The Dark Lantern: A Novel (Hardcover)

by Gerri Brightwell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Brightwell's debut, an uncanny thriller, brings late Victorian London to vivid life. Devon-born housemaid Jane Wilbred has snared her new post with the Bentley family with a letter of reference she forged, omitting any mention of the possibly pertinent fact that her late mother was a notorious murderer. That, however, is trifling compared to the shady games being played both upstairs and downstairs at 32 Cursitor Road while the family matriarch lingers on her deathbed, especially the struggle between mysterious beauty Mina Bentley, wife of younger son Robert, and the wan stranger who claims to be the widow of older brother Henry (drowned recently while sailing home after years in India). Meanwhile, Robert is focused on a battle closer to his heart: winning official recognition for anthropometry, the science of identifying criminals by body measurements. Far from being an arcane digression, Robert's passion eventually figures into the intricate and surprising plot. The action will keep the reader as intrigued as a parlor maid eavesdropping outside her mistress's boudoir. (Mar.)
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From School Library Journal
Adult/High School—This novel transports readers to dark, damp, gritty Victorian London as surely (but less bloodily) as Johnny Depp's movie Sweeney Todd. Secret pasts, hidden identities, class divisions, romance, criminal behavior, police procedures—Lantern has it all. The suspenseful tale features well-drawn characters whose secrets are slowly revealed, leaving readers unsure of who can be believed or trusted. Brightwell's detailed descriptions of the grueling work of a Victorian housemaid offer many reasons to sympathize with Jane Wilbred, an orphan who has accepted a position in the Bentley home. As she struggles to figure out the politics of the household and keep up with her endless chores, she worries about who may know (or find out) about her mother's shameful past. Jane's employers and fellow servants are hiding secrets too, and they continually regard one another with suspicion. The author's use of dialogue and action to advance the story is highly effective. An omniscient narrator allows the tale to unfold from multiple points of view, with Jane as the main protagonist. Brightwell manages to reveal the secrets and interconnections among her characters without creating confusion for her audience, and the story remains suspenseful through the final pages. The ending is satisfying but open to discussion.Lantern will appeal to readers of historical fiction, suspense, and coming-of-age stories.—Sondra VanderPloeg, Tracy Memorial Library, New London, NH
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Crown (March 4, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0307395340
• ISBN-13: 978-0307395344
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #730,049 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ah, the things that happened in Victorian England, March 8, 2008

By	armchairinterviews.com (Minnesota) - See all my reviews

Jane Wilbred takes a new position as the second maid in a London household to escape the injustice of her service in the country for a family who knows of her past. But Jane may have made a poor choice in accepting a position at the Bentley household because it is full of unkind, even manipulative people who also have secrets.

The matriarch of the Bentley family is dying. Second son Robert, who is an enthusiast of the study of anthropometry (the science of identifying criminals by the measurements of certain parts of their bodies), and his wife Mina, have returned home from Paris. Also there is the first son's widow-he had married without informing the family-and then died in a shipwreck on his way home from India.

There's a butler who likes his drink more than his job; a cook; Mrs. Bentley's ladies maid; a first maid who searches through her employer's things or stands outside of doors to overhear what is going on; a simple scullery maid; and Jane. Everyone has secrets and is less than stellar representatives of the human race. Put them all together and you have an intriguing look at life in a Victorian England household filled with deception and mystery.

Jane is doing more than her share of the work, blackmailed by the first maid who figured out who Jane is, and pressured by the mistress of the house to spy on her fellow servants-or lose her position without a character reference. How can Jane survive in London where she knows no one and her position is becoming intolerable?

I was captivated from the first page of the story and held prisoner all the way to the end, trying to guess what would happen next, who was a good guy and who was a bad guy, and who would survive the obvious coming downfall of the household of a Victorian England family that is teaming with secrets and deception. It is fascinating to watch the plots and plans unravel around the people there. And through it all, poor hardworking, mistreated Jane is just trying to survive.

Armchair Interview says: Although it sounds like a miserable story, it is not. It is a wonderful set of interconnected mysteries that will leave you glad that you didn't have to serve as a servant in Victorian England!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book ever!, December 11, 2008

By	Gristle McThornbody - See all my reviews

This is one of the best books I've read all year! I honestly had a hard time putting it down it was so riveting. If you're looking for a great mystery, look no further, this is it! I REALLY hope she writes another which takes place during this time frame or earlier, that would be awesome.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for an afternoon by the fire or a day at the beach, October 20, 2008

By	Lauren B. Davis (Princeton, New Jersey) - See all my reviews

What a lovely read. Perfect for a summer afternoon. Well-paced, good characterization, thoroughly engaging, clean direct prose, wonderfully intriguing. I read it in two sittings and consider it time well spent. Enjoy.