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The Edinburgh Dead [Paperback]

Brian Ruckley (Author)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
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Book Description

Publication Date: 4 Aug 2011

Edinburgh 1827. In the starkly-lit operating theatres of the city, grisly experiments are being carried out on corpses in the name of medical science. But elsewhere, there are those experimenting with more sinister forces.

Amongst the crowded, sprawling tenements of the labyrinthine Old Town, a body is found, its neck torn to pieces. Charged with investigating the murder is Adam Quire, Officer of the Edinburgh Police. The trail will lead him into the deepest reaches of the city's criminal underclass, and to the highest echelons of the filthy rich.

Soon Quire will discover that a darkness is crawling through this city of enlightenment - and no one is safe from its corruption.

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Product details

  • Paperback: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Orbit; paperback / softback edition (4 Aug 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1841498653
  • ISBN-13: 978-1841498652
  • Product Dimensions: 12.6 x 2.6 x 19.6 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 69,788 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Product Description

Review

'A deeply pleasurable read with writing as elegant as the splendid Edinburgh architecture that forms the backdrop to Quire's grim discoveries'(THE SUN )

'Ruckley ventures successfully into the gothic with this horrific thriller . . . atmospheric descriptions help sustain the menacing mood' (PUBLISHERS WEEKLY )

'This frightening tale of taking scientific enlightenment much too far is enhanced by strong, sharp prose and a lively pace, making it difficult to stop turning the pages.' (RT BOOK REVIEWS )

'This title demonstrates not only a huge talent but one that really will grip the reader in its vice like hands as much from the first page as its last. Wonderfully descriptive, beautifully created and of course with a cracking set of verbal architecture from which to base a series, it's definitely one that I'll eagerly await future instalments from.' (Falcata Times )


'Fascinating. The author is a master at creating dread, and manages to ratchet up the tension with a sure hand. If you enjoy your historicals with plenty of suspense and a liberal dose of the supernatural, you'll surely enjoy The Edinburgh Dead!' --(My Bookish Ways)

'This frightening tale of taking scientific enlightenment much too far is enhanced by strong, sharp prose and a lively pace, making it difficult to stop turning the pages.' --RT Book Reviews

'Fascinating. The author is a master at creating dread, and manages to ratchet up the tension with a sure hand. If you enjoy your historicals with plenty of suspense and a liberal dose of the supernatural, you'll surely enjoy THE EDINBURGH DEAD!' --My Bookish Ways

Book Description

An engaging, atmospheric crime novel blurring historical reality and the fantastical in Victorian-era Edinburgh
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Customer Reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
14 reviews
4.3 out of 5 stars
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Cracking new series with a touch of the macabre 1 Aug 2011
By Gareth Wilson - Falcata Times Blog TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
If you love an Urban Fantasy story that has drama, historical content and of course features a city with a dark and brutal past then you really have to pick up Brian Ruckley's new novel, The Edinburgh Dead. It's cleverly plotted and utilises one of the darker parts of the city's history. Add to this some of the blackest magic, a whole host of undead as well as a lead character perfectly capable of hacking his way through it all to the heart of the matter (in more ways than one) and it's a satisfying read.

Whilst Brian is perhaps better known for his epic fantasy series Godless World, this title demonstrates not only a huge talent but one that really will grip the reader in its vice like hands as much from the first page as its last. Wonderfully descriptive, beautifully created and of course with a cracking set of verbal architecture from which to base a series, it's definitely one that I'll eagerly await future instalments from.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Puts the Glamour back in Grave robbing! 1 Jun 2012
By Mr. A. I. Harrison
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I have to confess to have been sat on a copy of Winter Birth by Ruckley for about 3 years now which I have yet to pick up (I do have at least the weight of a small family car in unread books!)but just fancied this for some reason and it didn't disappoint!

I think one of the other reviewers descibed it as horror/ history crossover and I would entirely go along with that analogy. It reminded me a bit of 'Twelve' by Jasper Kent who set a vampire based story amid the Napoleonic invasion of Russia.

The action here takes place on the mean streets and Graveyards of old Edinburgh, which is just perfect for this, at times, genuinly creepy story!

Ex war vet, turned copper, 'Quire' encounters something nasty in the Graveyard and his investigations take him into the heart of the Scottish monied set and at odds with the flourishing medical disectioners of the time! Quire put me in mind of Adam Peppers 'Pyke' a similarly volatile and dogged crime fighter equally unafraid to fight dirty when required. Ruckley's writing is also excellent, almost poetic at times and very much evoked the atmosphere of the time and setting. His characterisation is also good and the story nicely paced.

Minor and general spoiler alert

To find a small fault the villains after shaping up nicely throughout the story did seem to go down at bit easy in the last round.

But this book kept me coming back for more and looking forward to bedtime. I will now root about in my unread book mountain for Winter birth!

Top Notch.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars My favourite book this year 1 Dec 2011
By Me read
Format:Paperback
Wow! 2011 is drawing to a close and I think I just found my favourite read of the year. Totally brilliant! It's rare that I can use the term 'unputdownable', but I definitely can say it about this one. Read it in less than 48 hours, which for me is pretty much unheard of. Could NOT put it down.

I'm fond of Historical fiction (albeit usually romantic) but to say I'm not usually a crime/mystery reader is an understatement, not a single murder mystery comes to mind that I've read but the lure of an area I'm familiar with used as a backdrop, coupled with zombie dogs just sucked me right in. There are zombie humans too but I mostly wanted to see the zom-dogs loose on Edinburgh's streets and closes.

I really, really loved that I knew all the places mentioned in the book, all of the places and building's are familiar to me. Loved that. The people of the story are familiar 'faces' too...even the non-famous one's. Go to certain parts of Edinburgh on any given day and chances are you'll rub shoulders with just the sort of people mentioned in the pages. There's maybe 200 years seperating them but their banter hasn't changed that much. As for the famous 'faces' well, in particular Burke and Hare the infamous body snatchers or 'Ressurectionists' as they were also know are common knowledge for anyone who spends any time in or around Edinburgh and I loved reading about them. Fictionalised in parts but great fun to read nonetheless.

And zombie's. Let's not forget the zombies. They're the reason that I wanted to read this so bad in the first place, although I did wonder how a person could fit the undead into an Historical murder/crime/mystery. The whole book has a dark, gritty feel to it and the air of supernatural 'going's on' didn't seem out of place or contrived at all.... Read more ›
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5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully written - A joy to read 19 Mar 2013
By D. A. Heggie
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Excellent well written book that weaves historical aspects of Edinburgh within a gripping tale of... Well, just read the book and see.
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5.0 out of 5 stars The Edinburgh Dead 19 Mar 2013
By Charlie
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Haven't read Brian Ruckley before and didn't know what to expect but I so enjoyed this book. I have lived in Edinburgh all my life (63 years) and really enjoyed trying to picture the Edinburgh of all those years ago. The story was grim and dark and quite stomach churning in places but it was great. More of the same please.
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3.0 out of 5 stars Heebie jeebies!!! 2 Feb 2013
By Becca
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The book was good in places and the black magic creeped me out no end! The book does capture the time well, especially with the antonymy classes and I'm guessing the body snatching was everywhere at the time. I won't be reading it again as black magic creeps me out and gets under my skin.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Dark historical and supernatural tale 11 Aug 2012
By Patrick St-Denis
Format:Paperback
Having loved Brian Ruckley's The Godless World trilogy, I was keen to read his latest, The Edinburgh Dead. Mainly because it seemed to be a strange hybrid between history, horror, and science fiction.

In the end, Ruckley's The Edinburgh Dead is a dark, gritty, and atmospheric gothic tale that should satisfy any speculative fiction fans looking for something different.

Here's the blurb:

Edinburgh: 1828

In the starkly-lit operating theaters of the city, grisly experiments are being carried out on corpses in the name of medical science. But elsewhere, there are those experimenting with more sinister forces.

Amongst the crowded, sprawling tenements of the labyrinthine Old Town, a body is found, its neck torn to pieces. Charged with investigating the murder is Adam Quire, Officer of the newly- formed Edinburgh Police. The trail will lead him into the deepest reaches of the city's criminal underclass, and to the highest echelons of the filthy rich.

Soon Quire will discover that a darkness is crawling through this city of enlightenment - and no one is safe from its corruption.

The Edinburgh Dead is a powerful fusion of gothic horror, history, and the fantastical.

It's a new age of enlightenment for Edinburgh. Familiar with the premise of this tale since he was born there, I feel that the author captured the essence of Edinburgh of 1828 almost perfectly. Discoveries are made in both the scientific and the medical fields, yet there is a darker side to this time of changes. Ruckley knows how to set the mood, and Edinburgh almost becomes a character in its own right.

The characterization mostly focuses on Adam Quire, down-on-his-luck officer in the Edinburgh Police.... Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Horror, Action, & Mystery
This action packed historical horror novel uses Edinburgh to its full potential, winding mysteries through its gloomy streets. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Richard Wright
4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging, sometimes a bit slow, some predictability
First of BB's books I've read. It was a good read, kept my interest right through. At times, the story moves a bit slowly but mostly it's a good pace. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Jeff
3.0 out of 5 stars well... not really up to it
well, given the co-reviewers florid descriptions, it set me wondering, because basically, this is a very mediocre book.

The Edinburgh setting 1818-1828 is... Read more
Published 13 months ago by negativtoo
5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun - a real find!
I added this to my wishlist having read the other reviews on Amazon and was lucky enough that my beutiful wife bought a copy for me for Christmas (thank you Amazon Wishlist!). Read more
Published 17 months ago by Tom Roseff
4.0 out of 5 stars Great horror-faction
This is a very a good read; a mixture of several genres but very much its own.
Brian Ruckley makes extensive use of factual history for both the Edinburgh setting and the... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Flemming Nielsen
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended
I struggled with BR's previous books but really enjoyed this one. The quality of writing is excellent, beautifully descriptive and lyrical. Read more
Published 18 months ago by midsoblynke
5.0 out of 5 stars My first time discovery of Ruckley
I agree with Mr Wilson's spot on review regarding "The Edinburgh dead", a highly enjoyable & gripping read, with a mixture of Historical facts & characters, blended with a mixture... Read more
Published 21 months ago by K. W. Dandridge
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