First published 1997
Victorian investigators prowl England's fog-shrouded streets and isolated villages, hunting killers who leave behind more than corpses. In London's gaslit alleys, a detective deciphers a cryptic message that reveals a fatal secret someone killed to protect. In the countryside, another sleuth follows ghostly legends to uncover what became of a vanished person. These cases demand more than logic and observation. The detectives must question their own sanity as their brilliant minds edge toward obsession. Each solved mystery extracts a personal toll from those who refuse to let secrets rest. The pursuit of justice reveals uncomfortable truths about human nature, showing how seemingly ordinary people conceal monstrous capacities for evil. These investigators navigate the murky territory between right and wrong, where the methods of seeking justice can corrupt the seeker.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, thriller, detective, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Copper Beeches, Hampshire, Winchester
Period: Victorian
258 pages · Paperback · Dover Publications