Immortalised to Death - A Review

 Review

IMMORTALISED TO DEATH by Lyn Squire
The First Book in the Dunston Burnett Trilogy 

 

While penning his latest work, THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD, famous author Charles Dickens draws his last breath, his last written word "poison". While the village doctor claims he died of a stroke Dickens' nephew, Dunston, isn't so certain. It's soon discovered that the great writer was, in fact, murdered. In order to keep his reputation intact, Dunston, Miss Georgina, Dicken's sister-in-law, and Dr. Beard, Dicken's London doctor, agree to keep this fact secret for a month. In that time Dunston begins an investigation. Though his uncle told him he'd never be a successful writer, he did show periodic sparks of genius. Will that be enough to sort through the secrets and find out just who killed England's greatest writer?

 

Dunston is not your stereotypical hero. He's short and stout, a stodgy bookkeeper of middling years. He's also loyal, devoted, and, though at times slow to process, periodically shines with brilliance. He is also determined and this determination leads him to places he'd never imagined. 

IMMORTALISED TO DEATH is a fascinating fictional look at the death of Charles Dickens. Filled with red herrings and so many shocking surprises I nearly had whiplash from all the twists and turns.

The author merrily leads readers to believe certain things only to twist them around. 

 

I enjoyed reading about the many varied characters and the multiple storylines weaving through the first book  in the Dunston Burnett Trilogy. So many secrets combined with veiled truths, lead Dunston into a labyrinth and I was happy to journey with him. I also loved how Dunston used THE MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD to not only come up with a plausible ending, but assist in solving his uncle's murder.

 

A richly imagined mystery combining historical truth and fictional possibilities IMMORTALISED TO DEATH is a thoroughly enjoyable captivating read.

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About the Author

LYN SQUIRE was born in Cardiff, South Wales. He earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Wales, his master’s at the London School of Economics and his doctorate at Cambridge University. Lyn is now an American citizen living in Virginia. During a twenty-five year career at the World Bank, Lyn published over thirty articles and several books within his area of expertise. Lyn also served as editor of the Middle East Development Journal for over a decade, and was the founding president of the Global Development Network, an organization dedicated to supporting promising scholars from the developing world.


Lyn has always been an avid reader of whodunits and has reviewed scores of mysteries for the City Book Review (Sacramento, CA), but it was the thrill of solving Charles Dickens’s unfinished ‘Mystery of Edwin Drood’ that convinced him to put aside his development pen and turn to fiction. Finding a solution to the mystery has attracted massive interest since the author’s death in 1870. A 1998 bibliography lists over 2,000 entries, with continuations ranging from the obvious (a Sherlock Holmes pastiche) to the absurd (The Mysterious Mystery of Rude Dedwin). Lyn’s version of what happened to Edwin is revealed in his first novel, Immortalised to Death. The adventures of his protagonist, Dunston Burnett, a non-conventional amateur detective, continue in Fatally Inferior and The Séance of Murder, the second and third stories in The Dunston Burnett Trilogy. Find more about Lyn on his website.