Already an international rights sensation, this dazzling thriller stalks and illuminates the dark, disintegrating walkways of Victorian London.
It’s 1852, and the ranks of the London poor have doubled. In the swollen shadow of the great St. Giles Rookery, fallen women attract perfumed dandies of the West End in a vicious circle of venality, vanity and vice.
Edmund Whitty, correspondent for The Falcon, the city’s second-best sensational tabloid, writes whatever will stimulate the reader, delay his (increasingly physical) creditors, and supply him with the alcohol and opiates required to see him through the day. His most recent triumph was to supply a name to the fiend in human form who has murdered God knows how many prostitutes with a white silk scarf: Chokee Bill. To the correspondent’s satisfaction, Chokee Bill incited a garrotting panic that paralyzed the business of London -- until the arrest of one William Ryan. Normality has returned. The hangman, Mr. Calcraft, as dusty and dreary as death itself, awaits.
Broke again and in search of crisp copy, Whitty makes a shocking but not altogether surprising discovery: the white-scarf slayings have continued. When he endeavours to find the real Chokee Bill, he is greeted with emphatic hostility, both offcial and unoffcial.
This Dickensian tale offers galvanizing suspense and an evocative and witty vision of life in Victorian London -- in which the hallmark of a gentleman is perfection without, putrefaction within, and the hallmark of a lady is to have snared a gentleman.
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“Gray has a gift for dialogue and a keen sense of humour, which comes out in the hilarious exchanges between Whitty and his rival cronies.” -- Hamilton Spectator
“Gray has whipped up a marvelous, richly textured confection. All the sights and sounds and impressions of a brilliantly evoked era are here, together with a dexterous plot and a feel for the embroidered yet briny language of the period.” -- Quill & Quire
“Gray has a strong sense of place and setting....He also has a gift for dialogue, and a keen humour, much in evidence here...the action sequences are skillfully wrought and compelling.” -- The Globe and Mail
“Sex, drugs, violence -- it’s all here, and presented with deliciously wry humour....the unraveling of this complicated skein of secrets makes for a fascinating, enjoyable read, full of twists, reversals and last-minute shocks.” -- The Edmonton Journal
“Tight and vivid, propelled by an addictive mystery plot, the book makes the efforts of his peers look like dilettantism.... Gray delivers crisp writing of his own throughout the book. ...The Fiend In Human is anything but a newspaper columnist’s self-indulgence. A smart social commentary and ripping good tale, it’s clearly the work of a bona fide novelist firmly in control of his craft. A fly job, indeed, Mr. Gray.” -- National Post
“...riveting plot...Gray’s historical thriller is a step beyond slasher-horror plots. It presents us with the intellectual intrigues of murder, luring us with the hope that we can understand the stalker’s mentality...and the social evils that allow maniacs to thrive...He draws characters with colour and spark as vibrant as the theatre.” -- Ottawa Citizen
“...with this novel, [Gray] proves himself to be a true man of letters...Gray employs a Victorian style here to great effect. You feel as if you could be reading a novel from the period, rather than one merely set in that time...” -- New Brunswick Reader
“...Gray delivers and in spades.” -- Books in Canada
"The Fiend in Human gives the reader the kind of experience one wishes all historical novels provided but almost never do. It throws open the door on a side of Victorian London few will be acquainted with, and does so with an exuberance and wealth of detail worthy of the nineteenth-century masters. Vivid characters, dead-on dialogue, and a galloping good plot make The Fiend in Human a tale irresistible." -- Giles Blunt, author of Forty Words for Sorrow and The Delicate Storm
John MacLachlan Gray is a writer-composer-performer for the stage, film, television, radio and print. He is best known for his stage musicals, including the phenomenally successful Billy Bishop Goes to War, and for his satirical videos on CBC-TV’s The Journal. Gray is the recipient of many awards -- a Golden Globe, the Governor General’s Medal and most recently the Order of Canada. He currently writes a weekly column entitled “Gray’s Anatomy” for the Globe and Mail. He lives in Vancouver with his personal demons.
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Da: Thomas Books, Phoenix, AZ, U.S.A.
Condizione: Like New. First edition, first printing. Hardcover. London, 1852. Very fine book in very fine dj. Codice articolo 3001377
Quantità: 1 disponibili
Da: Heroes Bookshop, Paris, ON, Canada
Hardcover. Condizione: Very Good. Condizione sovraccoperta: Very Good. First Edition. Signed by the author on the title page.this copy has a solid tight binding with clean unmarked pages. Signed by Author. Codice articolo js850
Quantità: 1 disponibili
Da: Russell Books, Victoria, BC, Canada
Hardcover. Condizione: Good. First Edition. Bargain book!. Codice articolo X008763
Quantità: 1 disponibili
Da: Hourglass Books, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Hardcover. Condizione: Very Good+q. Condizione sovraccoperta: Very Good+, Not Price Clipped. Canadian First. First edition, first printing as evidenced by a complete number line from 1 to 10; signed by John MacLachlan Gray on the title page with no inscription; a solid, clean copy in collectable condition. Signed by Author(s). Book. Codice articolo 000189
Quantità: 1 disponibili
Da: Neil Williams, Bookseller, Victoria, BC, Canada
Hardcover. Condizione: F/F. First Edition. INSCRIBED by the author on the title page. A fine copy in like unpriceclipped jacket. 342 pp. Codice articolo 26515
Quantità: 1 disponibili
Da: Marvin Minkler Modern First Editions, St. Johnsbury, VT, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condizione: As New. Condizione sovraccoperta: As New. 1st Edition. First Canadian Edition/First Printing. Hardcover in unclipped dustjacket. 342 pages. Smart and stylish tale of Victorian London, and a terrific mystery to boot. As new. Unread. From my smoke-free collection. Ships in well-padded box. Codice articolo 4793
Quantità: 1 disponibili
Da: Russell Books, Victoria, BC, Canada
Hardcover. Condizione: Very Good. Condizione sovraccoperta: Very Good. First Edition. Codice articolo FORT686291
Quantità: 1 disponibili
Da: Edmonton Book Store, Edmonton, AB, Canada
Condizione: Very Good. Condizione sovraccoperta: Very Good. 8vo pp. 342.signed by the author on title page. Signed By Author. book. Codice articolo 117124
Quantità: 1 disponibili
Da: The Next Page, Calgary, AB, Canada
Hardcover. Condizione: Very Good. Codice articolo 978067931173C
Quantità: 3 disponibili
Da: Bailey Books, St.Albert, AB, Canada
Hardcover. Condizione: As New. Condizione sovraccoperta: As New. First Edition. As new, unread, unclipped and not remaindered. Very minor shelfwear to show, otherwise an immaculate copy. First edition with the number line to one. Signed by Author(s). Codice articolo 000843
Quantità: 1 disponibili