Tenfold More Wicked

October 12, 2015
The second installment of Carr's Electric Empire series (after The Diabolical Miss Hyde) continues the misadventures of crime scene physician Eliza Jekyll as she attempts to survive the dangerous landscape of a London where steampunk technology and strange magics coexist, while an immortal Isaac Newton rules from behind the scenes. When Eliza is called in to investigate a murder in which the victim's face has been stolen, it plunges her into a disturbing case involving a black magic conspiracy and a manipulative alchemist. Even worse, Eliza's dark side, the cunning and unpredictable Lizzie Hyde, is growing stronger and trying to take over their shared body, even as the escaped killer, Mister Todd, obsesses over them from the shadows. Carr expands her dark, weird world by once again drawing on Victorian literature and twisted takes on historical personagesâsuch as a Countess Lovelace sporting mechanical body parts, while wrapping the elements around a solid mystery. The only weak point is the romantic triangle between Eliza, Lizzie, and the Royal Society Investigator Remy Lafayette, due to the lack of chemistry. Agent: Marlene Stringer, Stringer Literary Agency

October 15, 2015

Dr. Eliza Jekyll struggles to keep her women's medical practice alive in a steampunk alternative Victorian Britain where werewolves hide in Her Majesty's army and alchemy is not only forbidden, but it's a practice punishable by death. This is just a little bit of a problem for Eliza, as the only way she can keep her other half hidden is by experimenting with and taking alchemical potions. For Lizzie Hyde wants to be free to run rampant across London, indulge her baser instincts, and track criminals and killers, even as the prim and proper Eliza struggles with her attraction to royal agent, Frenchman, and werewolf Remy Lafayette. VERDICT The mix of figures from history (e.g., Ada Lovelace as the ruthless head of the secret police) and fictional characters (Eliza's father, now only present as Mr. Hyde), plus the dual narration from both Eliza and Lizzie make this a standout in an increasingly crowded field of Victorian steampunk crime series. Perfect for fans of Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris's "Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences" books or Mark Hodder's "Burton & Swinburne" series starting with The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack.--JM

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