Book Reviews John MacLachlan Gray

The Fiend in Human:

		Review by:

		The Chronicle-Herald (Halifax)			Historical crime fiction at its finest.

		Books in Canada			Gray delivers and in spades.

		New Brunswick Reader			[Gray] proves himself to be a true man of letters… Gray employs a Victorian style here to great effect. You feel as if you could be reading a novel from the period, rather than one merely set in that time."

		Ottawa Citizen			Riveting plot… Gray’s historical thriller is a step beyond slasher-horror plots. It presents us with the intellectual intrigues of murder, luring us with the hope that we can understand the stalker’s mentality… and the social evils that allow maniacs to thrive… He draws characters with colour and spark as vibrant as the theatre.

		The Edmonton Journal			Sex, drugs, violence — it’s all here, and presented with deliciously wry humour… the unravelling of this complicated skein of secrets makes for a fascinating, enjoyable read, full of twists, reversals and last-minute shocks.

		The Globe and Mail			Gray has a strong sense of place and setting… He also has a gift for dialogue, and a keen humour, much in evidence here…the action sequences are skilfully wrought and compelling.

		Hamilton Spectator			Gray has a gift for dialogue and a keen sense of humour, which comes out in the hilarious exchanges between Whitty and his rival cronies.

		Times Literary Review (UK)			Superb scene-setting and ripe characterization… endlessly intriguing. This is a spectacle as well as a novel.

		William Gibson			A streetsmart period thriller brilliantly reimagining Victorian London with great precision and a fine and mordant zest. Wonderfully entertaining throughout.

		National Post			Tight and vivid, propelled by an addictive mystery plot, the book makes the efforts of his peers look like dilettantism… Scene after scene is packed with hilarious, raunchy repartee… The Fiend In Human is at heart an old-fashioned potboiler, with more knots and twists than a Victorian petticoat. Gray is in clear control of the intricacies here, beautifully modulating the pacing of the story while cleverly hooking us with red herrings and blindsiding us with lightning-fast plot reversals… A smart social commentary and ripping good tale, it’s clearly the work of a bona fide novelist firmly in control of his craft. A fly job, indeed, Mr. Gray.