Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Series: The Field & Greystone Series
Publication Date: 9/17/24
Period: Victorian London. 1883

What a delightful surprise to find this outstanding historical romance author making her first foray into the world of historical mysteries. She did prodigious amounts of research, is true to the period in which the story is set, and created an atmospheric story that will pull you in from the first dark, eerie, fog-filled scene and hold you until the last word on the last page.

Scotland Yard Inspector Henry Field has a long and illustrious history to live up to as both his father and grandfather were outstanding Chief Inspectors before him. Everyone is always watching him – hoping for a mistake – so they can feel better about their own mediocrity. The case to which he has just been assigned may be the case for which they have been hoping. With no clues and no witnesses to a murder that happened in the middle of the night, it will take a miracle to solve it. Well, a miracle or one very frightened, traumatized, six-year-old child who can neither speak nor hear. A child who is missing. Did she meet the same fate as her father?

Widow Amelia Greystone is shocked and amazed when young Maeve Pritchard shows up at her door. The child is barefoot, dirty, still in her nightwear, and frightened beyond measure, but she has managed to travel across London on her own. Amelia takes Maeve in, cleans her up, and then heads out to let her father know where Maeve is and that she is safe.

This author weaves a tale of intrigue and treachery that will have you biting your nails wondering who did it and what their motives could have been. Your heart will break for poor orphaned Maeve as she tries to communicate what happened to her father, and you will commiserate with Henry as every effort to find a clue yields nothing. Of course, you will also smile and sing a happy song when Henry identifies the villain.

I enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see what happens in the next one. I particularly enjoyed the author’s ability to set a scene and make you feel the emotions that were taking place. Another thing I enjoyed was the very unique setting and profession of the victim. Who would have thought ravens could have been an integral part of a book – and that you would love it? Yet, it is true. With so many red herrings and suspects, it is a wonder Henry and Amelia manage to put it all together. This is an intriguing, interesting, story from the unsettling first chapters through the twist at the end.

I voluntarily read an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.