The Solitary House
Lynn Shepherd

What struck me first when I read this book, was the similarity in opening scenes to Anne Perry's Callander Square.  To be fair, I've been a bit of a Victorian Mystery bender, so the parallel may not have been noticeable to anyone else.  Dead, buried babies are not something you aren't likely to forget, though.

I actually enjoyed the fact that there was no romance in this novel.  The flirting and falling in love can be distracting!  Lynn Shepherd spent a lot of time describing the seedier, dirtier parts of London.  I found this to be both interesting, and off-putting.  Having studied history in a previous life, I know that the living conditions for the majority of the world at this point were less than ideal.  I also know that the author used the descriptions to illustrate the difference between the classes.  I had the feeling that some of the descriptions were used as fillers, without a purpose behind them.  Shock value can be used, but if it is over used, it loses it's power.

The mystery in the novel kept my interest.  What were these men hiding?  What brought them together?  The answer to those questions at the end of the book actually surprised me.  That's not easy to do!  Without giving anything away, knowing where the babies discussed in the opening scene came from closed the case satisfyingly.  I wish I had gotten to know the main character, Charles, a little better along the way, though.  We get snippets of information, but not a true understanding of personality or motivations.

All in all, I enjoyed the book.  Would I recommend it to my bibliophile friends?  Probably not.  It's not really book club material, but I don't need every book I read to be so.  I would recommend the book to those who like a Victorian mystery.  I hope to become better acquainted with Charles Maddox in the next few books.