| The Vice Society | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | James McCreet |
| Illustrator | Silas Manhood |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Publisher | Macmillan (United Kingdom) |
| Pages | 386 (UK paperback) |
| ISBN | 978-0-230-74796-8 (13) / 0230747965 (10) |
| Preceded by | The Incendiary’s Trail |
| Followed by | The Thieves’ Labyrinth |
The Vice Society is the second novel from writer James McCreet, first published in May 2010. It is a Victorian detective thriller set in 1840s London and continues a series featuring the characters of George Williamson, Noah Dyson and Inspector Albert Newsome.
Contents |
Ex-detective George Williamson receives a letter advising him that the death of his wife seven years previously was not suicide (as the inquest had suggested). Rather, it was murder and the solution to that crime is allegedly the same as another crime currently being investigated by Williamson’s rival (and ex-boss) Inspector Albert Newsome. As the two investigators race to solve the strange case of a man who fell out of a window in Holywell Street, it becomes clear that the criminals behind both deaths are more powerful and dangerous than anyone could have expected. The key to all investigations proves to be a single name; “Persephone”.
The characters are the same as those featured in McCreet’s earlier novel The Incendiary’s Trail, with the exception of Lucius Boyle who died in that book. McCreet has said of the characters: “The important thing from my point of view is that they continue to develop and grow as they move through the books. Their experiences naturally change them, and their relationships with each other also alter. In this book, I think you really get to know them better.”[1]
As in the earlier book, part of the plot is based on true events. His account of a suicide from the Monument, for example, is closely sourced from genuine suicides, particularly that of Margaret Boyce in 1842.[2] The novel also contains a tantalisingly ambiguous acknowledgement: “JW – unsolved death, 1849,” [3] though the author is teasingly vague when asked about this: “Perhaps. I think that working out what’s real and imagined is part of the fun…” [4] Much of the book focuses on the pornographic book trade of Victorian London and how it reflects society as a whole. The author has written: “Beneath everything else, there’s a question of morality and transgression in Victorian society. I did a lot of research into ‘indecent’ literature of the period, as well as the lives and habits of prostitutes. Most people have a natural sense of what is acceptable… but once you take the step into taboo areas of the soul, you start out on a path that can have only one inevitable end. Every character has a choice to make.” [5]
The Vice Society follows its predecessor in time, despite being a separate adventure that can be read independently. Though each book in the series is distinct, there is character development across the titles so that the events of each book change and affect them.