As soon as I picked up this book and started reading it I knew that it was going to be impossible to put down. This was the first book I had read by Laura Shepherd-Robinson and I am so excited to read ‘Blood and Sugar’. From the very beginning of the book we are immersed into 18th Century London with a plot centred around murder, deceit, and misogyny.
Caroline Corsham finds the body of a high society prostitute Lucy Loveless and faces at every turn an unwillingness and resistance to find out who the murderer is. In a world where all women, particularly the working class, are treated as commodities Caro makes it her business to find the killer of such a heinous crime.
The narrative structure alternates between Caro and the man she employs to help her solve the mystery, Peregrine Child who himself is dealing with his own demons and torture. We are also given insight into the story of a young prostitute called Pamela, a friend of Lucy’s, who is equally a victim of the society in which she lives. The unravelling of the plot is totally gripping. You are constantly switching opinions about characters, which not only shows Shepherd-Robinson’s skills as a writer but also makes you consider the relationship between artifice and reality, a dominant theme throughout.
London also shines bright in this book, its smells, sounds and sights. The opulence and the sheer, horrifying poverty. The extent of the historical research is clear throughout and it has made me want to read more about the figures some of the characters are based on. A wonderfully feminist and dark tale that is gripping to the very end.

A crime of passion in the hidden, shady bowers of Vauxhall; an exclusive club for the imperious male elite; a famed painter with a penchant for pleasure: Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson epitomises historical fiction with a lush narrative complete with the hallmarks of a magnificent mystery novel. As we travel the streets of Georgian London, from the opulent mansions of Mayfair to the cheerless brothels of Covent Garden, we follow Caro Corsham, a highborn noblewoman, and Peregrine Child, a ruined magistrate turned thieftaker, on their mission to unravel a conspiracy reaching to the upper echelons of society and to provide justice for those purposefully ignored; all in all, a masterful telling of women’s struggle against a deeply misogynistic society.

Daughters of Night is many things, but whitewashed is not one of them. The novel provides an oft-forgotten look at the misfortunes of Georgian Britain; specifically, there is no whitewashing of the sex work and prostitution that was prevalent throughout society. Despite this, the novel is inexplicit, and in doing so, deftly side steps the pitfall of male-dominated romance, allowing Shepherd-Robinson to focus on the unwavering key message weaved into the novel. We see the world from Caro’s perspective, with snippets of Child and flashbacks from Pamela, an orphaned prostitute, and in doing so, we see a fight against a heavily patriarchal and misogynistic society. The stories of those victims of prostitution and oppression, and the women that fought for them, forgotten by time and society, are revealed here. Despite fictionalised, through disrupting the common presentation of historical British society, Daughters of Night depicts oppression in its truest form but serves only to empower those that have historically been overlooked.

Writing-wise, there’s an incredibly perfect level of tension continuously throughout, which left me hooked after every sentence and page, waiting for the next reveal. We are left entranced by the discoveries by the protagonists, and as the mystery slowly unfurls, we become more and more aware of overarching plotlines earlier left only in the shadows of the pages. Despite this, the reader is constantly left guessing until the very end, as we follow the author’s narrative on a wild ride through prostitute’s accounts, mysterious parties, commissioned paintings, and antique rings, and only then, do we discover the motivations of the suspects and what part they play in these cruel and treacherous crimes. By all measures, Daughters of Night is a paragon of mystery.

Despite this, the protagonists don’t just personify justice, but their own mysteries, backstories and motivations provide a crucial engine for the plot. We follow Caro’s headstrong character but are shocked as we learn more about her circumstance, and we empathise with Child’s tragic past. We witness their attempts at redemption against all odds, and their fights against powerful darkness that threatens to force them into misery, or worse, death. The final pages of the novel only serve to cement Shepherd-Robinson’s character building. On the opposite side of the aisle, the antagonists and suspects initially all present unassailable and resilient male figures to the reader, yet eventually all their true flaws a revealed. Each is vividly created and can almost be seen to be personified by a vice – almost like the referenced Greek Gods. Even here, the intricate mystery winds, affecting each suspect in a unique and secret way. Each suffers from their own downfall, and despite the occasional virtue, all are evil and behind each is a woman who has been destroyed and covered up.

Daughters of Night is one of the few mystery novels that I have found to strike the perfect balance between clues, characters, and complexity. More importantly, is the stunning historical reality it presents, which not only provides a backdrop for an excellent mystery, but interweaves with the story to depict a real cross-section through society to describe and reveal oppression that has too often been ignored. To learn that it was based on real characters was astounding. Having acquired a taste for this, I will definitely be going back to read Shepherd-Robinson’s other novel, Blood and Sugar, and I sincerely recommend Daughters of Night to anyone with a passing taste in historical mystery, or even just those interested in a fiendishly good story.

Thanks to Pan Macmillan Mantle, Laura Shepherd-Robinson, and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of Daughters of Night.

“Daughters of Night”, A tale of love, betrayal, deceit and never ending twists and turns. For each moment you think you’ve solved, another comes along to make you reconsider everything you originally thought. Shepherd-Robinson has masterfully captured the world of Georgian London and the underworld that was taking place beneath the presented brilliance of upper society. Shepherd-Robinson gives voice to the women who worked areas like Covent Garden and St Giles whilst having no issue with pointing out the flaws in the societal “laws” that was placed on them. It’s an emotional tale, filled with adventure and murder mystery led by the characters of Caro Corsham and Peregrin Child, and highly I recommended for anyone interested in history as well as a well written story.

Caroline Horsham, who readers would have met in Laura’s Blood and Sugar, is trying to find the murderer of a woman killed in the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. It is 1782 and London is a hotbed of thieves, plotters and those willing to pay for carnal pleasures. Caroline has her own reasons for wanting to discover the culprit, and it looks like she’ll have little help from the police who, when they discover that the victim was a highly-paid prostitute, abandon the case. Caroline enlists the help of thief taker Peregrine Child to seek out justice. But with family issues, some all too close to home, and a mysterious society that doesn’t quite ring true, Caroline has plenty on her plate. This is a 500 plus page novel that I gobbled up. It pitched the period perfectly, you got a real sense of what London was like, the attention to detail is exceptional and the plot races along. Loved it.

I would like to thank Pan Macmillan, Laura Shepherd-Robinson and Netgalley for the advanced copy of Daughters of Night and for giving me the opportunity to give an honest review.

This story starts with Caro finding a woman stabbed at bowers of Vauxhall Gardens. They think the woman is of high society but she is a lady of the night so no one is interested in solving her murder except Caro who finds out that she holds a secret.

This was a great read from start to finish with its twists and turns as they investigated the murder of the woman which also holds a secret to be solved. It is a sophisticated Georgian crime thriller which will have you turning the pages to see what happens next. As you go through the story you don’t know if the suspects are telling the truth or lying. If you love historical fiction or a crime thriller you will love this. I would definitely recommend this book as a great read.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Caroline Corsham is a lady from a good family, who is married to an important diplomat, who works abroad constantly. She is part of the beau monde, and has a lot of power and influence. She is also very quickly swept up in a tale of murder and intrigue, when she is the person to find a lady of her acquaintance viciously stabbed to death in Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, and embarks upon an investigation to discover why she was killed. How well did she know the murdered woman? Why would anyone want to kill her? And who else may be involved?

What a fantastic story! I haven’t read the previous book by this author, Blood and Sugar, but I will definitely go back to read it. This is extremely well written historical fiction - with the entire world being brought vividly to life - you can almost smell the streets and hear the carriages! Not only is the writing great, it also sits alongside a solid mystery, with Caro being unable to really trust anyone, while investigating a potential conspiracy that may reach all the way to the top!

I loved this book, and honestly slowed down a bit while reading it as I enjoyed it so much I didn’t want it to end... but was also so keen to see how it all played out!! Would absolutely recommend this - five stars!!

Again, my love for a pretty cover has made me fall down the 'read book two before book one ' rabbit hole, this is a book that follows on from from the authors first book 'Blood and Sugar' which i have not read but kept wanting to.
I have heard that you can read these books independantly from each other .

I actually struggled with this books which is such a shame, as i feel that this book will be a complete success and this author definatly one to keep an eye on for greater things.

This is an atmospheric historical novel , if it was a scratch and sniff you would smell the scenes in which she so richly explains.
Mrs Caroline Corsham found a brutally murdered prostitute and goes about trying to get justice for her, as being a lady 'of the night' no one really cared about her and about getting justice for her, also to unravel the dying words of this lady 'he knows'

Who is he?

To find out that and lots lots more, you will have to knuckle down and read this for yoursellf.

In the wrong hands, a secret is a weapon.

This book was amazing! It isn’t my usual read at all, although it did have a murder mystery involved!
Based in the 1700’s, Caro Is on a mission to uncover the truth behind the death of a friend. It involves mysteries, crimes, prostitution and mistrust throughout!

It’s a nice long read but not once did I get bored. I really enjoyed Caro and Mr child’s journey to uncover the truth. (Which I did not see coming!)

The story combined history with fiction well! Overall I would recommend!

This is a murder mystery set in Georgian England. It starts with Caro who finds her friend, an Italian Gentlewoman, murdered in Vauxhall Gardens. However, she soon finds out that all is not as it seems as her friend is actually a high class prostitute. There is no interest in apprehending the culprit given the victim is not a gentle woman but Caro takes it upon herself to find out who did it and why.

This is a long, meandering tale that takes the reader on a journey through Georgian London - from the high class drawing rooms to brothels and everywhere in between. It is such a well researched, well written book, the story itself comes to life and you can imagine every single detail. There are twists and turns galore where justice depends on class and gender. There are secrets, lies, scandal, rape, assault, murder - it's a dark and gritty tale with some of the best character names in literature - Erasmus Knox being my personal favourite!

The only complaint I have about this book is that it's a little bit long - I zoomed through the beginning but lost interest a bit in the middle as I was struggling to recall who was who and the detail of lots of different threads. The pace picks up again at the end. The very end i thought was a bit sudden - I wanted to know more about what happened to Caro.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley with no promise of a favourable review.

The reader is quickly introduced to our protagonist Caroline Corsham without really knowing much about her the story falls into a murder mystery. Historical, rich in detail, multi layered, the story is an insanities insight to 18th century London.

The author examines the power of wealth and corruption within the framework of wealthy Georgian society, and within this rich, colourful, labyrinthine plot, this compelling tale takes shape.

I highly recommend this new book from Pan McMillan.

Firstly thank you to Netgalley and Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first foray into the work of Laura Shepherd-Robinson however her first novel is sitting on my TBR pile and was highly rated, so I went into this with high expectations which were mostly met.

Firstly the things I enjoyed about the novel. It is rich in historical detail of Georgian England, specifically London and I liked that the writer included a section at the end to go more in-depth regarding the historical details. Another thing I really liked was the protagonist Caro who was portrayed as a strong female who was flawed yet relatable, This was also true of the secondary character Childs, who was again a flawed man trying to make his way in a flawed world. Lastly there were a lot of sub-plots, which came together well at the end. I was never sure who the real villains were in this book and it kept me guessing almost right until the end with lots of twists and turns.

The book to me though had one major flaw, and that was its length. I think the story could have been wrapped up in at least 100 fewer pages and as a result I did find it quite hard to read at times.

I look forward to now reading blood and sugar.

Caroline Corsham is a member of the beau monde in 18th century London, although there are a few difficulties in her life, including the prolonged absence of her husband in France. Her dear friend Lucia arranges to meet her in the bower of Vauxhall Gardens, but is killed and dies in her arms. Then things start to unravel as it becomes clear 'Lucia' is not quite who she claimed to be.

The reader is then taken on a rollercoaster ride through London, meeting the demi-monde, the prostitutes, the extortionists. Alongside Caro's story is the story of Pamela, a young girl taken into prostitution, who Lucia was trying to protect and help. Caro is determined to discover who has murdered her friend, although society is no longer interested, and employs Peregrine Child to help. What they discover threatens to rock society, and her perseverance may be at great personal cost.

Exciting, interesting, historically accurate (apart from maybe the dialogue, which read a little too modern for my taste), entertaining. I enjoyed it very much.

Thank you to NetGalley, Pan Macmillan and Mantle for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

In Georgian London Caroline, 'Caro' Corsham is already distressed when she finds a well-dressed woman, mortally wounded in the bowers of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. "He knows" she tells Caro before dying. The police seem eager to do something about it until they find out that the deceased woman was a highly-paid prostitute and they stop the investigation. Caro, though, doesn't want t give up and starts to look for the murderer by herself.

♥️ I liked:
The setting. I generally love historical fiction, even though this is an unknown era for me, I don't think I have ever read anything set during this period. I enjoyed the liveliness of it and how the author goes into detail to make everything seem real. Even though I am no expert, it seemed to me that she wasn't looking for an idyllic setting, but for something more realistic.
Caro. She is very strong, persuasive and doesn't give up. She doesn't fear anybody, maybe because of her social position - fair enough - but she keeps going on even if the men around her try to stop her. She doesn't, though, especially when she understands that a lot of women are in great danger.
The role of women. Their precarity is obvious, they depend on men and they can't decide anything on their own or, even if they do, they are still controlled by men. The good thing here, though is that the main character, Caro, is perfectly able to take the matter into her hands, showing how valuable women can be.
The whodunit. I wasn't expecting the final plot twist to be honest. Nothing is how it appears to be, especially in this book!

🤔 I wasn't so sure about:⁠
It took a while to get involved in the story and to get to know Caro. Maybe because I haven't read the other book in the series. I definitely would suggest to read them in order, if possible.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 An historical cosy mystery with a great setting and a really strong leading character.

I enjoy good historical crime and with Laura's first title Blood and Sugar she created a deep sense of time and place, in Daughters of the Night she does the same and doesn't disappoint, from the sheer necessity of doing what these girls had to do to survive to literally putting their life on the line at each encounter. I really enjoyed the portrayal of Mrs. Corsham, her will to see the whole case to its end. Highly recommended. no spoilers here. too good to spoil.

This is my first read by Laura Shepard-Robinson, i had heard some good things about her first book (Blood and Sugar). so was excited top read this, I really loved this book it lets you see a little into the political history and certain classes of society, an insight into what it was like in London in 1782. Caro Corsham is on the hunt for the murderer, so she hires private investigator Peregrine Child to help her out.

I'm not going to lie, it did take me a while to get into, it all seemed very confusing in the beginning but it didn't take me to long to catch up on what was going on, but when I did, I loved it, I literally went from being unsure to loving this book in a matter of chapters. It's full of twist and turns. You just think you've figured it all out and bam! There's another twist!. It's a well written book. The characters are well thought out and likeable. There seemed to be a lot of research into how London was in 1782, Poverty, destitution and smells are well described .

I would like to thank @netgalley for giving me a chance to read this #ARC in exchange for my honest review

A deliciously gruesome, often hauntingly sad, Georgian murder mystery. I will admit, usually my historical fiction tastes belong solely to the Victorian era, so I was intrigued by a Georgian novel. I was instantly drawn into the world Shepherd-Robinson created - the patriarchal society in which women were so often tossed aside, except Caro decides to do the unthinkable; solve the seemingly-accidental murder of a prostitute, named Lucy Loveless.

I loved the lush landscape of this novel, and the research must've been huge, and it clearly shows. I could practically smell the dirty backstreets, the august ballrooms and extravagant gowns.

I haven't read Blood and Sugar, which may hold some part in why it took me a little while to truly appreciate Caro, as the headstrong, clever heroine she is. I did enjoy being inside her head - as with most multi-perspective books, one gains a favourite, and Caro was mine. I also enjoyed that she was flawed, and properly so.

The plot, I thought, was intricate and at times, uncomfortably confusing - that being said, the final twist shook me to the core, and I didn't see it coming at all.

Personally, I found the ending to be unsatisfactory, though I know I would instantly gobble up a follow up book. Overall, I enjoyed this book, and recommend it to fans of historical fiction, with an interest in the Georgian Era.

Thank you to Netgalley, Pan Macmillan and Laura Shepherd-Robinson for the opportunity to read this ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

Oh my goooooodness! Forgive me if my thoughts are a bit scattered – I finished this book at 1 am last night after devouring it in one sitting. It. was. Absolutely. Amazing. If you’re looking for a novel that combines Harlots with The Alienist, Daughters of Night is the perfect next read for you.

Despite these similarities, it stands on its own as an incredible read.

Daughters of Night follows a character familiar from Shepherd-Robinson’s debut, Blood and Sugar. I can say from experience that it is absolutely not detrimental to your read if you have not read the prequel. Caro is a fascinating character – her life is dictated by the men around her, but she does not let this stop her from searching for her friend’s murderer. I really admired her spirit!

Caro is not the only great character in this novel – I adored reading about the lives of Peregrine Child the Thief-Taker, Kitty Carefree the 10 Guinea prostitute and Pamela the maid-servant. The novel’s biggest strength really lies in that each character is fleshed out fully. For example, although Pamela could have been written as an innocent trying to earn a living, Shepherd-Robinson gives her a devious side as well. It is this sort of detail that really brings the novel to life.

I’ll admit that to my mind, the 18th century is a little overlooked. Between the fantastical adventure stories of the Medieval period, to Shakespeare’s work in the 16th and 17th centuries, to the widely loved Victorian era, it’s easy to see why. But Shepherd-Robinson absolutely excels at bringing the period to life. No word is wasted and the description exudes Georgian London in its very essence. There are so many tidbits of information (irrelevant to the plot, but essential to building the scene) that allow for a fully immersive read. It is obvious that Shepherd-Robinson put a lot of research into bringing to life 18th century London.

Towards the end, I began thinking that it was getting a little predictable. I had already guessed the murderer and wasn’t so shocked when I was proven right. But! I was quickly proven wrong when another twist was provided. Daughters of Night really is an engaging read – I can’t wait to read Blood and Sugar now.

From GoodReads:
I haven't read Blood and Sugar yet (and I wish I had first) but this can definitely be read as a stand alone.
A Georgian mystery with an unlikely couple of heroes - Caro, the rich society lady and Child, the washed up thief taker she hires to help her investigate our murder.
Great characters - Caro especially, fighting as much as anything else against the position of her sex in the world.
The plot itself is full of twist and turns and interesting and dastardly potential villains. From high society to fetid slums.
A lot of historical crime/fiction fails in giving a sense of time and place - this absolutely does not - a lot of research has gone into this.
Off to find the first now and waiting for the third.

In short, I really enjoyed this book. It is most helpful having a cast of characters at the beginning to refer to, and although the list was a long character list, it was easy to follow the story as many of the characters were grouped together.
I had two personal connections with this - one having worked near Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens and two, living in Muswell Hill.. This really helped bring this book to life.
The main character Caro was likeable and I enjoyed the way that the story flipped between the present (and her investigations) and the past, with what was happening to Pamela.
Am now looking forward to reading Blood and Sugar, the other book with Caro as a character.

I loved Blood and Sugar so much and was delighted to be approved for Laura’s new novel! The heroine, Caro (a minor character in Blood and Sugar) is all I love in a main character - independent, spirited, determined and flawed. We join her and thief-taker, Perry Child, as they try to discover the killer of Caro’s friend.

This is an incredible piece of historic crime fiction. The depth of research is obvious and the gritty portrayal of Georgian life greatly enhances the novel. The plot is breath-takingly twisted making it very difficult to put down.

I’m intrigued to see what happens next with Caro and her husband Harry and can’t wait to read the next instalment!