The
Glass House
Captain Gabriel Lacey #3
By Ashley Gardner
Captain
Gabriel Lacey left the army under a cloud and now lives alone, sad
and penniless in Regency London. He has a wealthy benefactor in the
shape of Lucius Grenville, who stumps up the money in return for being
able to participate in detection. Not far away, Lacey has his former
superior officer and ex-best friend (now his enemy) and his beautiful
wife Louisa. When he finds a woman's body being fished out of the
river one evening, he is determined to find out who killed her and
why. This will lead him and Grenville to the Glass House, London's
most decadent and exclusive brothel and beyond.
If
you were a fan of Kate Ross, then this is another series of Regency
whodunits, but nothing like Ross' work at all. Downbeat and rather
gritty, The Glass House stresses the half-lives of those
born to be gentlefolk but without means or the prospect of lucrative
work. It exposes the seamy underbelly of London, where vice and
abject poverty are side by side with wealth and fashion. Told in
Gabriel's own words, this is a compelling tale that mixes social
commentary with detection. It offers a fairly small cast of well
defined characters who are shown warts and all. If you like realism
rather than cozy, then this ought to suit.
Other
reviews in this series
The
Hanover Square Affair #1 [amazon]
A Regimental Murder # 2 [review]
The Glass House #3 [review]
The Sudbury School Murders #4 [review]
A Body in Berkeley Square #5 [review]
A Covent Garden Mystery #6 [review]
Death in Norfolk #7 [review]
A Disappearance in Drury Lane [review]
|
The
Book |
Berkley
Prime Crime (Penguin Group USA) |
December
2004 |
Paperback |
0425199436 |
Historical
Crime [1817, London] |
Amazon |
The
Reviewer |
Rachel
A Hyde |
|
|