Daughters of Night by Laura Shepherd-Robinson

Synopsis
London, 1782. Desperate for her politician husband to return home from France, Caroline ‘Caro’ Corsham is already in a state of anxiety when she finds a well-dressed woman mortally wounded in the bowers of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. The Bow Street constables are swift to act, until they discover that the deceased woman was a highly paid prostitute, at which point they cease to care entirely. But Caro has motives of her own for wanting to see justice done, and so sets out to solve the crime herself. Enlisting the help of thieftaker Peregrine Child, their inquiry delves into the hidden corners of Georgian society, a world of artifice, deception and secret lives.

But with many gentlemen refusing to speak about their dealings with the dead woman, and Caro’s own reputation under threat, finding the killer will be harder, and more treacherous, than she can know . . .

Review
Laura Shepherd Robinson’s debut novel, Blood & Sugar made my list of favourite books of 2019, so I was excited to be given an advanced copy of Daughters of Night to read by Pan Macmillan. Set during the same period of her previous book, the late eighteenth century, this book sees the return of Caro Corsham, who is feisty, intelligent and an independent woman. When she comes across the body of an aquaintance, murdered in the pleasure gardens of Vauxhall, a woman she believed to be an Italian Countess, Caro is obviously shocked to learn that she is in fact a prostitute. Lucy Loveless, was one of London’s most sought after women, a member of the Whores Club, but as such her murder is not seemed to be important. Caro’s sense of justice drives her to find out just what happened to Lucy, and with thieftaker Pereguin Child they delve into the murky world of Georgian society, with secret clubs, hedonistic parties and prostitutes.

You don’t need to have read Laura Shepherd-Robinson’s previous book to enjoy the Daughters of Night, Caro was a minor character as the wife of one the main characters, Captain Henry Corsham, who in this book is away in France on Government business. Caro is a character who knows her own mind, doesn’t necessarily adhere to social of gender conventions, doing what she wants and what she thinks is right, including investigating the death of a prostitute and paying for her funeral. I loved Caro as a character, a woman who is passionate, intelligent, determined and not frightened to take on the establishment when required. She also has a secret of her own, one that could destroy her family and marriage. She is dogged in her approach even when it could destroy friendships or family members.

As with her previous book, Laua Shepherd-Robinson’s understanding of Georgian history is remarkable. She is able to capture the essence and atmosphere of this period, a time of debauchery, excess, beauty and enjoyment. The plotline highlights the disparity in the classes, the rich and the poor, those with power and those without. There are even different classes of prostitutes, from the high class women of the Whore Club, like Lucy who are wined and dined by rich aristocrats and the wealthy men, taken to parties and kept in luxury. At the opposite end of this scale are the girls working on the streets, putting themselves in danger, living in teriible conditions. Laura Shepherd-Robinsom captures the beautiful satins and brocades of the clothes, the beautiful interiors of the houses, the masked balls and the periods obsession with classical mythology, an example being the Pryapus Club. There is aslo the more sordid side of Georgian society, the pleasure gardens of Vauxhall, beautiful but also a place for secret assignations, the selling of virgins to the highest bidder and the prevelence of syphlis, that destroys not only the body but also the mind.

Daughters of Night is another stunning book from Laura Shepherd -Robinson. Full of historical detail, with place and characters so vividly captured on the page this is a book to be savoured and to loose yourself in. The heady mix of Georgian high society mixed with the darker side of London, the sex trade and the violence of the streets, makes for a truely enlightening read. Add to this the tension and sinister undercurrent of the murder of a young woman, and an investigation that threatens Caro’s life this is a truely brilliant and accomplished read. I hope the next book is in the writing, because I can’t wait to read it. Simply stunning!!

I would like to thank the generous Rosie Wilson from Pan Macmillian for sending me a copy of this book in return for my honest review.