Smoke and Silk

'Atmospheric, intricate and authentic' ERIN KELLY
'Utterly immersive and completely compelling . . . A dazzling debut' D. V. BISHOP
'An unusual and enjoyable crime story' SUNDAY TIMES

***

DARKNESS LIES IN THE SHADOWS OF VICTORIAN LONDON

Opium, treachery, murder . . .

Pearl Fitzgerald arrives in Limehouse - London's very ­first Chinatown - to settle her late father's affairs and claim her inheritance. But when she unwittingly ­finds herself at the scene of a murder, her plans are thrown off course. Even more so by the alluring Mei, sister to the dead man. Utterly infatuated, Pearl promises Mei that she will bring her brother's killer to justice, and she dives into the East End's criminal underworld.

But in the city of smoke and silk, where cultures clash and the hangman's noose is always waiting, the truth comes at a cost. With each step of the investigation Pearl risks her livelihood, her relationship with Mei, and her life. Because the killer will strike again, and they're already hunting for the next victim . . .

Opium smuggling, murder and unexpected romance meet in this historical thriller for fans of Leonora Nattrass, Laura Shepherd-Robinson and Sarah Waters.

'A tale that brings a lost world vividly back to life' NEIL BARTLETT

'Keating's delicious debut guides us through the little-known world of Victorian London's Chinese community in working-class Limehouse' STELLA DUFFY