Author:L M Jackson,Phyllida Nash
'It was said that she had the good manners of a respectable upper servant but was far too young to have been pensioned; that she spoke as if she had received an education, but knew the costers' slang as if she were born-and-bred to it; and that she not only had no husband - which was a commonplace on Leather Lane - but seemed never to have possessed one.'
When the mysterious Sarah Tanner opens her Dining and Coffee Rooms upon the corner of Leather Lane and Liquorpond Street, her arrival amongst the poor market-traders is a nine-days' wonder. Few doubt that she has a 'past'; but no-one can possibly predict how it will return to haunt her. When an old friend is brutally murdered by the unlikeliest of assailants, Sarah Tanner is the only witness. Unable to turn to the police, she reluctantly finds herself drawn back into the dark underworld of the Victorian metropolis.
Assisted by unlikely friends, dogged by the criminal machinations of 'the greatest gamester, felon, villain, swindler, and scoundrel in London', she must unravel a web of treachery and deceit, that takes her from the gaming hells of Regent Street to the suburban heights of Upper Holloway; from the slums of St. Giles to the fast-flowing waters of the Thames. Relying on her wits, trading on her past, Sarah Tanner risks gambling her own life upon a desparate quest for justice and vengeance.
Lee Jackson returns with a new 'lady detective,' the first of a gripping series set in 1850s London.
A writer who evokes the colour and danger of Victorian London with a master's touch ... moving with Jackson's mystified characters through the swirling fogs of our pre-electric capital city is an exhilarating experience
—— Daily ExpressA feisty heroine, atmospheric settings, and an express-speed narrative full of twists and surprises. Victorian murder mysteries don't come better
—— Frank TallisLose yourself in Jackson's atmospheric writing as he introduces us to his intriguing Victorian heroine, Sarah Tanner. Jackson is a writer who not only knows his history but who knows how to tell a truly engrossing tale.
—— Gilda O’NeillHe writes with a light touch that makes his darker final chapters all the more disturbing
—— Daily TelegraphThe seventh novel in the best-selling Jack Reacher series. PERSUADER is another gripping thriller
—— OK! MagazineJack Reacher is a seriously tough but unbendingly moral loner, a taciturn modern-day Galahad who attracts violence like a magnet ... violent and exciting
—— Irish IndependentChild has a razor-sharp style and crafted seven perfect thrillers ... Think Die Hard without the smirk
—— PlayboyReacher has no doubts about his objective: to rid the world of the bad guys. And nobody does it better
—— Sunday TelegraphCaptivating...this excellent adventure delivers high drama.
—— NEW YORK TIMESMesmerizing...A colourful cast of characters, both good and evil, enhance a tale that will keep readers on edge until the final page.
—— PUBLISHERS WEEKLYThis is history as it ought to have been.
—— The SpectatorAgainst the well-researched background of intrigue and rebellion we are plunged into the uncertain 12th century, in this accomplished and engrossing historical mystery.
—— Good Book GuideThe deserved winner of this year's Ellis Peters Historical Dagger is a cunningly plotted tale set in medieval Cambridge. A serial killer is at large, and the Jews are blamed. Henry I offers protection because he needs the money. He sends a medical examiner - a master of the art of death - to find the killer. Great stuff
—— THE OBSERVERGruesome and compelling
—— Evening StandardNorwegian star Jo Nesbo has obliterated most of his Scandinavian rivals in the bestseller stakes, with The Leopard published in paperback this week... The uncrowned king of Norwegian crime fiction is Jo Nesbo. Books such as The Redbreast (2000) and his imposing novel The Snowman have propelled Nesbo to the heights. Apart from its narrative finesse, his work also provides a coolly objective guide to fluctuations in Norwegian society. There is also a universal feeling that his work is more strikingly individual than that of most of his Scandinavian colleagues... Harry is a lone wolf, a chronic alcoholic separated from his wife and child but in touch with the zeitgeist of his country. And Nesbo gives us a sharp picture of Norwegian society in flux, crammed with relevant detail - as you might expect from an ex-freelance journalist, particularly where the role of the media is described
—— Barry Forshaw , IndependentNesbo has a skill for dispatching his victims with increasing inventiveness, and he barely lets you draw breath before delivering a virtuoso torture and death scene in the opening chapter
—— ShortlistThe plot is intriguing, and Nesbo's writing is as taught as ever
—— Sunday TimesIt's fascinating to discover, from the incident details, what it is like to live for much of the time in a world under snow... Nesbo writes beautifully
—— Jessica Mann , Literary ReviewThere are passages [which are] so anatomically gruesome...that they can only be properly read through the gaps between protecting fingers
—— ProspectNorwegian star Jo Nesbo has obliterated most of his Scandinavian rivals in the bestseller stakes, with The Leopard published in paperback this week...The uncrowned king of Norwegian crime fiction is Jo Nesbo. Books such as The Redbreast (2000) and his imposing novel The Snowman have propelled Nesbo to the heights. Apart from its narrative finesse, his work also provides a coolly objective guide to fluctuations in Norwegian society. There is also a universal feeling that his work is more strikingly individual than that of most of his Scandinavian colleagues...Harry is a lone wolf, a chronic alcoholic separated from his wife and child but in touch with the zeitgeist of his country. And Nesbo gives us a sharp picture of Norwegian society in flux, crammed with relevant detail - as you might expect from an ex - freelance journalist, particularly where the role of the media is described
—— Independent