Undiscovered Scotland

 

"The Moon's More Feeble Fire" is the second in Allan Gaw's series of novels featuring Scottish pathologist Dr Jack Cuthbert and set in the London of nearly a century ago. You don't need to have read the first in the series, "The Silent House of Sleep", to thoroughly enjoy this book, though there is more of the central character's back story that you will probably want to go back to if you start with the second in the series.

The first book in the series was outstanding and "The Moon's More Feeble Fire" manages to surpass it. Deeply immersive, it is beautifully plotted and written and I found myself really caring about the characters and the way the interweaving strands of the story could be resolved. These take place in the present (1930) and at earlier points in some of the characters' lives. The twists and turns are exquisite and the false summits the author leads his readers over are artfully done.

This is a book it would be very easy to spoil so I'll stick with the publishers' description of the storyline: "In 1930, the killing of a Soho prostitute is hardly a priority for Scotland Yard. But when a second, similar murder comes to light, and then a third, everything changes. Cuthbert and his team find themselves in a nightmarish world of people-trafficking, prostitution and drug use amongst the upper classes. Using all his forensic skills, Cuthbert sets out to solve one of the most baffling cases of his career. One final question remains unanswered until a faded photograph reveals its tragic secret."

With historical fiction, the reader need to really buy into the world the author is creating and Allan Gaw's 1930 London feels absolutely believable. The reader emerges knowing much more than they ever thought possible about the lives of those at opposing ends of the social scale at the time: hedonism and drug addiction amongst the privileged few, and destitution and prostitution as the only options for many young and not-so-young women. Two more Dr Jack Cuthbert books are in the pipeline: I can't wait!