RESURRECTIONIST BY JAMES MCGEE

I recently reviewed the first book in the Hawkwood series, Ratcatcher and went bananas over it, calling it my book of the year. Well I stand by that rating - it was my introduction to the excellent character of Mathew Hawkwood. And even though this second book in the series is better the first, being my introduction into Hawkwood's world, will always be my favourite.

Mathew Hawkwood is back, as dashing and mysterious as ever and, if there was a Gothic subtext to the previous book, then it is brought to the fore in this one. There are elements of Frankenstein in this one which sees the tough Bow Street Runner up against a gruesome plot involving grave robbers, escaped lunatics and a cast of characters that bring the sights and smells of Regency London to life.

Colonel Hyde, an obsessive surgeon who is medically insane escapes from Bedlam by removing a priests face and then wearing it as a mask. Later he commits suicide by leaping into the flames of a burning church in a wonderfully vivid scene that could have come from a Hammer movie. But as Hawkwood starts sniffing around he realises that all is not what it seems and even though he saw Hyde commit suicide before his own eyes something is not quite right about it.

The author knows how create a twisty plot and yet keep the pages turning. There are some genuinely stomach churning scenes in this fast paced novel and the character of Mathew Hawkwood is among the most original in modern fiction.