ARC Review: The Diabolical Miss Hyde by Viola Carr

 

” Viola Carr has given us a book packed with intrigue, twists and turns and some fascinating characters. ” ~ Under the Covers

Dr Eliza Jekyll has a secret, a secret that could get her burned alive if she doesn’t keep it. Miss Lizzie Hyde, her other half, the darker part of herself, secretly craving Lizzie’s freedom from morals and scruples and ashamed of the part of herself that she can’t quite contain. But Eliza may need Lizzie’s assistance when she is called to investigate a string of murders where the victims have had their limbs chopped off. But Eliza’s secret may be in danger as the dashing Captain Remy Lafayette, an agent from the Royal Society, appears and starts his own investigation, but on whom?

I remember reading Dr Jekyll &Mr Hyde a short story by Robert Louis Stevenson and being fascinated, two men in the same body one upright and moral, the other a conscienceless monster. There have been many retellings of this story; man battling between the light and dark parts of himself, and Viola Carr has steampunked the original story and offered us an exciting new read, packed with, mystery, adventure and romance.

Lizzie and Eliza, although they occupy the same mind (when Eliza becomes Lizzie her body changes as well) are two completely separate characters, their outlook, moral compass and even their speech patterns are different. They are almost like siblings, even if they are siblings that don’t get on very well. Watching the interplay between them was one of my favourite aspects of the book and I can’t wait to see how it develops, will they reconcile themselves to each other? Become enemies, trapped in the same body? I look forward to finding out.

The Diabolical Miss Hyde also features a little romance, twisted as it is. Eliza’s strange longing and fascination with a serial killer, a serial killer and is currently a resident in the mad house she works at. Then there is Lizzie’s attraction to Remy, all of which combines to give you a complicated and tangled map of relationships.

As for the mystery aspect of the book, I guessed early on who the “Chopper” was, the murderer who is going round London cutting off women’s legs, butI was never 100% certain I was correct, so it never got boring. The murders also gave the book a nice, quick pace and a bit of action as Eliza investigates, with Lizzie’s aid, to stop him before he strikes again.

I really enjoyed this book and I will definitely be reading the next one in the series, Viola Carr has given us a book packed with intrigue, twists and turns and some fascinating characters.

*ARC provided by publisher

[about-author author=”Viola Carr”]

 

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