The Tumbling Girl

Starred review from April 3, 2023
Walsh (Domestic Murder in Nineteenth-Century England) impresses in this series launch featuring an unlikely pair of investigators in 1876 London. Minnie Ward writes sketches and songs for a music hall. She becomes a sleuth after her closest friend, actor Rose Watkins, is found murdered. Lacking confidence that Rose’s killing will get the official attention it merits, Minnie and Watkins’s grieving mother, Ida, seek out Albert Easterbrook, a private investigator and retired prizefighter. His inquiry, which Watkins takes an active role in, coincides with the police’s search for the so-called Hairpin Killer (named for his choice of murder weapon), who has been claiming victims on and off for a decade. Another murder, that of an aspiring politician, thickens the plot. Walsh’s diligent research pays off in spades here, and her rich and nuanced portrayal of the period will leave readers feeling like they’re on the soggy streets of London. Imogen Robertson readers will be eager for a sequel to this un-put-downable mystery.

Starred review from May 1, 2023

DEBUT Minnie Ward, a scriptwriter, is as worried about the serial Hairpin Killer as any other young woman who works at the Variety Palace Music Hall in 1876 London. She's devastated when her best friend Rose disappears and is later found dead. However, Minnie doesn't accept the police verdict of suicide and turns to private investigator Albert Easterbrook, who left the police force two years earlier to open his own business. He agrees to take the case, but he and Minnie disagree as to the depth of her involvement, as she knows she can use her skills as a mimic and actress to talk with the working-class servants who might have known Rose. When other young women disappear, Albert wants Minnie to back off; he's grown fond of her and doesn't want to endanger her. But together Minnie and Albert infiltrate a powerful men's club, only to learn they may have drawn the attention of a violent killer. VERDICT This atmospheric debut historical mystery captures the world of music halls and the danger to women in Victorian London. Will appeal to fans of Leonard Goldberg's "Daughter of Sherlock Holmes" mysteries, Sherry Thomas's "Lady Sherlock" books, or the show Miss Scarlet and the Duke.--Lesa Holstine

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