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Murder as a Fine Art (Thomas and Emily De Quincey Book 1) Kindle Edition

by David Morrell (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,373 ratings
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A brilliant historical mystery series begins: in gaslit Victorian London, writer Thomas De Quincey must become a detective to clear his own name.

Thomas De Quincey, infamous for his memoir Confessions of an English Opium-Eater, is the major suspect in a series of ferocious mass murders identical to ones that terrorized London forty-three years earlier.

The blueprint for the killings seems to be De Quincey's essay On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts. Desperate to clear his name but crippled by opium addiction, De Quincey is aided by his devoted daughter Emily and a pair of determined Scotland Yard detectives.

In Murder as a Fine Art, David Morrell plucks De Quincey, Victorian London, and the Ratcliffe Highway murders from history. Fogbound streets become a battleground between a literary star and a brilliant murderer, whose lives are linked by secrets long buried but never forgotten.
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  1. Book 1 of 3
    Thomas and Emily De Quincey
  2. Print length
    374 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Mulholland Books
  6. Publication date
    May 7 2013
  7. File size
    1156 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
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Total Price: CDN$34.97
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Review

"Morrell writes action scenes like nobody's business."―New York Times Book Review

"Military-thriller writer Morrell switches genres here in a riveting novel packed with edifying historical minutiae seamlessly inserted into a story narrated in part by De Quincey's daughter and partly in revealing, dialogue-rich prose."―Booklist, starred review

" Murder as a Fine Art is a masterpiece-I don't use that word lightly-a fantastic historical thriller, beautifully written, intricately plotted, and populated with unforgettable characters. It brilliantly re-creates the London of gaslit streets, fogs, hansom cabs, and Scotland Yard. If you liked The Alienist, you will absolutely love this book. I was spellbound from the first page to last."―Douglas Preston, coauthor of the #1 bestseller Cold Vengeance

"The finest thriller writer living today, bar none."―Steve Berry

"A literary thriller that pushes the envelope of fear...Morrell's thorough and erudite research of the people and cultures of the British Empire's heyday informs every page."―Associated Press

"An absolute master of the thriller."―Dean Koontz

"London 1854, noxious yellow fogs, reeking slums, intrigues in high places, murders most foul, but instead of Sherlock Holmes solving crimes via the fine art of deduction, we have the historical English Opium-Eater himself, Thomas De Quincey. David Morrell fans-and they are legion-can look forward to celebrating Murder as a Fine Art as one of their favorite author's strongest and boldest books in years."―Dan Simmons, author of Drood and The Terror

"A brilliantly plotted thriller that will take you to the cobble-stoned streets of Victorian London."―Entertainment Weekly

"Morrell's use of De Quincey's life is absolutely amazing. I literally couldn't put it down: I felt as though I were in Dickens as he described London's fog and in Wilkie Collins when we entered Emily's diary. There were beautiful touches all the way through. Murder as a Fine Art is a triumph."―Robert Morrison, author of The English Opium Eater

"Brilliant. Everything works--the horrifying depiction of the murders, the asides explaining the impact of train travel on English society, nail-biting action sequences--making this book an epitome of the intelligent page-turner."―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

About the Author

David Morrell is an Edgar and Anthony Award finalist, a Nero and Macavity winner, and recipient of the prestigious career-achievement ThrillerMaster award from the International Thriller Writers. He has written twenty-nine works of fiction, which have been translated into thirty languages. He is also a former literature professor at the University of Iowa and received his PhD from Pennsylvania State University.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B008TUNSUW
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mulholland Books (May 7 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1156 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 374 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,373 ratings

About the author

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David Morrell

David Morrell

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David Morrell is the author of FIRST BLOOD, the award-winning novel in which Rambo was created. He holds a Ph. D. in American literature from Penn State and was a professor in the English department at the University of Iowa. His numerous New York Times bestsellers include the classic spy trilogy that begins with THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE ROSE, the basis for the only television mini-series to premier after a Super Bowl. The other books in the trilogy are THE FRATERNITY OF THE STONE and THE LEAGUE OF NIGHT AND FOG. An Edgar, Anthony, and Macavity nominee, Morrell is the recipient of three Bram Stoker awards and the prestigious Thriller Master award from the International Thriller Writers organization. His writing book, THE SUCCESSFUL NOVELIST, discusses what he has learned in his four decades as an author. His latest novel is the highly praised Victorian mystery/thriller, MURDER AS A FINE ART.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
1,373 global ratings

Top reviews from Canada

L. D. Godfrey
5.0 out of 5 stars Murder As A Fine Art
Reviewed in Canada on June 3, 2013
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'Murder As A Fine Art' by David Morrell is an excellent read. I love these period pieces,a time before forensics,criminal databases and profilers. Morrell takes you on an adventure that has none of those things.I cant say enough about this book,loved it. There can be no doubt that Morrell wrote this novel with the Sherlock and Watson characters in the forefront of his mind,with Charles Dickens rounding out the mix. He mentions these characters/authours and others in his Afterword. Set in Victorian England, with lots of fog,a pair of England's finest,Inspector Ryan and Det.Becker,hot on the trail of a cold blooded killer. They join forces with nineteenth-century English essayist and opium addict Thomas De Quincey and his daughter Emily. DeQuincey seems to have some connection to the killer,who is trying to breathe new life into an 43 year old murder spree,which De Quincey has written about in one of his essays. While De Quincey was a journalist,translator and essayist as well as a drug addict,Morrell has given him a few MacGuyer like abilities to match his Sherlock style deductions. Morrell does a great job in setting the scene and atmosphere,from the cobblestone streets,gas lamps and of course,fog. He also portrays the great snobbery, contempt and entitlement that the upper class felt for those of lesser stations in life. Putting aside my personal thoughts of De Quincey and his ideas,I still had a great time with this novel.If you want to learn more about Thomas De Quincey, you can find his work right here on Amazon.
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Amazon Customer Tony Ginley
4.0 out of 5 stars Hard to get into but it does pick up and get really good
Reviewed in Canada on September 29, 2013
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It's fascinating look at the crime of that time period. I learned a lot of detail of things that had been just just words to me
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Anita Eva
5.0 out of 5 stars Murder as a Fine Art by David Morrell
Reviewed in Canada on March 9, 2015
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"Murder as a Fine Art" is like a richly woven tapestry, a book that readers can really savour. The author, David Morrell, did an astonishing amount of research to portray Victorian London authentically, something that comes across vividly when reading the book.

I don't usually read much mystery, and what I've read has almost exclusively been set in the present day, but I'm a big fan of historical fiction and this novel was an absorbing read for that reason. It was fascinating to see how Thomas De Quincy's mind worked in relation to figuring out who the very hidden murderer was and to expose him. I also liked the use of Emily de Quincy, Thomas's daughter, and her first-person journal accounts to relay parts of the narrative. In the hands of a less talented author, the different techniques and conventions at play with the story wouldn't have worked, but Morrell pulls it off in a way that makes it look effortless.

If you're into murder mysteries set in Victorian England but want a break from the glut of Jack the Ripper fiction out there, pick up a copy of "Murder as a Fine Art."
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Josee Roy
4.0 out of 5 stars Très bon
Reviewed in Canada on September 1, 2015
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J'ai bien apprécié ce livre. L'atmosphère londonienne de 1854 y est si bien décrite qu'on croit y être. Bon suspense.
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Donald N. Philip
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read
Reviewed in Canada on January 17, 2016
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This is the first of two (so far) books by David Morrell based on his extensive research into Thomas da Quincy and the Victorian period. Morrell's research is truly extensive and brings a richness to the narrative that is hard to describe but that I found absorbing.

Set in the Victorian period, a murder is committed using da Quincy's essay On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts as a template. At first, da Quincy, now quite old, is a suspect, and tries to clear his name, with the help of his daughter Emily. As it gradually becomes evident that da Quincy is not guilty, the detectives in charge of the case realize the quality and clarity of da Quincy's thinking are an asset they cannot overlook, to the chagrin of their superiors. It's an excellent read.
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Stewart Lee
3.0 out of 5 stars Based on some alleged historical slaughter.
Reviewed in Canada on August 15, 2013
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A bit far-fetched, but well written and enjoyable. I don`t know whether the historical events that this plot is based upon actually happened or not, but replaying them seems unnecessarily bloody.
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Mary Chisholm
5.0 out of 5 stars Different storyline
Reviewed in Canada on July 7, 2014
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Story was interesting, different and well put together. I learned a lot of information from this book about things that I've taken for granted (Bobbies, Scotland Yard, etc).
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Alison S. Coad
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Evocation of Victorian London
Reviewed in Canada on July 19, 2013
In "Murder As A Fine Art," by David Morrell, readers are taken to Victorian London; the year is 1854 and London is shocked by a truly horrific multiple murder that has occurred. Even more shocking is that it is the near-exact duplicate of a multiple murder that had taken place 43 years earlier, in 1811. The author and well-known addict Thomas de Quincey, writer of the infamous "Confessions of an English Opium-Eater," and his youngest daughter Emily are in London on a mission to sell books; when Scotland Yard's fledgling Detective Inspector Ryan learns that de Quincey had also penned an essay entitled "Murder As a Fine Art," in which he discussed at length the 1811 murders, it's just a matter of time before he arrests the addict. But de Quincey is no murderer, and it is up to him, Emily, police constable Becker and ultimately Inspector Ryan himself to track the real murderer down and prevent him from striking again.... I don't usually like mysteries that take real historical figures for their heroes, as it strikes me as being a very lazy way to write, but I thoroughly enjoyed this work. Perhaps it was the detailed research that is evident on practically every page, perhaps it was that I'm not familiar with de Quincey other than to know his name, but Morrell writes masterfully and this thriller is, while gruesome at times, a tremendously entertaining journey through a time long gone. Recommended!
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Top reviews from other countries

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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly enjoyed excellent
Reviewed in Australia on April 29, 2018
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Great story telling vivid characters I even enjoyed the postscript loved the historical element took me back in time hope there is more to come
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JJ
5.0 out of 5 stars Great but gruesome
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 22, 2016
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An absolutely super read, though the murders are really very violent and bloody. However, they are based on the horrible Ratcliff Highway Murders which really happened and were just as awful scaring not only Londoners but people up and down the country.
I found the little group of protagonists, Thomas de Quincey, Emily his daughter, constable Becker and Inspector Ryan very sympathetic characters and you really cared about what they did, said and thought so you were hoping that the conclusion would not diminish the group in any way.
I also like the conceit of writing in the first person at times and third person at others and then given you plain facts about life in those times, like a short history lesson. Apparently books were often written like this in those long off days.
I didn't know David Morrell wrote the Rambo stories. He is a very interesting writer.
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Amazon Kunde
5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant and highly entertaining masterpiece
Reviewed in Germany on November 14, 2015
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David Morrell has reinvented himself and the result ist the best Morrell ever. I have rarely read such a masterpiece of a thriller and it is definitely his best so far. With the historic background it is even more entertaining. Mr. Morrell, please continue forever!
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Dr. Mitchell R. White
5.0 out of 5 stars An Outstanding Read for Fans of Victorian Era Murder Mysteries
Reviewed in the United States on October 28, 2013
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London's in a panic, as it appears an infamous mass-murderer has arisen from the dead. A family is murdered in 1854, and the parallels to a similar mass killing in 1811 are too eery to ignore. When the murders are found to have been "scripted" in writings by an infamous opium addict, one Thomas De Quincy, the city is on a razor's edge and ready to explode into anarchy.

De Quincey is an immediate suspect. Accompanied by his spinster daughter, he's in London on a speaking tour at the time of the murders. He has to convince the police that he didn't perform the gruesome killings, as well as convince them to ally with him to solve the murders quickly, before more people die.

Sadly, the police are not in time to prevent further killings, and even though the circumstances of the second mass killing in a pub completely exonerate De Quincey, the police are still highly suspicious. Nonetheless, they must all work together to stop a madman from scaring the populace into burning London to the ground.

The race is on. Who will win? Who will survive, and who will die? As the tale unfolds, the stakes are proven to be even higher than the survival of London itself; all of Europe, and perhaps the world, are stakes in the game.

A thriller of very great sophistication, with impeccable execution on timing, Murder as a Fine Art was a most satisfying read. David Morrell has cleverly intertwined crime, history, police procedure and scarred characters to produce a tale that races along like a runaway carriage on a bumpy road in Victorian London. A tour de force of research, plotting and creative writing, I found Murder as a Fine Art to be tension-filled and ultimately satisfying.

I don't know quite how to thank David Morrell for the short nights of sleep his book rewarded me with, other than to reread this novel soon.
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Thierry Franck
4.0 out of 5 stars Bon polar historique
Reviewed in France on September 28, 2013
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Le dernier livre de David Morrel est un petit bijou à savourer. Les personnages sont bien campés, l'intrigue est intéressante et fait penser à beaucoup d'autres histoires sans jamais les copier. On y sent l'influence de l'oeuvre de de Quincey, de Kipling curieusement, avec un gout Victorien qui n'est pas pour déplaire. Le cadre historique est rigoureux, bien que parfois un peu trop pédagogique et pas assez romancé.

l'ensemble est de bonne facture et se lit avec un grand plaisir. L'intrigue est intéressante et possède même quelques côtés freudiens. Ce qui est assez surprenant chez Morrell.
Pour résumer, un bon polar historique, inventif et intelligent.
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