Recent Reads {The Frightened Man}

The Frightened Man by Kenneth Cameron - This mystery novel is set in turn of the century London, and the protagonist is an American author hoping to leave his past behind him.  Denton's storied past includes his time as a Civil War soldier, a Western sheriff, and a small farmer, as well as tragic memories from childhood and his marriage.  He is visited by a terrified man claiming to know the identity of Jack the Ripper, and he that he is now being pursued by the murderer.  At first Denton dismissed the man as a lunatic, but when a young prosititute is found murdered, Denton is drawn into the investigation.  The police seem inclined to close the case quickly with as little bother as possible, but Denton continues to follow up on the clues he has, and becomes the murderer's next intended victim.  The entire setting is dark and gloomy, but with enough wry humour in the dialogue to prevent it being depressing.  After all, the crime and poverty would have been dark indeed.  I did sometimes have a little trouble keeping some of the supporting characters sorted out, but other than that it was a good mystery read.  One of my favorite mystery novelists is Anne Perry, and The Frightened Man put me in mind of Perry's William Monk series, so I'd recommend it to others who enjoy that series.