A fatal likeness : a novel

Title:

Author:

Shepherd, Lynn, 1964-

Personal Author:

Shepherd, Lynn, 1964-

ISBN:

9780345532442

Edition:

1st ed.

Publication Information:

New York : Delacorte Press, c2013.

Physical Description:

363 p. : ill. ; 25 cm

Series:

Charles Maddox novels ; bk. 2

Charles Maddox novels ; bk. 2.

Abstract:

Commissioned to negotiate the release of papers linked to the celebrated poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, London detective Charles Maddox must determine if the papers are authentic, but his disturbing investigation uncovers signs of foul play.

Personal Subject:

Shelley, Percy Bysshe, 1792-1822-Psychology-Fiction.

Shelley family-Fiction.

Subject Term:

Poets, English -- 19th century -- Fiction.

Private investigators -- Fiction.

Genre:

Psychological fiction.

Biographical fiction.

Mystery fiction.

Summary:

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Main Library	Book	FICTION SHEPHER	Searching... Unknown

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On Order

Summary

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY KIRKUS REVIEWS

With The Solitary House , award-winning author Lynn Shepherd introduced readers to Charles Maddox, a brilliant private detective plying his trade on the gaslit streets of Dickensian London. Now, in this mesmerizing new novel of historical suspense, a mystery strikes disturbingly close to home--and draws Maddox into a world of literary legends, tormented souls, and a legacy of terrible secrets.

When his great-uncle, the master detective who schooled him in the science of "thief taking," is mysteriously stricken, Charles Maddox fears that the old man's breakdown may be directly related to the latest case he's been asked to undertake. Summoned to the home of a stuffy nobleman and his imperious wife, Charles finds his investigative services have been engaged by no less than the son of celebrated poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and his famed widow, Mary, author of the gothic classic Frankenstein . Approached by a stranger offering to sell a cache of rare papers allegedly belonging to the legendary late poet, the Shelley family seeks Maddox's aid in discovering whether the precious documents are authentic or merely the work of an opportunistic charlatan.

But the true identity of his quarry is only the first of many surprises lying in wait for the detective. Hardly a conniving criminal, Claire Clairmont is in fact the stepsister of Mary Shelley, and their tortured history of jealousy, obsession, and dark deceit looms large over the affair Maddox must untangle. So, too, does the shadow of the brilliant, eccentric Percy Shelley, who found no rest from the private demons that pursued him. With each new detail unearthed, the investigation grows ever more disturbing. And when shocking evidence of foul play comes to light, Maddox's chilling hunt for the truth leads him into the blackest reaches of the soul.

Steeped in finely wrought Victorian atmosphere, and rife with eye-opening historical revelations, A Fatal Likeness carries the reader ever deeper into a darkly magnetic tale of love and madness as utterly harrowing and heartbreaking as it is undeniably human.

Praise for A Fatal Likeness

"[Shepherd] takes the familiar story of the Shelley family and fills in the holes in the historical record by turning it into a clever, imaginative and literate mystery." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Unforgettably chilling, A Fatal Likeness will haunt you long after you finish the last page." -- New York Times bestselling author Tasha Alexander

"Maddox's brooding character and Shepherd's own voice . . . are both enthralling." -- Booklist

"Charged with passion, betrayals and conspiracies, [ A Fatal Likeness ] more than restores Shelley's darker side, yet it is Mary you won't be able to forget." -- Bloomberg

"Shepherd shines again in this superb Victorian thriller. . . . The novel works equally as a family story, a blend of horror and mystery, and a plausible hypothesis about why so many women and children associated with Shelley died mysterious deaths." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"As a piece of literary detective work, it's stimulating and hugely fun--even brilliant." --The Spectator

"A potent mixture of passion, intrigue, perversion, and betrayal, exploring the lives of Shelley, Byron, and their Romantic intimates through a Gothic lens." --Lyndsay Faye, author of The Gods of Gotham

Reviews (1)

Kirkus Review

A detective in Victorian England takes a case involving several renowned and infamous literary figures. Charles Maddox has taken over the detective agency once run by his famous great-uncle, who now suffers from age-related mental illnesses. Charles is hired by the son of the famous poet Percy Bysshe Shelley to find and acquire some family papers they believe to be in the possession of Claire Clairmont, stepsister to Mary Godwin Shelley. To his surprise, Charles discovers that his great-uncle had once worked for the Shelley family, though the usual meticulous notes he took are nowhere to be found. Charles finds a way to get into Claire's house, but when she catches him reading her papers, she tells a totally different story than the one he had from Percy, his wife and Mary Shelley. Like his great-uncle before him, Charles becomes ensnared in the family's horrifying story. But finding the truth proves to be elusive. Did Shelley cause the death of his first wife and some of his children, or was it Mary? Both she and Claire, who was also mistress to Lord Byron, were madly in love with the poet, and it seems that Mary would do almost anything to keep him by her side. When Charles does find his uncle's papers, they provide answers and raise even more questions about the tragic history of the haunted poet. Lynn (The Solitary House, 2012, etc.) takes the familiar story of the Shelley family and fills in the holes in the historical record by turning it into a clever, imaginative and literate mystery.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.