Review: Few do it better
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 8, 2013
This is another book from David Haynes who has established himself as a teller of Victorian style horror tales.  This one is set in Paris, in the Belle Epoque times, and centres upon a writer, Robert Bishop, and a theatre in which he is eventually employed.  Bishop writes the sort of material that is too horrific to be performed in an English theatre as it's based on nightmares he has had since childhood.  There's a family connection between several of the characters and the story is an involved tapestry.  I really enjoyed the fact that the book cover is a very good representation of a Parisian theatre poster of that era. It sets the scene beautifully.David Haynes writes with a convincingly Victorian voice and for me, his stories always have a satisfactory ending.  He is able to tie up numerous narrative threads that makes the story almost circular.  There's a fair bit of blood and guts here and the squeamish will have nightmares - but for the true fans of a bit of nastiness, few do it better!