The tale begins in 1782 in the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, when Mrs Caroline Corsham the respected wife of politician Harry, discovers Lucia a lady she knows fatally injured. Lucia’s last words “He knows” worries Caroline as she is afraid her secret may be revealed.

Caroline is surprised to hear that her friend Lucia was actually a high class prostitute and that the police are not going to investigate her murder. Caroline hires thief taker Peregrine Child to investigate the poor girls murder, she is lead into the underworld of London whilst trying to catch the murderer.

This is a fascinating, fast paced thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. It really bought Georgian London to life, we saw both sides of life, the living in poverty and doing whatever it takes to survive and the privileged side where money speaks for itself.

If like me you love a mystery, with an historical theme added then this is the book for you.

There are plenty of twists along the way and remember everything is not how it first appears to be!!!

I haven’t read her other book “Blood And Sugar” but will definitely look for it now!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

Second book from this author and again a compelling and well researched tale of deception, deceit and intrigue. The plot is well made, however I personally felt it meandered a little at the mid-way point. Keep going though as it picks up again and the ending is well worth the wait. To me it seemed the book was written with a serialisation in mind... hence the mid-part meandering. But this is only a personal comment.

Daughters of Night is a sprawling historical fiction crime novel that encompasses a multitude of plotlines and characters.

To assist the reader a brief description of the various characters and their location is supplied at the start of the book.

If you have read Laura Shepherd Robinson's debut novel, Blood and Sugar, you will be familiar with both, Peregrine Child, formerly a magistrate of Deptford, and Caroline Corsham, who has a minor part here.
For her second novel, Caroline will take centre stage.

The story begins on a late summer evening in 1782 with Caroline on a secret assignation at The Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, finding the dying friend she believed was an Italian noblewoman called Lucia, but was in reality a high class prostitue called Lucy Loveless.

Caroline now employs Peregrine Child, who is now a thieftaker, to find the murderer.

The main attribute that the author displays here, is her descriptive writing, conveying all the sights, sounds and smells of late Georgian London. This was a society where the sex trade played a major part in the economy and was ever present under the so called polite society.

One of the major themes here is concealment and falseness. Things may not appear as they seem.

This is one of those books where you just need to sit back and let the author take you to wherever the plot goes next.

There are many twists and turns along the way.
Certainly I hugely enjoyed the journey and would recommend this to lovers of crime and historical fiction.

Once again I have finished a book that falls between 4 and 5 stars. I am sticking with 4 stars only because it was slightly overlong and over-complicated. Don't get me wrong, the story was excellently executed and intricately plotted but at times I wondered if I needed a spreadsheet to keep track of all the characters and the threads.

When Mrs Caroline Corsham, the wife of Harry Corsham (her politician husband who is currently away on business in France) discovers a murdered prostitute in Vauxhall Gardens, she begins an investigation of her own. Hiring the thief-taker Peregrine Child to help her, she is led into a world of prostitution, fraud, money-lending, rape, murder and all sorts, while together they attempt to uncover the truth. The descriptions of the goings-on in the underbelly of Georgian London are so well written that we are transported to the filth, excrement and degradation that lie therein. I knew about cock-fighting and bear-baiting but I have now learnt that women skinned dead mice in order to sell their pelts as false eyebrows while 'entertainers' juggled with live mice in Covent Garden. Who would have thought...

But enough about the poor mice (they always get a bad rap) and back to the prostitutes. Lucy Loveless (the murdered girl) and Kitty Carefree have been on the game for years, while Pamela - only 15 years old but as cunning as a barrel load of monkeys - is about to be sold as a virgin at auction. Yes this really did happen. She would be sold to the highest bidder who would have to be a gentleman of some wealth and standing and often married to boot. This is where we meet The Priapus Club, a group of libertine thrill-seekers (I'm being polite here), based loosely on the Hell-Fire Club of the time. At its head is Jonathan Stone, a money-lender who lends above the legal limit of 5% and thereby is the owner of numerous stately homes, antiquaries and a large fortune. Without any care for morality or outcome The Priapus Club 'worshipped' all things supposedly Greco-Roman, but more particularly drunken whoring dressed up as free thinking.

This is a fascinating look at the 'beau monde' of the time, the hypocrisy and double standards, and also at the dreadful lives of the poor and the things many of them had to do in order to survive. Caroline 'Caro' herself has to take unbelievable risks in her pursuit of the truth and she is not about to give up until she finds it. It is at times a tad unbelievable, but always exciting, and heart-stopping when we get near the end. If you love Historical fiction then don't miss this fabulous book, but be warned that the language can be very colourful - Georgette Heyer this ain't.

Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Having read Blood and Sugar and enjoyed the exploits of Peregrine Child and Harry Corsham I was interested to read Laura Shepherd-Robinson’s follow up. Equally tantalising and full of fascinating characters it kept me enthralled to the end although the continuing story was not easy to follow. We never discovered what had happened between Harry and his wife, sometimes referred to as Caro and other times Mrs Corsham and why someone of her intellect and stoicism should have been attracted to such a man as Lord March! That puzzled me! However, I thoroughly enjoyed the journey and look forward to the next!

I was delighted to be given the opportunity to read and review Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson. It was an absolute pleasure - thank you to #Netgalley, the author and the publishers.
Set in London in the late 18th century, the novel shows the extent of the authors research and historical knowledge without it reading like an academic exercise (as can often be the case in my experience.) The descriptions enabled me to lose myself in the time and place. Nothing was held back - filth and debauchery included. The position of women of all classes was powerfully portrayed, and it left me very thankful to be alive in the 21st century.
I can't fault the plot, the characterisation or the pacing of the book. It was excellent and I will be recommending it to everyone. I didn't want it to end - I felt like returning to the start and beginning the book all over again.
A very clear five stars from me and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
#DaughtersofNight

1782 and two sides of London brought together by murder most foul. A mortally stabbed girl found in Vauxhall Gardens by heroine Caro Corsham turns out to be a high society prostitute, and Caro's friend (although Caro didn't apparently realise her 'trade'). Caro sets out to find the murderer with the help of a thief-taker, Mr Child. They both have a past that they would prefer left in the past and Caro, although a high society lady, still has time for an affair and unwanted pregnancy, husband apparently being off in France or so she believes. Together Caro and Child delve into the seedy side of Regency London with the appalling sex clubs for rich men and penniless girls, accent on the girls at times, the poverty, gambling, gin, generally excesses of all kinds. Well written and well described, both the characters and the locations. There are plenty of twists and turns. It loses a star for me because Caro seems surprisingly naive at one level for who and where she is and there is a certain amount of repetition that's aggravating at times. Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I have just emerged from the world created in Daughters of Night and I am missing it already! Everything I want from historical crime is here in spades - tight plotting, great characters, historical authenticity, twists and turns - and I loved it. To be honest, Georgian England and it's prostitutes and pickpockets, Lords and lechers, is always a favourite period of history for me and although I found the cast list at the beginning a bit daunting, this is a tale well-told. I enjoyed the dual narrative and how we are kept kept in the dark about events until Caro and Child make discoveries. Murder and cruelty abounds but there is also humanity. This is a long book but instead of wishing that some judicious editing had taken place as I often do, I was hooked throughout, page-turning with avengance and shocked or surprised by each twist in the tale. Although the men seem to call all the shots and manipulate and use the women, it is the women who are the stronger characters in the end. Great stuff.

I loved this book .It has everything needed to keep you reading-a brave heroine ,an intricate plot with lots of twists and turns and some very unpleasant villains as well as an unlikely hero.The setting is Georgian London ,and the research that has gone into the recreation of this period is painstaking and detailed.
Caroline Corsham witnesses the death of a high class prostitute,Lucy Loveless,who she has arranged to meet at Vauxhall Gardens.Working with a thief- taker,Mr Child, to investigate her death,Caroline is led into a web of intrigue and murder going as far as the Home Office and the Royal Court.There are some very unscrupulous characters involved- members of the aristocracy,thieves,prostitutes,artists and moneylenders-and the plot is detailed and interesting .
I enjoyed the book so much that I immediately bought the author's previous book,which has some of the same characters.Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in return for an honest review which reflects my own opinions.

Last year I read Laura Shepherd-Robinson’s brilliant debut Blood & Sugar and concluded my review by saying that I looked forward to seeing what she did next. Well, this weekend I had my answer as I was absolutely absorbed in her follow up Daughters of Night, an absorbing sequel which also works perfectly as a standalone.

In Blood & Sugar we know that our hero, Harry, is unhappily married to a society beauty, Caro. Daughters of Night is Caro’s novel in every way, Harry away in France where he has been for some time. His continuing absence is a a problem for Caro; she is pregnant, and the longer he stays away, the less likely she is to be able to pass her baby off for his. Her future is bleak – likely disgrace, banishment and separation from her beloved son. Her lover will not help her, he has recently got engaged in order to reconcile with his father and pay off his debts. She is alone. So when an old acquaintance seems to offer a solution Caro eagerly agrees to meet her at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. But when she gets there the woman is dying, brutally stabbed, dying in Caro’s arms. To Caro’s shock the woman is identified not as an Italian countess but a prostitute, and as a result her death of little consequence. But when Caro starts her own enquiries, she is soon warned off. Why are people desperate for Lucy’s death to be forgotten and how far up does the corruption go? Caro’s investigations take her deep into the murky underbelly of Georgian society, a world where women are bought and sold, their value decreasing with every year, the line between respectability and disgrace wafer thin.

Like Blood & Sugar, Daughters of Night is more than the sum of its parts, an engrossing, fast paced and twisty thriller which brings Georgian London and its inhabitants vividly to life, but also an examination of sexism, exploitation and double standards, the commodification of women’s bodies and the consequences for women who step out of line, still at play today. Caro is an imperfect heroine, vividly real, honest in a world of masquerades and costumes. A fantastic read, I hope we return to Caro and Harry soon.

Vivid descriptions of 18th century London, and a convoluted tale of murder, corruption and intrigue make a really good read. The characters are brought to life well, and the scene-setting is excellent, graphically illustrating the seedier side of life in London at that time.
Well worth reading.

This story is brilliantly told and evocative of its time period. It gives us glimpses into the political history of the time and all classes of society. I liked the way historical characters are also referenced along with the use of old words from the era. The authors writing is perfectly balanced as it manages to keep the atmosphere of Georgian London at the same time as telling a riveting crime story. You get to about half way and you think you know what is happening and then wham there’s a twist and off you go again, and it keeps you guessing right until the end, and what an end. All the characters are very real and believable, and despite being set over two hundred years ago the characters are still very relatable. Definitely a recommended read.

Loved loved loved this! The sense of place and time is so strong. I hadn't read the first in the series, Blood & Sugar, but it didn't matter. I whizzed through Daughter of Night and am off to order Blood & Sugar now. Really good.

Set in London in 1782, this twisty-turny thriller sees Caroline ‘Caro’ Corsham hunt for the killer of her friend, and prostitute, Lucy Loveless and two other missing women.
Caro employs a thief-taker, a private investigator, Peregrine Child, to help her find the truth.
This novel is particularly intriguing as it interrogated the lot of women and the men who use and abuse them, within the laws of a very different society.
Shepherd-Robinson is an accomplished writer who has really done her homework on this period of history, and London at that time comes alive.
My only criticism is that the pacing was a bit slow even though the plot is clever and leaves you guessing.
Recommended - a cross between a historical novel and a thriller.

London, 1782. Sightly before my go to favourite Victorian period but oh how Laura Shepherd-Robinson is doing her very best, and succeeding, to nudge me towards the Georgians.

The main characters of this historical novel are Caroline ‘Caro’ Corsham and Peregrine Child who also feature in Shepherd-Robinson’s debut novel 'Blood & Sugar'. However, 'Daughters of Night' works perfectly well as a standalone.

Caro Corsham comes across a dying prostitute and is so shocked by the judicial systems seemingly dismissive treatment of the case, she hires the thief-taker Peregrine Child to help her investigate the case with a view to bringing the murderer to justice. However, little does Caro realise how much she will find herself embroiled in the constantly twisting web of lies, misdirections and hypocrisies and how much she will end up putting her own life and those around her at risk.

This is a beautifully written novel where the female characters are treated with huge sensitivity and yet the author does not spare the reader from the brutality and tragedy of their lives. I love the courageous but flawed Caro Corsham who, Shepherd-Robinson is very careful not to let us forget, lives in the 18th Century and as such is under the control of the men around her with no real agency of her own. The truth is that it doesn’t matter which end of the economic spectrum these women find themselves, there are still consequences if they step outside the patriarchal box!

I loved 'Blood & Sugar' but I think I love 'Daughters of Night' more. Is it too soon to say I hope we meet the Corshams and Peregrine Child again?

Thank you to NetGalley and Mantle for the advance copy.

Intricate and complicated historical mystery with some complex characters. Story was good but found it dragged on the middle.

Daughters of Night
Author: Laura Shepherd-Robinson
Publisher: Pan MacMillan
Mantle
Pub Date 25 Jun 2020

I absolutely loved the authors debut novel Blood & Sugar. I love this even more.

Intricate historical detail, but never boring, the story drew me in from the start and just got better and better. The twists and turns kept coming and it all came together in an immensely satisfying conclusion, but left me with hope that there might be a further instalment. I loved the character of Caro Corsham. The research that must have gone into this period of time is astounding. As well as enjoying the story I also felt I learned so much along the way.

I’d recommend it to everyone and shall certainly be buying it for birthday and Christmas presents.

I’d like to thank the author, publisher and netgalley for providing me with this advance digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

what can i say, well this book is dark and powerful. had a strong backbone and like her other novel pulls you in and wont let go. The writing FLOWS and flows well, the story is dark but its almost like bitter chocolate yes its dark but just keeps you wanting more . I could not put this down and is a full 5 out of 5 i can't wait for more from her as a writer

Brilliant page-turning novel which I can't recommend highly enough. Caro the heroine, and her assistant, thief-taker Child attempt to solve the murder of a prostitute in 18th century London. This is a sequel to Laura Shepherd-Robinson's excellent debut novel 'Blood and Sugar'; and even better. All characters are rounded, and believable; the plot, in all its complexities, keeps one guessing until the end, and it is believable and sad. There is a real sense of Georgian London in all the descriptions.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mantle for an advance copy.

This crime novel is set in Georgian England which is a period of history I am not very familiar with other than accounts of Mad King George III and Hogarth’s Gin Alley paintings.Nonetheless as the story unfolds you are drawn into well described and evocative scenes which bring the brothels,gin-shops and taverns in London’s Covent Garden to life in sordid and dirty detail.You are then presented with an obliquely opposite scenario within the posh and elegant town-houses of Mayfair and the life that is led in theses homes.
The author allows us to follow the life of a wealthy banker’s wife Caroline(Caro) Corsham as she seeks justice for a murdered woman who she thought she knew having met her in High Society circles.The Bow Street constables(pre policemen) are quick to act until they discover that the deceased women is a highly paid prostitute.Our heroine will not have this crime swept under the carpet so she pays for the services of a thief taker Peregrine Child in investigating the circumstances of this callous murder.
The twists and turns of the details surrounding the original murder soon bring us into contact with weird and wonderful characters and their secretive and extraordinary lives..The author has obvious carried our extensive research and presents scenarios which seem completely believable and plausible.As the details emerge about the different characters involved in the crime the need to read on becomes more imperative and more engrossing.You are impelled to read on and solve the mystery of the original crime plus the twists and turns of further deaths and intrigue.
Well done for a really engrosssing crime novel set in Georgian times.I may be enticed to read her first crime novel about Slavery in Georgian times involving Caro Corsham’s husband.