Book Synopsis:
In deepest winter, beware the coldest hearts . . .
London, 1850. Constance Horton has disappeared.
Maude, her older sister, knows only that Constance abandoned the apothecary they call home, and, disguised as a boy, boarded a ship bound for the Arctic. She never returned. ‘A tragic accident’, the Admiralty called it. But Maude Horton knows something isn’t right.
When she finds Constance’s journal, it becomes clear that the truth is being buried by sinister forces. To find answers – and deliver justice for her sister – Maude must step into London’s dark underbelly, and into the path of dangerous, powerful men. The kind of men who seek their fortune in the city’s horrors, from the hangings at Newgate to the ghoulish waxworks of Madame Tussaud’s.
It is a perilous task. But Maude has dangerous skills of her own . . .
My Review:
Wow this was an absolutely fantastic book that I raced through in a couple of days. I read 200 pages in one day which is no easy feat with three kids.
Firstly I absolutely loved the author’s vivid descriptions in this book which made me feel completely transported to the Victorian era and the Arctic in turn. These happen to be two of my favourite settings in a book so I absolutely loved learning more about them. I’d actually never heard about either the Victorian Murder Mania and the explorations into the Arctic to find out what happen to Franklin so I found it fascinating to discover more about them. The author has included some real life character’s and events into the story which I always love and I spent lots of time googling them as I was very intrigued.
The story is told from the point of view of Maude and Edison with extracts from ship boy Jack Aldridge. I found this very interesting as it helped me get to know the characters and to see things from both of their points of view. I loved Maude and enjoyed following her throughout the book. She’s an incredibly brave, clever lady and it was fun to try to solve the mystery of what happened to her sister alongside her. Edison was an interesting character who I couldn’t make my mind up about. On one hand he was obviously slightly unhinged with some of his behaviour but on the other I actually felt quite sorry for him at times as he’s obviously had a bit of a difficult time in life.
Overall, as you can probably tell, I absolutely loved this book and will be recommending it to everyone. The author has a great way of slowly increasing the tension in the book as the reader follows Maude in her investigation and Jack trying to avoid detection in the freezing cold Arctic until it becomes almost unbearable. I found it almost impossible to put the book down as I had to keep reading to find out what on earth would happen next and to make sure everyone was going to be OK. There were lots of surprising twists that kept me guessing and seemed to keep going. Just when I thought everything had been revealed there would be another twist that threw more light onto the whole story. I honestly didn’t guess how this book would end, which I always love and I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future. I’m really hoping there will be a sequel as I’d love to spend time with Maude again.
Huge thanks to Siobhan from Picador for providing me with a proof of this book through Rossiter books. If you’re a fan of historical crime books then I highly recommend this book.
About The Author:
Lizzie is an award-winning writer and journalist. She is the author of Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter, a STYLIST and WOMAN & HOME ‘Best Books of 2022’ pick.
Lizzie began her career in women’s magazines, covering everything from feminist motorcycle gangs to conspiracy theorists, before moving into travel writing, contributing to publications including Condé Nast Traveller, Lonely Planet and the Sunday Times.
Her assignments have taken her to some of the most remote parts of the world, from the uninhabited east coast of Greenland in search of polar bears, to the trans-Himalayas to track snow leopards. She was inspired to write Moonlight and the Pearler’s Daughter, her debut, after taking a road trip through Australia with her twin sister after the death of their father. A chance visit to the Maritime Museum in Fremantle led her to an exhibition about a family of British settlers involved in the early pearl diving industry. Thus began an obsession and a research journey that would take Lizzie from the corridors of the British Library to isolated pearl farms in the farthest reaches of northwest Australia.
She lives in London.
Over The Rainbow Blog 