Cage Lackmann, a lawyer in 1880s London, works on the margins of respectability and honesty, defending criminals for the gang lord Obediah Pincott and supporting deserving cases when he can. Five years previously he had got a client acquitted of murder on a technicality, but now a new murder bears the hallmarks of being a repeat of the earlier crime. Did Lackmann get it wrong the first time, or is something more sinister going on? He delves into both crimes and becomes increasingly involved and increasingly in danger from both sides of the law.

An excellent evocation of Victorian London and the lives of the working and middle classes in the East End of the city. Evans is very good on the everyday incidentals of life that show a very different set of priorities and mores from our world today. This breathes life and immediacy into the book and draws us in as the case unfolds.

The characters are all well-drawn and all seem too have an interior life and depth beyond the requirements of the plot. They are all understandable if not always likeable.

A well-plotted book that is very readable. Recommended. ( )

London of the 1880s and lawyer Cage Lackmann is defending lowlifes for his gangster boss. When he is visited by the police he discovers that a murder has been committed and the clues point to a man he got acquitted five years ago. As Lackmann struggles with guilt and the desire to escape his boss he also tries to solve the crimes but realises that friendship is not as clear as it ought to be.
There was much I liked about this book, the setting particularly amongst the poor of the East End, but I found the plot incredulous at times. I do believe that there is potential for a series here so would not write off Evans at this stage. ( )