I am always enthused for some neo-Victorian historical crime fiction, and Matthew Francis' Nocturne with Gaslamps offers an unusual twist. Beginning with a murder, it is not quite a detective story, but unravels an assortment of crimes both whimsical and dastardly. The novel instead settles somewhere around Wilkie Collins territory, with perhaps some of Grant Allan's interest in female crime-solving. Wonderfully referential, it's a pleasure to read.

Much of the novel centres around the theatrical ambitions—and grunt work—of Mr Hastings Wimbury, an aspiring actor who instead tends the gaslamps and most basic visual effects of the Villiers Theatre. As a master of poetry and shorter fiction, Francis moves the novel along pleasingly; we leap, but comfortably, along the timeline of Hastings' continued association with a mysterious Count from Cimmeria/Hanyson. There is lots of learning here, and intertwined interests from other of Francis' writings (e.g. on the travels of Sir John Mandeville), behind the spectacle.

In coming to London to try his hand at theatrics, Hastings has left behind at home a not-quite-but-maybe fiancée, Flora, but finds in his London boarding house a young professional woman, Cassie, sets her sights on him, while Flora is wooed by a newly arrived churchman. There is an appealing comedy in the duelling accidental entanglements of Hastings and Flora, who write to each other lovingly and yet find that those near at hand also have their charms.

Cassie works for one of those sceptical psychic detectives well known in the Victorian period, and although attracted to theosophy, she has a pragmatic approach and technical skills that parallel Mina Harker's professional uses in the rather less light-hearted Dracula. When Hastings goes missing—ostensibly on a voyage to the mysterious land of darkness where he will play Hamlet to an adoring crowd—she rallies to help Flora plan a daring rescue. But who needs rescue, and why? I strongly recommend you pick up a copy to find out.

So eerie and atmospheric, I was completely drawn in from the very first page!
A brilliant autumn/winter read!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC!

Nocturne with Gaslamps promised to be Victorian and Gothic, but what a let-down. The author was at pains to share his knowledge of Victorian theatre and the use of gas for lighting, colours and lanterns for theatre performance. However, the story was muddled and over complicated with descriptions just for the sake of it and failed to move the story along. Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an ARC.

Set in Victorian England, this crime fiction novel captures a gothic and atmospheric tone, immersing readers in a world of dark, fog-laden streets and eerie, shadowy alleys. The setting is richly described, evoking the haunting mood of the era. However, the pacing felt slow, making it difficult to stay engaged, especially in the early chapters. Unfortunately, some of the characters lacked depth and substance, existing more as props than fully developed individuals within the narrative.

The plot itself only begins to gain momentum in the final third of the book, where the action finally picks up and the mystery starts to unravel. Up until this point, the lack of character development made it hard to connect with Flora and Cassie, and the slow build-up did little to maintain suspense. While the novel successfully creates a gothic atmosphere, the sluggish pacing and underdeveloped characters made it a challenging read overall. For those who appreciate a vivid Victorian setting and can endure a slower burn, this book might still hold some appeal.

Thank you to Neem Tree Press, the author and NetGalley for the ARC.

I absolutely loved the setting of this book. Victorian England, it felt very gothic and dark. The theatre parts with the lighting and the gas really set the scene and we're very atmospheric. Behind the scenes all the details were definitely my favorite part. I found the book quite slow paced and it took until I was 50% through before I felt like the story really started moving and I wasn't trying to work everything out. The two lady characters Flora and Cassie I did not gel with. There was no character development or substance to them. I really didn't get the epilogue and I didn't think it added anything to the story. Overall this is a slow paced mystery that has good bones but lacked execution. It was still an interesting read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Neem Tree Press for allowing me the opportunity to read this book.

The synopsis and reviews sounded promising but i didnt like the way so many characters kept appearing and confused me, dnf read 35%.

🕯 Nocturne With Gaslamps 🕯

-> (2.75 stars) <-


ᯓ★Plot
ᯓ★Pace
ᯓ★Characters
ᯓ★Liked
ᯓ★Disliked
ᯓ★To conclude

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

Plot:

We follow Hastings Wimbury, a young man with a dream to play Hamlet in a performance of national significance. When Hastings goes missing as a result of falling too far down the rabbit hole his ambitions led him through, his fiance Flora and Cassie, an acquaintance of his set out to try and find him.

I found the plot fairly entertaining and easy to follow as well as being slightly predictable, though the plot twist was indeed one I could never have predicted, partly because of the bizarre intentions behind it.


Pace:

The pace is a little slow, with the action picking up around 50% of the way in. Personally I wasn’t exactly bored before that as I began making predictions of my own and trying to connect how everything fit together but you can tell that some of the interactions and chapters leading up to that point were important for the progression of the story and some had no value at all.


Characters:

I found the characters a little confusing, due to the lack of background in their relationships with each other, the way they interacted with each other and the ways in which they reacted to certain situations seemed a little unbelievable at times. Especially when it came to Flora and Cassie, I just felt like they weren’t real enough with the way they acted?


Liked:

I absolutely loved the time setting of the 1800s with the way the characters articulated themselves, as well as the atmosphere of London at the time. Furthermore, reading the descriptions and behind-the-scenes of the theatres then was so interesting, the way they would control the mood, convey subtle messages, all through something as simple as the lighting. We get to see how they relied on gas for their performances and the gas-boys who worked tirelessly running around in the background lighting all the lamps in time for the show to carry on. The references to Hamlet throughout the book were also very enjoyable and I found some of the conversations regarding Light and Dark and the symbolism behind them very interesting.


Disliked:

I personally felt that the epilogue was unnecessary. Not only was it unnecessary but it left me feeling a little dissatisfied compared to where I thought it was going to naturally end. I also struggled to envision exactly how the whole structure of the gas lamps and chandelier worked in the theatre parts but to be fair that could just be me. It also felt like the narrative didn't flow smoothly enough at times which interrupts your reading flow a little.


To conclude:

I definitely enjoyed it while reading, most of my critical points were things I reflected on after finishing so I definitely had fun in the moment. So if you don’t mind the pace and you’re looking for a historical fiction, something Victorian London-based with a little theatre and Hamlet mixed in as well as a small plot twist, then definitely give this a try!

Thank you to Neem Tree Press, the author and NetGalley for the ARC

─── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───

In a Nutshell: A crime fiction set In Victorian England. The gaslight theatre setting is appealing, but the pacing, the plot development, the female characters and the mystery itself didn’t work for me.

Plot Preview:
1882. Hastings Wimbury has always dreamt of playing Hamlet on a West End stage, but the closest he has got to the theatre so far is in his new job as a ‘gas boy’, taking care of the gas chandelier and the other gas-based light and shadow machines in the theatre. When a strange man meets him with an equally strange proposal, Hastings is not sure whether to accept it or not. But soon, the decision goes out of his control.
The story comes to us from the third person perspective of mainly three characters: Hastings, Cassie (an assistant to a ‘spirit investigator’), and Flora (Hastings’ secret fiancée.)

Bookish Yays:
💎 The theatre setting, especially all the details connected with theatre lighting of that era. Fascinating to read and learn!
💎 The ‘nocturne’ atmosphere, so prevalent throughout the plot in various ways. It was almost as if the author was playing with light and shadow through his words. Love how the era came alive, especially in the darkness scenes.
💎 No infodumps, unlike most mysteries.

Bookish Mixed Bags:
🎭 The prologue, set six months after the main story, sets a creepy beginning to the novel. However, once the main narration begins, the time references aren’t given and we have to figure out the change in months ourselves. Also, when the incident in the prologue actually occurs in the main time frame, it isn’t repeated (which is good), but is an in-between-chapter scene that is not explained at all (which is disappointing.)
🎭 Hastings – an interesting character whose eccentricity lends itself to some curious moments. It would have been great to see more depth to his personality.

Bookish Nays:
💣 The portrayal of the two main women characters Cassie and Flora: Though both their arcs started off with tremendous promise, I just didn’t find them believable later on. Their decisions and actions made no sense considering their earlier character development. Cassie’s conversion from a logically-thinking assistant to a “rival in love” is too abrupt and absurd to be convincing.
💣 Several important aspects are only told to us but never shown. For instance, Dr. Farthing, Cassie’s employer, is supposed to be a reputed ‘spirit investigator’, but we never see him in action, even though Cassie makes multiple mentions of his work and is a dedicated student of his techniques of human observation. Flora’s appearance in the city is sudden, but we don’t get to see the whys of her decision or the hows of her solo travel. Cassie’s background and the circumstances through which she found a job with a person who investigates the validity of seances is never explored. It was almost like the entire novel functioned only through present events, no past background to add depth.
💣 The pacing is slow-burn and meandering.
💣 The plot development seems a bit disjointed. The core mystery could have been interesting had it been the sole focus; the extraneous elements are just distractions. The events in the second half stretch incredulity.
💣 This is promoted as a historical crime novel. The blurb talks of Hastings going missing and his fiancée Flora and “her rival in love” Cassie coming together to locate him. Guess what? Hastings doesn’t go missing until the 60% mark. Moreover, we already know the person responsible for the “crime”, thanks to Hastings getting his own narrative perspective. So the first 60% is spent in waiting for the “crime” to occur, and the remaining is spent in waiting for the ladies to catch up and figure out the whos and the whys.
💣 The actual reveal is quite disappointing, almost like a deus ex machina.
💣 The epilogue, set two decades later, seems pointless.

Unlike many of my reader friends, mysteries are mostly a miss for me. But I have had better luck with historical mysteries, and this, combined with the Victorian theatre setting, made me give this book a try. But it wasn’t my cup of tea. I *might* have enjoyed this better had the mystery been more prominent and the women characters more convincing. But waiting till the 60% mark to read what the blurb had already revealed was too much a test of my patience.

To me, this was a one-time reading experience, and not a memorable one. You might still enjoy this if you enjoy slow-burn crime stories where the focus isn’t the mystery itself but the setting and the characters. Do read other reviews and take a more informed call on this work.

2 stars.

My thanks to Neem Tree Press and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of 'Nocturne with Gaslamps'. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book. Sorry this didn't work out better.

Cassie Pine, stenographer to the “spirit investigator” Dr Farthing, meets Hastings Wimbury at her rented rooms and is intrigued by his demeanor.

Flora Burlap, whilst being pursued by the curate Ambrose Pilkins, is secretly betrothed to Hastings Wimbury. Hastings has come to the London Westend to be an actor but so far has only succeeded in becoming a “gas boy” at the theatre. One night, Hastings is saved from being burnt alive by the gas chandelier at the theatre by a chance encounter with Count Nollo. They strike up an unlikely friendship until the count surprises Hastings with a proposition that would catapult him into the career he had always dreamt of.
When Hastings disappears, Flora and Cassie join forces to find him…

A quirky, fascinating insight into the magic of Victorian age theatre illumination, a charming, whimsical plot from a bygone writing style age and a forage into a world of darkness and light where nothing is quite as it seems.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

Perfect for autumn nights, a little spooky. A little mysterious. Are there ghosts, are there vampires in a long lost land or is the whole thing a spooky ruse?

Recommended for people looking for a short read during spooky season. A glimpse of victorian England, a peek behind the theatre curtains and two intertwined mysteries to solve.

I give the book 3.5 stars. It was a little disjointed for me in places but overall a really entertaining read and a unique story to boot.