The Constantine Affliction

It’s 19th-century London. The aurora anglais illuminates the night sky, alchemical fires eternally rage through Whitechapel, and men, fearing the sexually transmitted Constantine Affliction—a disease that either kills its victims or transforms them into the opposite sex—increasingly patronize brothels staffed by clockwork prostitutes. When a serial killer targets the remaining human sex workers, their boss, Abel Value, blackmails aristocrat and amateur sleuth Pembroke “Pimm” Halliday into finding the culprit. Pimm investigates, accompanied by his wife, Winifred “Freddy” Halliday, a sufferer of the Constantine Affliction; investigative journalist Eleanor Irene Skyler; and Adam, an undead scientist who seeks to create a lover from metal and corpses. They uncover a melodramatically nefarious and implausible plot that threatens the entire world. Despite some stock characterizations and illogical world-building, Payton’s promising debut is a fast-paced and entertaining addition to the steampunk genre. Agent: Ginger Clark, Curtis Brown Agency. (Aug.)