Friday, May 15, 2020

Where Serpents Sleep

Hero Jarvis, daughter of Lord Jarvis, was at Magdalene House interviewing a young prostitute when men broke into the house.  She and the young woman escaped, but during the escape the young woman was shot and killed.  Hero has now approached Lord Devlin and asked him to find out who she was.

Devlin turns to his valet, Jules Calhoun, for information about brothels near Portman Square.  Calhoun suggests one in particular and warns Devlin about the owner, stating that people who upset him have a tendency to end up dead.

When Devlin visits the house where the young woman had worked, he seems to have stirred up a hornets’ nest.  He also learns the full name that she went by.  Could the brothel keeper have been the one who killed her?  Further investigation gains the facts that someone had a special interest in her.  More information points to a certain magistrate with the Bow Street Runners who had been rough with her a few times.

Having established the young woman’s true identity, Devlin approaches her father, but the lord asserts that his daughter is in the country, despite Devlin showing him evidence to the contrary.

As Devlin gathers information, he comes across a plot to kill the prime minister.  It would appear that the woman who was killed had heard the men talking of their plans, so they had to take action To eliminate her so that she wouldn’t tell the authorities.  How many more will die before Devlin can stop the killers?

Author C. S. Harris has a daunting task before Devlin can find the killer or killers.  His task isn’t made any easier by Hero Jarvis, yet she does provide some insights and a few witnesses to help Devlin.  Harris has written a very good historical thriller.  A good read.

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