The Traitor Game by B. R. Collins

The Blurb On The Back:

Ryn looks back. "Come on." She spins her dagger deftly in her fist, grinning at me. Then she turns and starts to bound up the stairs. "So. Who do you want to kill first?" I stand very still.

Michael and Francis are best friends, drawn together by their common secret - Evgard. Evgard is a fantasy world that Michael and Francis have created together, a word both fierce and dangerous. It is also a world that has become weirdly entwined in both their lives; actions in one world are uncannily mirrored by actions in the other. Until Michael, mistakenly believing that Francis has betrayed Evgard, deliberately betrays Francis, setting in motion a terrible sequence of events.

A tale of two worlds, cowardice, loyalty, danger and death.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Nitpicks on the world-building and depiction of the central character’s motivation aside, this is an assured, well-written debut novel that combines gritty realism with imaginative fantasy. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Jack The Ripper: The Facts by Paul Begg (STARTED IN 2007)

The Blurb On The Back:

In the autumn of 1888 a series of prostitute murders in London’s poverty-ridden East End caused a sensation around the world. The killer was never caught, perhaps never identified, but became known to posterity by the chilling nickname ‘Jack the Ripper’. This book is the story of those murders, free of theories and speculation, by one of the world’s most respected authorities on the subject.

Paul Begg’s fascinatingly detailed history makes extensive use of contemporary sources to reconstruct the murders and police investigation, what is known of the lives of the tragic victims, and the reactions of the press and the people. He examines the crimes’ social background, the growing terror, what was happening on the streets, the pressures on the police and the political crisis the crimes nearly caused. Taking an objective look at leading police suspects, his book includes a great deal of new information and assessments of ‘popular’ theories such as the Royal conspiracy and the so-called Maybrick diary – making this the most insightful and most complete account: a genuine history of one of Britain’s most gruesome series of murders.

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Thorough, well-researched and even-handed, this is an invaluable introduction to the gruesomely fascinating subject of Ripperology and is a must-have primer for anyone wanting to know more about these crimes.