The Humbug Murders

November 9, 2015
Houses of ill fame, naughty noblemen, mutilation and murder, opium dens, conspiracies, blackmail, dim-witted coppers, and a cast that includes, among others, Fagin, the Artful Dodger, Mr. Pickwick, Ebenezer Scrooge, and Charles Dickens himselfâit's all here in Oliver's tale set during the run-up to Christmas, 1833. The story opens with private investigator Scrooge and his soon-to-be partner, Adelaide Owen, witnessing the visitation of the spirit of the recently deceased Fezziwig, Scrooge's former employer. This premonitory ghost warns the duo that three more will die and that Scrooge himself will perish if he doesn't solve the murders. The police waste no time in showing up at Scrooge's door and declaring him to be their prime suspect. They drag him and the fetching young Adelaide down to Fezziwig's office, where the word humbug is scrawled on the wall in blood. Oliverâthe joint pen name of the late Scott Ciencin (Jurassic Park 3) and Elizabeth A.A. Wilson (Ascension Denied)âincludes enough action and sufficient twists and turns to provide some fun by the fireside, accompanied, perhaps, by a nice glass of Madeira.

October 15, 2015

One night shortly before Christmas, 30-year-old Ebenezer Scrooge receives a visit from the ghost of his former employer, Fezziwig, who desperately imparts a cryptic warning about three more deaths, including Scrooge's, if he doesn't find Fezziwig's killer. Wanting to save himself, Scrooge enlists his spunky new clerk, Adelaide Owen, and reporter Charles Dickens to assist him in identifying the culprit; their quest will lead them to both London's high society and its seamy underbelly. VERDICT This series launch from Oliver, the pen name for E.A.A. Wilson and the late Scott Ciencin, is a gritty period mystery that features clever appearances by Dickens and several of his characters. Still, it will appeal more to fans of Michel Faber's The Crimson Petal and the White than A Christmas Carol.

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