The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a retelling of The Island of Doctor Moreau, classic sci-fi tale from 1896 by Wells. A story I read a few years ago. While the writing wasn't for me I did find the ideas very interesting. So when I saw that Moreno-Garcia was writing this book I was very excited. I kept my expectations to a minimum though as you can never know.

I enjoyed the story but also the setting of this book. The setting itself is much more important and thought out. The backdrop of nineteenth century Mexico with the colonailism and class themes adds such more depth to this novel.

Of course the author changed more than that. The experimentations are a bit different but that doesn't take away from the original themes of the original novel, religion, science and morality.

But of course also the addition of the daughter changes a lot. The focus now lays with Carlotta and the hired help Montgomory. This different view gives more depth to some of the themes we get. The morality is very diffent with Montgomory to what it is for Carlotta. Montgomery having been skewed by his previous experiences while Carlotta has been much more protected. Even more so when Carlotta has a bigger role to play in the actual experimentations.

The romance that is in here is in a way an exploration for Carlotta who has been so protected. It felt like it was natural for her to explore that part of her own womanhood when the first young man comes to her. While Montgomory, older and jaded, naturally is drawn to such a naive young woman when she is the only one around for him to be drawn to. But the romance doesn't go the way one would expect. And I really appreciate that.

Having impressed everyone with the atmospheric novel, Mexican Gothic, we are now treated to a combination of science fiction and romance in The Daughter of Doctor Moreau.

The book quickly transports you to Yucatán, to a rancho occupied by the mysterious Doctor Moreau. The story is told mostly through his daughter, Carlota, whose sheltered upbringing means she is less aware of the strangeness of events that have taken place around her. The narrative is interspersed with the perspective of newcomer, Montgomery Laughton, who provides the outside view. Laughton is shocked when he first sees one of Doctor Moreau’s hybrid creations, whereas Carlota has grown up with them as playmates.

The story really begins with the introduction of Laughton into the household but follows Carolta’s progression. She becomes more self-aware, falls in love, and must grow quickly as events unfold.

The writing feels classic, Moreno-Garcia conjures a mixture of Shelley and Austin, the tragic love story interwoven with metaphysical meddling. While the Doctor himself has an almost deiform self-view, he is in the thrall of a wealthy donor who has funded his work. This maelstrom is used to highlight the real-world practices that replaced the slave trade; the trapping of people in servitude with debts instead of ownership.

One of the great things about the fantasy genre is that it allows narratives of class and race to be explored indirectly. We can explore through elves and dwarves something that is harder to digest in more real forms. Though there are no elves or dwarves in this story, the hybrids are able to illustrate the real situation in Yucatán as a result of conquest and colonialism.

The book is pretty packed, the action draws you onwards. Rather than the tense atmosphere of Mexican Gothic, this novel propels forward with a more urgent feeling of impending catastrophe. While there are some similarities, they certainly aren’t at all obvious.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia has delivered a very different story with The Daughter of Doctor Moreau, but it’s still a superb story and a vivid depiction of the people and the unique location.

TW: alcohol abuse (please check for other triggers before reading)

Silvia Moreno-Garcia has been on my radar ever since Mexican Gothic was published (even though I STILL haven’t read it!), so I was super excited to read the Daughter of Doctor Moreau. This story was a reimagining of the classic tale of the Island of Doctor Moreau by H G Wells in 19th century Mexico. There were themes of feminism, romance and mystery in this science fiction novel which made the story so appealing.

Immediately I was captured by Moreno-Garcia’s description of Yaxaktun. Her use of language was beautiful and provided a gorgeous description of the setting. I especially loved the development of Carlota and her growing independence and resistance towards her father as the novel progressed. The multiple POVs provided included those from Montogomery, which added additional depth to the plot by exploring his views and thought process. I was also grateful that the author provided a range of different personalities for the hybrids which really added to different interactions between other characters.

My only critique was the pace of the story. I thought it was quite slow which disengaged me slightly, and I didn’t get through it as quickly as I hoped. That being said I was also very busy at the time so that may have contributed to it!

An enjoyable first read from Moreno-Garcia- I’m excited to read more :)

Read: to get transported to nineteenth century Mexico with an element of science fiction 🇲🇽

NB: Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for giving me an eARC of this book (pub. 19/07/22). I voluntarily read and reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

"I've only ever been 'the doctor's daughter', but I feel as if I may now be someone else and chart my path."

Silvia Moreno Garcia's latest offering is loosely inspired by H.G. Wells' The Island of Dr. Moreau, a book which according to the Afterword is "a book that tells the story of a shipwrecked man who discovers an island inhabited by strange creatures that have been operated on as part of Dr. Moreau's vivisection experiments." I haven't read the book that inspired this novel, but "The Daughter of Dr. Moreau" is in a league of its own. Moreno Garcia's trademark of evoking atmospheric setting coupled with immersive writing takes us to Yaxaktun, a separate island where Dr. Moreau, Montgomery Laughton (his mayordomo) and his daughter, Carlota live, the doctor working on creating hybrids for his employer and haciendero, the Lizaldes. Everything changes when the younger son of the Lizaldes, Eduardo, stumbles upon Yaxaktun and meets Carlota, and from there, the tale takes a different turn.

I really liked how even though this work tends toward the more sci-fi side of things, there is that Gothic touch to the setting of it. Carlota and Montgomery's POVs were also central to the progress of the story and its all overarching theme of how there is sometimes madness in genius, and what it truly means to be human.

This is one of those reviews that I wouldn't otherwise write except for the fact that I agreed to give an honest review.

I wanted to love this book. I REALLY wanted to love it. I wanted to get caught up in the setting and the tale and the characters and their interactions with one another but I just couldn't engage with any of it.

I did love the elements of Mexican history and society that were included in the story and the periphery but beyond that I found there was little that I actively enjoyed.

There was nothing overtly wrong with the story or storytelling, it just wasn't engaging enough. The characters lacked complexity, the story was predictable, there was none of the Victorian quality and atmosphere one might expect from a reimaging of "The Island of Doctor Moreau", and the hybrids played such a diminished role that they almost felt pointless.

This novel just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me a free digital copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.

I've heard such beautiful things about Silvia's writing, but unfortunately I just couldn't get into this one! I tried a couple times, but it just didn't captivate me and so I have decided to put it down for the time being. I may return to it at a later date though since I do really want to read it!

It won't let me submit without a star rating, so I have rated it a neutral three stars for the time being :)

I'm already familiar with the H G Wells story, so the slow build up to the existence of the hybrids (part human, part animal) at the beginning of this story wasn't really a surprising reveal for me, as it may have been for other readers who were going into this a little more blind.

The backdrop of the Yucatan, a peninsular that almost feels separate from the rest of Mexico, as well as the contained and nearly claustrophobia-inducing setting of the jungle around Carlota's home, add to that slightly gothic and unearthly feeling that Moreno-Garcia produces so well.

However, I felt that the first half of the book was very drawn out. In part that's to show the fine balance that everything is working in before Eduardo arrives against his father's wishes to upset everything. But the actual action didn't begin until nearly two thirds of the way through with Carlota's seduction, which made everything feel a lot longer than the novel actually is.

I also found myself anticipating a lot of what was coming, especially with regard to Carlota, although I had expected a slightly more dramatic (rather than positive) ending to the whole story.

I think Moreno Garcia loves writing a slightly broken older man who can only admire the younger (more naive) woman from a distance - and I love to read it.

An enjoyable story and a fresh take on the tale of Doctor Moreau, but this didn't quite grip me in the way that I wanted it to.

4 stars.

Lovers of the intense haunting of Rebecca will love this!

This book was wrapped in a chilling haunting feel and constantly left me questioning the origin. The plot is simple yet effective and the writing is where it really takes off!

I was sucked into this intense and vivid retelling without knowing anything about the original classic. Once I read into its inspiration, it only enhanced my reading experience. From what I can tell, it's a brilliant retelling. The beginning was slow but soon picked up and I couldn't put it down. The twists and turns were not expected (if I had read The Island of Doctor Moreau then I might've known) it constantly kept me on my feet.

Can't wait to read more by this author, she has such a way with words.

Set in Mexico in the later 19th century, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau picks up the central idea of HG Wells's novel of vivisection and species reshaping and relocates events to the Yucatán, a politically and culturally complicated region in the throes of a post-colonial uprising. (There's a slightly cheeky justification for this given in an ancient confusion about whether Yucatán was actually a peninsula or an island).

Bt there are also wide themes here. There's romance too, and at the centre, a determined and composed young woman who's growing into an understanding of herself and her place in the world - but hot altogether happy at what she finds.

Carlota Moreau lives with her father on a remote holding, Yaxaktun, along with a few servants and the population of "hybrids" that her father has created through his experiments. Fully realised, they have hopes and desires as well as fears and afflictions, and are portrayed in a manner that takes our understanding of them far beyond their counterparts in Wells's book. Carlota is devoted to her father, obedient, and alive to the suffering of the hybrids (she's picked up some medicine and helps care for them). She has been brought up pretty much in isolation, but will need, in this story, to grow up quickly and cope with a crisis in her little world (she proves resourceful and tough).

An early arrival in the story is Montgomery Laughton, an English adventurer much addicted to drink and gambling, who's drifted from one shady occupation to another. Laughton is mourning the loss of his beloved wife and taking rather too many risks as a result. Moreno-Garcia's portrayal of Laughton is sensitive and convincing, bringing out both his ruthlessness and "man of action" person and also his inner turmoil and despair.

Laughton becomes mayordomo of Yaxaktun, managing the house and the estate, thereby bringing him into contact with Carlota and conflict with Hernando Lizalde who finances the whole operation. Lizard is a wealthy landowner who wishes to use Moreau's hybrids as labour on his farms, replacing the local Maya people who are beginning to stand up for their rights.

Chapters are narrated from the perspectives of Carlota and of Laughton. Yes, of course there is SOMETHING between them, but Laughton is so damaged, and Carlota so inexperienced, that misunderstandings and distractions - not least the rapidly spiralling catastrophe spawned by Eduardo, Lizalde's headstrong son - keep tuning things round and b ringing the two into conflict.

Written with great verve, I found this a rattling good story that features not only all the above but also the uprising by the indigenous Maya people, colonial politics (the British are just offstage, always looking for some advantage) and - at the centre of this thoughtful and thought-provoking novel - questions of identity, morality and destiny. It's a book where the villains, if one can use the word, are complex, the heroes, again if I can describe them so, have feet of clay, and those from whom one might not expect to hear, are articulate. Another book from an author who seems able to write b brilliantly in any genre she chooses, and one which highlights history and culture with which I was completely unfamiliar and delighted to learn about.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau had an interesting concept, but in the end it wasn't my cup of tea. Don't get me wrong, it was a good story but I didn't feel emotionally invested nor I grew fond of the characters. After reading and loving Gods of Jade and Shadow, I hoped to enjoy her other books as well. Alas, it seems that GoJaS is the only exception.

I enjoyed this a lot more than Mexican Gothic and especially the first half of this novel I found so atmospheric and creepy. I know that this was based off The Island of Doctor Moreau but I found that there was a big Frankenstein feel to it as well and I was really fascinated by this.

The novel is set in Mexico where Carlota, the daughter of Doctor Moreau, lives in a sanitarium along the doctor and his strange experiments. The first parts of the novel which explored the experiments and the relationships between those who lived in the sanitarium I thought was brilliant. The atmosphere was absolutely great and I would’ve like to see this atmosphere sustained through the whole novel.

As the plot progresses, new people find their way to the sanitarium and what is actually happening under the guise of the doctor is slowly unravelled. I found parts of this predictable but the setting and writing was good enough for this not to matter.

The last third of the book I didn’t like as much and I found that the creepy vibe gave way to a lot of action and I wasn’t really the biggest fan of this. I think that I prefer gothic novels to be subtle and claustrophobic and there was too much going on for me to really enjoy the ending.

Would really recommend this however as I’m wanting to pick up more from this author.

Not my first Moreno-,Garcia and definitely not the last as this book is fantastic!

A wonderful Dr. Moreau retelling, well written, well paced and totally gripping.

Totally worth reading and highly recommended by this reader!

I often tend to think fantasy and science fiction are the genres that explore power. In epic fantasy and science fiction this is often quite a simple act of overthrowing some Dark Lord ™ , Evil Empire or establishing a new hereditary monarch for the greater good. But power and more specifically control can be very subtle and that requires a different approach. In Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s we get an intelligent and subtle science fiction novel The Daughter of Doctor Moreau we meet a small cast of characters test the relationships that all bind them together and ultimately their hidden world will be tested and may not survive much longer.

Doctor Moreau and his daughter Carlota live in the remote Yucatan peninsular in the 19th century. They are well hidden from everyone as the Doctor’s work must be kept secret. He is working with a wealthy landowner to produce hybrids – animals mixed with human DNA that have sentience and human emotions but ultimately, he wants to make as strong as humans to work as cheap labour. A science that for many reasons moral and financial he wants few to know about just yet. In his household the drunken and guilt-ridden Englishman named Montgomery Laughton has found a place he can work, drink, and try to forget as well as settle down. But Carlota is now a beautiful young woman and a chance encounter with Eduardo the son of the man who pays for Moreau’s work leads to a change in all the dynamics of their little world and the secrets of the hybrids my not be kept for much longer.

It is worthwhile to note that this is more a psychological thriller despite the SF element of the hybrids. While they are ever present in the background and the story it’s the relationships between Carlota, Montgomery, Doctor Moreau, and Eduardo that take centre stage. You do feel the hybrid element grow throughout the tale but for good reason they are not a mass special effect they are the genteel and strange inhabitants of a world the others all have an interest in. Moreno-Garcia instead gives us a focus on characters who all owe the others something – Carlota is the obedient daughter of her strange father and sees him initially as infallible and doing great work. For Montgomery the Moreaus are his employers and give him a way to live and yet also allow him his self-destructive urges to drink and lose himself. But the story shows all is not quite as it seems. Moreau is not a God just massively dependent on his patron for money, a place to live and his patron just wants an advantage in having a genetically produced slave labour force. Carlota finds the young and dashing Eduardo offering her a chance of freedom, passion and also long-term control over the holding and a place her hybrids can live in peace. Montgomery though knows too well young men can promise the world and never deliver and feels often obligated to save Carlota from what he feels will be a terrible mistake.

Moreno-Garcia’s skill in plotting here comes evident and through rotating chapters focused on Carlota’s and Montgomery’s own parts of the story we get to see the world through each other’s eyes. The young innocent woman starting to realise she is no longer a child and the cynical and yet puzzled Montgomery who feels increasingly the need to get involved in the Moreau’s story even if no good can come of it. This duo’s relationship is not quite a romance but more two very different characters who strangely complement each other and bring out their respective human/impulsive sides. They cycle through arguing, distrust and almost affection for each other that pushes and pulls them tina strange orbit throughout the story.

His leads to that exploration of power that for me was at the heart of the book. The father daughter dynamic that gets to be more where Moreau expects obedience of Carlota just as much as he wants his Hybrids to obey him not just through work but also his strict Christian faith (and idea of punishment for disobedience) and yet this man who seems so large at the start of the tale is soon revealed hollow and hypocritical. More wealthy and crueller men are instead in control and Moreno-Garcia notes that this period of what will become modern Mexico is torn with revolution as the native Mayan population start to revolt against their landowners. In contrast we find Hybrids who we gently get to know despite their strange animal appearances just seem fully human in their emotions and way of life. Only Carlota and Montgomery tend to see them as family and friends. Just like Carlota they are expected to do what others want with no say and as the story progresses the outer world offers both a way of escape and also entrapment for both Carlota and the hybrids. There is a sense of escalating tension that these power relationships are pulling too heavily on one another and soon in a fairly action packed and bloody finale it all erupts to a satisfying conclusion.

I really enjoyed reading The Daughter of Doctor Moreau. It questions is anyone ever in control bar the forces of capitalism and can ever find our own way out? Delicate character work combines with the rising tension all create a brisk focused and intimate tale hurtling towards its conclusion. Another fine tale from one of the genre’s best writers at the moment.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is the third Silvia Moreno-Garcia book and it had everything I thought it would, from the gothic atmosphere to the weird and wonderful characters.

One of the things I think the author excels at is blending genres. This is a sci-fi with historical elements and I found it thoroughly interesting that this was a loose reimagining of H. G. Wells' 'The Island of Doctor Moreau.' I really appreciated the twist Moreno-Garcia added to an already established story.

In this book we follow two contrasting perspectives: Carlota, the daughter of Doctor Moreau, and Montgomery, an English man with a dark and tragic past who finds himself employed by the eccentric doctor. Montgomery's perspective was sad and brooding, with a self-destructive attitude and a cloud of blame hanging over himself for past events. Carlota's perspective, though, was the stand out. We watch this dutiful daughter discover herself and the secrets hidden of Yaxaktun Sanctuary. We watch her grow into this fierce and independent character. They were both engaging characters but there was a connection to both of them that I just didn't get and it kept me from truly caring about what was happening to them.

While there is nothing objectively bad with this book per se, there was just something about this book that I thought was missing. It's a perfectly solid read but I felt like I was waiting for something that never occurred, which left me feeling disappointed the more I approached the ending of the book. I know we shouldn't compare books but it lacked that spark I felt when reading Mexican Gothic.

Overall, I'm happy I read this but it's not one I can see myself rushing to re-read. That being said, I would absolutely recommend it to anyone who enjoys unique reimaginings and historical settings with a twist.

The author is never pigeon holed to a genre and all her diverse writings are a delight to read. There is a common thread with most stories based in Mexico and South America and these places have a strong identity and presence.
The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is a captivating reimagination of The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G.Wells set in the late 19th Century in Yaxaktun on the remote Yucatán peninsula, Dr. Moreau is an experimental scientist funded by a wealthy landowner Hernando Lizdale to create viable human animal hybrids to form a compliant workforce in the plantations.
Carlota Moreau has lived all her life in isolation with few visitors to her home, her companions are Cachito and Lupe and she can think of nowhere she would rather be. Carlota had been a sickly child but her father created a remedy for her affliction which require regular injections. She never knew her mother and we find later that she is the natural daughter of Dr. Moreau.
At the beginning of the story we are introduced to Montgomery Laughton, who is brought in as mayordomo (estate manager) to facilitate the Doctors work and look after the hybrids. Laughton is a man haunted by his past and who vacillates between sobriety and alcoholic indulgence as he settles into the pace of life at Yaxaktun.
Moving years forward the hybrid project is not going well, Carlota has become a stunning young woman, rebellion is brewing in the jungles of Yucatán and it looks like the Doctors funding will be cut off by his benefactor Mr. Lizdale. Enter his son Eduardo Lizdale, charming and worldly and who could be the passport to continued funding if Carlota can bring him up to scratch...
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it for its historical setting blending with science fiction / fantasy. My thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for access to the ARC, all views are my own.

3.5 stars

Let me start of by saying I did not know that this book was based on the classic ' The Island of Doctor Moreau'. I only found out after DNF'ing the book on about 20% because I couldn't get into it. After finding out, I gave it another shot and was able to get into the story a bit better. I liked the concept and SMG has a beautiful way of writing, integrating complex issues like colonialism and post-slavery society into the storyline. I also liked the side characters and their varying personalities. However, due to the complexities of the side characters and the setting it was in, the main character felt a bit flat to me. I did really enjoy that it was dual POV.

Overall, the storyline is great and well written. I don't know anything about 19th century Mexico, yet I still feel like I was there due to the writing, I just simply couldn't get into it but I can see why many other readers love this book!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in exchange of an honest review.

3.5 stars

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is an enchanting mash up of classic sci-fi and historical fiction and will leave you thrilled and intrigued. Silvia Morena-Garcia is an author that has a truly impressive range of titles and while this is not one of my favourites of hers it is still a very strong entrant to her collection full of imaginative sci-fi creatures, a lush jungle atmosphere and fascinating historical backdrop.

We follow Carlota Moreau, who is growing up in a luxurious estate buried deep in the heart of the jungle, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula, and is the only daughter of a genius - or a madman. They are joined by a group of half-animal, half-human hybrids who Carlota has grown up with but must keep secret from the world. They are joined by Montgomery, a melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol, who assists Dr Moreau with his scientific experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas with plentiful coffers. All of them are living in a perfectly balanced and static world which is jolted by the abrupt arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the charming and careless son of Doctor Moreau's patron who causes a chain reaction of secrets revealed and ignition of passions in the sweltering heat of the jungle.

As always Silvia Moreno-Garcia's writing is an absolute delight to read, she masterfully balances the telling of the narrative with a lush, descriptive atmosphere. The only thing that didn't grab me massively in this story was the characters, they are well written but I think they are not the type of characters I personally tend to love. I did really love Lupe and the other hybrid child (whose name I can't remember T_T) but of the others Carlota was kind of annoying and naïve, Montgomery was way too angsty and Eduardo was an absolute sleazebag.

I did really enjoy exploring the roots in classic sci-fi, it felt very nostalgic with nods to the classics but still felt fresh and exciting. I also think it was a very interesting historical setting/time period, especially exploring how isolated Carlota and her family are but how the conflict still massively influences their lives and they can't escape from war.

I really enjoyed seeing Carlota fight for her hybrid family and discovering her fathers secrets, this was probably my favourite part of the book way over the "romance" which I kind of hated. I also enjoyed exploring the dynamic between the Lizdales and Dr Moreau and how this highlighted a) problematic white people having undue influence in native cultures b) the challenges and biases of having someone with ulterior motives funding research that someone else is conducting and the power dynamics at play. These were really interesting themes and I thought explored very well.

Overall this is an enjoyable book exploring unconventional families, what it means to be a monster and the dangers of passions unchecked.

As with every SMG book ever, The Daughter of Doctor Moreau involves many, many interesting and important issues all neatly and masterfully folded into one narrative. The queen of multiple genres does it again.

This reimagining of HG Wells's The Island of Doctor Moreau is set against the backdrop of 19th century Mexico. I've read the original, and not only is SMG's version an incredibly fitting tribute - in my opinion, it also transcends HG Wells's novel. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau doesn't just examine man's moral responsibility in relation to our position in nature, as well as interference with said nature. It also takes a look at women's autonomy, the nebulous and complex nature of father-daughter relationships, and colonialism (would it really be an SMG book if it didn't take a look at colonialism in some way, shape, or form?).

SMG is also a master of evoking an atmosphere and we clearly see her incredible talent in this book. It was sooooo easy for me to imagine Yaxaktun, where Dr. Moreau carries out his experiments on his hybrids and where his daughter, Carlota, has lived all her life. I could vividly see the Moreau house, the cenote where Carlota retreats to when the world becomes too much, and so much more. As a fan of Nick Joaquin and the tropical gothic genre in general, I always find the vibe SMG evokes to be an utter delight and The Daughter of Doctor Moreau is no exception.

this will certainly appeal to established fans of moreno-garcia but i found the tone juvenile and the protagonist far too vanilla which younger readers probably won't mind but i prefer more complex characters...

It's interesting to see that so many people labelled this book as Horror on Goodreads. It is not. Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes a lot of different genres and she's really good at that.

THE DAUGHTER OF DOCTOR MOREAU is a retelling. I would class this as historical fiction or science fiction, because it takes place in the 1800s in Mexico and it reads like a Victorian novel but it contains scientific experiments.

I think many people are aware of Dr. Moreau's (fictional) work. H.G. WELLS is the one that invented him. He lives on an island far away from civilization and he does tests on animals and humans to see if he can combine animal DNA with humans to make them stronger.

In this retelling we follow Carlota, Moreau's daughter and Montgomery, a Englishman who joins the family as mayordomo. He's hunter and caretaker of the hybrids that Moreau has created. It's very character-driven. We follow the emotional state of these two main characters and through their eyes we find out how others feel about there lives in the estate.

Moreau is indebted to the Lizaldes who finance the estate they live on. One day, Lizalde's son and cousin come to visit their house and the son falls in love with Carlota. Things spiral from there.

The only thing I didn't enjoy were the fight scenes. It was easy to lose track of what was happening, but other than that the human (and hybrid) aspect was very well-fleshed out and I was rooting for the main protagonists throughout. I can really recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Victorian novels with a character driven story and a bit of suspense.