Help identifying a book please ! Crime novel set in Victorian London

[JennyHolzersGhost]

Hi MN readers! Am hoping you can help me with a question which has been bugging me for a while now.

A few years ago (about 5 I think) I bought a newly released paperback to take on holiday. From what I can remember it was a detective novel set in Victorian London, I think by a first-time author. I think the author was female though I’m not 100% on that.

From memory, it involved a younger son from a rich family who had been a bit of a wastrel up until that point, somehow getting embroiled in some kind of mystery (can’t remember what) which centred around a workhouse or poorhouse and he has to go undercover and live there to figure the mystery out. There’s a murder at one point and I think a child figured in the plot. It was quite clear from the ending that the author was setting our wayward hero up for a series of detective novels.

It was very well written and good quality, if you see what I mean, not a kind of cheap schlock thriller or anything.

Unfortunately although I loved the book and totally devoured it, I left it behind at the holiday cottage and despite searching online I’ve not been able to figure out what it was

I was wondering because I would absolutely love to read any further books in the series, if there are any.

Does ANYONE have any idea what this book might have been ?!

[Grace212]

I don't know but it sounds great so giving this a bump....

[TressiliansStone]

I want to know what this book is too!

[cdtaylornats]

Could be
one of the Lady Emily mysteries by Tasha Alexander
one of the Mrs. Jeffries series by Emily Brightwell
either of the Monk or Thomas Pitt series by Anne Perry
Harriet Vane series by Dorothy L. Sayers

[JennyHolzersGhost]

Thanks but it’s none of those. My book had a male protagonist. It was published within the last decade, probably around five years ago. Dorothy Sayers books aren’t Victorian.

[JennyHolzersGhost]

Grace & Tressilian - glad it’s sparked some curiosity among other readers !! I would recommend it, if I bloody knew what it was

[JennyHolzersGhost]

It may not have been Victorian, it may have been another period. But definitely not 20th century (which is Sayers).

[Celebelly]

The Devil in the Marshalsea by Antonia Hodgson?

[OneStepMoreFun]

You're not thinking of House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz are you? I think that was a new Sherlcok Holmes mystery, but I might have misremembered. It did feature children and having to visit an isolated school or workhouse. And was published about four or five years ago.

[Prokupatuscrakedatus]

No I'll have to wait here till this is solved .....

[JennyHolzersGhost]

@Celebelly you’re a genius ! Thank you SO MUCH. It is indeed The Devil In The Marshalsea and I see she’s published two more books in the series since then so yay !!!

[ShovingLeopard]

Placemarking because it's the type of novel I love. Fingers crossed we can identify it.

[JennyHolzersGhost]

And I was only about a century out on the date

[Grace212]

ah, that's already on my list! Glad you found it.

[Celebelly]

Huzzah! Happy reading!

[JennyHolzersGhost]

Thank you !! And for anyone else who likes the sound of it - read it, you won’t be disappointed. I’m off to buy book 2 ....

[Nousernameforme]

Thanks for the recommendation.

[TressiliansStone]

Ooh, thank you!

[Prokupatuscrakedatus]

Ok - bought, it is on offer here.

[straighttalker]

Until you discovered it was The Devil in the Marshalsea, I was going to suggest the Sebastian St Cyr mysteries - I think you might like them as well if you're looking for something else!

[JennyHolzersGhost]

Thanks for the recommendation ! Will look into it. I came across a review which said it was similar to the Dissolution series by CJ Sansom, will have a look at that too.

[Nousernameforme]

I've just picked it up now off abe books £2.53 free shipping if anyones interested (fallen out with amazon)

[Celebelly]

CJ Sansom's Shardlake series is excellent. And if you like that kind of thing, SJ Parrish's Bruno series is a similar kind of thing, just set a smidge later (Elizabethan era as opposed to Tudor).

[JennyHolzersGhost]

Thanks for the suggestions ! I can see I’m going to break my ‘no new books til I’ve reduced my reading pile’ resolution in short order at this rate

[PrincessFabian]

Off topic but @Nousernameforme Abe books is owned by Amazon so may not be a good alternative depending on the reason you are avoiding Amazon. The orders do go to bookshops but I don't think they get much of the money from the sale.

[Nousernameforme]

Oh bugger. I was feeling ever so smug at finding a way round Amazon. Any good online places for pre owned books that aren't Amazon related?

I buy loads from Amazon but this past month have had lots of problems with them and their customer service so I am having a year off of Amazon or trying to.