This is a vivid, enjoyable novel with a likable cast of characters and plenty of intrigue and suspense. Great detail is given into the personalities for the characters. A very unusual bunch of characters: gay disowned lord, street urchin and an unmarried young woman with a very murky past. It takes a team of people with nothing to lose and nothing to hold them back to get to the bottom of the matter. And that is very grisly and wrapped in may layers of time, lies, secrets and evil deeds. The atmosphere of this book is wonderful. I felt like I was in the story.

Since Sano Ichiro began investigating in Shinju, I have been reading the historical mysteries by Laura Joh Rowland. Rowland attention to research and scene setting pulls the reader in to the novels. The reader can picture the scene as if they are walking along the street with the characters or watching through a window.

The Victorian Mysteries featuring Sarah Bain are far from the setting in the Sano Ichiro mysteries but Rowland attention to detail is still the same. You can see the smog of London smell the gas lamps along the street hear the horses and the crowds as you walk along with Sarah and her friends, Hugh and Mick.

Come along and search for the truth with Sarah as she tries to ferret out the details of her past and save innocent people from being wrongly accused. Rowland's novels are a true delight for mystery and historical lovers.

In "The Hangman's Secret", we follow a photojournalist on her quest to find the "next big thing" - that is, when "big" = gruesome and awful! She takes crime scene photos for a newspaper, and it's during this endeavor that she and her friends stumble upon a mystery they weren't expecting.

This book is marked as "Victorian Mystery #3", but I haven't read the previous two - and still enjoyed it! I liked the main character, Sarah, and enjoyed the intrigue and danger that lurked around every corner.

The pacing was excellent - I didn't find myself getting bored at all. The ending left me wishing that I had another 200 pages!

Bonus points for an amazing cover, I love it.

I received this arc through Netgalley and Crooked Lane books. It was the 3rd book in the series, however that wasn’t a problem at all, it can stand alone. Previous events were written about, but the author does a recap, so you don’t feel like you’ve missed out. It’s a great setting for a book in Victorian times and a hangman’s murder! It’s fairly fast paced. I enjoyed this read. It kept me guessing and I liked it better than I do most crime stories.

I could not get into this book at all. I've had it for a while now & try to pick up where I left off but find myself picking up my phone to look at social media because I'm bored with this book. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read it.

I couldn’t get into this book. I tried so hard and it just wasn’t the book for me. There was never a part that would keep my interest.

First of all I would like to say that the cover of this book is really great. The characters of Hugh and Mick could have done with a little more information. Hugh is mostly just 'the homosexual' and Mick 'the urchin'. Since this is the third book in a series, I suppose the author plans to work on these characters in books that follow this one. I had no trouble getting into to story although I didn't read the first two books. In fact, sometimes I could have done with a little bit less information regarding the past of the three main characters.
The story begins with a rather gruesome murder but in the middle there was a lot of running to and fro and thinking in circles, while not much was happening. At least, not much for the reader.
Sometimes I'm surprised how many good/excellent authors are 'out there' that I never heard of in the 44 years since I learned to read. Laura Joh Rowland is one of them. I will certainly try and read more of her books.

Thanks to NetGalley for this book.

I will post my review on Amazon as soon as the book is published.

Kudos for this one.. really!
I absolutely loved reading the little details about two of my favourite serial killers. And the plot twist was nice; I didn’t expect it at all.

I didn't realize when I started this book that it was third in a series. Some of the character histories and previous events in the books were mentioned at first, but the book can still be read as a stand-alone Victorian mystery.
When the hangman is found murdered, a contest begins between the London police force and Daily World reporters to see who can solve the crime first. Crime photographer Sarah Bain and her two friends, Hugh and Mick put themselves in danger to follow the clues.
I like the author's writing style and I'm interested in reading the first two books in the series, especially the one about Jack the Ripper. The character Amelia's story sounded familiar to me because it's based on an actual serial killer in Victorian Britain. Thank you to Laura Joh Rowland, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Set in 1890 in London, we follow a trio of journalists investigating a murder of a hangman who himself has been hung.

The narrator of the story is one of the journalists, a photographer, Sarah Bain who lives well ahead of her time (in her early 30s, still single and focusing on her career). I immediately took a liking to her. Actually, not only her but her 2 partners as well - Hugh and Mick - who are both very likeable characters and compliment each other well. The three of them go on to investigate crime and face many many obstacles.

Despite the book being a book number three in the Victorian Mystery series by the author, it can be read as a standalone. The background of the characters is nicely sumarised for anyone who missed out on the first two books.

This was a fun read, quite different from typical crime novel but one that I enjoyed.

This is the 3rd in a series but can be read alone. There’s enough backstory to get you mostly up to speed. I did have a lot of questions about the previous books and had to keep reminding myself to stay in this story.
I’m not very familiar with this author so I don’t know her writing style but it reminds me a lot of YA books. I can’t put my finger on why, as the characters are not YA. Sara, the MC, is in her early thirties.
Sarah Bain is a photographer in Victorian England. She’s also an amateur sleuth. She partners with Lord Hugh Staunton, a disgraced lord, and Mick O’Reilly, a young kid from the streets.
Her paramour is a police officer, Constable Thomas Barrett. Her investigations lead her to butt heads with him.
This is a quick and easy little read. The author does a good job of sucking you into the world but doesn’t burden you with worldbuilding. I found it a bit slow around the 30% mark but it picked up and the last half of the book just flew by.

TW: homophobia from some characters to one of the main characters due to the time period this story takes place.

The hangmans secret⭐️

“Somebody was here after Warbricks head come off”
We know that there is no mystery in why these people were hung but what happened after the hanging, what happened to the innocent is a different story.

We follow a journalist who is (as most are) looking for the next best, gruesome story to bring them to the top. She finds clues, inconsistencies, struggles after the beheading site which indicate that something else happened. Something that wasnt supposed to.

Really enjoyed the writing style and the characters were intriguing and interesting.

Thank you so much to crooked lane books via netgalley for sending me an ARC copy of the hangmans secret by Laura Rowland. This will be released on January 18,2019
All opinions are my own.

I'd enjoyed Laura Joh Rowland's series focusing the Japanese samurai detective. The Hangman's Secret, the third in Rowland's series with Sarah Bain, the young photographer, and her colleagues Lord Hugh Staunton and young Mike combined romance with a complicated murder mystery.

We find that Sarah Bain is carrying the secret of her father's criminal history - he has been accused of molesting and murdering a child. Hugh is homosexual and was spurned by society when this secret was revealed. But Sarah, Hugh and Mike have the favor and trust of the wealthy and reckless newspaper man, Sir Gerald Mariner. As Sir Gerald seeks more complicated stories and takes greater risks, Sarah, Hugh and Mike find themselves in difficult waters. They are committed to solving the bloody murder of a hangman and are in a contest to beat the police investigators. As Sarah is in love with/dating Police Constable Barrett, this competition brings an added problem to them both.

The Hangman's Secret takes Sarah, Hugh, Mike and Barrett to grave danger - I found myself rooting for them throughout. While Mike acts quite young especially when dealing with his infatuation with the actress Catherine, The Hangman's Secret is a fun read.

I received an advanced copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I saw this book pop up on NetGalley and realized it was the third in a series that I have had on my To Read list for a while. I'm a sucker for Victorian era lady detectives. So, in preparation for this book, I decided to read the previous two first. I'm glad I did because while it does a good job of trying to catch the reader up on backstory for the plot, I feel like I got a better sense of the group dynamics and Sarah's family having read the first two books.

I enjoyed the first book, but I have to say that my opinion started to go down afterwards. Sarah is reckless and fickle. Hugh and Mick are fine. Catherine is just plain annoying. I go back and forth on Barrett. I didn't think I would like him after the first book. Even though I am not sure if he and Sarah are well-suited for each other, he seems to be the only one with any sense at times. The group's squabbles get in the way of moving the mystery plot further.

Like with the other two books in the series, the mystery plot is fairly complicated. I think this is because the group changes their whodunit theory every couple of chapters. They may solve the case, but it is not clean or through strong detective work.

The Hangman’s Secret (2019) by Laura Joh Rowland is the third in her Victorian series about photographer, newspaper reporter and private detective Sarah Bain. This work follows The Ripper’ Shadow (2017) and A Mortal Likeness (2018).

This engaging piece of historical crime fiction has a murder mystery as its main story with photography contributing to the action. Some of the side stories involving characters’ relationships and searches for missing persons are intertwined while others do not; those that are come together by the end in a manner that should be satisfying to readers.

Sarah’ character is well-developed and likeable, with a clear role and credible motivation and behaviour, though she has much more freedom than women typically do in literature set in the late eighteen hundreds.
Supporting characters and their roles are less well developed. As Sarah’s love interest, Barrett’s character could be developed and strengthened; perhaps the author did this in earlier books and is relying on readers reading in series.

The value of Catherine’s role is less clear; text related to her relationships with Mick and with the Sherriff do not flow as smoothly as the rest of the story; she seems an afterthought..

I liked this book, enjoyed reading it, and will look for more of this series.



Disclosure: I received a review copy of The Hangman’s Secret for free via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"The Hangman's Secret" by Laura is the latest Victorian Mystery novel in a series which already has two published works. It is based in 19th century England.

I love whodunits. and this is one of the good ones. Even though the lead protagonist, Sarah Bain, is a figment of the author's imagination, she is portrayed as being close to reality. Not only are her positives conveyed in the most part, her negatives are given equal importance. I'd like to think that the author wants to convey the message that to be a hero, one need not be perfect. Our choices decide who we are as a person, and our jealous, angry, or expectant nature doesn't make us any less than others. And to balance the equation, we need someone with opposite traits, and the secondary protagonist, PC Barrett, clearly fits the role.

A thrilling story, vivid details, and able-yet-accepting characters make this novel a good read.

There are quite a few silly editorial mistakes in the book. Since, the book is yet to be published, I hope it will go through another round of proofreading.

If it were up to me, I would have titled it "2 minutes and 50 seconds". Why? Better read the book to find out. I am not the one to give away spoilers!

Lastly, thanks to the author and the publisher for the ARC.

Verdict: Recommended.

A murder within a murder, a conspiracy within a conspiracy.

Set in 1890 London, this Victorian mystery begins with the death of the hangman, Harry Warbrick. His body is found in his own pub, The Ropemaker's Daughter, with his head decapitated. When Sir Gerald Mariner, the owner of Daily World newspaper dispatched crime scene photographer, Sarah Bain and her friends of detectives to the crime scene, they unanimously agreed that Warbrick is murdered. His death may be connected to the execution of Amelia Carlisle, "The Baby Butcher". As they are getting closer to the truth, so does the danger Sarah is putting her life into. Her past which she wants it to stay buried, is at the risk of being exposed too. Can Sarah and her team unravel this murder mystery before it's too late?

Firstly, I was not aware that The Hangman's Secret is book 3 in this Victorian Mystery series. I am glad that this was not an issue at all as this book can be read as a standalone. I did not miss out anything as Rowland gives a brief recap when she made references to the past events from book 1 and 2. This did not disrupt the flow of the story but rather added more substance and flow to the storytelling. I really appreciate it when an author does this in the book. I didn't feel that I miss out anything! Instead, it enticed me to read the previous books!

Solid plot all the way through. It is focused and consistent albeit the multi layered mysteries and conspiracies. The plot intrigues me as I have not read anything about hangman story during the Victorian era. I learnt quite a bit about the hangman's job and how execution was done by reading this book. It is certainly refreshing for me. The setting of this story also showcases the dark and rough side of Victorian London - the grim realities of life in the poorer part of London.

Characters are diverse with their unique backstories which were delineated slowly throughout the book:

- Sarah Bain - a crime scene photographer who owns S. Bain Photographer & Co, and works for Daily World newspaper. She is dating PC Thomas Barrett. The dynamics of their relationship is interesting and there are always conflicts between them due to their professions;
- Lord Hugh Staunton - a disgraced man after a scandal was unleashed exposing him as a homosexual;
- Mike O' Reilly - the youngest in the team and is a former street urchin;
- Fitzmorris - a butler who possesses indisputable loyalty to the team especially to Hugh;
- Sir Gerald Mariner - Sarah's employer and the owner of Daily World Newspaper;
- Inspector Reid - Sarah and Barrett's enemy

This is the first book I've read from Rowland and it will not be my last! Although it does reminds me of Anne Perry's Pitt series, but I still enjoyed the suspenseful plot, mellifluous storytelling and engaging writing. Overall, this is a mystery story that will keep readers turning the pages till the end. Do not miss out!



***I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed in this review are my own and was not influenced by the author, publisher or any third party.***

I enjoyed this book. It was sort of a soul soothing plot line that kept me reading constantly. The Victorian England setting/history given throughout the book was warming. I am excited to explore more books by this author!

First I want to say thanks to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for my honest review.

This is a very well written story that the author has obviously done her research in order to make it so accurate as to the living conditions, as well as dialect in the Victorian times in London. The story is about a photographer, Sarah Bain, who is asked to photograph the murder scene of one Harry Warwick. Mr. Warwick is the towns hangman and he has hung his last criminal. The story moves as someone has called for a contest to hopefully get the crime solved between the newspaper and the police. Sarah must now do some detective work of her own. She needs to look into the background of a woman, Amelia Carlisle, who was hung by Warwick for killing infants who were in her care.
She also must deal with personal issues as well that actually enhance the story and allows the reader to learn more about the main protagonist. I love the way this was written and I must say that I did read some of the reviews before I read it. That being said, I really think that the writer had made a few mistakes and did go back to reference another book, which I had not read, but I do not think it hinders the book in any way. It just made me want to read it.
Overall, I give this one a 4 out of 5 only because there were a few times that things went on a little further than it should and that was a distraction for me.

I favor historical fiction and this story was engaging from the start. Enjoyed the period details and the well developed characters. It was easy to picture the streets, buildings and towns people milling about, so yes, I would read other books by this author!