Rating: 4 out of 5.

I really enjoyed this Victorian era historical fiction mystery series and love how the author continues to keep stories fresh and interesting even after 15 books. The book features two private enquiry agents, Barker and Llewelyn, and is set mostly in the East End of London. It comprises mainly working class and immigrants and has a lot of poverty and crime.

This book starts off with the agents being hired by a group of merchants to catch criminals that have been robbing stores at night in the area. While on a stake-out, they come across a beggar woman that provides them with a lead to the robberies. At the same time, the duo are hired by Sir Hugh Danvers and his wife to find her sister, and American heiress, who has been missing for six months. As if that isn’t enough, the collapse of a railway tunnel kills dozens of people and shuts down much of the utility services to the city, and a riot occurs at a women’s shelter.

I listened to this book and the narrator did a great job portraying the gritty atmosphere and tension of the story as the action escalates. While all of the above cases seem totally unrelated, the author does a great job intertwining aspects of them throughout the book. The partners’ demeanor’s are opposite of each other, but they work well together and compliment each other’s strengths. The book has a great mixture of action and mystery, with plenty of twists and turns along the way. Some you will see coming, and others you will not. While this is book 16 in the series, it can be read as a stand alone, although reading the previous books to learn more of the backstories of the characters will add to your enjoyment.

I received a complimentary audio copy of this book from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio. All opinions are my own.