Longlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger
"An intelligent and intriguing crime novel set in the heart of Victorian
London. Its atmospheric and twisting narrative had me hooked." Sarah Ward
"A gripping and refreshingly different historical crime novel." Angela Buckley
London, 1863: prostitutes in the Waterloo area are turning up dead, their sexual organs mutilated and removed. When another girl goes missing, fears grow that the killer may have claimed their latest victim.
The police are at a loss and so it falls to courtesan and professional detective, Heloise Chancey, to investigate.
With the assistance of her trusty Chinese maid, Amah Li Leen, Heloise inches closer to the truth. But when Amah is implicated in the brutal plot, Heloise must reconsider who she can trust, before the killer strikes again.
A tantalising mystery ... it draws you in and transports you back to days long gone. Heloise and her maid, Amah Li Leen, are a force to be reckoned with - Wendy Jones, author of the bestselling DI Shona McKenzie Mysteries
An intelligent and intriguing crime novel set in the heart of Victorian London. Its atmospheric and twisting narrative had me hooked - Sarah Ward, author of In Bitter Chill and A Deadly Thaw
Tjia transports the reader to the mid nineteenth century so effectively through all the senses; sound, smell, touch, vision and feeling; contrasting the opulence of London's Mayfair with the squalor of Thames-side Waterloo ... The writing is accomplished and economic, taking the reader on various twists and turns on the journey ... We have discovered a new sleuth in Heloise Chancey - Caroline Mitchell, author of the DC Jennifer Knight series
Compulsive reading ... I was enthralled from the very first page. A beautifully written book with such authenticity, that each page whisked me back in time. The story galloped along as I followed the characters that were all too real. I could not put it downCaroline Mitchell, author of the DC Jennifer Knight series
