When I spotted the film posters for ‘The Limehouse Golem’, I was immediately intrigued. Reason number one, Bill Nighy (I am a huge fan), reason number two the apparently spooky Victorian setting. However, time passed and I never made it to the cinema – Boo! Then, by luck, I found a copy of the novel in the local Oxfam bookshop and decided that I had to read it before I watched the film. As we bookworms are all fully aware ‘that the book was better’ – still waiting to check if that is true, though.
I was expecting, for some reason, for this book to be a tough read but it is so wonderfully written that it becomes a real page-turner. Every chapter is told in a different style, which keeps the interest of the tale and the mystery of ‘The Limehouse Golem’ alive. The setting of murky Victorian London is ideal for a murder mystery, as many of us are aware, and in this novel it is as much of a character as the people we encounter.
It is always difficult to blog about books that you do not want to reveal too much about. So, all I will say is that there are two twists – well, there were for me anyway – I expected one but only at the very last moment!
I am now so ready to go and watch the film because I am intrigued to see if it does this brilliant novel justice. And if it doesn’t, at least it is a chance to watch a Bill Nighy film.
However, one thing is for sure: I am keen to read more titles by Peter Ackroyd – anybody read any that they would recommend?