Silk by Chris Karlsen Series: Bloodstone #1
Genre: Historical, Mystery
Published by: Books to Go Now on December 14, 2014
Format: eARC
Pages: 301
Source: Author
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Silk on the skin—luxurious, luscious..lethal.
London-Fall, 1888
The city is in a panic as Jack the Ripper continues his murderous spree. While the Whitechapel police struggle to find him, Detective Inspector Rudyard Bloodstone and his partner are working feverishly to find their own serial killer. The British Museum’s beautiful gardens have become a killing ground for young women strangled as they stroll through.
Their investigation has them brushing up against Viscount Everhard, a powerful member of the House of Lords, and a friend to Queen Victoria. When the circumstantial evidence points to him as a suspect, Rudyard must deal with the political blowback, and knows if they are going to go after the viscount, they’d better be right and have proof.
As the body count grows and the public clamor for the detectives to do more, inter-department rivalries complicate the already difficult case.
What would you do to stay young: Lie, Manipulate..kill?
*I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
I’m a fan of novels set in Victorian England so I was instantly drawn to SILK’s story line and setting…who can say no to a murder mystery and the notorious Jack the Ripper?! Definitely not me… It didn’t hurt that the book has a lovely cover (yes I’m a cover hussy). It looks a bit romantic, yet gothic, which is exactly what you get from Chris Karlsen’s writing. But don’t be fooled, while there are some romantic elements weaved into the story, it’s a mystery at heart.
SILK is a gritty and dark murder mystery, not my typical read but quite engaging. The story dives right into the action where we meet Inspector Rudyard Bloodstone and his partner Detective Sergeant Holbrook who are on the hunt for an opportunistic killer in their city just as the looming threat of Jack the Ripper falls on the Whitechapel area. Their investigation soon leads them to a likely suspect, the charming Viscount Everhart, who has some powerful friends and is shrouded in mystery. Bloodstone is determined to find the killer and keep the streets of London safe but he never imagined the obstacles that will stand in his way before the killer can be brought to justice.
What I loved most about SILK is the alternate POVs and how the author allows the reader to get to know both the hero and the villain with an intimacy that’s quite voyeuristic.
The killer pulls us right into his dark world and leaves nothing to the imagination when it comes to his crimes, he almost makes you feel as if you’re an accomplice while reading. I’d never thought I’d say this, but for all of the murderer’s flaws there are some redeeming qualities that make you connect with this character on an emotional level. He’s not just a ruthless serial killer, as you’d like to think. I thought this was brilliant on the author’s part, to humanize the villain is no easy feat but Karlsen nailed it. It would have been simple to mold the villain to resemble Jack the Ripper, but Karlsen gives us a totally different killer with a different purpose.
Inspector Bloodstone’s perspective is just as intriguing as the killer’s. He’s a dedicated detective who’s set in his ways but has great insight when it comes to solving crimes. Granted he’s no Sherlock Holmes, but Bloodstone can definitely hold his own in an investigation. As the reader you’re always one step ahead so I won’t give Inspector Bloodstone too much slack for missing a few clues!
The romance element in SILK is slight to none which didn’t add or take away from the story, in my opinion. I enjoyed the few glimpses of Inspector Bloodstone’s romantic interest the lovely Ms. Porter, but was more interested in solving the case. There were a few times when I felt the story was dragging on a bit and feared I’d lose interest, but the twists reeled me back mid-book. Most books in this genre tend to gloss over the class differences, politics, poverty and crime that was rampant during this time period and I thank Ms. Karlsen for not doing so, it made this story that more thrilling. Although I can’t give anything away (what’s the fun in that?!) I’ll say the unexpected twists have me anxiously awaiting Ms. Karlsen’s next installment in this dark and dangerous world!
About Chris Karlsen
I was born and raised in Chicago. My father was a history professor and my mother was, and is, a voracious reader. I grew up with a love of history and books.
My parents also love traveling, a passion they passed onto me. I wanted to see the places I read about, see the land and monuments from the time periods that fascinated me. I’ve had the good fortune to travel extensively throughout Europe, the Near East, and North Africa.
I am a retired police detective. I spent twenty-five years in law enforcement with two different agencies. My desire to write came in my early teens. After I retired, I decided to pursue that dream. I write two different series. My paranormal romance series is called, Knights in Time. My romantic thriller series is, Dangerous Waters.
I currently live in the Pacific Northwest with my husband, four rescue dogs and a rescue horse.
Giveaway
I do agree with you, that cover is gorgeous 🙂
Thank you, Red Iza. The designer and I worked with both a straight black and white cover and then this one with the splash of red. I loved the cover as well.
Chris
Red Iza, you’ve won an ecopy of Silk with your comment on my tour stop. Can you please email me with your email address or leave it in the comments? Thanks and congrats! 🙂
I want to thank Lori and Romancing the Dark Side for taking the time to read and review Silk. I much appreciate the opportunity to showcase the story.
Chris Karlsen
Thank you so much for hosting a tour stop and sharing your thoughts about the book!
I liked this one too ESP the dual POV. Now I’m wondering if Jack is the real killer here or a copycat
That was a question I asked myself while reading Braine..guess we’ll have to keep reading to find out!
gorgeous cover and I love the fact that she was able to humanize the villain…that is hard to do. Glad the author was able to pull it off 🙂
That was a surprise to me but I enjoyed the emotional conflict while reading, I mean who wants to feel bad for the villain, right? LOL
HI Sharonda,
I loved this cover as well. This is a designer I’ve used for all but one book. She has great “vision.”
Chris
That cover! I love it! This sounds super interesting and right up my alley. Sounds like this story could be moved up a notch with a good narration. This is the first I heard of it, so I have to do go look to see if there’s an audio out, or plans for it.
I love mystery, and twisted and thrilling stories and I don’t mind anymore if the romance is strong factor or not.
Thank you, great job!
This would be a great listen Loupe, especially since it’s set in England (you know I love a Brit…LOL) and has dual POVs! Thanks for stopping by 🙂
Hi Lupdilup,
I just had lunch with my editor and have asked to put the story up for audio auditions. We’ll see if I can find the right “voice.” This was my foray totally away from my romances. I enjoyed writing the change
Chris