Winter of Despair

**Should Read 4.25 Stars** This surprisingly entertaining novel is the 2nd part of the "Gaslight Mystery" series from the Irish author, Cora Harrison. Story-telling is of a very good quality from this author, the known historical details are superbly implemented within the story, the atmosphere of Lon......more

When I saw the book blurb for Winter of Despair, I just had to read this book! A series pairing Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens as amateur detectives -- how could I resist?? Winter of Despair is the second book in the Gaslight Mystery series. I haven't read the first book -- Season of Darkness --......more

A new crime fighting duo for me with writers Dickens and Collins trying to solve the murder of painter Edwin Milton-Hayes & clear the name of Collins' younger brother who is one of the main suspects. I liked these two working as detectives and it makes for an enjoyable read in the main. It ran a lit......more

For a man who was as intriguing and interesting as Dickens, Winter of Despair did him an incredible disservice representing him the way they did. Harrison paints Dickens as the flattest, most unremarkable character I have encountered in literature in quite some time. Quite seriously, you could erase......more

It's a historical fiction book, that was on the 'ok' side when it came to the historical side or crime side. I was not swept away by "Winter of Despair", but the read overall was enjoyable, yet I don't think I would will ever read it again. For the best side of the book, I can count unconventional a......more