I was surprised by this book, expecting it to be more salacious, perhaps mis-remembering the reputation of NEL in the early seventies as a ground-breaker for erotic literature. However, my surprise was welcomed as it’s an interesting book, apparently well researched, filling in some of the gaps left by the legal nightmares of Charles Dickens and books reporting the social history of the early Victorian era, the 1850s. It’s not entirely without its racier moments too! Rich appears to have done his homework adequately in making what is essentially a detective thriller evoke a lot of the social atmosphere of those days, and although references to Chartism, the art circle of Gabriel Rosetti, the Cremorne Gardens, and the shady origins of public policing are just a little intrusive they helped me establish context for the intricate plot. Definitely an above-average read. ( )