(NetGalley blurb)
A pacy, evocative dark historical thriller about a working-class private detective in 1920s London’s Soho, who has grown up alongside the morally dubious characters who are key to cracking the cases he investigates, for fans of Laura Shepherd Robinson and the TV series Peaky Blinders.
When Cockney private detective George Harley saves a young girl’s life on a dark London night in 1929, he doesn’t realise it marks the beginning of an investigation which will change his life forever. The incendiary book which inspired the girl’s abduction also seems to be linked to a series of grisly murders that are taking place on Harley’s patch, and though he’s delighted to be asked by Scotland Yard to help find the killer before they strike again, he could do without the local razor- and cosh-wielding mobsters thinking he’s in the police’s pocket.
Set during the Golden Age of Crime Fiction, Harley’s world is a far cry from the country house of an Agatha Christie whodunnit. This working-class sleuth does his ‘sherlocking’ in the frowsy alleyways and sleazy nightclubs of Soho – the city’s underbelly – peopled with lowlife ponces, jaded streetwalkers, and Jewish and Maltese a world of grubby bedsits, all-night cafés, egg and chips, and Gold Flake cigarettes.
Here, the midnight streets are black as pitch and, as Harley finds himself embroiled in the macabre mysteries of a city in which truth is as murky as the pea-souper smog and the sins are as dark as stout porter beer, he begins to realise he may never find a way out.
A noir story more than anything else, this is one of the grittiest, harshest stories I’ve read recently, one that checks several triggers. Child abuse and killing, deviant sexual behaviours, underworld involvement, and more. There are indeed many disturbing episodes, yet the author manages to make them ‘affordable’, if you know what I mean. Maybe because they are always filtered through Harley’s personality, I could read through these tough episodes, managing to keep a distance as a reader, enough to be able to read. Which, if you ask me, is a testament to the author’s writing skills.
The characters are extremely strong, especially the main cast. Solidly built characters who always act according to their temperament and never bend to the necessity of the story. Harley is a very simpatetic lead. It’s very easy to root for him, who always tries to do the right thing, even in the midst of so many wrongs and is exceptionally resourceful. I like this kind of character. So, I wonder where the author will bring him, considering what happens at the end (which I’m not going to tell you!).
It’s a very strong, choral story, with the right amount of quirkiness: Harley lives in the house his uncle left him, a manor with an extensive library. This man, who was an accomplished amateur scholar, disappeared years ago without trace… and I won’t deny I do wonder whether he is going to appear again.
Not a story for everyone, I will say. But if you can get past the grusomeness, it’s well worth reading.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I write historical fantasy set in the 1920s, and I read a lot, a lot of books set in the same era. On this blog, I regularly share book reviews of novels set in the 1920s (and sometimes 1910s and 1930s). If you love this kind of setting too ➡️ Subscribe to my newsletter
Midnight Streets by @PhilLecomber (#noir #bookreview) – A very gritty, at times gruesome story that keeps you reading through the night #thriller #historicalfiction set in 1920s London Share on XMidnight Streets
Excerpt
She placed the envelope on her lap and tapped it for a while with an immaculately painted crimson nail.
‘You must understand I could never repeat this in a court of law. Nor in the presence of the police. Such a breach of confidence goes against one of the fundamental tenets of the service I provide my clients. My reputation would be in ruins. Not to mention the threat to my personal safety.’
‘Of course. I understand. Harley was trying to sound nonchalant, but he sensed he might be finally close to a breakthrough. ‘You only need to tell me, Leanda. I’ll do the rest.’
She gave a resigned sigh. ‘Very well. But my name must remain out of it. You’ll recall I spoke of a client who was an infantilist?’
Harley nodded. ‘The one with the private nursery.’
‘Exactly. Well, our friend here is another. Though he has decidedly more sinister tastes: a morbid obsession with young children, especially boys. And a penchant for violence.’
‘Do you have a name for me?’
She gave a chuckle.
‘Nobody gives their real name. He books in as “Mr Brooks”, but I wouldn’t get distracted with that.’
‘Can I see the photographs?’
She took another pull to her cigarette and narrowed her eyes.
‘Not until I’ve left. I shouldn’t be divulging any more information than is absolutely necessary.’
‘Understood. But can you tell me why you suspect him?’
THE PICCADILLY NOIR SERIES SO FAR
The Thursday Quotables was originally a weekly post created by Lisa Wolf for her book blog Bookshelf Fantasy . It isn’t a weekly post anymore, not even for Lisa, but just like her, I still love to share my favourite reads on Thursdays and I still use the original template which included an excerpt.
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