The Frightened Man

by Kenneth M. Cameron

Book Overview

Cameron brings turn-of-the-century London vividly to life in this intelligent and compelling mystery. "The Frightened Man" delves deeper than the mere circumstances of a murder to investigate the dark side of human nature.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312538960
• ISBN13: 9780312538965
• Release Date: April 2009
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 261 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.8" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Moody, atmospheric Victorian mystery

Many a mystery author has turned their hand to solving the Jack the Ripper crimes of 1888, and many suspects and scenarios have tried the wits of many sleuths. In the end, however, almost inevitably the Whitechapel monster is caught in short order and Victorian London resumes its life. But what if the Ripper hadn't been caught in the 1880's, and after years lying low, resumed his frenzied crimes? It's a realistic enough scenario with serial killers, and it forms the basis of Kenneth Cameron's "The Frightened Man". Amidst the splendor and squalor of 1900, the Ripper still lurks at the back of the mind of Englishmen and women. And then a familiar criminal signature begins to show up as a mutilated prostitute is discovered, and once again London will be gripped in terror...if the news gets out. The police are quite happy to dismiss one dead prostitute, however, rather than risk widespread panic. Matching wits with the killer is Denton, American, ex-Western lawman, Civil War veteran, and a noted author. No gunslinging cowboy, however, Denton is a peculiarly engaging mix of natural American egalitarianism and adopted British reserve, the toll from the war and from his badge-toting days heavy on his mind. Along the way of his investigation Denton makes the acquaintance of Janet Striker, feminist and provider of a home for unwed mothers, a woman who carries numerous scars of her own. Acerbic manservant Atkins also throws in some real gems of wit, and his banter with Denton is a treat. The mystery is entwined with a well-balanced sense of period atmosphere and detail; along the way to catching the Ripper and deviating from the usual laundry list of suspects, a great deal of the British Empire on the cusp of the twentieth century comes to light. Attitudes towards women, the iron-cast class hierarchy with the desperate grinding poverty a stone's throw from the sumptuous mansions, bureaucracy, corruption, and social morality are all addressed, neatly a part of the plot so that the information provides context and yet doesn't come across as cloying or clumsy. The outrage about the crimes of murder and of society is muted but genuine, the characters no shining beacons of reform and law. There are no shining heroes in "The Frightened Man", no plucky do-gooders. Denton and Striker make for a formidable, street-smart team who believably can survive the moody, fog-riddled night streets of London to find the truth and bring justice, and in the end, the tale is a satisfying one.

Victorian murder mystery with a hint of Jack the Ripper is wonderful way to start a series

The Frightened Man by Kenneth Cameron is the first in a possible series about American former military man Denton now living in London at the end of the 19th century. Denton has become well-known as a writer, but when a man comes to his door claiming knowledge about the decade old crimes of Jack the Ripper, he dismisses the terrified man as a crackpot. When the morning's newspapers gives details about the brutal murder of a young prostitute, Denton can't help wonder if it is connected to his visitor and begins to investigate, much to the detriment of his health and his finances. I adore Victorian murder mysteries, and when you throw in a tie to Jack the Ripper, I was quickly sold on the concept of this book. I did, however, have a hard time initially getting into the story. The reader is flung into Denton's personal life, and it takes some time for the story to find its feet. Once Denton started his investigation the story quickly picked up and was difficult to put down. Cameron doesn't fall prey to the standard cliches of this genre, and the story really begins to shine when Denton's foil Janet Striker comes on the scene. The dark past of the protagonist haunts the investigation and will provide fodder for plenty of sequels.

Great book

Very suspenseful book with great character development and dialogue! I was drawn in from the first page. The author paints a picture in your mind of the characters and the setting with very detailed descriptions. The dialogue between the characters sometimes drags on a bit, but that just makes it more realistic. In addition, the dialogue is wonderfully written and shows that the author truly understands his characters enough to give them each their own distinctive voices. The characters are very English, with gives the book a level of charm. I loved the descriptions of the gloomy, bustling streets of 19th century London. I also loved the complicated characters and their battles within themselves. I truly didn't know what was going to happen at the end, so the author did a good job at keeping me guessing! The first 1/3 of the book is quite disturbing, but the second third is less, which was a nice break. I can't wait for the next book to come out!

Solid Mystery

Denton is an American expatriate of around 50, a veteran of a bleak boyhood and of Civil War combat. By 1900 he is a novelist in London. He writes dark and violent stories of loss and death that derive from his own dark and violent experience, including failure as a husband, father and farmer and a stint as a frontier marshal when he killed four men. He is successful but dismayed that his publisher thinks of his work as "horror fiction." He has been working diligently on his next novel (he needs the money), and knows he is getting it wrong but cannot fix it. He desperately regrets his own emotional limitations and feels responsible for his wife's suicide. He has a strong sense of what his due to fellow human beings. Now he is visited by one Mulcahy who claims that he has seen on the street a former acquaintance from his boyhood, whom he once saw murder a girl in the manner of Jack the Ripper. Mulcahy fled to London and had not seen the man for years but now fears that his former "friend" will kill him. Denton dismisses Mulcahy as a lunatic. Next day Denton sees a newspaper story about a Ripper style murder of a young prostitute. He comes to believe that Mulcahy saw this killing and, to protect himself, had lied about boyhood violence. Denton approaches the police who, not anxious to be plunged again into the Ripper frenzy of 1888, ignore him as an interfering "gentleman detective." Frustrated and outraged by the authorities' dismissive attitude toward the victim, Denton begins his own inquiries and is soon menaced himself. Cameron is good on the contradictions and hypocrisy of Britain's class system and its toll on all those in it. Even the police investigation is affected in all its aspects by the blinders imposed by the system. Cameron's prose is deliberately, well, prosaic: direct and straightforward like Denton himself. Denton is as self aware as a sensitive man of his time, background and temperament could be, but no more so. He is always more oriented to action than to contemplation. The other main characters are also well delineated. The mystery is unusual since most of Denton's effort is to convince the cops that a mystery actually exists. The book is a solid and enjoyable effort.

"London was like monster child that ate its mother and never stopped growing."

In a historical thriller that is both compelling and compassionate, Cameron unveils a London in 1900 whose racket expands exponentially with its buildings: "London was like monster child that ate its mother and never stopped growing." Amid the inventiveness and economic sprawl, Denton, an infamous American with a past, clings to his Dickensian sensibilities. An author of some repute, Denton is in constant need of finances; attended by Atkins, an ex-Fusilier, the enigmatic writer lives a marginal existence. A bit dashing, a bit dangerous, Denton's repartee with his truculent manservant is a fascinating mix of pride and democratic tendencies in class-conscious England. But when Denton is visited by a hysterical man who claims he is being followed by Jack the Ripper, Denton is disinclined to believe the frantic Mulcahy: "Ripper stories popped up like daffodils in spring." But when the mutilated body of a young prostitute, Stella Minter, is discovered in an unsavory part of the city, Denton is intrigued. That is, until he and Atkins are attacked by an intruder: then he is incensed, determined to locate Mulcahy and learn more about his wild claims. When the local police are less than helpful, Denton begins his own investigation, one that takes him to London's impoverished streets and the various charities that serve the poor. With few clues or resources, Denton is impulsively creative, stumbling upon a feminist with an infamous past of her own, Janet Striker, who proves an invaluable asset. Beyond the accelerating mystery, Cameron delves more deeply into his protagonist's life and the society that spawns the violent murderer Denton pursues, among them Striker's Society for the Improvement of Wayward Women, another a charity for unwed mothers that profits from the helpless women's labor and Mulcahy's unique Photographic Inventorium. Through a maze of pubs, police departments and government agencies, Denton charges from one new clue to another, his search ultimately revealing a far more sinister crime than the outrageous murder of one of society's unfortunates. A murderer is at large to be sure, but this novel addresses more than this foul deed, shining a bright light on a turn of the century thicket of bureaucracies, social mores, male attitudes towards women and the suffering of the poor in a city that exalts the rich and perpetuates a male-dominated class system. In a wonderful pairing of the sensitive Denton with the brave and outspoken Janet Sinclair, shadowed by the loyal, acerbic Atkins, Cameron has written a wonderful tale of murder and morality, the city teeming with ambition, greed, graft and brutality. Not to mention the dark heart of the malevolent killer Denton meets in a final violent confrontation. Luan Gaines/2009.