The Minutes of the Lazarus Club [Hardcover]

Above anything else, 'The Minutes of the Lazarus Club' is a truly entertaining read. I have laboured through a number of books, persevering through each chapter and counting the pages until the end. But from the outset I found myself embroiled in a gruesome murder on the banks of the River Thames told in stomach turning detail, and this was only the Prologue! To describe it as a page turner may sound cliche, but what else can you say when you find yourself three hours later unmoved from the kitchen sofa and reluctantly taking toilet breaks?
Pollard captures perfectly the atmosphere of 1850s London in a style flowing as smoothly as one of Brunel's machines. Like the set of a Ridely Scott film the scenes set in the dock yards and London back streets are bustling and noisy with life. The smell of oil and iron mixed with the stench of untreated sewerage hangs in the air (miasma is my new word of the week) and rarely do the colours generated in your mind move beyond a smokey grey and dark blue.
The plot is beautifully structured around the great minds of the day, their spectacular technological achievements and the complex political fabric of the Victorian age. All this is seen through the eyes of Dr George Phillips, a talented surgeon and soon to be man on the run. Each character is given life beyond any history book (some more than others), particularily Brunel, around whom the plot revolves or more accurately spirals, twists and turns. Every member of the Lazarus club comes with a false sense of security. With a murder in nearly every chapter, who do you trust? Probably best to go with no-one, for now anyway. The fiesty Florence Nightingale is also a delight and brings a new dynamic to her title 'The Lady of the Lamp'.
The development of Phillips' character is a welcome suprise, and his interaction with Brunel and Ockham is compelling, if not at times shocking. Watch out for the chapter in the windmill. I had to hide the book in the freezer!
There are moments when the plot drifts slightly from the pace set in the first half of the book and the reappearance of some characters might find you flicking through the first few chapters to refresh your memory.
However these minor points slip into the background as Pollard's eye for historical and technical detail is superb whether it's on the surgical table or on the deck of the Great Eastern. If you think some of the plot lines are implausible, try reading Brunel's biography!
Dark, gripping and full of suspense. Dickension it is not, horrifying yes.

This is an exciting gothic thriller that grips you from the first page to the end, a real page turner. Pollards style of writing evokes vivid images of the Victorian era at a time when advances in technology were moving at an extremely fast pace and possibilities appeared endless. His academic rigour is evident as he pays attention to the detail of real events and characters which at times makes it is difficult to distinguish fact from fiction. His references to Mary Shelley and Frankenstein fit perfectly adding to the suspense and intrigue. A fantastic read full of twists and turns which will both educate and entertain.

For anyone who has an interest in the 19th century (or not) this book is a highly recommended read, from the Battle of Waterloo through the Great Stink to the American Civil War with many a red herring along the way.

The story is littered with figures from history, though its mainstay is the physician George Philips who seems most happy at the dissection table, until he meets Isambard Kingdom Brunel. Soon after, Philips is drawn into the mysterious gatherings of the Lazarus Club and we start to see signs that he may be a troubled man. As his involvement with the club and its members intensifies, so too does the hunt for a serial killer who is dumping his mutilated victims in the river Thames. It is not long before Philips himself is a suspect. The deepening characterisation of Philips is gripping: why is he increasingly drawn to the slightly sinister Lord Ockham?

Few females make an appearance in the book. Of the three that do it is Florence Nightingale who is most pleasing, and she is given many an opportunity to poke fun at some of the most `forward-thinkers' of the period.

The attention to detail is very impressive, not least the engravings which appear at each chapter heading. Unlike some recent forays into fiction by academics the detail in no way comes at the expense of the characters and the unfolding tale. Here we are promised a Victorian drama and that's what we are given. The impression one gets is of a dark and violent London which is extremely compelling. Above all the book is a thrilling mystery, but is it murder?