Daughters of Night

A Compulsive and Sordid Historical Mystery in Georgian London

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Daughters of Night

By: Laura Shepherd-Robinson

Narrated by: Lucy Scott

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About this listen

'This is right up there with the best of C. J. Sansom and Andrew Taylor' – Amanda Craig, author of The Golden Rule

From the pleasure palaces and gin-shops of Covent Garden to the elegant townhouses of Mayfair, Laura Shepherd-Robinson’s Daughters of Night follows Caroline Corsham as she seeks justice for a murdered woman whom London society would rather forget . . .

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 . . .

'Spectacularly brilliant . . . One of the most enjoyable and enduring stories I have ever read' – James O'Brien, journalist, author and LBC Presenter

Laura Shepherd-RobinsonLucy ScottMantle

Amateur Sleuths

Detective

Historical

Mystery

Thriller & Suspense

Women Sleuths

Women's Fiction

Fiction

Exciting

England

Marriage

Amateur Sleuths Detective Historical Mystery Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Fiction Exciting England Marriage

Critic reviews

Come for the clever mystery, stay reading late into the night for the vivid, tender portrayal of a world where women are bought, sold and abused, yet fight to retain their vim and dignity. I would gamble what’s left of my virtue on Daughters of Night being the best historical crime novel I will read this year (Antonia Senior)

Outstanding (Sarah Hughes)

Here’s one where the pages turn all by themselves and the plot doesn’t let you go (Diane Setterfield, author of Once Upon a River)

This is right up with the best of C. J. Sansom and Andrew Taylor . . . A real treat, for readers of literary, detective and historical fiction (Amanda Craig, author of The Lie of the Land)

Shepherd-Robinson’s ingenious plotting, eagle eye for detail and evocative prose picked me up and dropped me in the underbelly of Georgian London. Like all the best historical fiction it makes the reader think as much about the way we live now as then (Erin Kelly, author of He Said/She Said)

A dark, fascinating and richly imagined world – brilliantly done! (Ruth Ware, author of One By One and In a Dark, Dark Wood)

Rich in historical detail, impeccably plotted . . . Laura Shepherd-Robinson really is the queen of the historical crime novel (C. J. Tudor, author of The Chalk Man)

Deft characterization, wonderful writing and great pace . . . Laura Shepherd-Robinson is a big talent (Steve Cavanagh, author of Thirteen and Twisted)

A very satisfying whodunnit . . . The twists and turns were masterful (James Oswald, author of the Inspector MacLean series)

Top-drawer historical fiction meets compulsive, just-one-more-chapter crime. Expertly plotted, gloriously grisly, with characters who stomp around your brain long after you turn the last page. In other words, masterful (Caz Frear, author of Sweet Little Lies and Shed No Tears)

A masterfully plotted labyrinth of a novel with a dangerously dark heart, teeming with memorable characters. Eighteenth-century London seethes from the page. I loved it (Robyn Young, author of Brethren and the Insurrection trilogy)

Just finished Daughters Of Night a stunning tour de force from the hugely talented Laura Shepherd Robinson breathtaking stuff (Chris Whitaker, author of We Begin at the End)

Laura Shepherd-Robinson has at once proved herself a star (Antonia Hodgson, author of The Devil in the Marshalsea)

It thrums with life and colour, the characters are bawdy and beautiful and sly and savage, the twists are wicked, and the denouement has a satisfying modern flavour without ever straying from the confines of the setting (Sarah Hilary, author of Fragile)

Every bit as good as Blood & Sugar, better even. Rich in historical detail, a fascinating exploration of the London sex-trade, and I loved the twist . . . Another terrific novel (Jo Spain, author of The Confession)

Most relevant

Daughters of Night is set in Georgian London, not a period that I’ve read that much about. I love a good historical novel, and this is definitely one of the good ones! There’s loads of really interesting, accurate (it seems to me!)historical detail, and the characters are well developed people that I wanted to find out more about.
It was surprising that Caro Corsham could investigate a death and a disappearance herself, but I suppose with money and status comes a little freedom - and her husband isn’t in the country for the vast majority of the book. Caro’s thief taker, Peregrine Child, is a great character. A complex man, he wants to do what’s right, despite the fact that he’s paid to do so. He comes with his own set of problems: drinking, gambling, he owes money to the wrong people (if there are ‘right’ ones, I don’t know!), but I really had the impression throughout that he had empathy for the prostitute he was looking for. He realises that these women don’t always choose to do the job, and when they do, it’s because there’s little other choice.
This is a big book, and I listened to it on Audible, so it was a lot of hours - but it didn’t seem that way. The narrator, Lucy Scott, was really engaging, and her different voices were discernible from one another. I’ve done this a couple of times recently with my NetGalley books: I realise that there are some books that just really lend themselves well to being read aloud - and it’s a far more entertaining way to get ready for work or to cook dinner!
I loved this book, and I’d highly recommend it - either in book or audible form!