The Butcher of Berner Street
A Leo Stanhope Case
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2.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
The latest 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 Hilary
The 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.
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The latest Leo Stanhope case, The Blood Flower, is available to pre-order now - out July 2022!
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PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Reeve's outstanding third Victorian mystery featuring journalist Leo Stanhope, who was born in a woman's body but identifies as male (after 2019's The Anarchists' Club), opens at a "penny gaff" (a sporting establishment) in Whitechapel, where, according to an unsigned note sent to Leo's newspaper, there's going to be a "cold-hearted murder" that night. Following a wrestling match, the lights go out, revealing the body of club owner Oswald Drake hanging from a rope, apparently dead. But Drake reveals that he's faking, and that he sent the message to Stanhope just to publicize his business. The episode proves more significant when, two days later, Drake is murdered by someone who injected something into his neck and hanged him. Leo investigates after being advised of the death by an anonymous telegram, but their initial conclusions may put the wrong person in the dock. They delve into Drake's background and learn that several people had reasons to kill him. Reeve never makes the amateur sleuthing less than plausible and enables readers to sympathize with his lead's efforts to keep their gender identity a secret. This series just keeps getting better.
