Having read Laura's previous book, "Blood and Sugar" (which I thoroughly enjoyed), I couldn't wait to read "Daughters of the Night". I wasn't disappointed. Again, set in the Georgian era it's a whodunnit with a wonderfully strong central character, Caroline, who wouldn't be out of place in a modern crime novel. Her husband is abroad and with the help of Perry Child who assisted her husband in the first book, Caroline sets out to solve the murder of her friend.

As with "Blood and Sugar" you are drawn into the London underworld, though this time it's prostitution and not slavery. Laura paints a very vivid picture of what Covent Garden and other areas were like in those times. Who knew? If only jelly houses were around now!

I do hope there's another book with the wonderful Caroline Corsham.

An enticing murder/mystery set in an era when women often were pushed into the background or placed upon a pedestal. I was fascinated from beginning to end.

It's such a shame that the publication date for Daughters of Night has had to be put back. I'm writing my review now, I must remember to come back and shout about it nearer the time, because I loved this.

I find that I can get completely lost in historical fiction, and Daughters of Night is one of the best.

Caro Corsham is hiding a secret, but when she finds a fatally wounded women in Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens her life becomes even more complicated. An investigation into the death starts, but when it is discovered that the victim was a prostitute, no one but Caro wants answers any more...

Atmospheric, evocative, disturbing and engrossing, this is a fantastic book.

Another poor unfortunate prostitute has been murdered in London and Caro Corsham is the only one who cares. Daughters of Night explores the highest echelons and lowest depths of Georgian society and all the howling hypocrisy in between.
This is a solid four star book the plot and characters interesting and writing flowing. It is however overlong. The investigation is split in two, one strand following Caro and one following Child’s the result being that the reader feels like they are having the same conversation with the same four people and not getting anything to push the story on.
The characters themselves are all pretty despicable, there are no heroes here. Even Caro and Childs the “goodies” are flawed but they are redeemable because they care about justice. And Caro loves her baby and can rock her burgundy gown and apparently has an ass that won’t quit. The suspects are a mixed bunch and they go from being thoroughly evil to having a perfectly reasonable conversation the next. It doesn’t really get going until the last 20% when everything happens so fast it’s difficult to keep up and Child’s Poirot moment of inspiration seems plucked from the ether.
Caro is however dynamic enough and the world interesting (the guild of prostitutes being a highlight) even-though the pseudo hellfire club wasn’t used as well as it could have been. It was a good read.

Blood & Sugar absolutely captivated me and Daughters of Night Is more than a worthy sequel excelling in its own right. The detailed evocation of Hogarthian London masterly and never once falters; you can feel the grime and smell the streets . Reading was stepping back into a world and time made familiar by Laura Robinson’s beautifully crafted, page turning narrative and ingeniously plotted tale. Her characters are vividly realised, engaging us in their every struggle and triumph. Even if you think historical fiction is not for you, I urge you to read this. At one point I woke the house shouting to the protagonist to warn her of imminent danger! Enjoy!

I'd read Blood and Sugar, and was eager to see follow up .. this new one more than stands up to the first in the same Georgian world. We are seeing you the under side of the aristocracy and the ruses that particularly women and the poverty stricken must resort to for survival in a restrictive, blinkered society. But some lose, and it's in the pursuit of two women's deaths that Caro, a righteous and courageous woman we remember from Blood and Sugar comes into her own , detecting the perpetrator of her friend's murder. Sometimes awfully complex, but the fellow she has asked/ hired to help her pursues same questions we do, and she dites .. it goes right up close to a weak king on top. Enjoyable and gripping.

This is a complex plot, with many twists and turns, but I will not do spoilers, so the reader must find out more for themselves.
What I will say is that the novel is historically accurate.
It is a tale of murder, and one woman's quest to find the murderer.
It is set in the eighteenth century, where women had little power. Among other things it concerns prostitutes, and is based on solid historical research into their life at the time.

This book is a triumph - I loved it.

Shepherd-Robinson paints a vivid picture of Georgian London and its clandestine indiscretions. Caroline Corsham, a woman of wealth and sophistication, befriends an Italian noblewoman, Lucia, after introductions made at one of the frequent aristocratic gatherings she attends. Some time later, she finds her friend viciously attacked, and hears her last words - <i>”he knows”</i>.

It soon becomes clear that Lucia was far from a noblewoman, and more of a prostitute, leading the magistrate to lose interest in the case. Caro becomes hellbent on solving the murder, and embroils herself into an investigation which proves devastatingly complicated, and utterly transfixing.

The plot is crafted with precision, the pace perfect. We twist and turn our way through what, at its heart, is a murder mystery, but becomes so much more than that. The skill in engaging her readers here is masterful; one awful thing leads to another until the reader is consumed by the words, plunging through the pages as though falling through a bottomless pit of iniquity.

There’s some wonderful social commentary here on the relationships between women and men, sex as a commodity, poverty, and best of all (my favourite in historical fiction), social scandal. The way in which men of importance were protected, and even revered, is a sorry state of affairs, but one which in many ways is still present today. To be female and to be poor limited these Georgian women, but Shepherd-Robinson makes it clear that even gender alone can limit the most wealthy and important of women.

It can become quite comfortable to view people living in the past as caricatures of their time, but here they’re so tangible, completely fleshed out to refinement. Each of their secrets, each of their flaws, whether they are major characters or not, are laid out like breadcrumbs throughout the pages. None of them perfect, all of them untrustworthy; it was a relief to see we had no heroes or villains here, just real people battling with the constraints of social code.

The whole thing was just a wonder to read. Georgian society, the social commentary, the intricacy of the plot and characters, and the suspenseful feeling of distrust rippling through the pages, all contributed immeasurably to my enjoyment. A masterpiece of historical fiction; one which took me by surprise.

Daughters of Night is a tour de force through Georgian London exploring the seedy underworld of the upper classes. Through the constant twists and turns the protagonist Caro leads the reader on a story that combines mystery, crime and amazing historical detail. As a Londoner I loved how the book bought areas of London to life and gave me an insight into life in Georgian London and the role of women within society.

Its a fast paced novel, that make you want to carry on reading every time you reach the end of the chapter. A must for fans of historical fiction!

My first book by this author but not my last. Caroline Corsham, wife of her absent politician husband enlists the services of a thief taker to find out who has murdered her friend. Not only is this a fascinating mystery with twists and turns but 18th century London is brought to life. This is a fascinating story wound round this period of time with its secret groups, ladies of the night, immoral liaisons, those who should be upholding the law meting out their own justice. A fascinating tale well told.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Laura Shepherd-Robinson/Pan Macmillan for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book as I did Laura's first book Blood & Sugar. They are well researched and the descriptions of the time and people are very vivid. I especially liked the fact that Laura had given Caro a book of her own as in Blood & Sugar I felt she would be an interesting character to hear more about. Her husband Harry was the main protagonist in the first book where he was investigating the brutal death of a slave on a ship in Deptford in 1781, and his thoughts about his struggling marriage made me want to know more about that side of Harry's life.

While Daughters of Night has some of the same characters we were introduced to in Blood & Sugar, it is very much a totally separate story. It gives nothing away about what had previously happened in the first book and both can be read easily on their own.

While Harry is away, Caro gets caught up in the mystery of a murdered prostitute she had befriended thinking she was a lady like herself. Determined to find out what had happened to her when the truth is revealed, she hires the help of a 'thief-taker' and together they delve into the seedy side of London of the late 18th century. This is a clever mystery that takes the reader into the lives of the prostitutes of the time and their own hierarchy. From the seedy pubs and back alleys to the exclusive men's clubs, the life of the 'loose women' of the time is portrayed. But the ladies of the time and their supposed virtue and behaviour is also highlighted by Caro's own personal trouble of being pregnant by her lover and her husband away for too long for her to be able to cover it up as his.

The best historical fiction books use real historical characters to give the story more depth and it is obvious that Laura has done a huge amount of research into this particular time of London's history. Being 550 pages long, it is also a good chunky read to immerse yourself in.

Highly recommended.

I'm now deeply into an historical detective phase, and Laura Shepherd Robinson's first book, "Blood & Sugar" took me deeper still. Its factual covering of the slave trade (topical) together with some well-rounded characters, and perfectly rendered locations made it a glorious read.

"Daughters of Night" is another winner. Taking some of the secondary characters from the first book, it again perfectly renders the 18th century in smells, sounds and sights. We didn't get to know Caro very well in the first book, but this is definitely her book. It concerns another kind of slave-trade - prostitution. And of course, when the police decide it's not a case worth pursuing, Caro makes it her mission to solve the mystery of a murdered prostitute, along with thief-catcher, Mr Child. We get the chance to learn more about characters from Blood & Sugar not properly explored before, and it's a pleasure to see Caro in a new light.

There's more than a few red herrings. and some side issues, and this book is as winding and sprawling as "Blood & Sugar". In other words, unputdownable.

If you love Imogen Robertson, Antonia Hodgson or E S Thomson, this is right down your street.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4

This story gives us a g,impse into the political history and all classes of society. It's set in London in 1782. Caro Corsham is on the hunt for the killer of her friend who is also a prostitute, Lucy Lawless and two other missing women. Caro hires private investigator Peregrine Child to help her find out what had happened to them.

It took me a little while to get into this book but when I did, I quite enjoyed it. It's full of twist and turns. The characters are well rounded and likeable. The descriptions of London were true to the era. The story is told by Caro and Child's point of view. It's well written. Poverty, hardships and smells are well portrayed. With murders abound, who could you trust.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and the author Laura Shepherd-Robinson for my ARC in exchange for an honest review .

What an excellent romp of a tale. An 18th Century murder mystery with all the bawdiness of that time thrown in. What a wealth of characters it has. Caro, whom we have met before in a previous book - doing her sleuthing to find the killer of the poor working girls. With her own secrets that would not be acceptable at that time in history, will she do it or will she end up in danger herself? Who would save her if she did!? A fabulous read and I loved it.

Loved the second book from Laura Shepherd-Robinson and already can’t wait for the next one! Well researched. Liked the character of the tenacious Caro. Thank you netgalley.

A riveting and dangerous story about pursuing justice no matter the cost. I loved the historical elements and seeing the heroine tackle challenge after gruelling challenge to achieve her goals in a gritty world.

Having loved Blood and Sugar, I was counting down the days until I get could my hands on Daughters of Night, so I was disappointed to learn the original publication date had been pushed back until 2021. It is therefore with much thanks to Netgalley and Pan Macmillan that I was able to receive an advanced copy of the book.
Good things come to those who wait, and this is a book which deserves all the publicity and attention which current circumstances would have prevented it from receiving this year.
In her second novel, Laura Shepherd-Robinson demonstrates, yet again, just how wonderful a storyteller she is. As an author she really knows how to set the pace of her novel in such a way that commands the reader’s attention as well as being able to continuously build and sustain a thrilling atmosphere throughout the course of the story. It proved difficult to tear myself away from this book as I found it such an engrossing read.
The story is intricately plotted and is a Pandora’s box of a tale in terms of the surprises the plot produces. There’s plenty of twists and turns which ensure that the reader, despite their best attempts at guesswork, will remain truly shocked at the ending; a feat not all mystery novels can achieve.
Boasting a cast of colourful characters, Daughters of Night is a great historical story. It was an absolute pleasure to read and I hope that under Laura Shepherd-Robinson’s guidance, I’ll soon be returning to 18th century London.

Laura Shepherd-Robinson is back fresh off the success of International Bestseller 'Blood and Sugar'.

'Daughters of Night' is an exceptional mystery that firmly places the author at the top of the finest authors of historical fiction. Her prose is filled with character and thick with atmosphere. Her cast of characters are diverse and tangible.

I devoured this book over two days. I lived it and I am still thinking about it weeks after finishing.

Fiction doesn't get much better than this.

I am excited to see what comes next. Essential.

Immersive and compulsively readable. The best historical thriller that I have read for years.. The Georgian setting ripe with everyday detail is exquisite; tightly woven into a taught, twisting, nail biting thriller. Our heroine and hero are oh so fallible, frequently unreliable and I feared for them, unsure if they would make it through to the final chapters.. I even got up at the crack of dawn to read the last 100 pages before work as I just couldn't wait. This is the first book I have read by Laura Shepherd-Robinson, and I have gone striaght on to buy her earlier novel Blood & Sugar. An absolute pleasure to discover this author, and one that I will recommend widely to any crime or thriller lover..

An immersive historical read imbued with fascinating details about Georgian London life. Although I found the first half a little slow-going, the pace really picked up in the second half and I was desperate to keep reading by the end.