This was the first book I'd read by this author and it definitely won't be the last. Caroline Corsham is a brilliant, clever character with depth, feelings and a strong sense of independence. This book is rich in history and full of unsavoury characters who you wouldn't want to meet on a dark, lonely night. I'd highly recommend because trust me you won't be disappointed and you won't want to put this down. It's a brilliant read.

The plot of this book is like a white knuckle ride. Every time you think you have figured it out, there is another strand, another plot twist that keeps you hooked.
The book follows Caro Corsham and her thief catcher Perry Child who are on the hunt for a murderer. Sounds fairly straight forward, but it isn't. In their quest, they will uncover fake identities, a secret club, a runaway wife, and a scandal that goes all the way to the top. It is very hard to describe this book without giving too much away.

I would not describe this book as a sequel as it does not directly lead on from Blood and Sugar, but it takes place within the same context, in a way, with other side characters now taking center stage.
My biggest take away from this book was the characters. I loved the character of Caro in Blood and Sugar, especially how the reader was given a perception of her from Harry's point of view, only for her to subvert our expectations in the best way possible. I loved that we got to spend more time with Caro in this book and that she got an adventure of her own. I also found that while I am very familiar with Harry from the previous book, it was really enjoyable getting to know him in a different way from the perspective of his wife.
Perry Child is another character we got to explore in more detail and if anything I can't wait to reread Blood and Sugar with the new appreciation I have for Perry Child.
If there was one thing to say on the characters in this book it would be this, that the characters are some of the rawest and brutally honest representations of actual people that I have ever read. No character is perfect, no character comes away unscathed, and no character is without their flaws.

Another reason why I have come to love Shepherd-Robinson's writing, and it is evident in this book is for the fact that she does not soften the blow, she does not glamorize the past. When I say her books are a white knuckle ride, they are really a white knuckle ride.

Also, the names of the characters are just so fantastic! I really love the names. They are so fantastical.

This is one of the best books I've read in ages and I literally couldn't put it down. It was really good to read a well written book mixing murder, mystery and history all rolled into one.

It was also interesting to read about a strong female character which would not have been typical for the era in which the book is set.

I am really looking forward to reading more from this author.

Absolutely brilliant read, I highly recommend this book! Immerse yourself in Georgian London and the women of the Whores Club and Harris's List. A lady arranges to meet someone in one of the bowers of Vauxhall Gardens but upon arrival finds her friend dying, having been viciously stabbed. This sets the lady, Caro, on the trail of her murderer, and down a path of secrets, greed, and the sex trade of women in Georgian London. A brilliantly told story, well written and believable characters, and such descriptive writing of the setting- you can picture yourself standing there alongside the protagonists. I could not foresee how this story would end as the plot twisted and turned. The author has deeply researched this period and highlights further reading, for those interested, at the end of her book. I will definitely now read the first book 'Blood and Sugar'. I loved this story!

As usual in my reviews I will not rehash the plot (I always think "why bother to read a book when someone's already told you what happens?") - plenty of other reviews like that out there if that's what you are looking for.

This is apparently a continuation of the author's previous novel "Blood and Sugar" - I haven't read that (will do so now) but this book works just fine as a standalone.

I enjoyed this historical novel, which was an interesting read with well rounded characters and descriptive prose, told from the viewpoint of several characters which rounds the story nicely.

I didn't know much about the Georgian era, so in many ways this was an eye-opener - for instance in line with the open acceptance of prostitution by London society at that time, there's a bewildering array of different terms for prostitutes at various levels. There are some lovely descriptions of London and the surrounding areas as they were then - such as the "little fishing village" of Battersea.

The depiction of the lives of those at the lower end of Georgian society is affecting and filled me with a mixture of horror and sympathy (equally, the lives of some of those in the upper echelons do not appear to be fragrant and carefree either).

In summary, an interesting read - I hope Caro's story continues in a further novel or two.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

A terrific follow up to Laura's debut novel, Blood and Sugar.

This historical novel, set in Georgian England during the period of War of Independence in the United States, is a thrilling, intriguing and exciting absorption into the period. It is almost filmic in its description and immersion into the sights, smells and visions of the period, but unlike Dickens, it is not long winded and barrels along.

Chapters alternate between the perspectives of thief-taker Child and Caro, wife of a man serving in the US colonies and with the perspective of Pamela, a prostitute (and victim of crime). Child and Caro are investigating the murder of a prostitute and a disappearance of another, while also dealing with their own personal issues such as alcoholism and debt and an unexpected pregnancy.

Laura's writing style visually recreates the visceral experience of Georgian London, with its vast differences between the rich and supposedly cultured and the poor and vulnerable. She has captured the vibrant dialogue of the period; I learned a few Georgian swear words, always a bonus. It has a number of unexpected twists and turns and red herrings and I was not able to guess the eventual conclusion.

I would heartedly recommend this for people interested in history, especially social and women's history and those who enjoy a good yarn with murder, intrigue, terror, treachery and even some humour. I look forward to reading Laura's next novel which I know she is already researching as I follow her on Twitter.

Rating 4.5 stars

London, 1782: Mrs Caro Corsham arranges to meet her friend Lucia di Caracciolo, a cousin of the King of Naples. However upon arriving in the bowers of Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, Caro finds Lucia mortally wounded. The last words she whispers are "He knows".

When the constables discover that the deceased woman was a lady of the night named Lucy Loveless, they cease searching for her killer. Caro decides to seek justice for her friend instead and employs the services of a thief-taker, Mr Peregrine Child.

However Georgian society is filled with deceptions and secrets, and finding Lucia's killer more dangerous than Caro envisages.

This was an engaging story even though it took me a long time to read it, following the high society Georgian life as it mixed with the street walkers, tap houses, Bow Street runners and money lenders of the less savoury side of London.

This novel really put you in the action with the descriptions of life back then though at times the author over does it with her descriptions of the atmosphere. The characters were well written.

I thoroughly enjoy this novel and would now go and read the first book from this author that is set in the same period and any more to come. This can definitely be read as a stand-alone book, even though the characters cross over from the first I believe.

I received this book from Netgalley in return for a honest review.

Caro Corsham is waiting for her husband to return home from France but she has no idea when he is coming home. Which is a pity as she's just discovered she's pregnant by her lover and she needs her husband to return soon in order to pass off the baby as his. This, however, soon becomes the least of her concerns when Lucia, the lady she has arranged to meet in Vauxhall Gardens, dies in her arms. The revelation that she was not the Italian heiress she had thought her, but a prostitute by the name of Lucy Loveless, and Caro becomes far more involved with searching for Lucy's killer. And, as if to compound her troubles, her erstwhile lover, Lord March, soon becomes a suspect.
This is an excellent novel. The tension continues apace through the whole narrative, twists and turns, dead ends and confusion, we follow the story through the eyes of three people, Caro herself, Perry Child, a theif-taker employed by Caro to find the killer, and Pamela, a girl we know nothing of whose story becomes entwined with Lucy's and her presumed murder had, in its turn, obsessed Lucy. The stories are woven together and the threads gradually drawn together to a resolution that is as surprising as it is satisfactory.
The historical detail just keeps coming so the reader is immersed into the best of BBC costume dramas, everything is there, sounds, colours, smells, it is quite remarkable.
However, as few things are truly perfect, this - hopefully proof copy I read - has its moments. Some dialogue, especially interrogations between characters, are flat and like a game of tennis with little to break up the question, answer, question, answer format. It is like having Prime Suspect on TV with your eyes closed. And some of the explanations given by some characters tend to be long and although informative, a bit dull with little breaking up the soliloquy and becomes an info dump. A cordial becomes tea in one scene, but these are minor. What really annoyed me and made me wonder at the author was her use of Spanish even in the mouths of characters who are from Italy and Portugal. It makes no sense. Hopefully these details will be picked up before publication.
These are picky comments, and they won't stop me from recommending this to friends and family as a tight, tense novel and a glorious journey through the London of George III..

The blurb for this had me hooked. A historical murder mystery, with focus on the stories of women in Georgian London? That ticks almost all of my ideal book boxes. I wasn't disappointed.

Daughters of Night achieves the aim of every historical fiction writer; that is, it tells a story that feels timeless, with characters not that different to the people one might encounter in the highest and lowest echelons of modern London, yet its historical setting permeates every aspect of the plot and the characters, creating a book that is strongly atmospheric and vividly evocative whilst also being completely relatable.

The plot is well-paced and compelling, going back and forth between Caro Corsham's investigation of the murder of a woman she had believed to be from the same high society world as her, and the story of Pamela, a fifteen-year-old orphan preparing to have her virginity auctioned off in a tableaux house. At first quite disparate stories, the two plotlines slowly come together until they are inextricably linked. The interweaving of the two plots is skillfully done, each revealing aspects of the other, and suspicion is cast upon so many characters that I was kept guessing as to the murderer's identity and motives right up until the end.

The characters, as I already mentioned, are relatable despite their era; main character Caro is a lonely beau-monde wife conducting an affair while her husband is away on military business; the thief-taker she engages to help solve the mystery is a fallen magistrate, now working amongst the very criminals he once put away, living a life typical of the gin-soaked criminal classes of Georgian London. Between the two of them, they know a whole cast of characters from their respective classes, all of whom have some part to play in discovering the truth. I must confess I was worried when I saw that there was a character list at the start of the book, something that usually suggests that there are too many characters to keep track of, but I did not refer to the character list once and was able to remember who everyone was even when only able to read in the few and far-between moments when my baby was napping!

The level of research that the author must have done was clear and impressive: I love it when a historical novel makes me spend hours on Wikipedia looking at the inspirations and the true aspects of the book, and this certainly didn't disappoint in that respect. I already knew a little about some of the aspects of Georgian England covered through the plot, but there was still plenty here for me to learn, though all of it was presented in such a way that it would still be clear and make sense to a reader who has not done, or does not wish to do, their own reading around the topic.

Overall, I was very impressed with this book, and I can't help feel that I have been missing out in not having read Laura Shepherd-Robinson before; the first thing I did upon finishing Daughters of Night was to purchase a copy of her first novel, Blood and Sugar, in which I understand Caro appears as a secondary character, and I look forward to reading this soon. I really pride myself on giving completely honest and detailed reviews, so believe me when I say that I genuinely can't find anything to nitpick at in this; it is the best book I've read in some time. Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for allowing me to read Daughters of Night in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book. It is the first I have read by this author so had no pre conceptions. Although some of the characters first appeared in the previous book, this does not affect your reading of this book. It took a while to get into the story and understand the relationship between the characters. However, I quickly became hooked. It was a fascinating insight into how life was in Georgian times, particularly for women. Even the upper classes women had a difficult life, lacking freedom, whilst lower classes were vunerable to exploitation. The plot revolves around the murder of Lucy Loveless. It took unexpected twists and turns, but I couldn't put it down.
I look forward to reading more about Lady Corsham.

****THINGS I LIKED****
1) Great Characters
2) Nice Portrayal of the Political Historic Period
3) Satisfactorily Packed Mystery Read
4) Good Plotline

****THINGS I DISLIKE****
1) A Little too Stretched Read
2) Lost Interest In-Between Due to Endless Loop in the Story

Daughters of Night follows Caroline Corsham walking in the middle of the night to seek help from her friend Lucia, for her troubles. Little did she knew, her troubles were just getting started the night when she finds her friend brutally murdered in the dark alley. Lucia with her dying breath said only 2 words to Caro, which she couldn’t get out of her mind: ‘He knows’. Could it be her secret? And Who knows it? Is she in danger? She doesn’t know. All she knows now is that Lucia wasn’t who she said she was. She was a prostitute who pretended to be an Italian Noblewomen. Even then, Caroline can’t shake the feeling that the woman died in her arms.

Due to Lucy’s status in the society, the police and law doesn’t care much about her case and declares her case as closed. But Caro can’t shrug off the feeling. She knows there’s more to this case and she takes upon herself to seek justice for Lucia. She decides to hire a thief-taker Peregrine Child to help her with the investigation.

Slowly she finds that the people involved in the murder are really powerful and would do anything to stop this investigation. She knows the investigation is dangerous to her life and her reputation. The constant death threats and blackmails are just acting as fuel to Caro and Child to find the murderer. Caroline is determined to seek justice for Lucy to the extent that she is ready to put everything on the line.

Daughters of Night is a good light read that I enjoyed. There were some good aspects of the storyline and some which bored me a little. All-in-all, it was quite a nice mystery read with some great character portrayals.

I loved this book. It took me a little while to get into it as there are many characters and every scene is described in great detail. It is clear a lot of research of the period has been done so it seemed very real. It is refreshing to have a historical story which is also a murder mystery thriller. I would definately read more from this author.
My only criticism is that i felt the story was a little drawn out due to the detailed descriptions.

1782 what a fascinating time, get ready for an incredible journey into prostitution, murder, lies and deceits.
Loved this book after I got over the large list of characters, halfway through I knew who they were. Good idea to bookmark the first page with character list.
Loved the style of writing, really kept you intrigued and involved..
Narratives from separate women, Pamela's story, a very sympathetic character who is only 15 when the story evolves. poor Caro suffers so much while trying to uncover the truth with the aid of Child a thief-taker with his own troubles.
So much history of prostitution, the trick, treachery and the sisterhood.
.I was certainly kept guessing until the end.
Also loved the acknowledgements and references.
Thank you Laura and NetGalley

Amazing piece of historical fiction! I also read and loved Blood & Sugar, and I thought this was just as good (maybe even better!) I found the writing style really atmospheric and the whole story was gripping. Definitely going to recommend this when it's published early next year.

With thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review.
First time reading this Author and thoroughly enjoyable a very well thought out books excellent strong and intriguing characters.
Can highly recommend.

What a gloriously seedy alternative Georgian London! I have had a view of Georgians that they were simply all about the pomp and decoration and the snobbish hierarchy of their society. All of these things are represented in bucketfuls in this novel but there is more. I think Laura has researched the reality of this era brilliantly. For most of the book I felt vaguely uneasy about the story that was unfolding, this was due to the intimate depictions of the circumstances that women were forced to live in and the utterly despicable attitudes and actions of men. Nothing new there really but it's just not an era I knew much about and frankly I think I'm glad!
The actual story is almost secondary to all the wonderful descriptions but is nevertheless intriguing, with quite a few twists as we go along. The denouement is suitably surprising, just when I thought I had it all pegged and really sealed my appreciation of this book. In choosing to use minor characters from her first novel, the author has tied the two together neatly, although both are completely standalone. Caro is a wonderful example of a women who stood up for herself where most were often unable. I think my favourite character was our flawed hero Peregrine Child, he felt like the only one that really had a core of morality, although it was often overridden by a necessity to survive in his harsh environment.
Read this book, enjoy the mystery, but be prepared to be challenged once again about our cosy views of history and it's treatment of women and minorities.

An immersive and vibrant journey through 1780s London. Beginning with the murder of a well-known prostitute, Lucy Loveless, leading the reader on an expedition through high society drawing rooms and grimy brothels, this novel truly made me feel like I was part of the action.

After reading Shepherd-Robinson’s Blood & Sugar, I found myself wanting to know more about the somewhat mysterious Caroline Corsham - or Caro, as we know her in the novel. The initial plot points of her relationship with her son, Gabriel, and her plucky determination in finding the man who murdered Lucy made me want to get to know her even more. I loved how she ignored the terrible advice of the men she was surrounded by and did what she knew to be right – finding justice, no matter what this cost her personally or financially. She is ruthless in her resolve and this made Peregrine Child the perfect accomplice.

Child is a character that I was in two minds about in Blood & Sugar and, much like Caro, I’m glad we got to see his character develop even more in this novel. His sad backstory gives weight to his personality and the situation he has found himself in before he enters Caro’s employ.

The plot was slow in places, but this actually made the ending all the sweeter! I was genuinely surprised by the conclusion and I enjoyed the slight cliffhanger as well. The twists and turns in the plot didn’t feel forced or over-planned, they seemed to fit naturally together to create a real mystery.

I have given this novel five stars – it really deserves them!

My thanks go to Pan Macmillan and Netgalley for the ARC!

The year is 1782 in London. Caroline 'Caro' Corsham is waiting for her politician husband to come back from France. One night she finds a mortally wounded woman in Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens who looks like she's from high society. At first, the constables are eager to find the murderer, but in due course, they find out that the dead woman in the park was a high-class sex worker. This is reason enough for the cops to stop their investigation. But Caro can't seem to move past the injustice done and tries to solve the crime with only the help of a thieftaker, Peregrine Child. They soon discover a world of deception and secrets that begins to upset Georgian society. It becomes harder to find the truth when no one thinks a prostitute's life is worth anything, and they're all trying to keep their sins hidden. With no one coming forward to help find the killer, the murderer may just get away it.

My top three thoughts on 'Daughters of Night':
1. I haven't read the author's debut novel, Blood and Sugar, which is where Caro was first introduced. It doesn't take away from this book because it seems like the story stands on its own. This novel is a fascinating, historical thriller that is multilayered and has an extensive list of shady characters and plenty of twists. The book is a tad bit long, but the book's fast pace still makes this a gripping read.
2. I absolutely love Caro! She's bold and fearless. She insists on doing what is right and uses her privilege and wealth to track down the killer. She's such a strong protagonist, and I enjoyed this book even more because of the feminist perspective on historical times.
3. I love, love, love how Georgian London is shown in this book. There's the rich side where money and power can open doors and excuse anything. Then there's the poor side where they'll do anything to make ends meet and survive. Laura Shepherd-Robinson takes inspiration from real events, the economy, and people in the 18th Georgian era. The prostitution, exploitation, blackmail, abusive relationships, auctioning of humans, pick-pocketing, artifice, and concealment; everything has a realness to it that transports you to darker London times.

London 1782. Whilst her husband is away on government business Caro Corsham has been unfaithful and is now pregnant. She meets up with a woman she thought an Italian countess to procure an abortifacient but in the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens she finds Lucia murdered. Lucia is actually a notorious whore and Caro hires thief-taker Child to find her murderer. However the circumstances lead Caro and Child into the heart of Government, business and the world of courtesans.

Having loved 'Blood and Sugar', Shepherd-Robinson's first novel. I was looking forward to reading this one and it didn't disappoint. Taking two characters from the first book, Caro Corsham and Child, and weaving a tale of society at all levels this book is brilliant. The research is meticulous, both about the social lives but also business and banking in the 18th century. The plot is many layered and therefore has an ending so full of twists that the reader is satisfied.

When her friend is murdered and the official investigators seem keen to brush it away; Caro employs a thief-taker to help her uncover a world of prostitution and danger.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This has some of the same characters and settings as the author's previous book: Blood & Sugar. It is a stand-alone, and I didn't feel at a disadvantage for not having read the other book.

Caroline "Caro" Corsham was meeting her friend, an italian noble Lady Lucia. Her friend is killed before her eyes, but despite the crowd no one saw the murderer.
When the official investigation refuses to look into the matter, Caro employs Peregrine Child, a thief-taker that once aided her husband. They soon uncover that Lucia was not a noblewoman, but a famed London prostitute, Lucy Loveless.
Despite this, Caro still swears to get to the bottom of her friend's murder.

Child is most content at the bottom a gin bottle, to try and forget his past. Unfortunately, he's racked up quite a debt and, when Caro offers him employment, he is keen to take it.
Despite some crooked implications in his past, he is a man of honour and integrity, and quickly respects Caro.
They work together and make a great team, undaunted by the growing threats around them.

The cast of characters grows, looking into the lives of various women, who in their very different classes are all judged and condemned swiftly, by both the men that rule society, and other women who perpetuate social rules and expectations.

I really enjoyed this book. It strikes up a fine balance between historically-accurate, informative and entertaining.
Following Caro and the prostitutes, the story felt very realistic and compelling. Despite the sordid nature of whores, there was no glorifying their sexual conquests, and I never felt that any part of their lives were used for pure sensationalism.
The whores in this story have chosen to make the most of this career, while they are young and beautiful.

I really liked Caro as our main character. She has a strong sense of right and wrong, and doesn't care about upsetting the status quo of her social circle.
She is restricted by her gender - at first being her father's daughter; then her husband's wife.
As a sign of the times, when her husband Captain Corsham is away for an extended period of time, Caro and her on are given to the care of her pompous older brother.
Despite being a very intelligent woman, her life and her finances are in complete control of men.

Caro doesn't rail or whine against the unfairness of it all; she doesn't complain about the situation she's got herself into, as she knows that will not help her. She simply proceeds in a logical manner, until she gets her own way.

The murder mystery was very well done. It kept you guessing throughout who could be trusted, and who was the real culprit. I have to admit that I never saw the truth coming, and I was completely hooked for the second half of the book, I couldn't wait to find out what had happened and why.
It goes down some very dark and dangerous paths, with several shocks along the way.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading more of the author's work.