Lawless and the Flowers of Sin
A Campbell Lawless Novel
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
It is 1863, and as a reluctant Inspector of Vice, Campbell Lawless undertakes a reckoning of London’s houses of ill repute, a shadowy netherworld of frayed glamour and double standards, mesmerising and unspeakable by turns. From the erotic booksellers of Holywell Street to the alleys of Haymarket, he discovers backstreet cast-offs and casualties of the society bordellos, and becomes fascinated by a musician who has established a foundation for fallen women. But his inquiries draw the attention of powerful men, who can be merciless in defending their reputations. Lawless must unlock the heart of a clandestine network, before he too is silenced...
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in 1860s London, Sutton's complex second mystery featuring Sgt. Campbell Lawless is even better than its predecessor, Lawless and the Devil of Euston Square. To Lawless's dismay, Sir Richard Payne, the commissioner of Scotland Yard, assigns him to supervise a new survey to count every prostitute in the city. Payne wants to use the findings to persuade Parliament to devote resources to combat immorality. He also asks the police sergeant to keep an eye out for a "particular friend" of Lord Palmerston, the prime minister. Despite Payne's ostensible laudable motive, Lawless suspects that he has a hidden agenda. In any event, Lawless resolves to carry out the investigation honestly. The extent of the exploitation of girls and women shocks even the seasoned policeman, and those grim portraits of human misery will linger for the reader even as the author provides plausible twists to keep things moving.
