Under Ground by E.S. Thomson - Book Review

Series: Jem Flockhart #6  

Publication Date: 05th Oct 2023

Genre: Historical Mystery 

4 Stars 

One Liner: Darkish mystery 

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1854, London 

The dreaded cholera, aka blue death, is hounding London again. The city is in panic, but that doesn’t stop Jem Flockhart and Will Quartermain from pursuing a murder case. 

An unknown man was murdered in a brothel, and its guard has been arrested for the crime. Jem and Will know he is not the killer but have only a few days to find out more about the victim and trace the killer. Their investigation takes them to the powerful, rich, and mysterious Mortmain family. 

 With the clocking ticker faster, can Jem and Will save an innocent’s life and bring justice to the dead? 

The story comes in Jem’s first-person POV and journal entries by Will.

My Thoughts: 

So, first things first. I didn’t realize this was a part of a series until a day before I started reading the book. I came across a review mentioning this and went on Amazon to find out. Well, I was surprised this was book #6. Lucky that I’m not particular about reading a series in an order. I think there are a few spoilers for the main characters in this one, though I cannot say how much or what. 

The setting is bleak, foul, smelly, and oppressive like the underground sewers polluting the River Thames. With fog, cold, smell, cholera, and death, there isn’t anything breezy or light about the book. Though some of it is uncomfortable to read, it’s necessary to keep the reader immersed in the setting. 

The narration is easy to follow but slow. The story moves at a languid pace to suit the overall atmosphere of gloom, treachery, and violence. It’s a good change from reading about only the best side of London. This one is realistic and brutal. 

The main characters take some to get used to. Jem is easier to follow than Will, who seems to have a rather delicate disposition. There’s some backstory I’m missing (obviously), but that doesn’t affect the core plot, so I could read it for what it is without worrying too much. 

Since Jem is an apothecary doctor, we get insights into treatments, salves, and stuff. This is quite interesting (and I always like to read about natural medicine). Also, kind of scary that leeches are placed on the neck to drain some blood and provide relief from migraines. *shudder* 

The central mystery slowly unravels as Jem and Will find more information and try to connect the dots. A few clues and red herrings are scattered for readers to guess. There’s a bit of wordplay, too - some for dark humor and some as clues. 

Given the time period, the book also mentions the Golconda diamonds (still in the possession of the British). There are a couple of references to the Indian colonies, and a bit of racism, which was natural back then. 

The side characters are interesting. Thimble has great potential. I hope this lad becomes a recurring character like Jenny. Among those involved in the case, Caroline and Charlotte stand out from the rest. I like how the book shows the other side of privileged activism, where the saviors will do anything to ensure the unfortunate will continue to be needy. After all, if people have better lives, they won’t need saviors. Gasp! 

Another point I like is how women found ways to have a career and achieve their ambitions despite the stifling limitations. They still had to give up certain things, but they were willing to do it. (Not saying more to avoid spoilers). 

The book ends on a hopeful note. I’m curious to see how Jem and Will will solve more cases that come their way. I’ve also added the previous ones to my list. 

To summarize, Under Ground is a dark, stinky, and murderous mystery that works as a standalone, though you might enjoy it more if you read at least one book in the series. I still liked this.  

Thank you, NetGalley, Little, Brown Book Group UK, and Constable, for the eARC. 

#NetGalley #UnderGround

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TW: Suicides