The Demon Undertaker by Cameron McAllister
| The Demon Undertaker by Cameron McAllister | |
|
| |
| Category: Confident Readers | |
| |
Reviewer: Linda Lawlor
 | |
| Summary: Dark deeds and sinister villains make for a thrilling tale of murder most foul in eighteenth century London. Can young Thomas Fielding and his friends rescue Lady Grace from the bloodthirsty kidnapper? | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 336 | Date: September 2016 |
| Publisher: Corgi Childrens | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 9780552574044 | |
|
Share on: | |
|
| |
Fourteen-year-old Thomas has already seen much sorrow in his young life –notably the death of his beloved father and the accidental loss of his own hand. His mother hopes to give him a new start by sending him away from Virginia to join his uncle Sir Henry Fielding, chief magistrate of London, but before the boy has even had the chance to greet his new family he is embroiled in a life and death chase through the grimy back streets of the capital in the hopes of rescuing a young noblewoman. All London is agog: what happens to the people who disappear, never to be seen again, and what exactly does the terrible masked fiend in the hearse want them for?
London in the eighteenth century is a city of contrasts, and the author of this excellent book fills his pages with a richness of detail which means the reader can not only clearly see the various scenes in his or her head, but also – and most definitely – smell them. Dirt is everywhere, even in the relatively pleasant house which is Thomas' new home, although the filth and stench of the poorer quarters, with their pale, skeleton-thin children and rowdy coffee-houses and inns, make it seem a veritable palace. Thomas himself is courageous, determined and honest, and he soon wins the respect of his uncle, if not of the High Constable of Holborn, whose sole crime-detecting method is to clamp witnesses and suspects alike in irons and hit them until they tell him what he wants to know. The young American soon collects a motley group of young people around him as he investigates the terrible mystery, and the story, which could easily have relied on horror and disgust, frequently provides comedy and even high farce as a balance. Bossy Esther, greedy Percy whose trousers can't always cope with his waistline, and the mysterious young thief known as Malarkey somehow manage to lighten even the scariest moments!
Older readers will know that Sir Henry Fielding was a real person, and that he and his brother have been credited with forming the first police force, known as the Bow Street Runners. Mr McAllister may have bent the facts a little – which is his right, after all, as a fiction writer – but the whole atmosphere of the city in 1749 rings entirely true and gives a wonderful picture of life at the time, as well as a rip-roaring tale of bravery and daring. It's a story well worth reading, and we look forward impatiently to the further adventures of 'Iron-Hand' Fielding and his feisty companions.
Bookbag also enjoyed Mr McAllister's first book, The Tin Snail. Set in France in 1938, it is another story where fiction and fact mingle, about the invention of the famous Deux Chevaux car and the determination of the inventors to hide it from the invading Germans. And for more thrilling historical adventures (in the seventeenth century this time) try Philip Caveney's books: Crow Boy, Seventeen Coffins and One For Sorrow. Gripping stuff!
Please share on: 
Facebook, 
Twitter and
Instagram
You can read more book reviews or buy The Demon Undertaker by Cameron McAllister at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Demon Undertaker by Cameron McAllister at Amazon.com.
Comments
Like to comment on this review?
Just send us an email and we'll put the best up on the site.
