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Children of the tide is an Inspector Endersby Mystery.

Expected publication: February 28th.

If you detective stories and Victorian London, what could possibly be better than to combine the two? Set in 1841 in London, Children of the Tide does just that.

This is the first of the Endersby Mysteries that I've read, so it is possible that I just missed a lot of the character descriptions in the previous book, but they felt a bit flat to me. Endersby himself seems to be a good police officer, switching to the new more reliable form of policing - searching for witnesses and most importantly proof -, and husband, but the rest of the characters never came to life for me.

Ensdersby gets stuck with a difficult case; to solve two almost identical murders. In both cases, a matron in a workhouse has been killed and a girl named Catherine has been abducted, only to be left just outside the workhouse's gates. It's not hard to find suspects, but which one of them -if any- is the gruesome murderer? Endersby won't rest until he solves the case.

The story was that of a nice detective. Some questions however were never answered. It took some time to really get interesting, but afterwards it was a very fast and enjoyable read. I might check out some of the other novels in this series, as I d the Victorian setting.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.arc read-in-english thriller-detective-mystery2 s Jen1,838 65

Children of the Tide

Book description: London: the early 1840s. The birth of the young Queen Victoria's first child is taken as an auspicious sign for all. But on a cold March night, a spree of dark crimes in shadowy workhouses shocks the city.

When Inspector Owen Endersby, of the recently formed London Detective Police, learns that the string of identical murders and abductions have all taken place under similar circumstances, he fears a monster is prowling the city. How long until the murderer strikes again? Is this the work of a diabolical killer, or a madman with confused motives? Facts are scarce. Endersby and his sergeant, Thomas Caldwell, must start an investigation based on the fitful testimonies of terrified girls and one peculiar clue: a piece of curtain lace found in the throats of the victims.

Inspector Endersby is middle-aged and happily married. No tortured inspector with tragic past or angst in Endersby. It is an interesting departure from the common detective trope to have a rotund protagonist (with gout, no less) who simply attempts to do his job to the best of his ability, to be conscientious, to use logic, and to try to withhold judgement until the facts are in.

There have, of course, been other fat, middle-aged detectives including Nero Wolfe and Andy Dalziel (Reginald Hill's Dalziel and Pascoe police procedurals are my all-time favorites), but you have to admit that they are rather a rare breed.

At any rate, Inspector Endersby and Sergeant Caldwell are likable, if thin, characters, and they do their best to employ the new methods of policing endorsed by the founder of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Robert Peel.

I found two things annoying: 1) the overabundance and artificial feel of the quotes (and you know how much I love finding Shakespeare quotes). The use of the quotes just didn't fit naturally for some reason; they felt forced. 2) The use of the term "demon familiar" to describe Endersby's tendency to anger and violence that he had to struggle to control. The term was used so frequently that I gritted my teeth each time I read it.

The mystery itself was a bit convoluted and had a few red herrings.

Read in September; blog post scheduled for Feb. 9, 2015.

NetGalley/Dundurn

Historical Mystery/Police Procedural. Feb. 28, 2015. Print length: 296 pages.
crime-police-procedural historic-fiction mystery1 Sandy873 226

3.5 stars

It's London, 1841 & Queen Victoria has just had her first child. The city is bustling with gas & steam powered industry & it's a time of great change.
This is reflected at the Metropolitan Detective Police Force where forensics is in its' infancy. Detective Owen Endersby began his career as Bow Street runner, the young coppers who favoured fists over evidence when it came to getting a conviction. He embraces the new scientific methods of "deduction, reliable witnesses & proof". But his latest case is keeping him up nights.
Two identical murders have been committed. In each case, a scarred & grubby man broke into a work house, killed a matron & kidnapped one of the young girls. Both of the children were named Catherine & both were left just outside the gates.
Endersby & his trusty sidekick Sgt. Thomas Caldwell employ "modern" techniques, don disguises & enlist the help of scam artists & pickpockets in an effort to nab their man. But they're just a little too successful. Despite the culprit's distinctive appearance, they soon have an embarrassment of suspects.
Meanwhile, in a small village outside the city, a sickly woman begins to write a confession of her sins. She was once a work house matron, known for never sparing the rod. Her story & those of each of the suspects are interspersed with the current murder investigation. As the book progresses, the author pulls them all together as Endersby gradually weeds through the red herrings to solve the case.
This victorian police procedural is a quick, atmospheric read. The author describes the teeming streets, dark alleys & desperate living conditions of the poor in ways that appeal to all the senses. He's obviously done his homework. Even the smallest details of every day life such as clothing, meals & bathing habits are period perfect. The dialogue consists of the formal address & colloquialisms that are appropriate for the time. I confess I had difficulty understanding much of the conversations between Endersby & his street deputies, relying on the characters' actions to help me get the gist of what was discussed.
Characters range from the proper detectives to a colourful slew of Dickens street urchins, thieves & flesh pedlars. But the book belongs to Endersby, a decent man who is dedicated to his wife, the job, Shakespeare & good cheese (not necessarily in that order). He's a deep thinker, continually pondering the injustice & frailty he sees all around. It overwhelms him at times, tempting him to slip back into the physical aggression of his youth. He refers to this as his "demon familiar". While I enjoyed this internal struggle for control, I did tire of the author's frequent use of this phrase.
This is the second on the series following "Trumpets Sound No More" which won the 2008 CWC Arthur Ellis Award. It's a meticulously researched victorian murder mystery with an authentic feel for fans of the genre. arc-from-netgalley british-history crime ...more Sarah-Hope1,189 137

Children of the Tide is the second novel featuring inspector Owen Endersby, though it’s the first novel in I’ve read in this series—and I am hoping it will be a many-volumed series. While the book is set in Victorian London, Endersby is one of those characters whose views bridge his purported time and our own, allowing for a commentary on life in Victoria’s England that is perhaps a bit modern in its outlook, but that is also sympathetic and not unbelievable.

Endersby critiques the norms of his time, while living comfortably within them. In this case, he is investigating the murders of two workhouse matrons and the aborted kidnapping of two workhouse girls, both named Catherine. Early on we’re told “Any mention to [Endersby] of workhouses and their cruelty to children roused a deep anger in his heart. Many times he had passed the filthy courtyards of the city’s eight workhouses and seen their young inmates marching around them in circles, their faces wan, their eyes sad those of inmates he’d seen in the yard of Fleet Prison.” Once inside one of these workhouses, Endersby reflects: “What sorrow pervades the morning light…. What thin hands and thin bodies are arrayed on the rows of beds. Why does our time treat women so cruelly?” Whether or not such questions were typical of his time, they are worth asking.

Endersby began his career as a Bow Street Runner, more concerned with seeing someone convicted of a crime than with finding the actual perpetrator. Now, as a member of the city’s new police force, he is more cautious and contemplative, more interested in uncovering what has happened than he is in quickly finding someone, anyone on whom to place the blame. He talks his way through a crime as if it were one of the wooden puzzles he amuses himself with during the evenings.

Endersby is also a theater-goer with a particular love of Shakespeare. Children of the Tide contains echoes of both Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In fact, the first Endersby mystery (which I’ve just ordered through my local, independent bookseller) takes place within the theater world. I’m eager to read it.

Jon Redfern has plotted this mystery well, with a number of tantalizing solutions hanging for readers to pluck a bunches of ripe grapes. And because Redfern leaves so many possibilities open, the reader really does remain in doubt until the finish of the book. Redfern and Endersby are a gift to readers of mysteries and historical fiction—I urge you to open these books and to enjoy them for yourself.

2014 Maxine1,328 53

There is something about London during the Victorian era that lends itself so emphatically to the historical mystery. Perhaps it’s the dark damp weather, the dark dank slums, or perhaps just the familiarity most of us have with the writings of Dickens or the Brontes or maybe it’s the murders of Jack the Ripper – whatever, Victorian England seems to be the perfect setting for an odd little murder or two. And author Jon Redfern uses the atmosphere of the time to great advantage in his novel, Children of the Tide with its workhouses and Foundling Hospitals.

Set in London in 1841, two murders have been committed by a man with a scar and a horrible smell. In each case, he broke into a workhouse, killed a matron and kidnapped a girl. Both girls were named Catherine and both were quickly abandoned unharmed outside the house. At the same time, just outside the city, a dying woman is writing her confession about her years as a matron and the punishments she heaped on the children in her care.

Detective Inspector Owen Endersby is in charge of the case. He prefers the ‘new’ scientific methods of policing – deduction, reliable witnesses and proof - over beatings but even these don’t seem enough to solve these murders. Endersby is a very able and sympathetic character, a thoughtful empathetic policeman at a time when a good crack on the head with a truncheon was considered the best way to a confession. He loves his wife, is aware of his flaws, and cares about the people he must deal with in his investigations, whether victims, witnesses or perpetrators.

Redfern does an admirable job of capturing the feel of Victorian England at its best and worst, the thriving metropolis alight with all the new technologies and industries side-by-side with the abject poverty of the slums, the terrible working and living conditions, and the cruelties, both big and small, faced by the poor daily. This is a dark and atmospheric tale with a great many story lines and characters. Somehow, though, Redfern manages to keep them all separate. The story, itself, is a bit slow-paced but it provides an interesting historical mystery and a fascinating portrait of London during the Industrial Revolution, a city full of great potential and even greater misery.
Steve341

A very griping beginning. I love this time period as it lends itself so well to dark alleys and darker deeds. The characters are a little loose in the description, as this is the first Inspector Endersby novel I have read perhaps that information came in a previous novel. They just didn't have the spark that draws the reader to identify with them. The tale itself while interesting, involves so many similarities among the characters that it becomes a bit convoluted and again distances the reader from attaching themselves to the characters. I found myself reading this more to get to the conclusion than reading for enjoyment. Fringe characters seem to be fleshed out more than the main ones and their interaction with the plot seems as if this story was much longer and was cut down at some point. Not a bad read by any stretch, just not one that contributes a Wow factor to the genre.netgalley review-requested Sherrie1,546

I was pleased to have my request for an ARC of Children of the Tide approved by Net Galley and Dundurn Publishers in exchange for a fair and honest review. Children of the Tide is a solid historical mystery set in Victorian London. When the book begins Queen Victoria has recently given birth to her first child while a madman is preying on the citizens of the grimy East End. The books protagonist, Inspector Endersby must use his wits and cunning to trap him before he kills again. The book started strong but begin to drag a bit in the middle. I felt this mystery was intriguing but didn't flow as well as it could. The characters weren't fully developed and the mystery unfolds in an awkward and choppy manner. Although the book fell short of my expectations I enjoyed it enough that I would try another book in the series.advanced-copy-reads ebook historical-fiction ...more CatherineAuthor 8 books489

Redfern has totally mastered the genre of the historical mystery. He follows in Caleb Carr's footsteps. The grime of 19th century England comes to life -- almost as a character. He knows his history and you can tell he loves history and historical London. He made me want to go to London and see the places he describes. He is a modern Dickens and it is no wonder he has won two mystery prizes.

I think in many modern mysteries, the pathological detective has been over done with their petty neuroses. I d Detective Endersby's quiet integrity and his rapport with his side kick,

Good work. Vontel2,265 10

In the style of a Victorian police procedural, so a bit stilted compared to current writing styles. Far more than we comfortably want to know about the wretched conditions of the poor houses and work houses, and some of the human miseries. Interesting plot lines with a number of suspects who can't all be guilty. Margaret Bryant302 29

Deliciously dark and Victorian. Karen McMullin58

A great read for fans of Caleb Carr! Set in Victorian London, Jon Redfern brings the slums to life. Very atmospheric and chilling.mystery Jenni Schell553 47

I really enjoyed this book. What a wonderful mystery. kindle-books nikkia neil1,150 19

This is a very british mystery. Almost a police procedural in a way, but with a lot of cool characters. I loved when he goes get help from the underworld. edelweiss Julie271 4

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