At last, a real rival for Ian Rankin's Rebus

A gritty portrayal of gangland violence and crime - A compelling and menacing page-turner

Gritty and menacing

'Gruelling, exciting, eventful...cleanly and crisply written, with a vein of sardonic asides'

The writing is as ever fluid and pacey, the characterisation deft and the plot fresh and ingenious

Atmospheric, hugely beguiling and as filled with tricks and sleights of hand as a magician's sleeve... this is English gothic at its eccentric best; a combination of Ealing comedy and grand opera: witty, charismatic, occasionally touching and with a genuine power to thrill

A writer of extraordinary imagination

The striking gothic setting of London under fire proves fruitful ground for a bizarre dark comedy of an investigation... bawdy, unpredictable and at times hilarious, with a cast of wonderful grotesques

Fowler belongs with the mythographers of London: Iain Sinclair, Peter Ackroyd

Its combination of Grand Guignol and place setting does command attention

Original, moving and entertaining for adults as well as for older children

A deservedly acclaimed read.