I am a great fan of the classic whodunnit and am always willing to give historical murder mysteries a try. Although interesting, I found this one a little uneven and don't think I will hunt down the preceding or subsequent in the series.
Plot: there are two plots intertwined here - murder and missing person - and I won't spoil how they are tied together. They seemed to take a while to kick in, so after the climax, I had to reread the beginning just to see how what clues were scattered from the start. Both played out satisfactorily, to my mind, though seemed to go over-long with the red herrings.
Characters: the main character, Heloise Chancey, is a bit of an odd duck. She is the main POV but I can't say I really liked or got to know her. Perhaps this is stems from starting at book 2 of a series, but the overall impression I got of Heloise was of a vain, selfish woman who sees the detective thing as a bit of a lark and something to do while her married lover is tending to his pregnant wife. Far more interesting is her mother and maid (yeah, that made me raise an eyebrow), whose POV carried the B plot and whose perspective on Victorian London was altogether unique and compelling.
Setting; I haven't read much in Victorian England, but I liked how in addition to the parlours and parks, we get to see the docks and the immigrant quarters, where immigrant sailors mingle with the outcasts of society. I loved the diversity shown and the writing here is evocative and rich as it draws the reader into a London that I've rarely seen.
Verdict: an interesting mystery with a fascinating and well-written setting, but let down by a main character I couldn't get behind
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own
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