Boston, 1870. When news of Charles Dickens sudden death reaches his struggling American publisher, James Osgood sends his trusted clerk, Daniel Sand, to await the arrival of Dickens’s unfinished final manuscript. But Daniel never returns, and when his body is discovered by the docks, Osgood must embark on a quest to find the missing end to the novel and unmask the killer. With Daniel’s sister Rebecca at his side, Osgood races the clock through a dangerous web of opium dens, sadistic thugs, and literary lions to solve a genius’s last mystery and save his own-and Rebecca’s- lives.
My Thoughts:
I was really interested to read this book for several reasons. First, I have always wanted to read Dickens, but have felt intimidated by the size of his works. Secondly, I never realized that he died before finishing The Mystery of Edwin Drood and that there was all of this interest in how the story would end or if missing chapters were somehow hidden. And thirdly, because I love a good mystery centered in and around anything English. This book did not disappoint me on any levels. At first the reading was very tedious and slow going, but once I started to get the characters all figured out and had a feeling where the story was headed, my reading pace picked up. I thought Pearl did a fantastic job of weaving real characters with fictional ones. I loved reading about the cutthroat ways of the publishing houses in America during this time. Makes reading seem a little bit dangerous!! The only distraction for me were the chapters that had to deal with Frank Dickens. I honestly thought that they could have disappeared altogether and wouldn't have been missed. But remember, this is just my opinion. Overall, this was a well-written mystery that had its share of twists and turns and in the end I was satisfied.
A big thank you to TLC fo
r having me host this book today and to Matthew Pearl for his writing skills!!!
I don't think it's just your opinion from what I've seen! :--)
ReplyDeleteWowwwwwwwwww!!! That does sound good!!!! AWESOME review! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
ReplyDeleteNice review. Sounds like an interesting book, I do remember seeing his other books in the library
ReplyDeleteNow that looks interesting. I've seen the book but not picked it up because I have a few Dickens related books to hand and I need to spread them out so I don't get the storylines mixed up. But if this is postDickens that might not be a problem...
ReplyDeleteI read another review that said the same thing about the Frank Dickens part of this story. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI have been reading a lot about this one. I added it too my list, but it's loww priority for now. Thanks for the great review.
ReplyDeleteThe Frank part was so loosely tied in and then never mentioned again that it was strange, but like you I loved the history and the publishing parts.
ReplyDeleteHi Staci,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you enjoyed the book. You're not the first reviewer to mention the Frank Dickens thing.
Thanks so much for the time spent reading and reviewing The Last Dickens! It is very much appreciated!
Sounds like a fun mystery. I tried to read several books by Dickens and couldn't get past the first few chapters. I did read "A Christmas Carol".
ReplyDeleteThis sounds interesting. I didn't know that Dickens died before finishing the book.
ReplyDeleteThe only Dickens I've read is A Christmas Carol and I loved all of the big words, even if I had not idea what they meant :)
This is the first I've heard of this book and this author. Sounds somewhat interesting... I may have to check it out. Great review Staci!
ReplyDeleteI'd read this book just because the cover was so inviting...... but now that you've shared your thoughts, I'll have to go find it.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you gave this a favorable review. It looked interesting to me and I was hoping it would be worth reading.
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely one I want to read. I have read some interesting reviews and even though I haven't read any Dickens, I don't think it matters. Great review, Staci!
ReplyDeleteMy curiosity about this book is growing! Thanks for sharing your thoughts about it.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely need to look into this one!!
ReplyDeleteMatthew Pearl's books always look really good to me, but then I can't decide if they are for me... I really should give him a try one of these days!
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to read this one!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked it. I tried his first novel, The Dante Club, and ended up disappointed. Maybe I should try him again, though...
ReplyDelete