Theft of Life, Imogen Robertson
Imogen studied German and Russian at Cambridge, then spent a while working as a TV director before becoming a full-time writer. Much of her childhood was spent lost in the novels of Dorothy L. Sayers and Georgette Heyer, which probably accounts for her writing mysteries set in the late 18th century.
Set in London 1785, Theft of Life features Harriet Westerman, an independent widow, and Gabriel Crowther, a reclusive anatomist. The discovery of the body of a West Indian planter in the grounds of St Paul’s Cathedral forces Harriet and Crowther into the world of the of the slave trade, on which so much of London’s wealth is based. As they struggle to find who was behind the killing, Francis Glass, a former slave now working in the book trade, confronts a tragic loss and starts out on his own mission for justice. In this redemptive mystery, all three must find a way through the dangerous networks of powerful interests which bind the city together. Expect dark revelations about the slave trade and its place in British history.
Release date: May 2014
Publisher: Headline Review
Some other work by the same author –
Instruments of Darkness (2009)
Profano-Meter: Harmless
Platelet-Counter: Ugh
