The Bedlam Detective

Starred review from December 12, 2011
Set in England in 1912, this masterful whodunit from Gallagher (Red, Red Robin) introduces Sebastian Becker, a former policeman and Pinkerton agent who now works as the special investigator to the Masters of Lunacy, looking into cases involving any “man of property” whose sanity is under question. His latest assignment takes him to the small town of Arnmouth to determine whether Sir Owain Lancaster has gone around the bend. Lancaster returned from a disastrous trip to the Amazon, which claimed the life of his wife and son, only to attribute the catastrophe to mysterious animals straight out of Doyle’s The Lost World. Lancaster believes that the creatures that plagued him in South America have followed him home, and are responsible for the deaths of two young girls, a theory supported by a local legend of a beast of the moor. Gallagher’s superior storytelling talents bode well for future adventures starring the well-rounded Becker. Agent: Howard Morhaim.

Starred review from March 1, 2012
Monsters, actual and metaphorical, are at the heart of this superbly crafted thriller. Gallagher has been called a horror writer, a fantasy writer, a non-fantasy writer, a writer for big screens and smaller ones, a writer whose considerable talent has enabled him to slip in and out of genres precisely as if those tidy little boxes didn't exist--as indeed they don't for his character-driven books. In this one, Sebastian Becker (The Kingdom of Bones, 2007, etc.), his fast-track career abruptly derailed, contemplates an uncertain future. Now that the Pinkertons have sent him packing, he faces 1912 back in his native England, employed as the special investigator to the Masters of Lunacy. Englishmen of property deemed too loopy to look after anyone's property face Bedlams of one sort or another, their property removed from their care. It's up to Sir James Crichton-Browne, acting for His Majesty's Government, to render judgments informed by evidence his special investigator Sebastian provides. The job pays poorly but is nuanced enough to be interesting. And it gets even more so when Sebastian meets Sir Owain Lancaster, a scientist who's been widely respected until he blames the failure of his lavish Amazonian expedition on a series of attacks by horrific monsters only he can see. No longer respected but still exceedingly rich, he becomes grist for Sebastian's mill. Is Sir Owain really crazy? Or, much worse, is he himself a monster? Gallagher loves character development but respects plotting enough to give it full measure. The result is that rare beast, a literary page-turner.

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February 15, 2012
Horror author Gallagher kicks off a historical mystery series with barely a hint of the supernatural. In 1912, Sebastian Becker leaves his job as a Pinkerton to return his family to London so that his son, Robert, can attend a special school. (Readers familiar with autistic spectrum disorders will quickly recognize the signs and be pleased at how Gallagher blends Robert's condition into the story.) The only work Becker is able to find in London is as an investigator for the Crown's Master of Lunatics, an office commissioned to investigate rich and eccentric citizens to determine whether they are capable of managing their affairs (and money). Sent to a remote country house, Becker arrives soon after two girls disappear and immediately becomes involved in the family's troubles. Sir Owain, the reason for Becker's visit, claims that monsters followed him back from his disastrous expedition in the Amazon. Showing good series potential, this strong mystery with an intriguing lead should be suggested to fans of Jacqueline Winspear and Charles Todd.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)