Inspector Michael Devane is given the job of investigating the murder of a theatre producer. Haunted by his memories of the Ripper murders of 1888 and a growing addiction to opium, his clairvoyant abilities lead him into dangerous paths. Once on the trail of the murderer, Devane meets the young widow of the murdered man and knows at once that she will be special to him. The trouble is, she may also be the murderer…

Out of Hell is a good read. The writing conveys a sense of foggy Victorian London, the language suits the time and even the subsidiary characters are well drawn. The major characters are excellently portrayed. Ms Bridger has a slight tendency to overcomplicate sentences, as in this example: “It was another of his deliberate breaches of protocol, and committed for the same reason as his previous action had, he wanted to get close enough to read something of Davenshire’s reactions that would be hidden from visible sight.” 

But it does nothing to spoil the excellence of the story, which will keep you guessing to the last pages.