by Anne Perry
First published 2011
The body of Mickey Parfitt floats up from the Thames, and nobody mourns the dead crook. William Monk, commander of the River Police, finds one puzzling clue: an expensive scarf that belonged to a wealthy man. His investigation leads him to a floating den of corruption that Parfitt operated on the river. Inside, Parfitt held captive a group of starving boys for men who paid well for illicit pleasures. Though Monk and his wife Hester feel no sympathy for the victim, duty compels them to pursue justice. The case draws them into an earlier unsolved crime and forces a dangerous confrontation with some of the empire's most powerful figures. The investigation culminates in a courtroom battle where Monk faces his old friend Oliver Rathbone in a trial filled with mounting tension. As the legal proceedings unfold, Monk must navigate the conflict between personal feelings and professional obligation while exposing the dark corruption that thrives in Victorian London's shadows.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, crime, thriller, detective, 19th-century
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, investigation
Setting: London, Thames
Period: Victorian
307 pages · Hardcover · Random House
Content warnings: abuse, child-abuse, graphic-violence, sexual-content