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Resurrection Men (Sooty Feathers – 1) by David Craig

Glasgow 1893.

Wilton Hunt, a student, and Tam Foley, a laudanum-addicted pharmacist, are pursuing extra-curricular careers as body snatchers, or ‘resurrection men’, under cover of darkness. They exhume a girl’s corpse, only for it to disappear while their backs are turned. Confused and in need of the money the body would have earnt them, they investigate the corpse’s disappearance. They discover that bodies have started to turn up in the area with ripped-out throats and severe loss of blood, although not the one they lost. The police are being encouraged by powerful people to look the other way, and the deaths are going unreported by the press. As Hunt and Foley delve beneath the veneer of respectable society, they find themselves entangled in a dangerous underworld that is protected from scrutiny by the rich and powerful members of the elite but secretive Sooty Feathers Club.

Meanwhile, a mysterious circus arrives in the middle of the night, summoned to help avenge a betrayal two centuries old…

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Author Bio

Aside from three months living on an oil tanker sailing back and forth between America and Africa, and two years living in a pub, David Craig grew up on the west coast of Scotland.  He studied Software Engineering at university, but lost interest in the subject after (and admittedly prior to) graduation. He currently works as a strategic workforce planning analyst for a public service contact centre, and lives near Glasgow with his wife, daughter and two rabbits.

Being a published writer had been a life-long dream, and one that he was delighted to finally realise with his debut novel, Resurrection Men, the first in the Sooty Feathers series, published by Elsewhen Press in 2018. Thorns of a Black Rose was David’s second novel, also published by Elsewhen Press. He returns to the Sooty Feathers series with Lord of the Hunt.

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My Review

5 Stars

It is 1893 in Glasgow and we meet Wilton Hunt and Tam Foley. Wilton comes from money but has been kicked to the curb for not following along with the family business. Tam is a retired military man who barely keeps the family pharmacy running so he can stay high on alcohol and morphine to hide from his demons.

Both men manage to keep their heads above homelessness by digging up bodies for the local university. Unfortunately, one night the body they dig up disappears. When they go hunting for it they learn that Glasgow has a serious paranormal underbelly. Vampires run the town and a battle is going to be waged with an angel, demons, and Templar Knights.

I was in to read this book as soon as I read body snatchers and a disappearing corpse. I figured this was going to be a paranormal ridden story, but I had no idea what I was in for. This is one heck of a story that sucked me in from the start and wouldn’t let me go. You have a whole underworld that is being kept hidden. Good versus evil, and two guys stuck in the middle filled with enough snark to keep you laughing through the horrors.

I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone that likes historical/paranormal stories. This is the first book in a series but concludes like a stand-alone. After the ending, I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book, Lord of the Hunt.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

I would like to thank Rachel’s Random Resources for the opportunity to read and share this book.