Half Moon Street
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
A transgender man in Victorian London investigates the murder of the prostitute he loved in this "intriguing debut" historical mystery (Historical Novel Society).
Like half the young men in London, Leo Stanhope is rich in dreams but poor of pocket. He dreams of taking his beloved Maria away from the brothel and making a home with her. He dreams of a life far from the blood and stink of the morgue where he works. And he dreams of a world where no one cares what is tucked between his legs. Because Leo has a secret. And in Queen Victoria's England, that secret could get him locked up for life . . . if nobody kills him first.
But when Maria is killed instead, Leo is not only devastated—he's also the prime suspect. Desperate to clear his name and find the murderer, Leo is forced to sacrifice his books, his job, his home. Will he give up his secret? How much is justice worth? You thought "trans" was a twenty-first–century construct? Think again.
Half Moon Street was previously published as The House on Half Moon Street.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Reeve's impressive first in a Victorian mystery series introduces Leo Stanhope, who identifies as male though born into a woman's body. Leo works at London's Westminster Hospital as secretary to the surgeon in charge of the mortuary. He take pains to keep the truth about his anatomy secret, even as he develops strong feelings for Maria Milanes, a prostitute who works in a brothel. When Maria is found with the back of her head crushed near London Bridge, her body is taken to the hospital's mortuary. Leo's relationship with the murdered woman attracts the interest of the police, and the shock Leo experiences at the loss leads to an absence from work that costs him his job. Skeptical that the authorities will pursue all leads, Leo turns sleuth and begins looking into another recent death that he believes is connected with Maria's: Jack Flowers, who worked for the brothel's owner, supposedly drowned accidentally just a few days earlier. Readers will look forward to Leo's further adventures. Correction: An earlier version of this review incorrectly used they/them pronouns in reference to the character Leo. This review has also been updated to correct a production error.
