Boon's Bookcase

The Dolocher 

by

Caroline Barry

Blog Tour

The Dolocher is stalking the alleyways of Dublin. Half man, half pig, this terrifying creature has unleashed panic on the streets. Can it really be the evil spirit of a murderer who has cheated the hangman's noose by taking his own life in his prison cell, depriving the mob of their rightful revenge? Or is there some other strange supernatural explanation?

This terror has come at the perfect time for down-at-heel writer Solomon Fish. With his new broadsheet reporting ever more gruesome stories of the mysterious Dolocher, sales are growing daily and fuelling the city's fear. But when the Dolocher starts killing and Solomon himself is set upon, he realises that there's more to the story than he could ever have imagined.

With the help of his fearless landlady, ship's surgeon-turned-apothecary Merriment O'Grady, Solomon goes after the Dolocher. Torn between reason and superstition, they must hold their nerve as everyone around them loses theirs. But are they hunting the Dolocher or is the Dolocher hunting them?

Review

When I saw the cover for this book I knew I just had to read it. The cover is so beautiful and instantly grabs your attention. This is the first adult book by Caroline Barry as she usually writes YA books. I don’t think this is going to be her last………..

The book is set on the streets of Victorian Dublin when a vile, evil, prisoner escapes the hangman’s noose by killing himself and all hell breaks looks in the city.

Merriment O’Grady (what a fabulous name!), is the local apothecary and decides to take on an apprentice, a local ragamuffin child who goes by the name of Janey Mack. She is a sweet child, who cannot believe her luck at being “bought” from a local villian who treated her badly and given a new life and the chance to learn a trade.

Merriment has a room for rent and along comes Solomon Fish, a journalist who is fascinated by the escaped prisoner as witnesses claimed to have seen a half man, half pig creature running about the city causing all sorts of panic.

Local people are terrified that the beast is The Dolocher and has come back to haunt the city and take revenge on his jailers.

This is a fabulous historical tale of crime along with fantasy and I loved it! If you want to know whether the beast is real or not, you will just have to read it!

A big thank you to Laura Nicol and Black & White Publishing for sending me a copy of the book to review.