Smuggling. Prostitution. Murder.
London. 1920 and coroner’s officer May Keaps is tasked with solving the mystery that surrounds the death of a young boy, found drowned in The Thames.
But was it murder or an accident?
May knows that when children go missing, the reason is often linked to money but she is in danger of underestimating the corrupting influence of power . . .
On streets where poverty and exploitation walk hand-in-hand everyone has a price. And some are more valuable dead than alive. But who is pulling the strings?
May must journey into the dark underbelly of London to find the answers.
Review
Firstly my thanks go to the author, Publisher Bloodhound Books and blog tour organiser Sarah Hardy for the ARC of Found Drowned in return for an honest review.
I am a massive fan of this series of historical adventures involving the delightful May Keeps. From the first moving and atmospheric novella, to this the second full length novel, the series has gone from strength to strength.
The main character, May Keeps, is brave, determined and most importantly of all, a very believable character. Her bravery makes you admire her, her sometimes ill judged actions, make you love her, because she believes in justice and is willing to pursue it wherever it leads her. This in particularly apparent in Found Drowned, where her determination to seek justice for a drowned boy, leads her to risk her life over and over. As a character she leaps from the pages and lodges herself in your heart and imagination.
It is without doubt an entertaining and reverting read. Character development is important to me as a reader and this is never swamped by the action. You get to know more about May and the death of her beloved father, while she battles against the seedier elements of London society.
It is endearing, classy, exciting read, with a killer plot that made putting the book down virtually impossible. The tension builds up as the story progresses and kept me entertained to the very last page. To me this would make a first class TV drama, that I could imagine settling down to on a Sunday evening!
I look forward to more thrilling adventures with May Keeps.
Found Drowned can be purchased from Amazon in paperback and Ecopy.
About the author
BK Duncan is the pen name Ruth Wade has adopted for the May Keaps series of historical crime novels.
Born on a steam railway and brought up on the South Coast of England, such beginnings were destined to leave BK Duncan with a love of vintage transport, crashing seas, and Art Deco architecture.
Following a career encompassing developmental learning and change-management consultancy she now combines producing her own work with lecturing part-time in creative writing in colleges and academies in Cambridge and Oxford. Her two great passions are longbow archery and the Argentine Tango. Sadly, she is not nearly as accomplished at either as she’d like.
BK Duncan also writes historical crime novels as Ruth Wade.
BK Duncan can be followed on Twitter and her Website.
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