The Osiris ritual : a Newbury & Hobbes investigation

Sir Maurice Newbury, Gentleman Investigator for the Crown, imagines life will be a little quieter after his dual success in solving The Affinity Bridge affair. But he hasn’t banked on the reemergence of his villainous predecessor, Knox, who is hellbent on achieving immortality, and seems to be pursued by a secret agent who isn’t quite as he seems.... The whole affair is so baffling that Newbury is reluctant to take time away from it to attend to the mysterious murders in the wake of the unveiling of an Egyptian mummy, let alone his partner Veronica’s apparent obsession with tracking the growing pool of young women who have disappeared after being used as props in a magician’s stage act. But it’s all part of a day’s work when your boss is the queen of England. So begins a thrilling steampunk mystery, the second in the series of Newbury & Hobbes investigations, and a grand adventure quite unlike any other. From Publishers Weekly A steampunk mystery that includes Ottoman automatons, ancient Egyptian artifacts, a malevolent stage magician, and a quest for immortality should prove entertaining, but unfortunately, The Osiris Ritual falls short of its promise. Set in the usual Victorian London, the story feels clichéd and mechanical. The main character is a third-rate Sherlock Holmes and Regency hero mash-up, and nothing particularly new or interesting happens. A romantic subplot is evoked but left unresolved, and the author uses the excuse of a series to avoid tying up loose ends or construct a narrative arc that delivers on the promised story. (Aug.) (c) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Review “ A wonderful penny-dreadful. It’s an unashamed galloping romp through the ins and outs of the Victorian metropolis and the lurid generic conventions of adventure fiction. All the way through I felt like George Mann was having a whale of a time with this.” —Paul Magrs, author of several Doctor Who novels and a Carnegie Medal finalist, on The Osiris Ritual “ Newbury and Hobbes make a charming pair, and their investigative adventures are a great deal of fun. Mann’s reimagined Victorian era is a fabulous place, and the mix of pea-soup fog, zombies, and clockwork automata makes for an excellent detective story. Let us hope to see more of Hobbes and Newbury.” —Booklist on The Affinity Bridge “ [An] intriguingly bizarre version of 1901 L ondon...a strong addition to the ‘steampunk’ subgenre and one that creates a lively alternative world.” —Library Journal on The Affinity Bridge A steampunk mystery adventure featuring immortality, artifacts, and intrepid sleuths Sir Maurice Newbury and Miss Veronica Hobbes Sir Maurice Newbury, Gentleman Investigator for the Crown, imagines life will be a little quieter after his dual successes solving The Affinity Bridge affair. But he hasn't banked on his villainous predecessor, Knox, who is hell-bent on achieving immortality, not to mention a secret agent who isn't quite what he seems.... So continues an adventure quite unlike any other, a thrilling steampunk mystery and the second in the series of Newbury & Hobbes investigations. Death stalks London and the newspapers proclaim that a mummy's curse has been unleashed. Sir Maurice Newbury, gentleman investigator for the Crown, is drawn into a web of occult intrigue as he attempts to solve the murders. And he soon finds himself on the trail of a rogue agent. His able assistant, Miss Veronica Hobbes, has her own mystery Sir Maurice Newbury, Gentleman Investigator for the Crown, imagines life can be a little quieter from now on after his dual success in solving the Affinity Bridge affair. But he hasn't banked on his villainous predecessor, Knox, hell bent on achieving immortality, not to mention a secret agent who isn't quite as he seems