Inspector of the Dead

By: David Morrell

Narrated by: Matthew Wolf

Length: 10 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

ITW Thriller Award for Best Hardcover Novel, 2016

Legendary thriller writer David Morrell transports listeners to the fogbound streets of London, where a killer plots to assassinate Queen Victoria.

The year is 1855. The Crimean War is raging. The incompetence of British commanders causes the fall of the English government. The empire teeters. Amid this crisis comes opium-eater Thomas De Quincey, one of the most notorious and brilliant personalities of Victorian England. Along with his irrepressible daughter, Emily, and their Scotland Yard companions, Ryan and Becker, De Quincey finds himself confronted by an adversary who threatens the heart of the nation.

This killer targets members of the upper echelons of British society, leaving with each corpse the name of someone who previously attempted to kill Queen Victoria. The evidence indicates that the ultimate victim will be Victoria herself.

©2015 David Morrell (P)2015 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

2016 ITW Thriller Award for Best Hardcover Novel, Runner-up.

"Everything [Morrell] writes has a you-are-there quality, and that, combined with his ability to propel characters through a scene, makes reading him like attending a private screening." (Washington Post Book World)

A surprisingly good story

The mystery is engaging but slow. The picture of Victorian England and how the police operates is. Thomas De Quincey is a Sherlock Holmes type of detective. Holmes imbibes his drugs in private. De Quincey is a retched, junkie-talent, author. His talent and resignation/acceptance of his addiction infuriates members of “society”. He satiates his addiction by “eating” Opium or drinking his landrum in public completing totally disregarding society’s sensibilities and morals.

De Quincey is not as physical athletic as Holmes. His diminutive is stature and tattered clothing engenders a dismissive attitude from others. That is a strong visual to reinforce his place in society. De Quincey has amazing deductive abilities which functions despite his drug induced haze. His opinions are first dismissed as the ramblings of a drug addict. After a few intelligent insights his detractors usually come around. De Quincey’s daughter, Emily, acts as his nurse. She intelligent, liberated and acts as his conscience

The plot is driven around the British aristocratic hierarchical separations of people. The bigotry based on working verses inherited wealth or titled family verses titles acquired from the queen, facilitates the British upper echelons being victims. You are not with the murder while he is committing the crime. There are only a couple of actions scenes or rather running and chase.

What is amazing? The ability of people to remember the particular details from events from 20 years ago.

Haunting and Fascinating Crime in Victorian London

This is the second book (the first being "Murder as a Fine Art") in which Thomas De Quincey, his daughter Emily, and detectives Ryan and Becker work together to solve an intriguing string of brutal murders set in 1850s London. De Quincey was a very real person whose "Confessions of an Opium Eater" was mentioned in my high school English class when discussing Coleridge. I never realized he coined the term "subconscious" decades before Freud.

The point of view goes back and forth between the third person and Emily's first person journal. This book has a depth and poignancy that surprised me.The ending was especially satisfying.

I hope Mr. Morrell writes more books with these people/characters. I bought the Kindle version so I could savor the writing and more easily search for passages that were particularly memorable. Be sure to listen to the author's Afterword to appreciate all the research and historical detail that went into the writing of this book.

fun story

Great reading, fun way to learn some history. good story, character development and flow to the story

Great Afterword

He explains the non-fiction history mixed into his story. Characters and events may be real and non-coincidental.

Story was gripping with Victorian slaughter

Story bloody and riveting. Narrator needs to put longer pause betwwen scene changes, it's confusing.

Good, but not as good as Murder as a Fine Art

This story is good, but honestly a lot of this book is a repeat from Murder as a Fine Art. This book does continue with the story of Thomas De Quincey and his daughter Emily.

This is a good book and probably would have been even better had I not listened to it immediately following Murder as a Fine Art.

Don't pass this up if you've listened to the first book, just wait a few months between listening to the first and second books.

Murder, War, Politics, and The Opium Eater

The second book in the trilogy of the historical Thomas and Emily De Quincey mysteries finds the two still in London residing at Lord Palmerston’s home, though grudgingly so. Also living there temporarily are Scotland Yard detectives, Ryan and Becker, recuperating from injuries sustained previously. As the four attend services in St. James Church, in Lord Palmerston’s private pew, no less, they witness a heinous murder in an adjacent pew. The year is 1855. The Crimean War is raging, and the English government has fallen. The British aristocracy is uneasy. Set against threats of additional murders, following the one in St. James, and an underlying secret that goes unspoken, Thomas and Emily De Quincey aid Ryan and Becker in trying to determine who will be attacked next. They are invited into the inner sanctum of Queen Victoria and King Albert, much to the dismay of Lord Palmerston. The political intrigue of the time is thick, with King Albert being of German descent, there is mistrust afoot. The queen’s life had been threatened some eleven years earlier, and the new murders seem to be connected to those attacks, as well to the political unrest. And the lines between the aristocracy and the people are more clearly drawn than ever. The experience of the Opium Eater and his daughter become critical in the solving of the murders, as they escalate . . . Ryan and Becker both secretly harbor affections for Emily, Thomas De Quincey’s daughter, who has her hands full caring for her father and his addiction. Full of historical detail, rich descriptions of cobblestone, fog filled streets and Victorian ideas which are at times surprising, Inspector of the Dead is an excellent addition to the trilogy. I gain more and more respect for Emily De Quincey, in her bloomer skirts and her aspirations of becoming a nurse. Great listen!

Book 2 and I already started #3. Loved it.

Any additional comments?

This is book 2 in the series and it was very engaging, characters are building, and relationships are growing. The narration is fantastic, very talented, Mr. Wolf makes each character his own person. wonderful. It's not very often I'm suprised about the "Who done it" in a book or story. Well I was, and the twist at the end was good too. The year is 1855. The Crimean War is raging. The incompetence of British commanders causes the fall of the English government. The empire teeters. Amid this crisis comes opium-eater Thomas De Quincey, one of the most notorious and brilliant personalities of Victorian England. Along with his irrepressible daughter, Emily, and their Scotland Yard companions, Ryan and Becker, De Quincey finds himself confronted by an adversary who threatens the heart of the nation.This killer targets members of the upper echelons of British society, leaving with each corpse the name of someone who previously attempted to kill Queen Victoria. The evidence indicates that the ultimate victim will be Victoria herself

Historical accuracy, one dimensional characters.

The author took great pains to achieve historical accuracy (he pompously describes his efforts in the afterword), unfortunately, character development suffers. I was hoping the characters would be fleshed out in the second book, but they remained one dimensional. I knew exactly how each character would react in every situation. I began to experience tedium and boredom after the first hour. I did finish the book, but I won't read or listen to a subsequent book. This book might be enjoyed by a reader who favors fiction heavy with historical detail.

Immediate Involvement.

Liked the interweaving of fact with fiction and the different writing styles. Raw sorrow and revenge. Detailed Victorian everyday life.