What does Jewish lore have to do with the Germanic folk legend of doppelgangers? Find out in Dead Ringer, fifth in Kat Ross’ Gaslamp Gothic series.
Dead Ringer rejoins Harrison Fearing Pell and Jonathan Weston of the American branch of the SPR. The pair are tasked with solving a case involving a ‘mud man’ attacking people and retreating into the sewers. So far, the attacks have only resulted in scares, but no serious harm. Harry’s beginning to think the mud man is escalating his aggressive tendencies. At first, they aren’t even sure if the mud man is actually something under the SPR’s purview, or simply a deranged, filthy human. An underground encounter assures them that the creature is, indeed, preternatural. When Harry gets hired as a private consultant by one of the city’s criminal masterminds, on a case the SPR’s other pair of agents is working, it becomes obvious that the two cases have a link. Question is, can Harry keep her client alive, and keep her sister from finding out she’s working for him, while placating her superiors at the SPR?
As much as I love the European SPR team (especially since there are daevas), I absolutely adored Harry and Weston! They just work so well together for one. Harry’s sister is like a female American Sherlock, which I also loved, and didn’t expect. You don’t get tons of interaction with Myrtle, but what’s there is priceless. I also really liked Moran, the criminal mastermind Harry is trying to keep alive. He’s one of those grey characters. Yeah, he’s a criminal, and dangerous, but there’s so much more going on beneath the surface. He’s Myrtle’s Moriarty, and every bit as intelligent and complex. As the story progresses, you learn a lot of backstory, and it explains so much. In the end, Moran not only saves someone he’d much rather kill, but he ends up paying for her care in an institution after she suffers an aneurysm. Really hope to see him again in the future.
The lore included in this story delved into the more unusual. I always appreciate this. Things that have become staple tend to be boring. Ross does an awesome job of researching lore for her stories. This take weaves Jewish legend with Germanic, making good use of both. I loved the probability aspect to the doppel’s existence, though it’d be kinda sucky to be on the receiving end of the bad luck! Greatly looking forward to the next in the series, and hoping it is av Harry and Weston one. Recommended it you enjoy Victorian era stories, the preternatural, and/or Sherlock Holmes.
***Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.This book was reviewed for XPresso Blog Tours
