Another cleverly put together plot, plenty of potential suspects and determined sleuthing eventually gets the result. By being observant and asking questions, both characters work together well to get justice. This was a sad story for both the victim and the murderer. It was lovely to see Gemma and Sebastian's personal lives move on, and I am looking forward to the next book to see what happens next for these two wonderful characters. Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This series is just great, it has the old fashioned and yet somehow quite pure mystery about it - no phones, gentle courtship and pretty gruesome murder. The dead body this time is dumped at the train station and the hunt is on to find out first who she is and then who and how she was killed. Gemma and Sebastian - nurse and policeman - separately look into clues and pool their resources. All happens around the boarding house that Sebastian lives in and the home where Gemma is a carer with people coming and going and chance meetings Stirling things up. There is always the whiff of romance between Gemma and Sebastian in the air, which adds a lovely touching feel to the plot too.

A well crafted mystery with several possible culprits, a family member from the past and a couple that is starting to dream of a life together are the key ingredients of this riveting new book by Irina Shapiro.

With both Sebastian and Gemma investigating, we get to see the mystery from two different points of view and we dive into a challenging research for the identity of a murder victim found in a trunk.

I was not sure about the culprit until the very end and the story kept me alert and always looking for clues, exactly how I like my mystery books!

I received an advance copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily, thanks to the author for it.

Murder and secrets

I love this series and this installment of the historical whodunit series staring Sebastian Bell and Gemma Tate. Like the other books in the series, it had a layered storyline, an intriguing mystery, surprising plot twists, and suspense which made it hard to put down once I started. This author always manages to take simple ink on paper and create a living breathing place full of three dimensional beings that feels real. This type of immersive reading that involves my brain, my heart and my soul is the best kind. Sebastian and Gemma are portrayed as real, relatable and complex people who have flaws and scars, but are really just trying to do their best as messy humans. Still in mourning for her brother, Gemma is a nurse in 1858 London who now works as a live in nurse/companion for Dr Colin Ramsey’s mother who suffers from dementia. Sebastian is a Scotland Yard detective and a widower. Sebastian and Gemma enjoy puzzling out a case together and have recently admitted they want to court once Gemma is no longer in mourning. At the train station to pick up his brother, Sebastian is in the perfect place just when a dead body in a trunk is found and he is once again involved in a murder with an over abundance of suspects and a messy investigation. The investigation leads Sebastian - and to some extent Gemma - to unlikely places, dead ends, plot twists, secrets, and surprising revelations. As always, there are smaller personal story arcs and social commentary which enrich the main plot line and give the characters even greater dimension. I love these characters and this series.