McGee, James – RESURRECTIONIST

[LJ Roberts]

RESURRECTIONIST (Historical-England-early 1800s) – VG McGee, James – 2^nd in series

HarperCollins, 2007- UK Hardcover – ISBN: 9780007212699

Bow Street Runner Matthew Hawkwood is called to Bedlam. A prisoner has escaped by murdering a Reverend who came to visit, flawing his face and using it as a mask in order not to be recognized. Hawkwood tracks the prisoner down and watches as he dies in a fire, but doesn’t really believe the man is dead.

Author James McGee tells the story of Resurrectionists, the men who provide corpses to medical schools, and of politics. He does not paint a picture of the genteel aristocratic residents of the period but depicts the sights and smells of the slums of London and it’s not pleasant. There are points where the story almost crosses the line into horror but the author never quite crosses that line. Hawkwood is a character about whom we are learning little by little. The story is intriguing and really becomes exciting when his friend Jago comes on the scene. I enjoyed the first book in the series, but liked this even better. It’s not for the feint of stomach, but it’s a really good read.