The first in a charming, evocative, and sharply plotted Victorian crime series starring a detective duo to rival Holmes and Watson
After her father dies, March Middleton has to move to London to live with her guardian, Sidney Grice, the country's most famous private detective. It is 1882, and London is at its murkiest yet most vibrant, wealthiest yet most poverty stricken. No sooner does March arrive than a case presents itself: a young woman has been brutally murdered, and her husband is the only suspect. The victim's mother is convinced of her son-in-law's innocence, and March is so touched by her pleas that she offers to cover Sidney's fee herself.
The investigation leads the pair to the darkest alleys of the East End, and every twist leads Sidney Grice to think his client is guilty. But March is convinced he is innocent. Around them London reeks with the stench of poverty and gossip, the case threatens to boil over into civil unrest, and Sidney Grice finds his reputation is not the only thing in mortal danger.
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“A fast-paced, witty book. While March must
overcome both the prejudices of those who see her as ‘mere Miss Middleton,’
Grice has to readjust his ideas about the intelligence and capability of women
as he begins to accept his goddaughter as a possible assistant. Although the
parallels are unmistakable, Grice and Middleton are refreshingly different from
Holmes and Watson.”
—
Shelf Awareness