
In this tale, the city of London teeters on the brink of disaster as a mysterious and deadly force spreads throughout its streets. The narrative follows a young protagonist who becomes embroiled in a desperate bid to uncover the truth behind the sinister events unfolding around him. As the body count rises and panic grips the population, the hero must navigate a complex web of intrigue and deception to prevent catastrophe from striking. Along the way, he encounters a cast of characters whose true loyalties are shrouded in mystery, adding an air of tension and suspense to the narrative. Through its gripping storyline and vivid portrayal of life in Victorian-era London, this tale masterfully crafts a sense of urgency and foreboding that propels the reader towards a thrilling conclusion.
By Fred M. White · First published 1884 · Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller, Adventure · 11,821 words
I.
The sky was as brass from the glowing East upwards, a stifling heat radiated from stone and wood and iron -- a close, reeking heat that drove one back from the very mention of food. The five million odd people that go to make up London, even in the cream of the holiday season, panted and gasped and prayed for the rain that never came. For the first three weeks in August the furnace fires of the sun poured down till every building became a vapour bath with no suspicion of a breeze to temper the fierceness of it. Even the cheap press had given up sunstroke statistics. The heat seemed to have wilted up the journalists and their superlatives.
The River of Death: a Tale of London in Peril is listed on Textopian as a novel by Fred M. White, dated 1884 CE.
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Mystery · Thriller · Adventure · Detective Fiction · Crime · Suspense · London Setting · Victorian Era · Historical Fiction · Serial Story · Penny Dreadful · Gothic Horror