Leo Stanhope Case – serie

‘Enthralling, exciting, extraordinary and utterly convincing. Everything a great book should be’ Sarah Hilary‘Wonderfully atmospheric, each page carries the whiff of sulphur and gaslight’RedEveryone has a secret... Only some lead to murder. Introducing Leo Stanhope: a Victorian coroner's assistant who must uncover a killer without risking his own futureWhen the body of a young woman is wheeled into the hospital where Leo Stanhope works, his life is thrown into chaos. Maria, the woman he loves, has been murdered and it is not long before the finger of suspicion is turned on him, threatening to expose his lifelong secret.For Leo Stanhope was born Charlotte, the daughter of a respectable reverend, but knowing he was meant to be a man – despite the evidence of his body – he fled his family home at just fifteen and has been living as Leo ever since. Desperate to find Maria's killer, he now stands to lose not just his freedom, but ultimately his life.____________________SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2019 POLARI FIRST BOOK PRIZE____________________

'A gripping, fast-paced read stuffed full of atmosphere and murder most foul' RedThe second book in the acclaimed new historical crime series following on from the Richard & Judy Book Club 2019 pick, The House on Half Moon Street.It’s been a year since Leo Stanhope lost the woman he loved, and came closing to losing his own life. Now, more than ever, he is determined to keep his head down and stay safe, without risking those he holds dear. But Leo’s hopes for peace and security are shattered when the police unexpectedly arrive at his lodgings: a woman has been found murdered at a club for anarchists, and Leo’s address is in her purse. When Leo is taken to the club by the police, he is shocked to discover there a man from his past, a man who knows Leo's birth identity. And if Leo does not provide him with an alibi for the night of the woman's killing, he is going to share this information with the authorities.If Leo's true identity is unmasked, he will be thrown into an asylum, but if he lies... will he be protecting a murderer?

The third atmospheric mystery from the author of the Richard and the Judy Book Club choice, The House on Half Moon Street.'Exceptional – you hear and smell and taste Victorian London' Sarah HilaryThe headlines scream warnings about the ‘Butcher of Berner Street!’ and the journalist behind them – Leo Stanhope – is secretly thrilled to see the effect his words are having. Leo is used to covering more mundane issues, but when an anonymous letter summons him to a club in East London, only for the owner of the club to be found murdered shortly afterwards, Leo sees a story worth pursuing. Not to mention an opportunity to make a name for himself.Yet the more Leo digs, the stranger the story becomes, taking him from the club to a nearby convent, and into the past of a very unusual woman. But he is not the only one hunting for a killer. And it seems Leo’s newspaper reports may have put someone else in grave danger…The Butcher of Berner Street is a brilliantly atmospheric, characterful Victorian mystery, perfect for fans of Antonia Hodgson, Abir Mukherjee and Andrew Taylor.