4/5 stars
** e-Arc provided by Edelweiss **
This being my first book by Ms. McGinnis I was not sure what to expect. And I must admit A Madness So Discreet took me by surprise. It started off slow, I was about a quarter of the way through before I found the rhythm of the story. But once I did I was sucked right in.
This book never raises its voice, it never yells or screams. No demon, vamp, or zombie ever shows their head. Oh, no, A Madness So Discreet whispers in your ear, the shadow that moves by itself, the fingers running down your spine. It shows that monsters can walk in the light. They can smile and fade into a crowd, or worse, they can sit across the dinner table.
A slight Sherlock Holmes/Watson dynamic is woven into the two main characters, Grace and Thornhollow, but it was done well. It also paying homage to Jack the Ripper. I really liked the characters, even the secondary ones were fleshed out.
Darkly gothic the plot uses the victorian era to perfection. Mixing their concept of modern medicine and old world remedies; winding the two into a wonderfully gruesome tale.
The only thing that really bothered me was the ending. Wrapped up too neatly, too quick and easy. I found it somewhat unsatisfying. It keeps this from being a 5 star book.
That being said, I would gladly go on another adventure with Grace and Thornhollow. And look forward to reading some more of Ms. McGinnis' books
