A Necessary Murder
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4.3 • 3 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A string of murders cuts close to home for the Victorian courtesan and professional sleuth in this mystery thriller set in 19th century London.
London, 1863: Little Margaret Lovejoy is found brutally murdered in the outhouse at her family's estate. A few days later, a man is cut down in a similar manner on the doorstep of Heloise Chancey's prestigious address. But the courtesan detective has other troubles to attend to. Heloise's maid, Amah Li Leen, has just discovered that events from her past have resurfaced to threaten her present life.
Once again, Heloise is caught in a maelstrom of murder and deceit that threatens to dismantle her carefully crafted existence. But she has always been adept at deceiving the dishonest. Pursuing two investigations at once, Heloise is about to demonstrate just how skilled she truly is.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Tjia's well-crafted second whodunit featuring the Victorian courtesan and occasional private investigator Heloise Chancey improves on its predecessor, 2017's She Be Damned. At a party Heloise is hosting, one of her guests brings up the murder of three-year-old Margaret Lovejoy, who was found in the outhouse of her family's home in Stoke Newington with her throat slit. The week before, Robert Lovejoy, the girl's father, received a letter warning him of a "terrible tragedy." A similar communication was recently received by Sir Henry Pidgeon, who was with Robert in Sarawak years earlier when the British fended off an attack by a Chinese gang. Then another acquaintance of Sir Henry, who also was in Sarawak with him, turns up on Heloise's doorstep with his throat slit in the same manner as Margaret's. The murder weapon appears to be a short sword known as a kris, which was stolen from Heloise's display cabinet. The police persuade Heloise to infiltrate the Lovejoy household, posing as the new nursemaid. Heloise proves an able, empathetic sleuth. Strong prose and plotting bode well for future entries.
