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Tales of the Brass Griffin: Bloody Business by Christopher B. Ash Christopher B. Ash
book review by Karyn Saemann
"The dead man's clothes were a bloody ruin. Thorias peeled away the top-most layer of cloth, a ruined tan shirt, to reveal his chest."
Captain Anthony Hunter and his crew once again face murderous intrigue in the latest of Ash's Tales of the Brass Griffin series. This time, while their ship is docked for repairs in Edinburgh, they come to the aid of a distraught young woman who claims her friend has inexplicably vanished. As they unearth a chilling plot behind the girl's disappearance, Hunter and his colleagues find they may be dealing with something far more sinister than common murder. Working with local constables they race to find the girl and others who have recently gone missing before they meet the same fate as mutilated bodies that have begun to surface, that are the apparent victims of someone's gruesome medical experiments.
Ash weaves a fast paced, riveting mystery with some great climactic twists. An elvish doctor and an array of fantastic mechanical contraptions and other sci-fi elements broaden the 19th Century backdrop. Ash is particularly good at scene-setting, with ample descriptive narration that pulls the reader into bygone Edinburgh's rough pubs, rain-slicked cobblestone streets and henchmen lurking in shadowy, squalid alleys. There are bloody knives, twisted minds and backstreet chases aplenty and, appreciatively, a host of bold female characters. The subplot of oppressed woolen mill workers resonates, as such conditions continue today in some places. And having Hunter and his crew call a ship home is a perfect choice for a series, as they can forever disembark at new ports, perpetually ready for new adventures. A thoroughly enjoyable, well-written read; eager for the next installment.