This is to be the first in a series featuring Edinburgh detective DI Ian Hamilton and, based on this, the next one cannot come out soon enough for me!

The story is set in Edinburgh towards the end of the 19th century. The city is deeply divided between the rich and the poor, although the 'Holyrood Strangler' doesn't discriminate as he chooses his victims. As the death toll rises, it's up to Hamilton to navigate the different levels of society to close in on the killer.

The real strength here is the characterisation, as each of the key figures in the novel is beautifully drawn with realism and depth; Sergeant Dickerson is a gem in particular. Lawrence also skilfully introduces a whole cast of Edinburgh locals who further the plot and add to the sense of the atmosphere of Victorian Edinburgh.

I'd whole-heartedly recommend this book to lovers of historical crime novels. It's fast paced, packed with interesting characters and cleverly plotted throughout.

Edinburgh Twilight is a suspenseful hard to put down intriguing historical mystery. Detective Ian Hamilton is a interesting, compelling protagonist and I can't wait for read more mysteries with him and the other well-written characters. I was in Edinburgh earlier this year and the author describes it perfectly as the city is another character in this book. It was great to re-visit such a historical place. If you enjoy Anne Perry's William Monk or Henry and Charlotte Pitt series, you will enjoy this book!

With an interesting protagonist and supporting cast of characters, Carol Lawrence brings turn of the century Edinburgh to vivid life. I look forward to their next adventure, and the fleshing out of their personal stories.

4.5/5

"Ian's discomfort was followed by a memory of a conversation he once had with Aunt Lillian about the indignities she had suffered as a young woman from the attention of men. He had not until this moment considered what it must have actually felt like."

Edinburgh Twilight by Carole Lawrence had a good plot that was executed very well. DI Ian Hamilton had a somewhat generic tragic backstory which impacted his life decision and made him pursue the police occupation. He had a drive to catch criminals because of this and wouldn't let this new murderer get away with his crimes.

I thought this novel was well written. Every event and murder flowed smoothly from one to the other. The motives and the details of these murders were depicted so thoroughly that there was no confusion.

I found myself getting attached to Donald when I thought that I wouldn't like him in the beginning. However, some of the characters were full on annoying to me. George Pearson, for example, I thought that he was a creepy stalker even though he was helpful to Hamilton.

Lawrence's writing had a way of bringing the streets of Edinburgh to life where the street urchins were sneaking away with wallets and jewelry and burly men fighting in the alleyways. She would have DI Hamilton and DCI Crawford quoting Shakespeare and Robert Burns (one of my favorite parts).

I received a copy from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

what is it about:
As a new century approaches, Edinburgh is a city divided. The wealthy residents of New Town live in comfort, while Old Town’s cobblestone streets are clotted with criminals, prostitution, and poverty.
Detective Inspector Ian Hamilton is no stranger to Edinburgh’s darkest crimes. Scarred by the mysterious fire that killed his parents, he faces his toughest case yet when a young man is found strangled in Holyrood Park.
With little evidence aside from a strange playing card found on the body, Hamilton engages the help of his aunt, a gifted photographer, and George Pearson, a librarian with a shared interest in the criminal mind. But the body count is rising. As newspapers spin tales of the “Holyrood Strangler,” panic sets in across the city. And with each victim, the murderer is getting closer to Hamilton, the one man who dares to stop him.

My thoughts :
OMH I loved it, loved everything about it , the characters , the story line, the touch of Gothic to it, how it pulled me in to the story from the every start . And how the main character Ian remind me in some ways of Sherlock Homes . I also loved how it showed you and brought to life the way life was back in that century. What a really great start to a new series ,can't wait to read more of this series. With that said I would love to give a big thinks to NetGalley for giving me the chance at finding a new series to full in love with.

A darned good read! Lovely to read something set in Scotland's wonderful city.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me an advanced ecopy of the book. This review is solely my opinion.
4.5 solid stars! Edinburgh Twilight captured my attention from the opening quote to the last sentence. It was a joy to be transported to a mystery time before telephones and computers, automobiles, and forensic testing.
The mystery and the setting captivated me, but mostly the fully developed, diverse characters drew me in. I loved truth-seeking, Ian and his strong, wise Aunt Lillian, bumbly Sergeant Dickerson and burdened Detective Chief Inspector Crawford. And Derek, the clever street orphan… I want to take him home, give him a bath and food, comfort him even though he wouldn’t take the comfort – the food, a different story. What makes this hodgepodge work is that they all have problems, no one is immune from pain of some sort. (Huh. Just like life –too many authors try to get by with stereotypes of good and bad, especially in mysteries.)
“’This must be very distressing for you, Brother. You do so like everything to be tidy, don’t you? Well, people aren’t like that – life isn’t like that. It’s messy and unpredictable and frightening. You want to control everything, but you can’t…Just when you think you have it all sorted out, along comes something you hadn’t planned on – ‘“
Edinburgh, herself is a rich character, filled with visitors, many moods; “this city of saints and sinners, with all its dark corners and contradictions.” Lawrence clearly did her history homework here and explores the notion of a dual existence in both setting and characters. I enjoyed finding references to places I had just seen on a holiday visit. “Miss Farley lived in a dilapidated tenement in the Cowgate known as Happy Land – a fine example of Scottish irony, in its utter failure to live up to its name. Happy Land was filthy, unsafe, and unsanitary; it stank of sin, sorrow, and surrender. “
Humor sneaks in at just the right times, never forced, subtle, waiting to be appreciated. ”’What happened to you?’ the librarian said, indicating Ian’s head. ‘I had occasion to test the law of gravity. I am happy to report is intact.’”
We are introduced to the killer early on, but the mystery is only enhanced by learning of an abusive childhood. Who is he? Will he kill again or be caught? I give Lawrence credit. Some of the surprises don’t follow the usual mystery writing protocols.
Upon careful perusal for this review, I noticed the cover said, Ian Hamilton Mysteries. Plural! Sign me up for the next one.

I was really drawn to this book by the blurb, a detective story set in Edinburgh at the end of the 19th century. Murders to be solved without all the gadgets and gizmos of modern crime scene investigation and no DNA!! I really wanted to like Detective Inspector Hamilton and sometimes I did, but he failed my 'would I like to be stuck in a lift with this person' test with his frequent Shakespeare quotes. I did rather enjoy the cheeky chappy that was the urchin Derek McNair. I expected a slow pace but I'm sorry to say I found this dragged and I didn't get the build of tension that I was expecting.

(Review posts September 6, 2017)

The Edinburgh Twilight - The Ian Hamilton Mysteries #1 by Carole Lawrence (2017) - A killer stalks the streets of Edinburgh, Scotland as the 20th century approaches. Detective Inspector Ian Hamilton will stalk the killer in a deadly conflict. It will strike fear into the heart of the city and touch on the detective's darkest recesses as well.


When it comes to detective stories there is one name that overshadows them all. Sherlock Holmes. When it comes to detective stories set anywhere in the United Kingdom, the shadow grows even deeper. You have two choices, to compete with Arthur Conan Doyle's definitive crime genius directly or to be the "anti-Sherlock". Lawrence manages to pull off something that I have only rarely seen. She creates a character that is clearly in the Holmesian tradition but manages a delicate balancing act. That balance delivers a detective that can hold a candle boldly in that legendary shadow.

The parallels are obvious. A socially inept detective that solves crimes through observation and intelligence. One with a raffish older brother. He lives alone, calls upon a bright, if somewhat bumbling, sidekick and the urchins of the street for assistance. The detective is faced with a brilliant mind in opposition to him. At the same time, they are nothing at all alike. Hamilton is much more human that Holmes, with a troubled family background and a profound, nearly debilitating anxiety. He has help, which he largely doesn't want. The final effect is a character that more inspires more warmth than the denizen of Baker Street ever manages.

Twisting around him is an intricate story involving a serial killer. The time period is a fascinating one because the science of police work was only slowly being accepted. Hamilton works with and despite a police force that is more accustomed to common crime than carefully planned cruelty. In the end, the reader is the winner.

Published by Thomas and Mercer. It's on bookshelves now.

Why You Will Like It - A fine new contender for the title of "The Great Detective", Ian Hamilton is both a great sleuth and a very human character.

Rating - **** Recommended

Loved the writing style, good fast pace. Loved the interaction between the characters, but most of all I loved the atmosphere of the book, the city of Edinburgh, how it was described. It really enhanced the reading experience.

Detective Inspector Ian Hamilton seeks a serial killer in Edinburgh. DI Hamilton is a quick study of character, clever, and compassionate towards those considered "dregs of society." A tragedy and unanswered questions spur him toward justice.

Lawrence carefully weaves backstory into the contemporary tale. I wish she had done the same with side characters, instead of introducing each one as they were needed to move the story forward, which makes those chapters feel cleaved from the main story even as they contribute information. All of her characters have distinctive traits, many of them delightfully quirky.

Readers who love mysteries, parallel storylines, complex family characters, and / or 19th century Scotland will like this book.

I appreciate receiving an advanced digital copy from Net Galley.

I loved this book so much! It's everything I love rolled into one: Victorian era, detectives, Scotland and lovable characters! I definitely wish to come back to DI Hamilton's Edinburgh soon.

You can see my full review on my blog.

I appreciated the style Lawrence's prose and the LGBT aspects of Edinburgh Twilight. This was a light and easy read. However, the historical aspects of the book aren't very strong. Some of the details were inaccurate and lacked nuance; the story didn't transport the reader to 1880s Edinburgh, but rather sent me multiple times to Google to fact-check. There were also very few developed female characters in the book.

Edinburgh Twilight is an unusual novel set in 19th century Scotland.  Detective Inspector Ian Hamilton is young and determined, ambitious in the sense that he wants to pursue justice.  Carole Lawrence makes him human, bringing him to life with a believable history, scars and all.  The supporting cast is equally colorful. You like them and feel for them.  Lawrence makes you care about her characters.  That is what I liked most about Edinburgh Twilight.  Lawrence’s killer is elusive, creating a very natural fear that he will escape.  The one aspect that may trouble some readers is the amount of homosexuality.  There is nothing lurid, and it plays an important part of the plot.  If this offends you, look to another book.

Edinburgh Twilight is a well done historical mystery and is a promising debut to Carole Lawrence’s new series.

4 / 5

I received a copy of Edinburgh Twilight from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom

Thanks Thomas & Mercer and netgalley for this ARC.

Very atmospheric and stark, we feel like we're in Edinburgh. I was instantly smitten and rooting for the Inspector and can't wait to read his next mystery.

My review as posted on Goodreads:

This story is set in Edinburgh during the winter of 1881 and features DI Ian Hamilton who finds himself hunting for a serial killer with a passion for strangling his victims. He is helped by Sergeant Dickerson.

I like the sense of time and place which is created in this story. It develops at a fairly swift pace with a range of possible suspect emerging. Most of them slowly drift off into the mist. The geography of the city, both Old and New Town are explored. The story starts in an atmospheric way with a meeting between two men on Arthur's Seat, overlooking the city.

The descriptions of the city and the lives of those living or merely existing are very well crafted. This is what I liked about the book.

The characters are well written and I expect several of them to re-appear in future novels, as this is described as the first in the Ian Hamilton series. I won't say too much about the plot for fear of spoiling the story. Suffice to say that the tension builds, with several possible suspects ending up as victims themselves!

I will look out for future books in the series.

My thanks go to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for a copy in return for this review.

5 stars

It’s Edinburgh in 1881. Edinburgh is a city with a rather split personality. It is made up of New Town, a wealthy enclave of easy-living residents and Old Town where the poor, downtrodden and criminal element live.

A cobbler out for his evening walk discovers a body in the middle of Holyrood Park. This brings the police out in the form of Detective Inspector Ian Hamilton. The victim whose name was Stephen Wycherley either fell or was pushed to his death.

An examination of the body by DI Hamilton and DS Dickerson show that the man was strangled. DS William “Bobby” Dickerson teams up with DI Hamilton for this investigation and they find that they get along well together.

When Robert “Bobby” James Tierney is garroted behind a tavern it makes the newspapers before the police can react. The papers begin to call the murderer the Holyrood Strangler. Ten-year old Derek McNair sold the story to the paper before he reported it to the police.

Hamilton’s Aunt Lillian Grey, amateur photography enthusiast and venerable elder lady, plays a big part in this novel. She’s a gem. She took Ian under her wing following the death of his parents in a fire and they maintain a very close relationship.

Henry Standish Wright whose stage name is Monsieur Le Coq is a mesmerist who enthralls audiences with his performances. But he has a secret.

As more people are killed, the tension in the story mounts. Hamilton and Dickerson’s frustration mounts; indeed, the city itself is close to rioting.

Even though the reader knows who the murderer is from early in the book, watching the police reach the same conclusion was an adventure and very interesting.

In this book the city of Edinburgh plays a big part. The abject poverty, the bleak streets affected much by the dreary relentless weather are described very well. The reader is transported to Edinburgh in 1881. One can see the gas lamps, the rowdy pubs, the downtrodden citizens in the Old Town. This is contrasted with the glittering rich folk who gather in their fine houses, take hansom cabs everywhere and seek entertainment in fine venues.

This book is extremely well written and plotted. I truly enjoyed it and the relationships between the police officers such as DI Hamilton and his boss DCI Crawford and Sergeant Dickerson and DI Hamilton. Sufficient background is given about the major characters to flesh them out, but not so much that it interferes with the story. Indeed, it adds a touch of humanness to the telling.

I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for forwarding to me a copy of this most remarkable novel to read.

I found the writing too laboured and pedestrian for me. The story has promise, but for me failed to deliver. Many apologies for not liking this more but it was really just not for me. Many thanks for the book.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of Edinburgh Twilight, the first novel in a projected series to feature DI Ian Hamilton of the Edinburgh Police.

It is winter 1881 when Ian is called out to a body at the foot of Arthur's Seat. He suspects murder but it takes some arm twisting to get DCI Crawford to let him investigate. When a second murder occurs the press call the killer The Holyrood Strangler and Ian has his work cut out to find this elusive killer.

I thoroughly enjoyed Edinburgh Twilight. It is a good read with an eventful and interesting investigation. The setting lets the reader see how far investigation has come in the intervening years. Hamilton and his assistant, Sergeant Dickerson, cover all the bases from inspecting the bodies visually to establish cause of death to crime scene investigation and all points in between and with no forensics they have to use interviews and deductive reasoning to find the perpetrator. Ms Lawrence does an excellent job as I was glued to the pages, wondering what was coming next.

The reader gets some glimpses of the killer, not enough for it to be intrusive and annoying, but enough to have a good guess at his identity.

I like the setting and the atmosphere. Like Hamilton and Dickerson I too have been drenched in a downpour on Arthur's Seat - I don't think I've ever been wetter in my life and as it's Scotland the rain plays a huge role in the atmosphere. The poverty depicted is appalling, as it was, and seems realistic. Edinburgh is an ideal town for hunting an elusive killer as the Old Town is full of nooks and crannies which Ms Lawrence makes successful use of.

The characterisation is interesting. The characters who surround Hamilton are pleasant and well drawn. The dialogue is often humourous and amusing. I'm on the fence about Hamilton himself as he is a hard character to like. Unable to rescue his parents from a house fire he has issues. He is austere, hardworking and fairly censorious - a typical Presbyterian as more than one character remarks and yet he has moments of kindness and is supportive of Sergeant Dickerson. It's a strange mixture which I hope will settle down in future novels.

Edinburgh Twilight is a good start to what looks like a promising series so I have no hesitation in recommending it.