Published by Allison & Busby
Edward Marston has done it again.
The master of historical crime fiction has introduced a brand new series of books to go alongside the exceptional Railway Detective, Bracewell Mysteries and The Home Front Detective.
Set in 1815, London has a sort-of police force in the form of the Bow Street Runners, however there were other crime-fighters around at the time, rivalling the group that were the forerunners of the Metropolitan Police Force.
Such rivals included Peter and Paul Skillen and, in a first for detective fiction, they are identical twins.
They look so much alike that even their friends and colleagues struggle to tell them apart, but their characters are opposites.
Peter is happily married to Charlotte, who helps out at the shooting gallery which acts as a base and is devoted to his wife. He is also a clear and logical thinker.
Paul, on the other hand, is a bachelor. His good looks means that he is a bit of a womanizer and a gambler.
When they come together though, they are unbeatable.
In this first outing for the twins, they are called in to search for two convicts who have broken out of Dartmoor, and there is the matter of a missing cleaner at the Home Office.
Their investigations are hampered by Paul’s love life and the matter of the Bow Street Runners trying to beat them to their goals – by fair means or foul.
And when the security of The Home Secretary and The Duke of Wellington comes into the mix, as London is about to celebrate the victory at Waterloo; everything comes together in an exciting climax.
When reading this book, we first have to get to know the characters and this is the job of any first book in a series; but to manage to introduce the characters as well as involving them in a superb story is not an easy thing.
Marston is expert at this, and even though initially we are unsure about the gambling problems of Paul Skillen, we warm to the character during the course of the story.
Marston conjures up an accurate picture of Regency London with the tenement slums, the seat of government and the shops of Piccadilly in great detail – without becoming too ponderous.
It looks like Marston has another hit series on his hands.