Down a Dark River

by Karen Odden Narrated by Joshua Manning

Overview

London, 1878. One April morning, a small boat bearing a young woman's corpse floats down the murky waters of the Thames. When the victim is identified as Rose Albert, daughter of a prominent judge, the Scotland Yard director gives the case to Michael Corravan, one of the only Senior Inspectors remaining after a corruption scandal the previous autumn left the division in ruins. Reluctantly, Corravan abandons his ongoing case, a search for the missing wife of a shipping magnate, handing it over to his young colleague, Mr. Stiles. An Irish former bare-knuckles boxer and dockworker from London's seedy East End, Corravan has good street sense and an inspector's knack for digging up clues. But he's confounded when, a week later, a second woman is found dead in a rowboat, and then a third. The dead women seem to have no connection whatsoever. Meanwhile, Mr. Stiles makes an alarming discovery: the shipping magnate's missing wife, Mrs. Beckford, may not have fled her house because she was insane, as her husband claims, and Mr. Beckford may not be the successful man of business that he appears to be. Slowly, it becomes clear that the river murders and the case of Mrs. Beckford may be linked through some terrible act of injustice in the past-for which someone has vowed a brutal vengeance. Now, with the newspapers once again trumpeting the Yard's failures, Corravan must dredge up the truth-before London devolves into a state of panic and before the killer claims another innocent victim.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

WINNER, 2022 NEW MEXICO-ARIZONA BOOK AWARD, FICTION-MYSTERY/THRILLER

Praise for Down a Dark River:
“Period and place are exceptionally well-drawn.”
—Oprah Daily

"A harrowing tale of unbridled vice that exposes the dark underbelly of Victorian society."
—Kirkus Reviews 

“[Odden] has created a page-turner that is definitely hard to put down.”
—New York Journal of Books

“[A] finely crafted story.”
—Seattle Book Review

“Impossible to put down.”
—Historical Novel Society

“Superbly written . . . fast paced suspense.”
—Mystery and Suspense

“A must read for mystery fans!”
—Charles Todd, New York Times bestselling author of the Inspector Rutledge mysteries

"This twisty-turn-y mystery introducing a new and charismatic detective will delight readers also looking for well-researched history."
—Susan Elia MacNeal, New York Times bestselling author of the Maggie Hope series

“Odden’s latest is intricately plotted and filled with a cast of wonderful characters, including a worthy and relatable hero."
—Anna Lee Huber, USA Today bestselling author

“A spellbinding, brilliantly plotted Victorian murder mystery, Karen Odden’s Down a Dark River features a fascinating and relatable detective, a cast of complex characters, powerful prose, exceptional attention to historical detail, and enough twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat until the last astonishing page. Highly recommended!”
—Syrie James, bestselling author of The Secret Diaries of Charlotte Brontë

“Sparkling prose, vivid description, a haunting and satisfyingly complex story . . . Down a Dark River is a must read for fans of any genre of crime fiction.” 
—Edwin Hill, author of The Secrets We Share

“Gritty, compelling and vividly written . . . Like Anne Perry, Odden demonstrates a commanding grasp of authentic period detail."
—Susanna Calkins, author of the Lucy Campion historical mysteries and Speakeasy Murders

“An original, street-smart detective, an intriguing mystery, and delicious Victorian flavor. All my favorite things!”
—Laura Joh Rowland, author of The Ripper's Shadow, a Victorian Mystery

“No one does Victorian England like Karen Odden . . . Fans of Anne Perry and Charles Finch will welcome Inspector Michael Corravan."
—Mariah Fredericks, author of the Jane Prescott mystery series

"This terrific Victorian mystery [is] absolute catnip for those missing the William Monk mysteries of Anne Perry.”
—The Poisoned Pen Bookstore

MARCH 2022 - AudioFile

Victorian London comes alive as narrator Joshua Manning introduces the city, showing aristocratic privilege and prejudice against women and the poor. Listeners meet Chief Inspector Michael Corravan, a child of poverty and a former bare-knuckled boxer. Corravan has a baffling case: Young women are being murdered, placed in boats, and set afloat on the River Thames. Manning’s Corravan is cocky yet vulnerable, and his young, loyal assistant Gordon Stiles would do anything for him. As they move among victims and suspects, upper-class and servants’ accents add authenticity. Most memorably portrayed are Dr. James Everett, who dispenses wisdom and advice, and novelist Belinda Gale, who boldly and lovingly criticizes Corravan. Audio enhances this realistic look at revenge, justice, and violence, with a bittersweet conclusion. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2021-09-01
The Victorian setting remains the same, but Odden exchanges refined Inspector Hallam, last seen in A Trace of Deceit (2019), for conflicted, determined Inspector Mickey Corravan.

Corravan was a poor Irish orphan who worked as a stevedore and bare-knuckle fighter before signing on with the River Police and then Scotland Yard. So he seems the perfect choice for a murder most likely committed on the Thames. The body of a young woman is found floating in a small boat. Her only jewelry, a locket with initials and a picture, soon identifies her as the missing daughter of a wealthy judge. Although Corravan’s boss orders him to make the case his chief concern, he continues his search for a missing woman, the wife of a shipping magnate, whom he finds in an insane asylum for the poor. She’s speechless and so terrified of returning home that she attacks Corravan, who takes her to Dr. Everett, a medical friend who treats mentally disturbed patients kindly, while he investigates her husband. When a second young woman is found murdered in a rowboat, Corravan starts looking for suspects who may have hated their loved ones. The upper classes close ranks, and only maids and friends of the dead women give him any information. As the body count grows, Corravan’s temper threatens to get the best of him, while Scotland Yard is relentlessly criticized in the newspapers and his job hangs in the balance.

A harrowing tale of unbridled vice that exposes the dark underbelly of Victorian society.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172964084
Publisher:	Dreamscape Media
Publication date:	11/11/2021
Series:	An Inspector Corravan Mystery , #1
Edition description:	Unabridged

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