Thomas De Quincey Trilogy by David Morrell

Quite a few years ago now, I had the pleasure to interview and review about David Morrell’s Thomas De Quincey Trilogy. A few weeks ago, I was looking through my book stacks and came across paperback copies of his trilogy. I thought this would be a great story to read again and how it would be a great idea to re-post about his books and the interview I had with him, back in 2013. Gosh, has it really been that long ago since I interviewed David? Time flies! Morell’s Thomas De Quincey Trilogy is a fantastic read and perfect for the fall season to curl up with. By the way, did you know that Morrell is best known for his debut 1972 novel First Blood, which would later become a successful film franchise starring Sylvester Stallone?

Stephanie

Murder as a Fine Art #1

Gaslit London is brought to its knees in David Morrell’s brilliant historical thriller.

Thomas De Quincey, infamous for his memoir ‘Confessions of an English Opium-Eater’, is the major suspect in a series of ferocious mass murders identical to ones that terrorized London forty-three years earlier.

The blueprint for the killings seems to be De Quincey’s essay “On Murder Considered as One of the Fine Arts.” Desperate to clear his name but crippled by opium addiction, De Quincey is aided by his devoted daughter Emily and a pair of determined Scotland Yard detectives.

In ‘Murder as a Fine Art’, David Morrell plucks De Quincey, Victorian London, and the Ratcliffe Highway murders from history. Fogbound streets become a battleground between a literary star and a brilliant murderer, whose lives are linked by secrets long buried but never forgotten.

My interview with David Morell and review for Murder as a Fine Art

Inspector of the Dead #2

The year is 1855. The Crimean War is raging. The incompetence of British commanders causes the fall of the English government. The Empire teeters. Amid this crisis comes opium-eater Thomas De Quincey, one of the most notorious and brilliant personalities of Victorian England. Along with his irrepressible daughter, Emily, and their Scotland Yard companions, Ryan and Becker, De Quincey finds himself confronted by an adversary who threatens the heart of the nation.

This killer targets members of the upper echelons of British society, leaving with each corpse the name of someone who previously attempted to kill Queen Victoria. The evidence indicates that the ultimate victim will be Victoria herself.

My book review of “Inspector of the Dead”

Ruler of the Night #3

Thomas De Quincey is beginning to control his opium addiction when the excitement of his current case threatens to unravel his grip on reality once and for all. On their way home to the Lake District, the De Quinceys become unwitting witnesses to a truly historic murder: the first to take place on one of England’s newly constructed railways.

The railways changed everything in the Victorian era, transforming the English countryside, revolutionizing modern industry, and as the De Quinceys discover, providing the perfect escape. Giving chase in a cat-and-mouse game unlike any that have come before, the De Quinceys uncover a dangerous secret that reaches all levels of English society.

My book review of “Ruler of the Night”

David Morell’s website