Description
Book SynopsisFor lovers of Sherlock, Shardlake and Ripper Street. A hugely enjoyable action-packed Victorian thriller with a great detective double act.
''Delicious Stuff.'' Financial Times
Published in hardback as The Infidel Stain.
London, 1841. Mr Jeremiah Blake and Captain William Avery, recently returned from India, are invited by Viscount Allington to examine the particulars of a grisly pair of murders. Two printers from the seditious gutter presses have been brutally dispatched in distinct but similar circumstances. Fearing the deaths will stoke the fires of Chartism sweeping the capital, Allington hopes Blake and Avery''s determination to uncover the truth will solve these crimes and help restore civic order. But there are others who seem equally determined that the pair shall fail . . .
Trade ReviewVividly realised...the second outing for [Blake and Avery] is even more fun, with the same blend of derring-do and elegant writing. ..Delicious stuff. * Financial Times *
Witty and unfailingly readable...its contemporary resonance [is] all the more effective for being implicit. -- Andrew Taylor * The Spectator *
An entertaining stew of blackmail, murder, cross-dressing and incomprehensible slang ... like Dickens, Carter's righteous anger at Victorian hypocrisy does not prevent her from revelling in it with infectious glee. * Sunday Telegraph *
While the relationship between the dynamic duo Blake and Avery evolves in a nuanced, tender way the real star of the show in this complex, clever novel is London itself. * Evening Standard *
The Strangler Vine was a promising and enjoyable debut - plenty of action, rich in historical detail, all crowned with a very clever twist. Carter has proved with
The Infidel Stain that it was not a one-off. * The Times *
If this series is not bought for film, it would be another mark of the corporate stupidity that lost the BBC Ripper Street. It is, however, far more pleasurable and impressive to read. * Independent on Sunday *
Vivid...done with brio. * Mail on Sunday *
A sinister tale involving political revolution, printers and porn, The Infidel Stain drips with period atmosphere. * Bella Magazine *
Compelling... Carter's book is historical crime fiction at its best. * Nick Rennison, BBC History Magazine *
