It is a tragic story of old How Women were persecuted for being free and under the command of MEN.
With her Father throwing her out, Lizzie finds refuge in a Brothel run by Mrs. Farley. It is London 1759 and murder suspects are chosen not by evidence so much as being in the wrong place at the wrong time.  When one of her visitors is murdered the detective in charge, William Davenport, looks to pin this act on Liz.  Many characters but the story flows nicely.  Another sleuth mystery with an unlikely person with an eye more acute than the police.  Liz follows clues to clear her name.  "A copy of this book was provided by Canelo  via Netgalley with no requirements for a review.  Comments here are my honest opinion."

This book was fabulous I decided to read something different from my normal genre and was not disappointed. The story centred around MC Lizzie who is a well-known prostitute and comes under suspicion when one of her customers is murdered. Lizzie sets out on a mission to prove who murdered her customer and the story quickly becomes a who done it scenario. This book will have you guessing to the very end and is full of twists and turns. I really enjoyed this story and would strongly recommend it to other Lizzie is a lovable character who I won’t be forgetting any time soon. This book is published on May 13th for those that are interested in reading it.

This was a fantastic fast paced and gripping book. Really like the main character and hope there is to be a follow up to this excellent book! I stayed up far to late devouring this :)

A fabulous bawdy romp through the seedier side of eighteenth century London. Lizzie Hardwicke is the titular heroine, a prostitute who finds herself caught up in a murder mystery. She isn't quite all that she seems, and as the story progresses, it becomes clear why she is in the oldest profession. She is an immensely likeable character with a quick wit, intelligence and a heart of gold. When it becomes clear that she runs the risk of standing accused of murder, and that her friends are in danger, she joins forces with the constable Davenport to try and uncover who is behind the crime. 
This is a quick read, and my only criticism is that it is quite superficial. But that's down to my personal taste; I like crime to be so gritty I need to rinse my mouth out after reading. I am looking forward to the next in the series though. 

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Death and the Harlot is a great book that I really enjoyed reading.  The style of writing was easy to get into and the book had a driven and fast pace.  I really  liked the character Lizzie and very much enjoyed her adventure.  I shall be looking forwards to reading many more of her stories.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher for an honest review.  Death and the Harlot is a well-written and gritty look at Georgian London from the perspective of Lizzie Hardwicke, a prostitute.  Lizzie found herself forced to leave home and ended up becoming a Harlot.  Lizzie is one of several girls that live in a house run by Ma Farley which is situated in a respectable neighborhood.  In an attempt to get rid of one of her clients, Lizzie invites George Reed, a merchant from Norwich in town for a while to a party Ma is hosting.  At the party, Reed's behavior quickly becomes boorish and unacceptable; he is booted out on to the street.  The next day Reed's  body is found in the yard behind a local tavern.  Unsure who is responsible for the death,  Mr Davenport of Bow Street questions Lizzie about the events of the previous night and quickly realizes her profession increasing his suspicions of her.  Lizzie finds herself caught up in the investigation and works hard to try and prove her innocence to keep from hanging.  The mystery is extremely well done; the motive and the killer kept me guessing until the reveal.

Ms. Clarke does a wonderful drop of providing readers with a grittier version of London and life in the Georgian era than is typically seen in books set in the world of the Ton.  Lizzie and her friends ended up as harlots for different reasons, but the realities of their lives are not sugar coated; Lizzie has it better than many with her place at Ma Farley's, but she realizes her period to earn money is extremely limited.  She has plans for what happens when she can no longer work, but she is tender hearted and money seems to slip through her hands.  This book is perfect for fans of historical mysteries who appreciate a story not set amongst the upper class.  I hope this is just the first in a series of books to feature Lizzie and her world.

Death and the Harlot is set in Victorian London, which is honestly the best setting for a historical mystery. Our protagonist, Lizzie Hardwicke, embarks on an adventure to clear her name of murder. 

Lizzie was a pleasure! I loved that she made the best of her situation and wasn't ashamed of herself or the other girls that she worked with in the brothel. It wasn't the life she chose, but she's doing the most with the life she has.

I also appreciated that we saw Lizzie actually do her job. It makes Lizzie's character stronger and we can truly appreciate her struggle and understand her actions more. Especially in regards to the other girls and the men she comes into contact with.

And talking of men, the Bow Street Runners are a part of history that is fascinating. And adds a fun dynamic as our characters are not from the most respectable parts of London, nor of the most respectable occupation. William Davenport is a rather stereotypical "mysterious" man, who has a heart bigger than he shows. However, I fell hook line and sinker! And I really enjoy the dynamic of Lizzie and Will. I'm looking forward to seeing where this relationship goes and I expect, and hope for, a lot of bickering along the way. 

The murder mystery element kept me on my toes for the majority of the book. There were a host of characters that were all connected to the "victim" in some way and I, at one point or another, thought they were guilty. I would make an awful detective. The actual resolution was laced through the story so well looking back retrospectively.

Positives:

A strong female character
Lizzie is intelligent, witty and a little rash (which is not necessarily a bad thing)
A lot of the characters all have hints of interesting back stories
A murder mystery which has many twists and turns
Sex and swearing! I hate books that only tell you the character is a prostitute or they are in settings where most people swear, but don't include it at all

Negatives:

There are grammatical and spelling errors, but hopefully, this will get proofread again before the final copy goes out to print.
Lizzie seemed somewhat useless in parts of the book, especially at the beginning. I will say this gets much better, but I wish we could have gotten a steadier progression, than what felt like quite a quick transformation and "eureka" moment at the end.
All in all, I am so excited to see what the future has in store for Lizzie Hardwicke. As well as being excited to see what Georgina Clarke has to bring to the table! 

Once again, the Death and the Harlot comes out 13th May 2019. If you're a fan of fun historical murder mysteries, Lizzie Hardwicke is a name you'll want to watch out.

Set at a time when one in five women must prostitute themselves in order to survive Death and the Harlot takes the reader into the mid-eighteenth century from the view point of one of those harlots. Lizzie Hardwicke has been forced into a life not of her choosing but she is educated, curious, compassionate and courageous, she will try to make the best of a bad lot. Qualities which the Bow Street Runner, Will Davenport, comes to recognise even as he suspects her of the murder of one of her clients. The novel takes us into the underbelly of Georgian society, the rakish careless young men, the doomed street girls and the brutal predators. This is a rollicking and enjoyable read, if a little predictable on the crime elements. The limited arena is well researched and evoked but the period markers are delivered with such a light touch that, aside from the appearance of Sir John Fielding, the narrative might have been set almost anytime in the eighteenth century..

I was pleasantly surprised by this debut historical mystery set in 1759 London. 

While I did guess “who dun it”, the plot line was more imaginative and complicated than I originally thought. But it was the harlot with the ❤️ of gold and eye for detail that stole the show and really shone here. I also enjoyed the Bow Street character of Davenport (except for one instance of behavior toward the end that really didn’t seem to fit with his character to that point). 

I sincerely hope that I haven’t heard the last of Lizzie, her ensemble cast and their further adventures with the Bow Street Runners. 

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Canelo for the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.

Lizzie Hardwicke is a woman who didn't need to follow the path she finds herself on.

Actions from the past mean she is estranged from her father and this has led her to the streets of Soho. It is 1759, it is not safe for anyone really to walking the streets of London, let alone work on or near them. Crime is rife, highwaymen are gathering reputation and force and the police are but a mere dream for the future.
Lizzie though seems to find herself in the fortunate position of becoming one of Mrs 'Ma' Farley's girls. 

Living and working in what some might see as a respectable milliners but others know as a house where gentlemen can find entertainment and solace with certain types of women.

Lizzie is one such woman. She is luckier than most. That is until her last client ends up dead.

And Lizzie it appears was the last person to see him alive so she must be the murderer.

Enter William Davenport working for the magistrate and he thinks the same, but there is something about Lizzie Hardwicke which sets her above the rest of the potential suspects - the lack of evidence being the main factor.

Lizzie works out the only way to clear her name and save her from the noose is to do some investigating herself. Plunged further into the world of crime, blackmail, fraud and more murder Lizzie finds herself in some very dark places.

With plenty of twists and inevitable red herrings which make up a good crime novel this is an intriguing and interesting read. I had no inclination of the culprit and when it came it was much as a surprise to me as it was to Lizzie.

Interesting relationships are formed between the characters and we get to see perhaps a small glimpse of what life was like for prostitutes in the 18th century both those who could afford that little bit of extra protection and those that couldn't. Add to that the gentlemen who visited them and the magistrates and runners who tried to keep the peace and you have an interesting way of weaving stories, characters and history together.

To engage a more modern audience the book is very much written on the language of now and the authors note at the end explains the reasons behind this but there is enough archaic language in there to get a sense of the time and place.

I felt I was transported back in time to a good old-fashioned murder mystery with all the historical elements to keep me reading and there is definitely an interesting relationship developing between Lizzie and William which I hope we get to see more of in the future.

For fans of murder mysteries or historical fiction or a combination of the both - this debut novel has to be just the beginning for this author.

nitially, I was a little turned off by Lizzie's profession as a harlot; however, as the novel progressed her character won me over. Lizzie assist Mr. Davenport in the hunt for a killer, who has murdered one of her customers as all as a fellow harlot. The relationship between Lizzie and Mr. Davenport is an interesting one, on one hand he is unforgiving of her profession, but on the other he is impressed with her intuition and ability to see the details. For anyone who enjoys Emily Organ, Deanna Raybourn or Sherry Thomas; this series should be added to your to read list! I look forward to the next installment of Lizzie Hardwicke!

Frankly, I’m tired of reading books that portray fat people as disgusting, pathetic, lazy, and/or stupid. I have lots of choices of books to read, and I don’t need to waste my time cringing and feeling about myself while doing something that’s supposed to give me joy.

Lizzie Hardwicke is a prostitute in Georgian London, who finds herself at the centre of a murder investigation. Lizzie is a fantastic protagonist, a feminist ally for the 18th Century, wanting the women alongside her in the brothel and on the streets to have a better life.  One of the Bow Street Runners, William Davenport, is investigating the death of one of Lizzie’s customers, Charles Reed. The book takes us through the twists and turns of Davenport’s enquiry, with Lizzie helping him, and performing some sleuthing of her own. The characters and atmosphere are well drawn, and Georgina Clarke manages to convey 18th Century Soho and Covent Garden thoughtfully and fluently. There are twists and turns and the unmasking of the killer is well plotted. An excellent read.

A really well thought out Historical Crime story . Gives a real good picture of the streets around London at the time it is set . A man is found murdered behind an Inn , frequented by people of all sorts , the Harlot from the title of the book Lizzie has had relations with the "gentleman"  previously and had invited him to a party at her bawdy house , from where he was ejected on the night of his murder . She sets out with a Bow Street Runner to investigate what happened to him , after finding out some papers he always kept with him were missing . There follows an intriguing tale of Blackmail and further murders with a surprising twist in the end .

Lizzie Hardwicke is not the average 18th century Soho prostitute.  She was brought up as a gentlewoman, she's educated, clever and beautiful - she's also just discovered that she was the last person to see a client alive before he was murdered, and is determined to find out what happened to him and clear her own name.  Working with Davenport from the Bow Street Runners, an initially prickly relationship, they navigate both London's underworld and the young men from high society who frequent it.

This was entertaining, despite covering murder, prostitution, abuse and blackmail.  Lizzie is an excellent narrator, and I hope she features in more novels.  The author has a good mix of bluntness about the sex trade without too much gory detail, which makes for an easier read, whilst acknowledging in her afterword that there are some historical inaccuracies for plotting purposes. These aren't glaring, as making Lizzie a prostitute gives her more freedom than other women might have had at the time, whilst not letting go of the other risks she faces as a result.  Hopefully this will be a success, I think it should be!

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was charmed by this novel, and though I do wish the author had done more to make me care about the charcters, it was lovely. The plot twists make it interesting, but the lack of description, character development and romance detracts from the overall enjoyment. In future books, I hope to see much more daring.

This book was fine. I didn't find it amazing, but it wasn't horrible either. I didn't connect to the characters much, or find them overly entertaining. It was easy to pick up to read a quick chapter or two, but it was just as easy to put down. The mystery was very twisty and unpredictable in it's detail, but I guessed the killer right away, like at the discovery of the crime scene. Although I didn't know his backstory or motive, I wasn't exactly riveted the entire book. The story didn't seem to be particularly rooted in it's setting. I kept thinking the story could have played out the same with characters who were not prostitutes. Or in another time or place. Being named Death and the Harlot, I guess I figured the harlot part would come into play a little more.  The main character didn't actually seem like an 1800s London prostitute either. A convenient plot device so a female could go where polite females of the time may not venture and to give the book an attention grabbing title, but nothing more. I'm not completely disappointed in this one, but I don't think I'm interested enough to read a sequel if there is one.

An enjoyable romp, just the thing for a bit of light reading. I get the impression that this is the first in what may become a series - I’d certainly read another.

It's Georgian era London and Lizzie Hardwicke works in a brothel run by Ma Farley.  The city is a dangerous place to be, with highwaymen on the loose and crime rates high as people struggle for survival.  Into this scene steps Mr Reed, a Norwich merchant, client of Lizzie's and - ultimately - murder victim.  With the Bow Street runners (an early kind of police force) treated with mistrust by the local people and a desire to clear her own name, Lizzie begins an investigation that takes her further into London's grim underworld.

I loved this book and read it very quickly, keen to find out what happened.  Lizzie is a clever and engaging heroine and the London setting is evoked well - Clarke doesn't hold back on describing some of the seamier side of life, but it's this that raises the stakes on the story as people are fighting for survival in a pretty lawless world.  The story is well plotted and I didn't see a lot of the twists coming even though I am a seasoned reader of crime fiction.

I'd recommend this to anyone who likes a good historical murder mystery.  It will keep you reading and leave you wanting more - I hope that there are more Lizzie stories to come.

Lizzie Hardwicke is supposed to be a woman of privilege in 17th century London, but has been cast out by her father. She is now living as a prostitute as one of Mrs. Farley's girls. When one of her clients ends up dead, Lizzie is the prime suspect. Lizzie must do everything she can to prove her innocence. As people around her are murdered, she learns the lengths people will go to to keep their secrets buried. 

Georgina Clarke has a hit on her hands. Death and the Harlot was so easy to fall into. Clarke has done a spectacular job with slipping the reader into Lizzie Hardwicke's world. She has created compelling, relatable characters that I was truly invested in. The twists and turns kept me guessing who the murderer was until the very end. I hope based on the ending that this is not the last we will see of Lizzie Hardwicke. Highly recommend