From a basement office in London’s notorious Bethlehem Hospital, former policeman and Pinkerton agent Sebastian Becker is sent to interview Sir Owain Lancaster at his country estate. They wealthy industrialist returned alone from a disastrous scientific adventure in the Amazon, claiming that wild beasts killed his family and colleagues. He tells Becker that the same dark creatures have followed him home and are responsible for the deaths of two local girls and rumors of beasts on the moor. But while madmen may see monsters, some monsters hide in plain sight.1
Perusing through the available audiobooks through the library app I came across this one. It appears that there is a previous book following the main character, Sebastian Becker, who is a former policeman and Pinkerton agent. Having retired from the life of a policeman and agent, Sebastian now works for the Lord Chancellor’s Office in Lunacy. It is Sebastian’s job to interview and inspect individuals whose mental state is being questioned and if they are in the right state of mind to be in charge of their own finances and property. Sebastian is called to the small town where a wealthy industrialist named Sir Owen Lancaster has escaped to his country estate after being chased out of London. After returning from a tragic trip to the amazon where almost his entire crew, including his wife and child, were killed during the expedition. Sir Owen has written a book on the events of his journey which accounts how terrible beasts were the cause of the disastrous expedition and what had killed his crew and family. With only one other survivor from the trip, Sebastian must find out what he can to either clear Sir Owen of his mental state or deprive him of his property and finances. When two young girls are found murdered in the moors, Sebastian discovers that there is a long standing folklore of the moors and mysterious beasts that lurk in the darkness. Could it be possible that Sir Owen was telling the truth and that the beasts from his expedition have followed him home and are wreaking havoc on the small town?
I can’t say I was overly thrilled by this novel. Despite the mystery, murder and thrill of uncovered secrets and current drama to fill the story, the tale remained bland and lacking any real suspense or mystery. The detective/not detective who is in town to follow up on the mental state of Sir Owen ends up assisting with a double murder investigation and uncovering the past. We then return to London where there are random events involving his wife and family before remembering we were supposed to investigate Sir Owen and return for a bizarre and rushed wrap up. The return trip to London and waste of time with his wife is only made up by the addition of his son to the story. His son has some form of mental variance which makes him awkward and devoid of some common sympathies and interactions, but in return is gifted with a rather talented mind. His mind helps guide Sebastian in his journey though not as much as the story could have used. This issue is mirrored in the addition of Grace Ekels, a young lady who lives on Sir Owen’s land in the home of her deceased father. Grace has lived in the town her whole life, but after a disturbing and traumatic experience as a child she remains a recluse. Her abrasive and abrupt nature ads some comedy to the tale, though very minor, but she is so different from the other characters, aside from Sebastian’s son, that it is a welcome reprieve.
The addition of these two characters is so minor to the tale that they are not involved long enough to have saved the story. We find ourselves bumbling all over the country side and in London never really discovering anything, rather that things all fall into place and Sebastian just happens to be there at the right time and place. There are certainly worse things that you could read, but surely something more worth your time than this one.
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