* Thank you very much to Anne, from Random Things Tours for inviting me on this book tour; and to author, R.S. Leonard for sending me a copy of Murder at the Lunatics' Ball in exchange for an honest review.
Murder at the Lunatics' Ball
England, 1875. London journalist, Harris Mortimer, visits a Hampshire lunatic asylum to investigate society's treatment of the insane, only to find himself in a fateful encounter with a beautiful woman claiming to be wrongly incarcerated.
Horrified by a series of murders, he soon becomes drawn into the strange world of the asylum and begins to wonder who is truly mad and who is sane.
Back in London, Harris meets Nancy Carter, a young woman striving to become a music hall star. Nancy’s shocking act, based on madness and murder, has uncanny parallels with Harris’s recent experiences in Hampshire.
Is it all just a coincidence? To what lengths will one person go to exact their revenge?
As the fates of Harris and Nancy intertwine, they are about to discover the terrible consequences of uncovering the truth.
My review
Murder at the Lunatics' Ball is set in the Victorian era. Journalist Harris Mortimer is commissioned by the London Times to write a series of articles about life in a public asylum. Harris is to visit daily for a week, with no part of the asylum inaccessible to him, and no question off limits. During his time investigating the place, a series of unexplained deaths occur, which make Mortimer question who is actually mentally unwell, and who isn’t. His investigation takes him to the London music halls…
“Women’s minds and bodies are so delicately constituted, you know, due to their reproductive function as a species. Any shock to their system can cause irreparable damage, though happily most such cases can be cured.” - Murder at the Lunatics' Ball.
It’s hard not to get angered at the injustice and cruelty the patients suffered in this book, and the ‘cures’ that were used on them. Many asylums and the ‘professionals’ within them used their position as a way to control and punish women, most of which should never have even been patients in the first place. As the story progresses, we find out that Mortimer has a tragic connection to asylums and the mentally unwell, which explains his determination to uncover the truth.
There are some great characters in this book, each with a fascinating backstory. I had such a soft spot for Miss Titania Rossetti, whose introduction at the start of the book reminded me of Wilkie Collins’s The Woman in White (a book that I love). The author also writes an evil antagonist – it is so easy to hate them!
I loved my time reading Murder at the Lunatics' Ball and being immersed in a world filled with twists and turns, that leave you guessing until the very end! I also appreciate the extensive research R. S. Leonard undertook to write this book.
Leonard has a PhD in Nineteenth-century Literature and Culture and MAs in Creative Writing and Victorian Studies. Murder at the Lunatics' Ball is her second historical mystery novel – I can’t wait to read more! Highly recommended!
You can buy your very own copy of this fabulous book here.
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