Ruler of the Night

The notorious Opium-Eater returns in the sensational climax to David Morrell´s acclaimed Victorian mystery trilogy. 1855. The railway has irrevocably altered English society, effectively changing geography and fueling the industrial revolution by shortening distances between cities: a whole day´s journey can now be covered in a matter of hours. People marvel at their new freedom. But train travel brings new dangers as well, with England´s first death by train recorded on the very first day of railway operations in 1830. Twenty-five years later, England´s first train murder occurs, paralyzing London with the unthinkable when a gentleman is stabbed to death in a safely locked first-class passenger compartment. In the next compartment, the brilliant opium-eater Thomas De Quincey and his quick-witted daughter, Emily, discover the homicide in a most gruesome manner. Key witnesses and also resourceful sleuths, they join forces with their allies in Scotland Yard, Detective Ryan and his partner-in-training, Becker, to pursue the killer back into the fogbound streets of London, where other baffling murders occur. Ultimately, De Quincey must confront two ruthless adversaries: this terrifying enemy, and his own opium addiction which endangers his life and his tormented soul. Ruler of the Night is a riveting blend of fact and fiction which, like master storyteller David Morrell´s previous De Quincey novels, evokes Victorian London with such finesse that you´ll hear the hooves clattering on cobblestones, the racket of dustmen, and the shrill calls of vendors (Entertainment Weekly).