Synopses & Reviews
Madness, greed, love, obsession, Machiavellian plotting, and a great train robbery, in a captivating Victorian mystery about the extreme and curious things men do to get--and keep--what they want
August 1863. Henry Ireland, a failed landowner, dies unexpectedly in a riding accident, leaving a highly strung young widow. Not far away lives Ireland's friend James Dixey, a celebrated naturalist who collects strange trophies--a stuffed bear, a pet mouse, and a wolf that he keeps caged in the grounds of his decaying house, lost in the fog on the edge of the fens.
The poachers, Dewar and Dunbar, with their cargo of pilfered eggs; Esther the observant kitchen maid, pining to be reunited with her vanished admirer; the ancient lawyer Mr. Crabbe, made careless by snobbery; John Carstairs, in search of his cousin, the elusive widow; an enigmatic debt-collector, busily plotting an audacious robbery; various lowlife henchmen; a beady-eyed country curate who sees more than he should; and Captain McTurk of Scotland Yard, patiently investigating the circumstances of Mr. Ireland's death and many other things besides--all are drawn into a net of intrigue with wide and sinister implications.
Ranging from the loch-sides of Scotland to the slums of Clerkenwell, from the gentlemen's clubs of St. James's to the Yukon wilds, Kept is a gorgeously intricate novel about the urge to possess, at once a gripping investigation of some of the secret chambers of the human heart and a dazzling reinvention of Victorian life and passions.
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“A marvel of intricacy and ingenuity. Dickens and his peers would surely have approved.” Washington Times
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“Intriguing.” Charlotte Observer
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“It is unlikely that many such offerings will equal, let alone surpass, D.J. Taylors Kept” Francis King, Literary Review
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“A tour-de-force in the style of Dickens. The eccentrics and Victoriana are…captivating.” Kirkus Reviews
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“Taylor has captured the essence of the Victorian novel and weaves it through his gripping narrative.” Library Journal
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“A smartly satisfying novel…Intricate and vividly realized…a pin-sharp recreation of 19th century life....a playful reimagining of history” Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, Telegraph
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“Kept is a great read. It intrigues, diverts and delights. It is clever and intricate and huge fun.” Susan Hill, Guardian
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“...a genuinely fascinating reading experience…a powerful contribution to the changing practice of historical fiction.” Philippa Gregory, Sunday Times (London)
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“A gripping tale, crafted with passion and intelligence, and an honorable addendum to the golden age of the English novel.” Simon Baker, New Statesman
Synopsis
When Henry Ireland dies unexpectedly from what appears to be a riding accident in August 1863, the failed landowner leaves behind little save his high-strung young widow, Isabel—who somehow ends up in the home of Ireland's friend James Dixey. A celebrated naturalist, Dixey collects strange trophies in his secluded, decaying manse and has questionable associations with rather unsavory characters—including a pair of thuggish poachers named Dewar and Dunbar. Dixey's precocious, inquisitive young servant, Esther, cannot turn a blind eye to the suspicious activities surrounding her. While in the crime-ridden streets of London, a determined captain of Scotland Yard follows the threads that may well link a daring train robbery to the disappearance of a disturbed heiress as well as to the possible murder of Henry Ireland.
D. J. Taylor's Kept is a gorgeously intricate, dazzling reinvention of Victorian life and passions that is also a riveting investigation into some of the darkest, most secret chambers of the human heart.
About the Author
D. J. Taylor is a novelist, critic, and acclaimed biographer of William Thackeray and George Orwell. His Orwell: The Life won the Whitbread Award in 2003. Married with three children, he lives in Norwich, England.