This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

I was initially interested in reading this book, however my tastes have shifted and I do not think I will be able to get to it now. Many thanks to the publisher for sending me a digital copy!

The Fourteenth Letter opens with poor Phoebe Stanbury having her throat slit by a mysterious stranger, who is covered in mud and strange tattoos, at her own engagement party. The beginning sets a high impact pace that does not drop for the whole story.

It’s set in London in the 19th Century, which is one of my favourite times to read about. The historical setting is brilliantly painted and bought to life and serves the perfect backdrop for this grim mystery.

The story follows a host of characters, each having alternating chapters in the book. There’s Will, a young solicitors apprentice; Harry, a detective reaching the end of his career; and Savannah, an American illegal immigrant who is still trying to live under the radar of the law. Each of them will be drawn into a story that doesn’t belong to them, but together they will make a fantastic team.

I love a yarn that is constantly taking me in a different directions and this absolutely did not disappoint. It’s so difficult to describe the plot without giving too much away but I will try: when Will goes to visit a mysterious client in lieu of Mr. Bridge, his employer, he accidentally sets of a series of events that will unravel his whole life before his eyes. Women are kidnapped, men are murdered and there is corruption rife in all institutions. There’s plenty of running through dark alleys, fighting off intruders, rifling through ancient manuscripts and some cheeky little British humour to top it off. It gets pretty dark, sometimes it really goes there, and I didn’t think it would be just a grim as it is in places but it adds an extra layer to the

The story itself is a little bit hard to believe but I absolutely didn’t care. It’s full of action and the paces manages to keep up the whole way through. I was a bit worried because of the length and the size of the text (I like a book to be a comfortable 300 pages!) but I flew through it, not wanting to put it down.

All in all I would highly recommend The Fourteenth Letter if you’re looking for a fun read to lose yourself in, full of conspiracies and hidden identities. I just loved it and if this is Evan’s debut then I can’t wait for what she brings us next.

Interesting story - started out violently, continued to be gripping throughout. Filled with plot twists. A delightful read.

This novel was sadly not for me. I don't normally mind jumping storylines, witty banter and clever writing but it just did not come together for me in this novel. Also, for a novel set in Victorian London, I got very little sense of the time and place despite her obvious knowledge of the time as she provides historical tidbits, but alas it was more telling than showing. It is clearly a very popular novel with readers, so I am sure, I am simply missing something that others enjoy but for me it never came together even once the storylines merged.

The Fourteenth Letter is a mystery of a novel, in more ways than one.

William Lamb is waiting for a more exciting life. He is sure to make partner at the Solicitors where he is employed but needs to prompt his employer a little to get things moving.

A chance visit to a usually unobtainable client whilst his employer is otherwise engaged leaves William with more excitement than he ever dared to wish for.

When he returns to the office and tells his employer what he has done, somewhat shame facedly as William is not usually so forthright, his employer seems shocked. More shocked than William would have imagined.

But his employer is not concerned with William's initiative he is concerned for his own life. So much so that he hands William an engraved box with an important message, before shooting himself.

Presumably before someone appears to do it for him.

What follows is an enthralling chase through London town.

A mystery that needs solving quickly before more lives are lost.

The Police are suspicious of William particularly after the death of his employer, but William has no time to worry about that, as he turns detective himself.

A fast-paced and quirky novel which creates a good deal of intrigue for the reader, though you might start to guess the ending before you reach it - nevertheless, it provides a wealth of entertainment along the way. The plot is cleverly weaved together and continues with such an abundance of ideas that it cannot fail to ensure the reader enjoys the journey through each page. Along with this, the characterisation is quite masterful - the good guys battling the bad guys is a formula that always delivers and these goodies and baddies are particularly delightful, especially as the reader charts their progress and development through to their final metamorphoses.

William Lamb is the unlikely hero of the hour, a weak, asthmatic and naive man who knows nothing about life, having been sheltered for most of it. Until he is forced to come out of his shell and confront villains he could not imagine facing and take on battles that he seems to have no part in - but he is more embroiled in the mystery than he realises. He has a gargantuan task ahead of him and, with his new-found and eclectic mix of friends who join his mission along the way, they are tasked with saving the possible future of mankind.

With a heady mix of eugenics and ancient Greek historical references, and the backdrop of 1880s Victorian London, the novel cannot fail to provide something for every reader, though don't be expecting to immerse yourself in the Victorian period detail, as it is a little sparse on specifics at times - in fact, it sometimes has a feel that it could be taking place in a more modern time. This does not spoil the enjoyment of the novel though, as the real joy is the plot and characters, both of which will engage until the very end.

This is a Victorian mystery set in London in 1881. The 1880s saw much change, many new ideas and a number of critical inventions. The author utilises them in the novel with her in depth research on this period, she does take liberties with history such as changes in the names of some real life characters of the time. We have Charles Darwin with his theory of the survival of the fittest and his cousin Galton's considerably more suspect support for Eugenics. The novel draws on classical history and Alexander the Great to formulate the idea of an age old global secret society with disturbing ideas and practices in pursuit of their version of immortality.

The engagement party of Benjamin Raycourt and Phoebe Stanbury is disturbed by the entrance of a dirty naked stranger who tells Benjamin the he has saved him when he murders Phoebe. DI Harry Treadway is put in charge of finding the killer. A socially inept and timid law clerk, William Lamb, defies his boss, Mr Bridge, by visiting a client, Ambrose Habberlain, which results in a devastating trail of consequences for William. Mr Bridge gives William a casket to safeguard, tells him to run for his life and proceeds to commit suicide. William's aunt is abducted and the casket is taken. The American, Savannah Shelton, is an expert gunslinger with a history of shooting people dead, and is observing Habberlain's residence for the criminal that is Obediah Pincott who has his fingers in many pies. The brave and courageous Shelton finds herself protecting William as his life becomes overwhelmed with danger. William, Harry and Shelton come to together to connect their information that points to deplorable amoral actions by a privileged elite and a sinister secret society with dangerous weapons and plans. William is forced to adapt to his changing circumstances and fundamentally change as he searches for his identity and family.

This is a well plotted story with a twisted and compelling storyline. The characters of William, Harry, Savannah and Mildred are what made this novel gripping. William's character development from the timid man to a man more clearly in control of his destiny is done with skill. There is an element of fantasy in the plot which I was fine with. A book I very much enjoyed reading. Thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.

This was such a compelling read. The story is incredibly intricate but the quality of the plotting ensures that very few loose threads remain at the end. We follow some marvellous characters, my own favourite being Harry Treadway, the police inspector, as they attempt to unravel a conspiracy that reaches to the highest echelons of power, both in England and the USA in the early 1880s. Don't be confused - the plot is pretty ridiculous, but the author has managed to intersperse just enough credibility throughout to allow the suspension of disbelief...most of the time. The prose is concise and clean and there is a wonderful, tongue-in-cheek quality to the first half of the novel. This vanishes as the narrative becomes more serious and while the second half of the book is frenetically paced, I did prefer the more comical first half. All in all, a really enjoyable and well written mystery that, while it may not keep you guessing, will definitely keep you interested.

I was drawn to this novel by the prospect of a Victorian murder mystery, my genre of choice. However, to describe it as such would be reductive and misrepresent the novel; instead, it's a tightly-plotted mystery, a page-turning thriller and an interesting exploration of ideas about power and some philosophical debates that rage still (I don't want to give too much away!)

I'll admit that I didn't really know what to expect beyond the initial murder described in the opening pages of the book. It took a few chapters to work out who everyone was, and even longer to figure out how they were connected, but this just added to the tension. Throw in some truly unexpected twists in the action and I'll admit that I truly didn't see any of the events coming. I was drawn in and couldn't stop reading.

The characterisation is a strong point here. In particular, the protagonist William Lamb, is an excellent creation; he develops over the course of the book into someone the reader really roots for, and the supporting characters are mostly subtly drawn and engaging. Even the villains here have their foibles and flaws that make them recognisably human, and the unlikely bunch that make up William's friends are strong characters in their own right (especially the fabulous Savannah).

I'd really recommend this book to anyone who wants a historical mystery that they won't want to put down. Stick with it beyond the initial feeling that you don't know who is who or what is happening and there are rewards aplenty.

A really well thought out and executed story.
I loved the plot, the characterisation and the writing. It was a really interesting and addictive read.

I found this a very slow read to start and it was not until I was 40% of the way through that I found that it had become a gripping story. The book opens very dramatically with the death of Phoebe who has been killed at her engagement party. Each of the beginning chapters introduce the main characters individually with excellent character descriptions which add to the reality of the story. Once the characters have been established the book twists and turns expectantly all the way to the end. It is an unusual story that brings together the British, the Americans, the Germans and the Ancient Greeks in a very convoluted plot.
William Lamb as the main character goes from being a mouse like creature ending as a person demonstrating great inner strength and values. Along the way he encounters all sorts of people that make him question his own upbringing. He ends up relying on Savannah who is a very likeable young lady who goes from being a criminal to being his best support.
The characters and the possible scenarios were realistic and true to the period, this was clearly explained in the ‘historical notes’ section at the end. A highly thought provoking story that is well worth reading.

Couldn't put this down and ended up reading the whole thing in one sitting. Such a strange premise and yet it works so well.

My only qualm is that the lead character asks another character if "everyone in America carries a gun". That was a bit out of place to ask in Victorian London.

Fast paced, well written, and easy to read. Full of murder, mayhem, conspiracy, and villains.

Would love to read more about Mr. P

With its eye-catching cover, Victorian setting and promise of “a labyrinth of unfolding secrets”, Claire Evans’ debut novel The Fourteenth Letter sounded like a book I really needed to read!

The novel opens in June 1881 with the murder of Phoebe Stanbury at a party to celebrate her engagement to Benjamin Raycraft, son of the wealthy Sir Jasper. The killer, a naked man covered in mud with a strange design tattooed on his chest, disappears after committing the crime and it seems that nobody is able to shed any light on his identity or why he may have wanted to kill an innocent young woman. Detective Harry Treadway is given the job of investigating the murder, but the deeper he delves into the mystery, the more bizarre and complex it becomes.

Meanwhile, William Lamb, an inexperienced, timid young lawyer, goes to visit an eccentric client in his partner’s absence – and ends up in possession of a casket of old papers written in Latin and a cryptic message which means nothing to him. His visit is witnessed by Savannah Shelton, an American woman who has been paid to watch the house, but who is employing her and what do they want? At another house in London, Mildred is applying for a position as governess, then changes her mind when the interview doesn’t go as planned. How are all of these events connected? There are no obvious links at first, but slowly the truth is revealed as the story begins to unfold.

When I first started to read The Fourteenth Letter, I was fascinated. There were so many intriguing characters and so many strange things happening all at once. However, the constant switching from one storyline to another made it difficult for me to settle into the story and after a few chapters I began to wish we could spend a little bit longer with one character before moving on to the next. As I’ve said, the various strands of the plot do start to come together eventually but I would have liked it to have happened more quickly.

Being set in the 1880s, the story takes place during an exciting time in history, a time of great advances in science and technology. Sir Jasper Raycraft’s house, Ridgeside, is described as a famous residence with all the latest scientific developments such as electric light. I immediately recognised this as a description of Cragside in Northumberland, a National Trust property I have visited several times, and I was pleased to have this confirmed when I reached the author’s note!

However, for a novel set in Victorian London, I thought there was very little sense of time and place. Although there are references to historical and political events of the period, I never felt fully immersed in the world Claire Evans had created and it didn’t help that I couldn’t quite manage to believe in Savannah Shelton as a convincing character. William Lamb, though, is a great character – not a typical hero at all – and it was interesting to watch him develop and grow as a person over the course of the story.

Although this is certainly a very unusual and imaginative novel, I didn’t like it as much as I’d hoped to. Maybe I was just not the right reader for this particular book; that happens sometimes and it doesn’t necessarily mean that it isn’t a good book. I’ve seen some very positive reviews so clearly other readers are finding a lot to enjoy in The Fourteenth Letter!

Wow. A vivid telling of Victorian London coupled with murder, intrigue, secret messages and police investigations. A cast of anti-heroes and a likeable buffoon is interwoven with villains and aristocracy. Who are all these people and why are they intertwined... a dose of fantasy/magic/secrets brings them all together in a fast-paced historical novel with a difference. Recommended - a good read although quite long (so took its time to start coming together).

4* from me.

Thanks Little, Brown Book Group UK and netgalley for this ARC.

Hot damn this is awesome fantasy/historical/thriller! You will have your socks blown away and a new favorite author to watch for. Adventure, villains, romance and so much more.

Unfortunately I didn't finish this one because, after seven chapters in, I still didn't really have any interest in where the story was going. It felt like a series of unconnected vignettes which, although I am sure will eventually all end up as being relevant to each other, just felt absolutely disjointed.
I didn't care enough for any of the characters to want to find out why there were disparate people being talked about and the central mystery premise of why the young bride was killed on her wedding day never gave me enough urgency to discover more.