The Pleasures of Men (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781401324230)

July 1840: The young Queen Victoria has just entered her third year on the throne when a major recession brings London's desperate and destitute into its sweltering streets. While the city crackles with tension, orphaned Catherine Sorgeiul stays locked away in her uncle's home, a peculiar place where death masks adorn the walls and certain rooms are strictly forbidden. Nineteen years old and haunted by a dark past, Catherine becomes obsessed with a series of terrible murders of young girls sweeping the city. Details of the crimes are especially gruesome--the victims' hair has been newly plaited and thrust into their mouths, and their limbs are grotesquely folded behind them, like wounded birds--and the serial killer is soon nicknamed the Man of Crows. Catherine begins writing stories about the victims--women on their own and vulnerable in the big city--and gradually the story of the murderer as well. But she soon realizes that she has involved herself in a web of betrayal, deceit, and terror that threatens her and all those around her. A remarkable fiction debut, The Pleasures of Men is a gripping and spine-tingling thriller.

Author: Kate Williams
ISBN-10: 1401324231
ISBN-13: 9781401324230
Publisher: Hachette Books
Language: English
Published: 08/07/2012
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.69lbs
Size: 7.98h x 5.21w x 0.97d

Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 06/18/2012 pg. 37
Booklist 07/01/2012 pg. 36
Kirkus Reviews 08/01/2012