Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
This was the second book I read by David Mark (The Mausoleum was the first, another terrific read) and I now have to check out his mystery series!
What a gripping and haunting read...and then the ending, wow! It's a thriller with paranormal leanings and features 3 super females; ten-year old Hilda, her mum Molly and Molly's best friend and popular pathologist/vlogger for anyone fascinated with death, Lottie.
The adventure starts with Hilda's friend suddenly missing and spirals into all-out frightening chaos, bringing unbelievable danger into their lives. Throw in interesting historical and medical data, a mad doctor and the fact this all plays out in Jack The Ripper's old territory, and you have yourself a book you won't want put down. There's also a dangerously attractive male character, adding to the excitement. I really hope David Mark will write a sequel!? Highly recommended.

This book was so addictive and really atmospheric, as well as creepy cool and full of beautifully intricate detail.

The Ripper fuelled backdrop creates a dark and devilish feel to this story as Hilda’s friend goes missing, dragging Hilda, Mum Molly and friend Lottie down a path towards a killer waiting in the darkness

Lottie is a marvellous character, they all are and the group dynamic is highly engaging. Past and present collide, the historical and medical themes are brilliantly involving and the plot is pacy, taut and deeply disturbing.

I devoured it in one sitting and am fairly sure the ending will haunt my dreams. The whole thing is vivid and clever, darkly delicious with a sharp edge of ironic humour and an authentic feel that is utterly compelling.

Highly Recommended.

Hilda may be only ten years old but she knows something is seriously wrong when her friend Meda disappears. Even though the missing girl’s family assures Hilda that Meda is just fine. Hilda goes to her own mother Molly for guidance. Molly, who runs a pub with connections to Jack the Ripper asks regular customer Lottie, pathologist and vlogger to help uncover the truth about what happened to little Meda. As they soon discover, Meda is not the first little girl to go missing. I really enjoyed this quirky read with its unconventional detectives