Review – Watchers of the Dead by Simon Beaufort

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Watchers of the Dead by Simon Beaufort
Narrator: David Thorpe
Series: Alec Lonsdale #2
Published by Oak Hill Publishing, Severn House on July 1, 2019
Genres: FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Historical
Length: 10 hours 56 minutes
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Publisher, Purchased
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An escaped assassin. A group of cannibals on the run. A threatening letter. Newspaper reporter Alec Lonsdale is on the case in this compelling Victorian mystery.

"All Londoners will see what the Watchers are capable of on Christmas Eve ...

December 1882. Attending the opening of the new Natural History Museum, Pall Mall Gazette reporter Alec Lonsdale and his colleague Hulda Friederichs are shocked to discover a body in the basement, hacked to death. Suspicion immediately falls on a trio of cannibals, brought over from the Congo as museum exhibits, who have disappeared without trace.

Alec however has his doubts - especially when he discovers that three other influential London men have been similarly murdered. When he and Hulda discover a letter in the victim's home warning of a catastrophic event planned for Christmas Eve, the pair find themselves in a race against time to discover who exactly the Watchers are and what it is they want ...

This was an okay read for me. I liked it but I didn’t love it and ultimately, I believe this will be a rather forgettable read. This is the second book in the Alec Lonsdale series but I feel that it would read just fine as a stand-alone. I have to admit that I didn’t like it quite as much as I did the first book in the series. There was a lot going on in the story and once I started reading the book proved to be a rather quick read.

Alec and Hulda stumble upon a murder at the same time they learn that cannibals are on the loose in the city. Things get more complicated as the murders start to pile up. Throw in a little romantic drama for Alec and an upset potential father-in-law and there is no shortage of things to keep Alec busy.  There are quite a few characters to keep straight and I have to admit that I was confused from time to time. I liked Alec and Hulda quite a bit and had no doubt that they would be able to get to the bottom of everything going on.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that David Thorpe did an acceptable job with the narration. I think that this was the first time that I have listened to his narration so there might have been a bit of an adjustment period for me. There were a few voices used for characters that were slightly difficult to understand. Overall, I think that he did a good job with the story.

I think that this book will appeal to readers who enjoy historical mysteries. This was an enjoyable mystery that I enjoyed for the most part. I wouldn’t hesitate to read more books written by this writing pair.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Severn House via NetGalley and purchased a copy of the audiobook.

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