Jonathan Strange meets Jonathan Creek in this blistering crime debut set in Victorian Edinburgh.

Edinburgh, 1888. A virtuoso violinist is brutally killed in his home. But with no way in or out of the locked practice room, the murder makes no sense. Fearing a national panic over a copycat Ripper, Scotland Yard sends Inspector Ian Frey to investigate under the cover of a fake department specializing in the occult. However, Frey’s new boss, Detective ‘Nine-Nails’ McGray, actually believes in such nonsense. McGray’s tragic past has driven him to superstition, but even Frey must admit that this case seems beyond reason. And once someone loses all reason, who knows what they will lose next…

The Strings of Murder is Muriel’s opening novel to what I can see as the author’s outstanding career in writing. The story opens in London and moves to Victorian Edinburgh. I must say I don’t believe I have read a crime thriller that is set in Edinburgh during the era mentioned. I was truly captivated by the atmosphere the author sets. Not only that…but the author’s command of different personalities. You can say…wonderful character development and a truly wonderful study of the human condition when one meets danger, complete depravity and evils beyond imagination. Ripper’s murders almost pale in comparison…I kid you not. This story is not for the lighthearted and I caution anyone who hasn’t read in-depth the details in gruesome murders before. Having said that, I was captivated by the story and I was finding myself getting frustrated when distractions got in the way reading this book. The String of Murders flows beautifully and you can almost hear the music floating from the pages.

Brilliant title and premise and the perfect setting and period for the story.

McGray and Frey’s interaction with each other will intrigue you as their partnership in solving this heinous crime develops. I am hoping the author will write more stories involving these two and look forward to what comes next…

Stephanie M. Hopkins