May's vague recollection of a murder he may have witnessed in the depths of the sewer system results in his becoming the prime suspect and being incarcerated in an asylum. When he courageously decides not to rubber-stamp the use of inferior brick, he puts his life, his sanity and his family at risk. That immense public works project is a natural magnet for the corrupt, and engineer William May, a psychologically scarred Crimean War veteran, soon finds his ethics challenged. When the "great stink" of the title-the product of an oppressive heat wave combined with putrid sewage overflow-threatens to shut down the British capital in 1855, the politicians agree to fund massive repairs. Dickens fans should devour British author Clark's debut novel, a gripping and richly atmospheric glimpse into the literal underworld of Victorian England-the labyrinthine London sewer system.
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