The Angel Makers - A Spotlight

Today I'd like to shine a spotlight on a book on my TBR pile. The Angel Makers by Tessa Harris is the second book in the Constance Piper Mystery series. You can check out my review of the first book in the series here.

From the back cover:

In Victorian England, flower seller Constance Piper goes searching for the truth behind a new rash of murders in London’s East End . . .
 
In November 1888, the specter of Jack the Ripper instills fear in every woman who makes her living on the streets of London. But there are other monsters at large, those who shun fame and secretly claim their victims from among the city’s most vulnerable . . .

Options are few for unmarried mothers in Victorian England. To avoid stigma, many find lodging with “baby farmers”—women who agree to care for the infant, or find an adoptive family, in exchange for a fee. Constance Piper, a flower seller gifted with clairvoyance, has become aware of one such baby farmer, Mother Delaney, who promises to help desperate young mothers and place their babies in loving homes. She suspects the truth is infinitely darker.

Guided by the spirit of her late friend, Emily Tindall, Constance gathers evidence about what really goes on behind the walls of Mother Delaney’s Poplar house. It’s not only innocent children who are at risk. A young prostitute’s body is found in mysterious circumstances. With the aid of Detective Constable Hawkins, newly promoted thanks to Constance’s help with his last case, Constance links the death to Mother Delaney’s vile trade. But the horror is edging closer to home, and even the hangman’s noose may not be enough to put this evil to rest . . .

The Sixth Victim - A Review

Review

THE SIXTH VICTIM by Tessa Harris

The First Constance Piper Mystery

Constance Piper is no longer content with her life, selling flowers as her older sister picks the pockets of her customers. She can read and considers her teacher, Miss Tindall, a friend. But Miss Tindall hasn't been seen in weeks and Constance is worried. It's 1888 and terror has gripped Whitechapel as women are being found butchered on the streets. As vigilance groups patrol the district and mediums try to make contact with the victims Constance finds herself changing. Dreams are coming true, dreams about his victims. But Jack is not the only evil prowling Whitechapel, other men are involved in almost equally heinous activities. Does Constance truly have the second sight? Will she be able to uncover the menace in Whitechapel? Or will she become another victim? 

While I am by no means a Ripperologist I'm fascinated by the mystery of Jack the Ripper and enjoy stories set during his reign of terror in the infamous Whitechapel district of London. I also am captivated by the popularity of Spiritualism during this time. I was therefore delighted to see a mystery combining these two subjects. While the author takes some liberties, I absolutely love her choices regarding Mary Kelly. 

THE SIXTH VICTIM tells the story from two points of view, that of our protagonist, Constance, and Emily. Emily is the omniscient one. She knows the truth of what happened and guides readers, even more than she guides Constance, teasing out facts and showing important events as they happened. There are several mysteries going on here, all intertwining.

Constance Piper is a strong young woman who wants more. Streetwise, but longing for more than a brutal life of destitution, where thieving is the accepted way to make a living. Seeing Constance discover and develop her gift of sight, especially amidst the horror of the time was rewarding.

THE SIXTH VICTIM is an atmospheric novel showing men's inhumanity and the women who rise and fall because of it. With brutal realistic descriptions of an area steeped in poverty and crime, the author manages to find some light and I look forward to seeing Constance grow and evolve, hopefully being able to share that light with the unfortunates around her.

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading The Sixth Victim by Tessa Harris. This book is the first in the Constance Piper Mystery series.

Constance Piper is no longer content with her life, selling flowers as her older sister picks the pockets of her customers. She can read and considers her teacher, Miss Tindall, a friend. But Miss Tindall hasn't been seen in weeks and Constance is worried. It's 1888 and terror has gripped Whitechapel as women are being found butchered on the streets. As vigilance groups patrol the district and mediums try to make contact with the victims Constance finds herself changing. Dreams are coming true, dreams about his victims. But Jack is not the only evil prowling Whitechapel, other men are involved in almost equally heinous activities. Does Constance truly have the second sight? Will she be able to uncover the menace in Whitechapel? Or will she become another victim?

The Sixth Victim - A Spotlight

I'd like to shine a spotlight on The Sixth Victim by Tessa Harris. This book is the first in the Constance Piper Mystery series.

 From the back cover:

London's East End, 1888: When darkness falls, terror begins...

The foggy streets of London's Whitechapel district have become a nocturnal hunting ground for Jack the Ripper, and no woman is safe. Flower girl Constance Piper is not immune to dread, but she is more preoccupied with her own strange experiences of late.

Crairvoyants seem to be everywhere these days. Constance's mother has found comfort in contacting her late father in a seance. But are such powers real? And could Constance really be possessed of the second sight? Following the latest grisly discovery, Constance is contacted by a high-born lady of means who fears the victim may be her missing sister. She implores Constance to use her clairvoyance to help solve the crime, which the press is calling "the Whitechapel Mystery," attributing the murder to Jack the Ripper.

As Constance becomes embroiled in intrigue far more sinister than she ever imagined, assistance comes in as startling manner that profoundly challenges her assumptions about the nature of reality. She'll need all the help she can get-because there may be more than one depraved killer out there...