Set in 1782 in Georgian London and the main character, Caro Corsham, is on the hunt for the killer of her friend Lucia and two other missing women. The police decide not to bother investigating when it is discovered that Lucia, otherwise known as Lucy Loveless, is a prostitute and not a noble woman. Caro decides to try to right this injustice by beginning her own investigation with some friends, however, she doesn't bargain for the targeted harassment and outrage she receives from both the men who 'hired' Lucy’s services in the past and the wider public.
The murder mystery is engrossing with vivid descriptions of the underbelly of Georgian London including its variety of brothels and illegal gin shops. There are a few twists which keep the reader interested and has some of the same characters and settings as the author's previous book: Blood & Sugar. but it can be read on its own.
All in all a very enjoyable read.

I thought I would like audio books but finding it hard to concentrate on the story - I listened to approx 50% but I kept drifting off and thinking of other things. I'm going to give the physical book a try instead.
Rating given based on the quality of the first 50% and on the narrator

Good story with liable characters. I thought I would like audio books but finding it hard to concentrate on the story..

I'm not really a historical book fan I like the fast paced modern thrillers , murders mystery books so I was quite surprised I actually enjoyed this book..
I wouldn't say it was a thriller but it does show that if you had money you could certainly take advantage of the less fortunate and get away with murder
It also highlights the terrible lives that young girls are subjected to at the hands of these wealthy "gentleman"

Very interesting listen and good story line , Worth a listen

I don't listen to many audiobooks, and I don't tend to read a lot of historical fiction either, so this was maybe an odd choice for me. I do, however, love to try reading new things, hence why I picked it up.
It takes place in London toward the end of the 18th century. Caroline Corsham - or Caro, as she is known - is anxiously awaiting the return of her husband. Things become particularly interesting when she is wandering the Pleasure Gardens and discovers an injured woman. This woman is an acquaintance of Caro's, Lucia. Caro holds her bleeding body as she whispers her final words: "he knows."
It is later revealed that Lucia is actually a prostitute called Lucy Loveless. Nobody seems particularly motivated in investigating her murder in any real detail, so Caro decides to hire a thieftaker herself to look into it. Through their investigation, Caro ruffles a lot of feathers and discovers a lot about a variety of different people. It's hard to see how all the details are relevant at first, but it all comes together in the end.
There is also another narrative throughout the book, of 15-year-old Pamela from before the death of Lucy. Again, it isn't immediately clear what role she has in this whole affair, but it is all tied together very well later on. I particularly liked Pamela's chapters; the atmosphere was extremely mysterious and eerie, and I found Pamela as a character very interesting. I think I actually preferred her to Caro, personally.
This book covers a lot of issues and topics that may make people uncomfortable. It is largely centred around prostitution and the sex trade, as well as the misogynistic treatment and abuse of women that was sadly so commonplace during that era. Of course, there's more than a fair share of death and violence, too, along with foul language - just so you're prepared!
It was, in my opinion, a bit slow for a while. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the last parts of it, and the final 'twist' was very clever. It was perhaps a little too complicated, especially for an audiobook where I'm maybe not paying full attention at all times, and I may have missed some details because of that. But I know some people are far more interested in complex books with lots of intermingling details, so it's not a criticism! Maybe if I were to read it rather than listen to it, I would enjoy it a bit more. 3.5 stars overall.

Audio version of this book 📚- I must admit I did put off listening to this book as the cover kept putting me off and also the length of it. However, I’ve been pleasantly surprised!! I really enjoyed it !! A great insight into society living in the 1800’s and a murder mystery that had you guessing! The narrator was excellent and bought each character to life

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook, which kept me entertained through many hours of household chores and DIY.

I've recently gotten into historical fiction and this story was a delight, really rich in history, interesting and empowered feminist characters and a great gripping storyline.
The only thing is you have to stay alert to keep up with who's who... I got a bit lost amongst all the London lords - and this is important as the book is somewhat of a whodunnit! And it's a good one - once one murder is on the edge of being solved - another one strikes...
I was sad to end the story, but the open ending lets me think a sequel might just be on the cards...

I would recommend this for fans of Stacey Halls and Jessie Burton.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for letting me access an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest feedback.

Review
Although I listened to this as an audiobook I have also previously read the physical book. Yes, that’s right I loved reading the book so much I wanted to immerse myself back into Georgian, London by listening to the audiobook.

It’s another excellent historical crime thriller from Laura Shepherd-Robinson. Complex multi-layer storylines, with great characters you will love and dislike. For those of you that have read her previous novel Blood and Sugar, you’ll enjoy the cross-over of characters into this book, though it’s not necessary to have read her previous novel.

Murder awaits in the illuminated night of Vauxhall pleasure Gardens London 1782, I enjoyed the descriptions of the pleasure gardens, particularly those when they’re illuminated in the evening. When you think there was no electricity at that time, absolutely fascinating to find out more about it.

The main character Caroline (Caro) Corsham finds a woman mortally wounded in the bowers of Vauxhall pleasure gardens. When the constables discover that the deceased woman was a high society lady of the night, they stop searching for a killer and it is up to Caro to seek justice.

Putting female characters to the forefront of this story, in a position women wouldn’t normally have in Georgian society. There are detailed descriptions, complex characters multiple storylines, and this book will give you an insight into the Georgian, England so often swept under the carpet. Caro Corsham is not your average high society lady, for she herself has something to hide.

You don’t need to have read the previous book Blood and Sugar, it’s not vital for the storyline, there are a few reoccurring characters and we certainly get to know one of the characters an awful lot better. Peregrine Child, a thief-taker, was very intriguing in Blood and Sugar so it’s great to find out more about him. A thief-taker is a man to go to when a gentleman is in a fix, lost some compromising letters, had a diamond necklace stolen, Peregrine child was the man to help them.

Things involve Caro's brother, a member of parliament, and even the heir to the throne of England, mix in ladies of the night it becomes clear that some people are not who they appear to be.

I've never known so much about the complexities of operating and running an exclusive brothel in Georgian London.

As an audiobook you will need to be paying attention, there are plenty of characters. Unlike the physical book, you will not have a character list to refer to.
Length of book 15 hours 29 minutes.

5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan UK Audio for an advanced reader copy for review.

An intriguing murder mystery set against the back drop of the seedy underbelly of Georgian London England.

A girl of questionable morals is found murdered by her friend who also holds a secret, As she strives to find out who murdered her friend we delve into the history of London and so of its dark past.

The narrator does a good job of telling the story, my only critic is that it is a little long and complicated to follow at times.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher's for a free copy of this book in return for an unbiased review.

i did not like anything at all, i am sorry but the narrator"s voice lacked emotion and proper execution of the story. the audiobook was not lively at all, the narrator failed to bring the story to life. the voice was so low throughout the audiobook, from the point of view of a story, there was nothing interesting, everything was going haywire for me while listening, difficult to understand that what is even happening. i think there should have been trigger warnings, the book was very confusing.

What a fabulous read, I'm new to this author but I'll certainly be turned based on this read. I loved listening to this audiobook, the language and atmospheric writing about Georgian London was fantastic.

Thanks to Netgallery for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

-- BOOK REVIEW DOUBLE FEATURE --
Blood & Sugar AND Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

Ok, so shame on me for waiting so long to start this series. A lovely friend kindly sent me a copy of Blood & Sugar many moons ago, and it has sat on the top of my tbr pile for months, but never quite being picked up... until the wonderful folk over at Pan Macmillan sent me a gorgeous copy of Daughters of Night to review.

I had fully intended to just read them out of order, picking up the new one first, and then going back to 'fill in the blanks' so to speak... but when it came to it, I just couldn't do it. I am so glad I read Blood & Sugar first as it sets up the second book perfectly (although I don't think it’s at all necessary to read them in order as the mysteries are entirely separate, there are just some recurring characters)

These are both Historical Mysteries set in the 1780s, the first centers the slave trade, and the second set a year later focuses on a brothel. In both books the author does not shy away from the more gruesome details, and both stories include particularly brutal violence, so just be warned if that's a trigger for you, but it is always appropriate to the story, and handled sympathetically. The settings are tangible and real, and the characters are complex and have wonderful depth and development. The mysteries were equally enthralling and kept me guessing in both books and I hadn't figured either out until the 'big reveal'.

I was completely engrossed by both stories and I couldn't put either book down. These are a fantastic little duo and I really hope there are more to come in this series. These will both be in my 'best of the year' list for sure!

If you are looking for Historical Fiction with a heavy dose of Mystery then these books are for you!

5 outstanding stars.

Daughters Of Night is a novel following a wealthy lady on her journey solving the mysterious case of a murdered prostitute. Throughout the main characters journey she is faced with various shocking discovery’s of sexism, abuse and class differences. Overall this was a well written book that has is very easy to get lost in due to the amount of description.
Although both well written and well researched, this book has a very slow pace and feel to it. The pacing of the book can make it a boring read, and didn’t hold my interest, it took multiple attempts to finish this novel. I strongly believe that many people will enjoy the book and will be able to overlook the pacing issues I felt with it.
Overall this was a slow but well written book, covering many topics of the Georgian period that is often overlooked in other novels. I do intend to read other books by this author in the future as I really enjoyed the writing style of this novel. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in historical novels and novels of this period.

Caroline Corsham, as elegant and proper as any true Georgian lady, finds her good friend Lucia murdered in a dark corner of the Vauxhall Gardens, and her life begins to unravel.
The police quickly lose interest in the case when it turns out that Lucia was not the high-born Italian lady that Caro believed her to be, but a London prostitute. Caro feels betrayed, but still believes that the dead woman deserves justice, no matter who she is. She engages the services of Peregrine Child, disgraced barrister turned thief taker, and starts to dig.
Quite soon she starts to turn up all sorts of secrets and makes some dangerous enemies. Caro has a few secrets of her own, and if they get into the wrong hands they may just destroy her.

This is very much a mystery and suspense novel, not a hint of romance about it, but I did very much enjoy it. The story is dark and twisted, a little bawdy and violent in places, but at its heart is just a good old fashioned mystery to solve and the unravelling is very satisfying. The writing is clear and sharp and believable.

The audio book is very well done, the narrator reads well and has a good voice for the stories. Some of the older male characters were reduced to a breathy croak, but I always knew who was talking.
This was a very enjoyable listen.

RTC but rounding up to four stars. Took a while to find my footing with this (not much of a historical fiction reader), but a compelling murder mystery with twists and turns, with really fleshed-out lead characters (likeable and with flaws and makes mistakes).

***eProof and Audiobook given by UK publisher by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review***

Just lost my first write-up for this which was far more detailed, so need to rewrite it. Going to be way shorter as I lost my notes and my trail of thought.

I am not the biggest reader of historical fiction. It;'s a genre I would love to read more in, and I hope to do so in the next 12/18 months, but it's not my go to. So, when I first heard of this and the author's debut, Blood & Sugar, I jumped on them as this appealed to me hugely. I did plan to read "Blood and Sugar" first, but me realising I have a ton of audiobooks from NetGalley to review sealed the deal.

This is a historical murder mystery of quality. You can tell from the level of research and of detail, and from the tight plotting, fleshed out and likeable and unlikeable characters (all with flaws and all who make mistakes and a solid murder mystery, tackling a range of issues such as sex work, gender politics, domestic abuse, alcoholism, along with other triggers.

But, like I said earlier, historical fiction isn't my go-to, so it took me a little longer than normal to get my brain in gear and to forgive some of the characters's decisions and choices (Our two main leads question the suspects and reveal EVERYTHING they have discovered to them. Time and time again, and this frustrated me hugely).

But I am intrigued to read Blood and Sugar, and more from this author and this genre.

I listened to the audio book of this historical mystery. It had me gripped from the outset. I loved the characters, and the historical elements. It has elements of the TV series "Harlots" without most of the rumpy pumpy!

It is written from a female perspective , and this added to the enjoyment for me. Often women of the Georgian period are left in the background, and this is very much a view of the times from the circumstances of a trapped wife and "working" women.

It shows how difficult it was for women of the time, and how delicately they had to tread in order to get where they want to be, and that social etiquette was the order of the day, conformity was everything.

To set a murder mystery against this background was fascinating. It was a real page turner and I couldn't leave it alone once started.

The narration was great, really engaging and all the different accents were tackled well, and the characters were definitely real to me.

I would highly recommend this excellent novel.

Audio ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.



Audio review - great narrator, very compelling with a real feel for the language and time period.





The book - Really enjoyed this Georgian murder mystery/ thriller which was also a meditation on who exactly is deserving of our concern and attention. The plot follows Caroline Corsham, the rich wife of a politician who finds herself in a desperate predicament while he is absent for many months. In search of a way out, Caroline finds herself drawn into the murder investigation of a well-dressed woman, whom she finds mortally wounded on her way to an assignation in Vauxhall Gardens. The Bow Street Runners drop the case when it is discovered that the woman is a high class prostitute. Initially feeling the same revulsion for sex workers, Caro nevertheless cannot let the matter rest, feeling that someone should care that a woman has been murdered even if she is a prostitute. Engaging the services of Peregrine Child - down on his luck, taking to drink and owing a lot of money to a local loan shark - she investigates the murder of Lucy Loveless herself.



The plot twists and turns, finally unravelling in a dazzling display of plotting acuity. Shepherd draws attention to the fact that often there was no difference between prostitutes and married women except circumstance, that one is not less deserving than another. She examines the role of men in making sex work necessary by creating a market and then abusing that market. The final denouement is a breath-taking reveal that examines the scrapings of the human soul. Highly recommend this historical thriller.

My first read by the author and it certainly won't be the last. I was really impressed with the story, it was well researched and brought to life Georgian London wonderfully. I listened to the audiobook and really enjoyed the narration.

First time with an audio book, took a while to get into, then I was hooked. Listening in my car on the way to work and home, wanted to extend my journey. This book is well researched and well written with Caro the main character with frustrations of being a woman in a mans world with no voice and pregnant by another man.

She is relentless in her determination to find a murderer at a terrible cost to herself and others of a lady of the night with a disreputable and not always reliable private investigator Peregrine Child, a man with many flaws and weaknesses himself. Good twist at the end.

I have this as an audio book, it is quite long ( almost 16 hours) , plus I had technical problems with my AirPods. In spite of the difficulties, I thoroughly enjoyed the story. It is a complex tale set in the regency period in England. The details were well researched and felt authentic. I felt attached to the heroine and fascinated by her actions and bravery in her circumstances. I was very keen to pick up the story where I had left off and am so sorry that I have finished the book! I will miss the characters.
I recommend this book without reservation.