Another enjoyable read about Leo Stanhope. This was a convoluted tale of anarchists and industrialists, and various other things that would involve spoilers if I mentioned them. So I shall keep quiet about those, and encourage you to read this book and discover them for yourself. Alex Reeves has a great character in Leo and I hope there will be more books in the series. With thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When I read THE HOUSE ON HALF MOON STREET I didn't think it could be matched in quality and was very much looking forward to Alex Reeve's follow up. In no way was I disappointed. THE ANARCHISTS' CLUB is exactly the kind of story I like to read, particularly as it has a historical element to it. Charlotte is still living undercover as a man, Leo Stanhope, in a time when his discovery could see him thrown in jail. He still lives with Alfie as a tenant of a room in the pharmacy and continues to work at the hospital in the morgue. When a customer comes into the pharmacy when Leo is working in the shop, she asks for credit which Leo refuses to give. Later she is found murdered with Leo's name and address on a slip of paper in her pocket, and instantly he is pulled into the murder, the investigation, and the welfare of her two children. The main characters from the first book all return here which provides some familiarity, and the setting in the 19th Century is full of flavour, grimy, poverty-stricken and layered with menace. Particularly for Leo. I loved it and recommend it highly.

The second in this original brilliantly written series finds transgender protagonist Leo Stanhope living quietly in the east end of London as he has for almost a year but it can't last! He serves a woman in his landlord Alfie's pharmacy who is later found murdered with his name and address in her pocket! Things go from bad to worse as he tries to keep his secrets hidden while solving the mystery of her death.

Once again the atmosphere of London in the 19th century is vivid and the depth of research obvious. The differences between the working and upper classes and the conditions in the factories for those less fortunate than Leo and his friends is the mainstay of this book and the squalor is portrayed disturbingly throughout.

The main characters from the first book are here, both friend and foe, and it was a pleasure to visit with them again. This story, as was the last, is fast paced as Leo races through London's underbelly to locations recognised from today as well as the past. It's obvious Leo still struggles every day with his identity and the fear of discovery but it wasn't gone into in such detail this time. His past is visited once again and gives more of an insight into his life now and the consequences of it.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the previous book or looks for a different perspective on historical fiction.

I've been waiting for this book since I read the first novel in this series, 'The House on Half Moon Street', last year. The combination of the charming transgender protagonist (Leo Stanhope, a woman living in Victorian London as a man) and the vivid historical setting won me over and I couldn't wait to see what happened to Leo next.

This second book did not disappoint. Leo is still trying to live undercover and not attract attention, but seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when a woman is found murdered in a club where anarchists and troublemakers live. Suspected of involvement by the police, Leo is forced to carry out his own investigation to protect the dead woman's children and clear his own name. He's aided by his ally from the first novel, Rosie Flowers, and supported by his friends who were also featured in the first book.

The only issue I had was that this novel refers to events in the first novel in rather mysterious terms. I wish I could remember the ins and outs of that book, because I'm sure it would have all made more sense!

That aside, this is a clever and original historical crime novel. I hope that there will be many more books to come featuring Leo Stanhope and company.

The follow up to The House on Half Moon Street, The Anarchists' Club is a historical crime novel that follows Leo Stanhope again as he finds himself caught up in another mystery. His life has been quiet since the events of the previous book, but when the police come to talk to him about a woman found dead in a club for anarchists with his address in her purse, he is drawn into her murder and into what has happened to her two children. And tied up in the case is a man from his past who blackmails him into providing an alibi, making Leo more mixed up in the events than expected.

As with the previous novel, the characters are what really make this series. Leo is a great protagonist, a trans man who plays chess every week and can't help but get involved when there's a mystery to get to the bottom of. Leo's landlord Alfie and Alfie's daughter Constance are also vivid characters, a kind of family that Leo has found in the heart of London who try to look out for him, despite his foolish tendency to get into trouble. The plot is a gripping one, a tangled web with a rich family in the middle and an anarchists' club who find themselves as a police scapegoat. It would've been interesting to hear more about the anarchists' club, but as Leo isn't interested in revolutionary politics, the reader will have to stick with glimpses into that world.

In some ways, The Anarchists' Club makes for a more thrilling read than its predecessor, as it doesn't need to set up the characters as much, but can delve further into them as the narrative progresses. The somewhat clumsy emphasis on Leo's physical discomfort that let the first book down is less prevalent in this one, too. The series isn't always nuanced, but the depiction of Victorian crime and Leo's tendency to run headfirst into trying to help people make the books a decent read.

I was delighted to have the opportunity to read an early copy of The Anarchists’ Club thanks to #NetGalley. I loved The House on Half Moon Street and I was very much looking forward to the next instalment. It didn’t disappoint. Fast paced, well-researched and atmospheric, this is basically a crime novel set in Victorian London.
The characters, both those new to this story and those returning from last time, are well observed and engaging. Leo and Rosie are as likeable as before. It is like meeting up with old friends.
If you haven’t read the first novel, don’t worry, this book does stand alone. But do think about buying The House On Half-Moon Street first. You won’t regret it.
Not wishing to put any pressure on the author Alex Reeve, but I am very much looking forward to number three.