Much like what happens in baseball, I believe I've fallen into a reading slump. This summer's advanced readers have been rather disappointing. All seduced me with mention of Victorian London, but all failed to capture my attention. The Thing About Thugs is told in different voices by three different narratives, one of which is set in an annoying script. None of them are particularly interesting, surprising, shocking or intriguing. Instead of building tension and drawing a connection as promised in the synopsis, this style is jarring and convoluted. Just when I was getting used to a voice, it would whip back to another and frankly, was so over-written that it was stressful to follow. I simply got bored. I tried, I really tried, but I couldn't become engaged with the story. Also, the comparison to Charles Dickens is in my opinion, absurd. The only commonality is London, besides that, I have a difficult time agreeing with the PR for this novel. I think many readers will find it misleading and disappointing. If you're looking for a good old murderous mystery novel set in Victorian London, this is not it. If you want cultural insight into India and a lesson in phrenological science, perhaps you will enjoy The Thing About Thugs.
