Charles Darwin has published his seminal work,. Some see genius in it, others blasphemy. Prince Albert sees genius, which he believes should be rewarded. After a failed assassination attempt, the real life detective after whom Charles Dickens fashioned his Charlie Bucket finds himself in charge of a case that threatens all he holds dear.

Lots of “based in fact” people and events are found in this historical novel. Charles Darwin, Charles Dickens, Queen Victoria, Prince Albert, Typhoid Mary, and Inspector Charles Field all combine with one very wicked killer who is out to stop the wave of support for Darwin’s new theory of evolution. The appropriate atmosphere and societal norms are accurately presented for 1860 London. The characters are mostly well-drawn, especially Inspector Field. He arrives at conclusions that others think are crazy, similar to Sherlock Holmes. It was frustrating for me to read how little the police were respected at the time, and how little power they had to solve crimes, especially if high society patrons are involved.

I wanted to love this novel, but I ended up merely liking it. I thought it rambled a little in spots, and went on too long until the final resolution.

In “The Darwin Affair” author Tim Mason brings together historical fiction, mystery, action suspense, and modern commentary. I found the interaction of real life characters like Charles Dickens with one of his supposed muses ( especially in answering the question: how does the real life detective live his life while seen by the reading public as a popular character?).

My major problem with this story is the presence of the all powerful villain. I find it hard to appreciate the story telling and plot lines/twists when the bad guy continually is two steps ahead, gets knocked down ( or run over by a train) and manages to keep popping up. The lead good guy in the meantime seems too slow on the uptake to solve the case much less inspire Dickens’ fictional detective.

Cannot rate this book high enough, just a really great story, well told with fascinating and complex characters. Darwin. Dicken's, Reverend Wilberforce, Victoria and Albert, and Dectective Fields or as Dicken's called him "Inspector Bucket". Who is killing people in London and cutting off their ears? Is it related to Charles Darwin and his new theory of evolution or is it somehow connected to Prince Albert or even the Queen? All Detective Bucket knows is that there is evil loose in London with some highly connected people involved. If you like well done historical mysteries this book is just for you, really good.

I set this aside after reading about 10% of it. It just didn't hold my attention; the characters were not interesting.

Tim Mason takes his readers back into the England of Queen Victoria in a period around the 1860's. He brings to vibrant life a London riff with dirt, filth, crime and disease. Charles Darwin has recently returned from his five year voyage on H.M.S. Beagle and as a result of his studies and observations had published the very controversial "Origin Of the Species." His claim was that nature assured the survival of creatures that developed the strongest adaptation of those skills necessary to survive in a competitive world. His views conflicted with those of many people that subscribed to the notion that man was made in God's image. It was therefore, blasphemy to consider that humans were evolutionary descendants of apes.
At the same time the author Charles Dickens had created Chief Detective Bucket in his novel "Bleak House" It was thought that Inspector Bucket was modeled after a real life police officer named Charles Field. The Darwin Affair begins with an attempted assassination of Queen Victoria and her husband the Prince Consort Albert. Field in assigned to protect the royal couple and becomes involved with many of the events described.
The story brings into play a kidnapping of a butcher's boy and what happens to him, a ring of men that rob graves in order to sell the corpses to medical schools and a visit of Prince Albert with Victoria to his native Bavaria. Mr Mason also presents the person of a woman that became known as Typhoid Mary to later generations of medical students. Mary was thought to be a carrier of a recessed gene for Typhoid infecting all she came in contact with but never showing symptoms herself.
The author has taken great care in researching the events portrayed and the settings in which they take place. Conversations attributed to the characters have carefully been formulated to ring true to the more formal manner of speaking at the time. A rewarding read with the consequent portrait of the period being looked at and one that will cause readers to seek out future books by Tim Mason.

Expectations were that "The Darwin Affair" would read somewhat like a good Sherlock Holmes story. The language and setting certainly justified that. In the story the protagonist is continually compared to a Charles Dickens police character. Sherlock Holmes, however, clearly was quick to see clues and get to the action of finding the evil-doer. This story tends to drag on and borders on boring.

Tim Mason has written a engrossing, enticing and engaging historical mystery. It will be the perfect read for fans of Lyndsay Faye and Caleb Carr. We will be buying for our library.