endeavour. It was done really well I thought, especially combined with The Wicked Cometh's focus on class. The disregard with which the upper class considers the lower really comes out through this plot line. Another theme was love, especially love between women. Carlin worked this out so beautifully in The Wicked Cometh that I was rooting for it before the characters themselves were even truly aware of their feelings. Not once did it feel Carlin would exploit their love for sensationalism, rather she treated it like the previous thing love is.

The Wicked Cometh is incredibly atmospheric and this is all due to Laura Carlin's beautiful writing. Her London comes to life through her descriptions which are incredibly evocative, whether it's the dirt on the streets or the sound of the crowd. The houses, the people, the weather and mood, it's all described in a way that draws the reader in straightaway. I felt like I was watching a movie sometimes, with the amount of detail Carlin managed to confer to me. Carlin takes a lot of time at the beginning of the novel to set her scene and establish her characters, which may not work for everyone but I loved it. Also, I adored Hester, she was such a scrappy and determined main character who stayed true to herself as much as she could. Carlin makes some choices towards the end of the novel which felt a bit rushed, as if she was trying to tie every story line together into one thread and thereby stretched some of them a bit too far. In a way some of these choices reminded me of the Gothic novels of the time, deeply dramatic and a bit too much, but sadly it didn't really work and betrayed some of the strong plot choices made earlier in the novel. However, this didn't really affect my opinion on the overall novel that much, compared to a different novel I read recently.


I adored The Wicked Cometh with all of its sumptuous details and lovable heroines! I was sucked into the plot straightaway and loved all of the dramatic twists and turns. I would definitely recommend this to anyone interested in Historical Fiction and Mystery. I will definitely keeping my eye out for Laura Carlin's next novel.

Living in 1831 isn't easy for Hester White whose change in circumstances has led to her living in poverty in London.
Then Hester finds herself with the chance to improve her life with help from the Brock family.
As Hester grows closer to Rebekah Brock, she also finds herself investigating events that may lead her into danger.
Why are so many people going missing?
Will Hester or Rebekah be next?

I love the cover for The Wicked Cometh and along with the intriguing blurb, I was excited to read this.
Unfortunately, this is another book that missed the mark for me.
Given the size of The Wicked Cometh not that much happened plot-wise, and what did happen failed to hold my attention - this was mainly because of the writing style which I couldn't get on with.
Hester was an okay character, and while I felt sorry for her I didn't like her all that much.
The romance was sweet but the age difference surprised me.
I debated DNFing this and part of me wishes that I had.

Overall this was a disappointing, okay read.

Hester White is a young lady in the 1830s who has fallen on hard times and is living in the poorest part of London with all the crime, smells, dirt and noise that this area has in abundance. When she is given a way out of this poverty by the Brock family she is astounded at her luck but the frightening events that follow show that perhaps it would have been better to have stayed in the slums. A mystery wrapped around a romance, the story moves along at a good pace and has some genuinely sickening moments that were a little hard to read for this wuss!

This is the story of one orphan girl and the relationships that she develops. It is a very complex story that is a compulsive read. The story unfolds at a graceful pace that kept me guessing as to what was going on throughout. The twist and explanations at the ending made the unexplained twists and turns all fall into place. The characters are well described as is the period in the early 1800’s in London, with the sounds and smells so real. A great read which I would recommend to anyone who loves period novels that are mystery thrillers as well.

This is a dark novel, full of alleyways, secrets, disappearances and shadows. But the murkiness of London and its inhabitants is contrasted by the author’s lyrical prose, which, even though overreaching at times, creates truly beautiful moments against the sinister backdrop. A crescendo of gore, violence and drama brings the book to a close. If you like Gothic literature then this book is sure to be up your street (or dark alleyway…).

There was a lot about this that I liked particularly the sections of Rebekah’s diary. I did find it slow going in places which in a way seems to suit the 1830s setting. There was a thread regarding a birth which I felt was over complicated and I’m not sure I ever grasped what happened. I think to satisfy me there needed to be more of the gritty crime and less focus on the relationship. This is perhaps better suited to readers of historical romance than crime fiction.

With such a beautiful cover and with the enticing subtitle “A novel of darkest London”, Laura Carlin’s The Wicked Cometh was impossible to resist.

The novel is set in the early 1830s, during the reign of William IV, and opens with The Morning Herald reporting on the increasing number of men, women and children being declared missing in London. One young woman who has been following the news reports closely is Hester White; she is growing concerned about her cousin Edward who had arranged to meet her at Smithfield three weeks ago and has failed to arrive. Hester’s life has not been easy since the death of her parents a few years earlier; finding herself alone in the world she has been living with her father’s former gardener, Jacob, and his wife, Meg. Their home is a London slum, very different from the parsonage in rural Lincolnshire where Hester grew up, and she has been hoping that Edward can offer her an opportunity to start a new life away from the city.

When Hester is knocked down and injured by a carriage belonging to Calder Brock, suddenly another way of escape presents itself. Calder, who is a doctor, takes her to his family’s country estate, Waterford Hall, to recuperate, and explains to her that he would like her to stay and be educated by his sister Rebekah. With his interest in social reform, he hopes this experiment will show that even those from the poorest slums are capable of learning and improving themselves. Hester can already read and write, but is happy to pretend otherwise to avoid having to go back to Jacob and Meg. And so her lessons with Rebekah begin and a special friendship starts to form…

Everything I’ve described so far happens in the first half of the book and up to that point I found that I was really enjoying it. I liked Hester and although present tense first-person narration isn’t my favourite, her voice was strong and compelling. Her relationship with Rebekah felt natural and right, and I was pleased that it took time to develop. I was curious about the disappearances in London too and wanted to know more.

Then, in the middle of the book, there was a change of pace. As Hester and Rebekah began to investigate and uncover the truth, I felt that the author was trying too hard to incorporate every possible trope of the 19th century sensation novel, from family secrets to hidden documents to clandestine marriages. The story began to feel very melodramatic and contrived and lost its effectiveness. There were aspects of the plot that reminded me of Fingersmith by Sarah Waters, as well as one or two developments that made me think of The Woman in White, and I suspect that if I hadn’t read so many similar books I would probably have enjoyed this one a lot more. This was a particular problem at the very end of the novel where something which should have been a big surprise was too easy to predict.

I did like Laura Carlin’s writing and the atmosphere she creates; The Wicked Cometh is already receiving a lot of attention and as a debut novelist I’m sure she has a successful career ahead of her. For me, though, this is a novel of two very different halves. Some readers will prefer, as I did, the slow scene-setting of the first half and others the dramatic revelations of the second. If it sounds like your sort of book, give it a try – maybe you’ll love it more than I did!

'We have no need to protect ourselves from the bad sort because we ARE the bad sort . .
'This newspaper has taken note that the past month has been remarkable for the prevalence of cases where men, women and children are declared missing. Scarcely a week passes without the occurrence of an incident of this type' - The Morning Herald, Tuesday 13 September 1831
Down the murky alleyways of London, acts of unspeakable wickedness are taking place and the city's vulnerable poor are disappearing 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, dragging them into the blackest heart of a city where something more depraved than either of them could ever imagine is lurking. . .
There was nothing wrong with this book: well written, good characters, but somehow it just wasn’t a good read for me. I’m sure plenty of other people will disagree with me, but this was a definite no-no for me. 2*

The Wicked Cometh by Laura Carlin

London 1831, people are going missing, more than usual, it’s even making the newspapers and folk are worried, who will be next.
In the underworld, of the poorest areas of London, a young woman, Hester White, tries to escape poverty and the slums. After an accident, she is literally thrown into the path of the Brock family, and she hopes that she may have a chance to improve her situation. However her past begins to catch up with her, dragging her back to the slums, here she makes some terrible discoveries.

No one is quite what they seem, and Hester, along with Rebekah Brock find out things they would rather not know, about family and friends. This book was absorbing and enlightening about the state of the poor and how medical Science touched the lives of the people of London at this time. It was certainly a fascinating and engrossing read, which I really enjoyed.

The Wicked Cometh by Laura Carlin

It is 1831 and children and young adults are disappearing from London’s darkest streets. The poor are not easy to miss when so many are homeless and cholera plagues the city’s streets and houses. But enough have been missed to make the broadsheets and it concerns young Hester White. Hester was born to a comfortable life but tragedy means that now she lives among London’s poorest, relying on the charity of her family’s former servants. She dreams of escaping her nightmare, to be somewhere warm and clean, but also to help those that society has forsaken. It seems that she has a chance of all this when, in what might appear at first to be an unfortunate circumstance, Hester is run down by a carriage. Injured, she is taken away by the carriage owner to recover in his grand country house of Waterford Hall and there she becomes companion and servant to her rescuer’s sister Rebekah Brocks.

Rebekah and Hester are immediately drawn together for so many reasons but also for their social conscience. They find themselves investigating the missing people, taking their search into the hell streets of darkest London. The threads they follow become twisted and corrupt as lies follow their every step. The cost of trust can be deadly.

The Wicked Cometh is a rich and velvety exploration of late Georgian London at its worst. The contrast with Waterford Hall throws even more shadow on London’s slums. The stench, dirt and disease of these streets and dwellings (it wouldn’t be right to call some of these places houses or homes) is vividly described as Hester moves through this abhorrent world. For many, gin is the only escape until the final release of death through poverty, disease or murderous intent.

The scenes at Waterford Hall are entirely different. There we find ourselves in a Gothic mansion, with fire-lit rooms and evenings spent by the piano. But the mood there is never less than sinister and Rebekah is increasingly enigmatic. Hester is every bit as out of her depth at Waterford Hall as she is in London.

The novel really tells two tales. There is the mystery of the missing youngsters and then there is the relationship between Hester and Rebekah. The latter is lovingly told, all experienced through Hester’s eyes. There is some beautiful prose here as Hester tries to understand her feelings while she fears for her place in the house and, more generally, in the world. Hester is a young woman in limbo trying to find her role, while Rebekah must remain a mystery. We’re given extracts from Rebekah’s diary and that seems to confuse Hester even further. I was really drawn to Hester, even though there were times when I wanted to give her a good shake.

The Wicked Cometh is a melodramatic and Gothic tale and especially so as the novel continues. I must admit to preferring the first half of the book. I loved the realism of the chapters in London, Hester’s isolation there, the people that she comes across, all trying to make any ends meet. London is so well described. The second half of the novel felt rather fanciful to me and parts of the plot were too contrived for me to accept. There are coincidences and there are also surprises which I felt lessened the impact of other parts of the novel. I also had some issues with the ending. I suspect that the ending may divide readers.

All in all I found The Wicked Cometh to be an entertaining read that I would recommend. There are sections of it that really stand out and those chapters are indeed as purple velvety and luscious as the beautiful proof (surely the most beautiful I’ve seen) that I was fortunate to be sent to read. I suspect that in future novels the author will keep her plot better on track, avoiding the melodrama, but my overriding feeling for the novel is warmth for its wonderful and sympathetic characterisation and for its damning and insightful portrait of late Georgian London at its most dark.

'This newspaper has taken note that the past month has been remarkable for the prevalence of cases where men, women and children are declared missing. Scarcely a week passes without the occurrence of an incident of this type' - The Morning Herald, Tuesday 13 September 1831

Down the murky alleyways of London, acts of unspeakable wickedness are taking place and the city's vulnerable poor are disappearing 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.
A very well written long book, the descriptions of life in the London away from Mayfair in William IV’s reign were so very real & I found myself almost being able to see & smell the disease riddled alleyways. This wasn’t a light hearted read but it held my attention all the way through. The characters were well fleshed but I just didn’t love them. I’d read more from the author but wouldn’t be clamouring for the next book

My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Living in the worst and darkest area of London Hester White longs for more in life. An accident throws her into the world of the Brocks and the beautiful Rebekah. The two face peril, lies and danger in the pursuit of the truth. A world darker than they ever imagined.

This was a brilliant read. I wasn't sure what to expect when I started reading this but I was soon hooked. There are many layers to the story and the mystery is just a part of it. I loved the twists and the ending was utterly perfect.

Hester is a simple girl with a need for more in her life and a perfect lead for the story. We follow her every emotion and long for her happy ending. The other characters are all varied and each has an important role. I love that you can never be sure exactly what role they play in the story.

A Brilliant read.

Hester White, is a bright young woman and is desperate to escape the slums by any means possible. 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 ans 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. Their trust in each other will be tested as a web of deceit begins to unspool, dragging them into the city where something some depraved is lurking.

Set in 1832. This book has the perfect mix of setting and atmosphere., a friendship between two very different class of women from very different backgrounds. The story does seem to drag a bit in the middle, but it's still a good book. This will suit readers who like seedier plot lines.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and the author Laura Carlin for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Dark, atmospheric with a downpour of sorrow a book that will drag you about by the emotions.

The Wicked Cometh by Laura Carlin is a middle of the fence story for me.
It is set against the backdrop of the slums of London in 1831 and features Hester White born the educated daughter of a parson she has fallen on hard times after the passing of her parents.
Taken in by the gardener and his wife Hester soon Finds herself far far down with the dregs of society Using an opportunity of chance Hester finds herself in service to the Brocks using a falsehood to secure an improvement in her station, Hester finds a growing friendship with the enigmatic Rebecca Brock her new teacher.
But there are secrets afoot and it's not long before Hester and Rebecca are caught in a web of intrigue and danger.
So with this, I really enjoyed the beginning and I also found the end to be very exciting.
However, the middle of "The Wicked Cometh" I struggled with, I found this to be a trifle long winded and I did find myself skimming quite frequently.
This is the main reason I have rated this down slightly.
Despite that, there is still plenty here to keep the attention and I must admit that I did become misled in regards to plot direction so bravo to the author for that.
I also loved the uniqueness of this tale in regards to the relationship between Rebekah and Hester.
And also the underlying mystery here, that managed to keep this afloat.
And also found the language used here was of a very lyrical nature.
This was also a nice touch.
So that's about it, there were positives and negatives to this story for me.
It was an alright read but didn't blow me away.
NetGalley provided me with an ARC of "The Wicked Cometh" by Laura Carlin of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own

This dark Victorian tale that vividly creates the underbelly of life of the times in a similar style to Sarah Waters’ early books covering the same period.
The year is 1831 as The Wicked Cometh opens and we are treated to an alarming newspaper cutting:
‘This newspaper has taken note that the past month has been remarkable for the prevalence of cases where men, women and children are declared missing. Scarcely a week passes without the occurrence of an incident of this type’
Down the dark alleys we go, through the putrid mud, into a room with damp walls, a mud floor and precious little to eat although the master of the house always manages to find a shilling for his sup of gin and we meet Hester White who lives with the occupants Jacob and Meg and their twin children having lost her parents in her native Lincolnshire and been taken in by the pair and moved to London. The family is now down on their luck and Hester is desperate to find a way out.
With the sights, sounds and smells excellently depicted there is no doubting that this is an atmospheric read and Hester is a likeable and lively protagonist to lead us on the dreadful journey and one that has us meeting all sorts of likeable and frankly revolting characters along the way whether the mode of transport is by carriage or shank’s pony.
The first half of the book really sets the scene and at times this seems a bit too meandering for my tastes with those like Hester who are left to live by their wits being compared to the well-heeled who quaff wine and dress in exotic clothes whilst carrying out good deeds in their spare time. So we meet the Brock family, the surgeon son, his spinster sister Rebekah and the old gentleman Septimus, the one who holds the purse-strings and therefore gets to make the rules. And Septimus wants Rebekah married but it doesn’t take a genius to work out why this scholarly woman is not really cut out for the life of a lady who wafts around. By coincidence some of the missing have links with the Brock household and Rebekah is trying to work out where they have gone.
There are plenty of characters and at times I confess got a little confused as they blended into one sorry tale after another, never really quite being distinct enough to merit a full role in the drama.
The pace really picks up in the second half of the book with the investigation into the ever-growing number of missing, those who are invisible except to those who read the increasingly long list of names pinned to a hoarding in the hopes that someone will know where they are. There is action and danger, a need to win trust to prise the secrets out and to know who to divulge the snippets to, how trustworthy are the new Bow Street Runners and will they do something to help?
There is a lot to enjoy in this terrible tale, one where the gloom is never far away in those dank and dreary times told with pleasingly consistent prose.
I’d like to thank the publishers Hodder & Stoughton for allowing me to read an advance copy of The Wicked Cometh; this review is my thanks to them.

A clever blend of historical fiction and LGBTQ romance, this was a largely enjoyable read with a very Dickensian feel. Hester is a young orphan living in squalor and poverty in London with her former parent's gardener and his wife. While she was once the child of a relatively comfortably off parson, now she is on the verge of starvation, and living in dread of her lecherous drunkard of a guardian. While most of the denizens of the city barely notice the numbers of people disappearing in mysterious circumstances , she has begun to realize that something is very wrong. Fate intervenes and following an injury in a carriage accident, she is taken to the home of Calder Brock, a man of medicine determined to heal her, and use her as an example of how the poor can improve themselves if given the chance. To that end he ropes in his sister Rebekah as her teacher, and as the young women grow closer they begin to investigate the disappearances and stumble on a shocking conspiracy with tragic consequences.
One of the highlights of this book is how vividly, and some might say unfortunately the sights , smells and sounds of the seamier side of London are brought to life by the author, the descriptive power of her writing is truly incredible. Another strength is the dept of development she brings to her characters, not just Hester and Rebekah, but the myriad other minor characters who drive the narrative. The flow of the story is good, a little slow starting out but it does gain pace, and by midway through the book ,as more of the background was revealed I was thoroughly hooked.. My one small gripe with the book was the ending, I felt like there was one plot turn too many, and the book would have been stronger and more resonant without the "happy ending" which felt a little too contrived for my taste.