An adequate novel, set in the early days of Scotland Yard, right after the Jack the Ripper murders. It's not a mystery, since the murderers are revealed to the reader in the early pages. It's not particularly suspenseful or thrilling - the plot follows predictable lines. It is entertaining and enjoyable, although there seems to me to be a needless emphasis on blood and gore.
There are anachronisms, which can quickly ruin a historical novel. The insistence by a married woman that she be called by her first name by a complete stranger seems out of character with dialog from the novels of the period, as does the use of the American slang "okay". That may not technically be an anachronism, but it jars and seems out of place.
So an enjoyable read, but nothing to get excited about.
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