The Quick

The Quick by Lauren Owen
523 Pages

James and Charlotte Norbury are brother and sister from a previously well off family that finds themselves financially strapped with the death of their father.  Forced to shut up the house, the two go to live with their aunt and eventually James continues his education while Charlotte stays at home.  After graduation James moves to London where he finds himself overwhelmed by the enormity of the city.  When the aunt dies, Charlotte sends a telegram and gets no reply.  Worried about what happened to James, Charlotte goes to London and uncovers a horrendous secret.

The novel starts out strongly but devolves about a third of the way into a mishmash of genres.  The biggest failing is that none of the characters become fully developed and the reader has little sympathy for the fates of any of them.  The novel touts itself as a natural choice for readers of Anne Rice, the Night Circus, etc.  It isn't and if you directed a patron to this book as a choice, you would probably lose their faith.