1890 London. The crime scene photograhers Sarah Bain, Lord Hugh Staunton and Mick O'Reilly are sent by the Daily World to the banks of the Thames, where a female body has been found. Sarah soon realises that she is still alive and is rushed to hospital. When she finally wakes up she has amnesia. Thankfully due to the newspaper article three viable possiblities present themselves as to her identify, but which is the correct one. But the investigation is still ongoing into her attack, and the trio soon find themselves in trouble.
Told from Sarah's point of view, which didn't really help the pacing of the story, and the main character which I can't seem to take to. But this is an enjoyable enough Victorian mystery.
A NetGalley Book ( )

I always love a good mystery set in Victorian Era England, and that is what we get in the latest mystery from Laura Joh Rowland. Street sleuths Sarah Bain, Mick O’Reilly and Hugh Staunton return in this dark tale. Left to skulk the streets of London, Sarah and her loyal crew always have an eye open for an opportunity. When the body of a beautiful naked woman seems to wash up on the shore of the river, Sarah and her friends are quick to utilize the opportunity to sell the photographs to their employer at the Daily World newspaper. When Sarah discovers that the victim is still alive, Sarah and her team are thrust into the front of the investigation into who would mutilate the poor girl found in the river. Her story explodes into a phenomenon, and the girl becomes known as Sleeping Beauty. As police inquires start into the identity of the poor woman, a whole host of characters come forward claiming to know her identity. The mystery only deepens when Sleeping Beauty awakens and claims she has no memory of who she is. During a photo lineup, Sleeping Beauty claims to have a breakthrough in which she recognizes the pugnacious daughter of a well known authoress as her daughter. Suspicious that Sleeping Beauty could be actively perpetuating a deception to hide her true identity, police remain wary. This is a complicated story in which it seems that everyone has a secret, some of which are bigger and more dangerous than others. This story is a lot of fun and certainly doesn’t lack in twists and turns. I haven’t read any of the other novels in this storyline, and i don’t think it is necessary to do so. This functions well as a stand-alone novel. Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced copy. ( )

The Woman in the Veil by Laura Joh Rowland is a compelling historical mystery with an intriguing storyline. This latest addition to the Victorian Mystery series can be read as a standalone but I highly recommend the previous installments as well.

Sarah Bain, Lord Hugh Stanton and Mick O'Reilly are called to the scene where a woman has been left naked alongside the Thames River. Sarah is a photographer for the Daily World and she and her friends also investigate crimes for the newspaper. Sarah feels a bit of kinship for the victim and after photographing her, she makes a stunning discovery. Although gravely injured, she is still alive. Dubbed "Sleeping Beauty" by the World's owner, Sir Gerald Mariner, Sarah, Hugh and Mick work alongside her fiancé, Detective Sergeant Thomas Barrett to figure out Sleeping Beauty's identity and hopefully catch her attacker.

Sarah and Thomas appear to have worked through their issues but there is discord between them almost from the outset of the investigation. With three different people claiming Sleeping Beauty is part of their family, Sarah and Thomas put aside their differences as they continue working the case. As Sleeping Beauty settles in with the family she says she recognizes, Sarah continues searching for her missing father and Thomas turns his attention to his other cases.

An out of the blue invitation brings Sarah, Hugh and Mick to the estate where Sleeping Beauty is ensconced with her family. Despite her initial certainty about the woman's identity, Sarah is soon harboring doubts. Little inconsistencies are troubling, but she tries to set aside her misgivings. When someone turns up dead, the pressure is on Sarah, her friends and Thomas to learn the truth about Sleeping Beauty in order to unmask a killer. Sarah is soon in a race against time to catch the murderer since her nemesis and Barrett's boss, Inspector Reid, would like nothing better than to arrest her for the murder.

The Woman in the Veil is an engrossing mystery with an intriguing plot and engaging cast of colorful characters. Sarah continues to be an independent, strong woman but she tries to be more careful not to alienate Thomas. Hugh is caught in a painful situation with a loved one that could lead to future heartache. Thomas is moving up through the ranks but not everyone is happy about his promotion. The investigation surrounding Sleeping Beauty is even paced with Laura Joh Rowland keeping readers guessing right up until the novel's exciting conclusion. An excellent addition to the Victorian Mystery series that old and new fans are sure to enjoy. ( )

The Woman In The Veil is the fourth book in the Victorian Mystery series.

Sarah Bain, Lord Staunton, and young Mick O’Reilly are headed to a seedier part of London, along the bank of the Thames, to report on the naked body of a woman that has been found. As the police are collecting evidence and Sarah is taking pictures of the body, she notices what she thinks is a sign of life in the female. She is barely breathing and is taken to the hospital in a coma. The doctors stitch up the damage from the beating the female had taken and the hope is that she can recover. When she comes out of the coma it is found that she is suffering from amnesia.

Sarah’s boss, Sir Gerald Mariner editor of the Daily World newspaper, plans to run a story on the unknown victim and decided to call her Sleeping Beauty until her identity can be determined. Meanwhile Sarah’s fiance Constable Bennett, despite an unsurmountable work-load, has been assigned the investigation by his boss, Reid. Reid has it in for Sarah and Bennett for a while and will do whatever he can to make it difficult Sarah and her crew. Reid also has it in for Bennett after got a promotion to detective, while Reid wanted him fired after a previous case.

Sarah, Lord Staunton, and Mick are hoping they can find the person who assaulted “Sleeping Beauty” before they can finish the job.

Another wonderful addition to this exciting page-turning series with interesting and believable characters.

I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series. ( )

An encompassing Victorian murder mystery!

Rowland has that special gift of placing the reader steadfastly not only in the times and location of the story but firmly in the mind of the major character.
Sarah Bain, daughter of a wanted child killer and a gifted photographer is now herself a photographer, who along with her friends, street urchin Mick O'Reilly and Lord Hugh Staunton, is working for the Daily World newspaper.
Always there's a delicate balance between finding the story that will satisfy Sir Gerald Mariner and his paper's readers, and having to scrape a living.
It's 1890 and Sarah is called to the scene of a dead naked woman sprawled on the banks of the Thames River, surrounded by raucous witnesses. "The river laps at her, covering her legs up to her knees with foam. She looks like a mermaid that has washed ashore—a wounded mermaid." Startlingly, Sarah discovers she is barely alive! The injured victim remains in a coma. The story is broken under the heading Sleeping Beauty.
And this is the beginning of not only a tortured search for the woman's identity, but the pursuit of Sarah by the dreadfully vindictive Inspector Reid who has a deep and abiding hatred and grudge against her. Fueled by the promotion of Sarah's fiancé Detective Sergeant Thomas Barrett over himself, Reid does all he can to bring Barrett down and implicate Sarah as a murderer.
Whilst uncovering Sleeping Beauty's secrets, Sara discovers more about her own family--all disturbing!
I do admire the way Rowland leads us along, revealing more information about Sarah and her birth family, and about the disparate people she has now made her own family. Brick by brick, a more complete picture of Sarah's background is emerging. As surprising to Sarah as it is to us.
Rowland so excels at this type of complex storytelling, that revels in wicked reversals and charged situations. A first rate twisty, dark Victorian murder mystery that kept me breathless.

A Crooked Lane ARC via NetGalley ( )