The Pleasures of Men by Kate Williams. (Penguin, Michael Joseph, £12.99) (From Gazette & Herald)

The Pleasures of Men by Kate Williams. (Penguin, Michael Joseph, £12.99)

11:52am Wednesday 1st February 2012 in Books By Bill Spence

IN 1840 Catherine Sorgeiul lives with her uncle in the East End of London after the death of her parents, but she is not happy.

The house is dark and full of strange objects that her uncle has collected on his travels all over the world, she has no friends and finds it difficult to trust anyone.

So when London is horrified by the terrible murders of young girls and the disfigurement of their bodies, Catherine becomes fixated by the crimes and the murderer known as The Man of Crows.

She even takes to walking in the streets looking for him, but she soon realises that nothing is as it seems.

Sexual obsession, betrayal and murder are buried in a truth that is more terrifying than anything she could imagine and she finds herself needing to escape London and all that threatens her.

This gripping novel is full of atmosphere and tension and is cleverly written.

The heroine fears for her sanity and while we sympathise with her, at times, through the writing, we start to wonder if she really is insane as the book weaves its way through her fears and the characters she meets.

I found myself gripped by the story but did not want it as my bedtime reading as the vivid descriptions would probably have me dreaming of the worst aspects of Victorian London. The author is an expert in that period of history and this can clearly be felt in this, her debut novel. I hope she will write more.