Bella Wallis discovers her plots in the alley ways, drawing rooms and dirty laundry of Victorian London. Under the pen name Henry Ellis Margam she takes revenge upon the scoundrels that litter London Society by destroying them - in print.
So when Bella discovers a crested cigar case at the scene of a murdered prostitute she and her friends are determined to solve the mystery and to avenge the wretched girl's death. But the owner of the coat of arms is a dangerous and powerful man, and the world he inhabits far murkier than Bella could ever have imagined. With cruelty and violence threatening to engulf her, she plots one last attempt to expose and denounce the murderer. Bella Wallis, widow and writer, must put pen to paper before her nemesis silences her for ever.
Bella Wallis writes books under a male pseudononym that expose some of the scoundrels of high-society. When a crested cigar-case is found near the body of a murdered prostitute she investigates with the help of her friends. This gets her into a lot of trouble and provides her with a lot of material for her next books.
It's not a bad read but it was overshadowed by the Braun & Books story that I read soon afterwards. There were moments when the research showed and often I was quite confused as to the location of the happenings or the era, things seemed to be very piecemeal.
It's not a bad read and I would be interested in reading more to see how she develops as a character but she just didn't come to life for me enough to make me want the sequel immediately.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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1 July, 2012:
Finished reading
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1 July, 2012:
Reviewed