London, 1892. A city where gaslight meets electricity, and ancient secrets collide with scientific revolution.
Paul White arrives at the Royal College of Science as an eager student, hoping to unlock the mysteries of analytical engines under the tutelage of the brilliant but enigmatic Professor Reginald Dixon. But the fog-shrouded streets of Victorian London harbor darker puzzles than any mathematical equation.
When Paul’s closest friend from schooldays died under mysterious circumstances, it set him on a path that would lead him into the shadowy world of the Docklands—where scientific genius walks hand-in-hand with unspeakable horror. Now, as bodies appear in the East End bearing the hallmarks of Jack the Ripper, Paul discovers that the boundaries between man and machine, between creation and abomination, are more fragile than he ever imagined.
Dixon’s experiments push the very limits of what it means to be human. His analytical engines don’t just calculate—they think. But in the gaslit laboratories and opium dens of London’s underworld, Paul uncovers a conspiracy that stretches from the Royal College to Scotland Yard, from secret societies to the highest echelons of power.
As ancient Hebrew ciphers reveal their deadly secrets and steam-powered nightmares come to life, Paul must navigate a world where the greatest minds of the age are locked in a deadly game of chess—with human consciousness itself as the prize. The work of Ada Lovelace, long thought lost, holds keys to mysteries that some will kill to possess and others will die to protect.
In this electrifying blend of historical thriller and scientific speculation, every equation has a human cost, every discovery demands a sacrifice, and every answer leads to deeper, darker questions. Set against the authentic backdrop of Victorian London’s scientific revolution, The Night’s Cipher reveals how our modern world of artificial intelligence and technological manipulation had its bloody birth in the fog-wrapped streets of the 1890s.
Some secrets were never meant to be decoded. But once you begin reading the cipher, there’s no turning back.
For readers who relish the intellectual puzzles of Umberto Eco, the atmospheric detail of Caleb Carr, and the technological speculation of William Gibson—all wrapped in the authentic intrigue of Victorian London.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Nights-Cipher-Paul-Gordon-James/dp/B0FJK2M9XM/
Amazon.co.uk: https://amzn.to/3Uzyr2o