Description:

Pyke joins the newly formed Detective Bureau of the Metropolitan police in this fourth gripping tale of corruption and murder in 19th century London

London, 1844. Pyke has been part of the Metropolitan Police's newly formed "Detective Bureau" for six months. Unsurprisingly Pyke is confronted by faceless opponents within the Bureau and the New Police who don't like his unconventional methods, his criminal past, and his dubious law enforcement record. When the body of a policeman is found, it initially appears that the man has been killed while on duty in the course of a robbery that has gone wrong. But Pyke's investigations reveal that the policeman might have been murdered and the robbery offered as a ruse to cover up what really happened. Then a tavern landlord—and, as Pyke discovers, a former policeman—is killed and a connection to the dead policeman is unearthed: both joined the New Police at the same time and served under the same inspector in the East End. Digging into both men's past, Pyke's investigative team unearth evidence of corrupt practices and connections to slum-lords and high-ranking City of London officials—as well as a policeman who has subsequently climbed to the top of the New Police.

Review

Dramatically sketching the dark Victorian underbelly of London, Pepper creates a perfect sense of atmosphere and place as he ratchets up the tension in this satisfying thriller. CATHOLIC HERALD A quality slice of Victorian crime SOUTH WALES ARGUS

About the Author

Andrew Pepper is the author of The Last Days at Newgate, The Revenge of Captain Paine, and Kill-Devil and Water.