Ruler of the Night is the brilliant conclusion to David Morrell's Victorian mystery trilogy. I cannot recommend these books highly enough. Each centers on a crime that changed how the public viewed the world. Murder As a Fine Art centered on the unsolved Radcliffe Highway murders; the second, Inspector of the Dead, on the numerous assassination attempts on the life of Queen Victoria; and this third and final book on the first murder on an English train. Morrell also changes up how each book is written. The first is a completely Victorian novel; the second only partially so; while Ruler of the Night is written as a modern novel. This mirrors how rapidly society was changing at the time.

Like the first two books in the trilogy, Ruler of the Night immerses the reader in the world of Victorian England-- its sights, its sounds, its smells. Incidents in the book-- like De Quincey's translation of a German edition of Sir Walter Scott-- actually happened. Action scenes are vivid, and it's wonderful to see how the many delicate strands of the plot weave together.

But Morrell is not content to focus on period detail and action scenes. His characterizations are what make this trilogy so very special. Thomas De Quincey was an amazing man with a prodigious addiction to laudanum. It's safe to say that most drug addicts are not sympathetic characters in fiction, but "the Opium Eater" is. This is due in large part to the character of Emily, his daughter. Emily is a person worthy of trust and affection. She sees her father for whom he is, and she loves him deeply. Her clear-eyed love allows us to care for him, too.

The police officers also shine. By the time of Ruler of the Night, Inspector Flynn has basically taught Sergeant Becker everything he needs to know to become an excellent detective. Their changing attitudes toward Thomas and Emily mirror those of the readers.

In reading books, I've finally made reading the author's notes and acknowledgments a habit. You never know what nuggets of gold you'll find. In the case of David Morrell's Thomas De Quincey trilogy, you'll find fascinating tidbits on the history behind the stories as well as recommendations on other authors and books to read.

If you are even the slightest bit interested in historical mysteries-- especially those set in Victorian England-- you simply must read these three Thomas De Quincey novels. They are marvelous.

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This is the third and final book in Morrell's trilogy featuring Thomas De Quincey, who wrote the notorious Confessions of an English Opium-Eater. I've read the first two books in the trilogy, Murder as a Fine Art and Inspector of the Dead and really enjoyed them both. This one was also very compelling and entertaining. Set against the backdrop of mid-1800s England, the plot is about someone committing the first murder ever on board a moving train. Then after that happens, further damage is done to the railroads' reputation when a bomb is set off in one of London's stations and another train is set on fire resulting in a horrific crash. This sends the stocks of the railroads into a nose dive and fear is widespread about even using the rails which at this point in time is a young industry but is able to cut the time for travel immensely. Another plot point of the novel is the death of the current Czar of Russia and his possible murder by his attending German physician. Was he killed to try to put an end to the Crimean War that is raging at the time? De Quincey and his daughter, Emily, are called on by the Prime Minister and the police to try to help solve these crimes. They happened to be on board the same train where the first murder was committed so they have some expertise from the start. As the story unfolds, it becomes more and more twisted but eventually De Quincey comes to the right conclusions.

Again, Morrell uses some very interesting historical events to make the story more realistic. These include a hydropathy clinic where patients undergo various water treatments to try to alleviate their ills. This was evidently a craze during the time and provided a setting for some of the plot related to the possible murder of the czar. I hated to see this novel end because it is the last in Morrell's trilogy and I will really miss the characters and storylines of these novels. But I do have some of his other novels on my shelves that I hope to read sometime soon.

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