A serial killer draws the Victorian courtesan and professional sleuth into 19th century London’s criminal underground in this historical mystery.
London, 1863. Women in Waterloo are turning up dead, their sexual organs removed and mutilated. When a girl goes missing and the search proves fruitless, fears grow that the killer may have claimed another victim. With the police at a total loss, it falls to courtesan and professional detective, Heloise Chancey, to investigate.
With the assistance of her friend and maid, Amah Li Leen, Heloise inches closer to the truth. But when Amah is implicated in the brutal plot, Heloise begins to question who she can trust. In times like these, even a woman acquainted with London’s dark side must be wary of what lurks in the shadows.
M.J's father is Chinese-Indonesian and her mother has English-Irish heritage. Being Eurasian herself means that she has always been interested in portraying racially hybridised characters. Although M.J. grew up in Australia, she has always favoured British fiction, especially in the crime genre. Her inspirations include Agatha Christie, Allingham and Sayers, Val McDermid, Peter Robinson, R.D. Wingfield and Reginald Hill.