There are many secrets to explore in this truly atmospheric historical crime debut from Georgina Clarke!

This is London 1759 - and when wealthy cloth merchant George Reed, (a client at Mrs Farley’s brothel) is found murdered shortly after his visit there, it’s Lizzie Hardwicke, one of Mrs Farley’s ‘girls‘, who had entertained Reed that night, who becomes the prime suspect.

Magistrate’s Investigator Constable William Davenport doesn’t believe Lizzie when she tells him that she wasn’t responsible for Reed’s death, so she insists that she will find the murderer herself! She informs Davenport that she will have more success than him in loosening people’s tongues. Most folk are reluctant to speak to the constabulary, but Lizzie won’t have that problem. The two eventually begin to work together in the hope that what one of them can’t find out, the other will, though Davenport still isn’t sure that Lizzie is telling the truth. Metaphorically speaking, William Davenport and bawdy house prostitute Lizzie Hardwicke make for strange bedfellows!

Each and every one of the characters have secrets, and many of them have good reason to want Reed dead. Additionally, both the constabulary and the local inhabitants have much to fear on a daily basis - the streets of Soho are already a dangerous place, with John Swann’s highwaymen stalking the entire area, and all things told, this won’t be an easy case to crack, especially as the body count keeps on rising!

Eventually, and after numerous enquiries, the tenuous thoughts that Lizzie had previously failed to comprehend, begin, just like a jigsaw, to fall perfectly into place!

A thoroughly enjoyable debut novel - Georgina Clarke retained my interest right the way through, aided by her excellent use of smoke and mirrors, pointing the finger of suspicion at many characters. I liked the main protagonist Lizzie Hardwicke, (there’s a lot more to her than meets the eye), loved the plot, and can recommend if you like your crime with an historical backdrop. Entertaining and gripping!

A really good easy read. Lizzie is a likeable character and her story is an interesting and in places humorous read. There are some interesting characters in this book. Hopefully this is the start of a series.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Lizzie Hardwicke is a prostitute in Victorian England. When her last client is found dead she vows to find out who killed him before she is blamed for his death. This sets Lizzie on an adventure where she works with a detective who treats her as an equal instead of a "harlot". I cannot wait for the next book to come out.

Yay! A new historical mystery author with a great start to a series! Death and the Harlot, by Georgina Clarke, is book one in the new Lizzie Hardwicke series and it’s a riveting beginning.

Lizzie Hardwicke is one of the luckier harlots in Georgian London; she has a roof over her head, regular meals, decent clothes and a better-than-average madam. But she has landed in a heap of trouble. Her last client was just found murdered in an alleyway behind her neighborhood tavern and William Davenport, sent by the Bow Street magistrate to investigate the crime, thinks Lizzie may be involved. Lizzie recognizes she’s an easy target for Bow Street and decides her best option for avoiding the noose is to solve the crime herself.

“I can’t prove to you that I didn’t thieve or kill, but I can make it my own business to find out for you who did kill George Reed.”“Really?” He was scornful.”You pit yourself above Mr. Fielding’s men?”“I can go where you cannot, Mr. Davenport. I can walk in places, ask questions, I can flirt and wheedle in ways that you could not imagine...the people who see things in bedrooms and alleyways will confide in me because they will trust me. They may fear or respect one of Mr. Fielding’s men, but such people will not trust them.”

So begins a tentative arrangement between Lizzie and Mr. Davenport - he agreeing to take her along for part of the investigation, she agreeing to share what she learns from the locals. Lizzie also shares with him that Mr. Reed was in possession of a large packet of papers, but when the body is examined, the packet is missing. The investigation soon shows that Mr. Reed was blackmailing many of Lizzie’s acquaintances and the list of suspects expands - a paramour of Lizzie’s being blackmailed for ruining a young girl, a young lord being blackmailed for his gaming debts, another man being blackmailed for a family secret…. Mr. Davenport and Lizzie eventually find the packet of letters but with obvious omissions. And then, to everyone’s surprise and horror, the blackmailing starts again!

Lizzie and Mr. Davenport make an interesting albeit reluctant team. He doubts her sincerity and cannot see past her occupation to the person underneath. She wishes it was otherwise but doesn’t hold it against him, and makes no apologies for her occupation.

"I was respectably born, decently educated and, just six months ago, was living in the comfort of my father’s house. Now I was here: one of a small number of girls in Berwick Street, earning a living on my back. It’s strange the way Fortune deals her hand.Here was my paradox: to leave this grotesque way of life I had to embrace it wholeheartedly. To make more money I had to earn more money.

All I know is that I didn’t intend this life, but I will make the best of it, and one day I will leave it."

And Lizzie does make the best of it - befriending and helping those less fortunate, putting her intellectual skills to work to solve the mystery of Mr. Reed’s murder (as the body count increases) and making a decent living as a whore. Not what she would have chosen but Lizzie is an interesting combination of pragmatism and hope.

Death and the Harlot boasts an intriguing mystery but has the added benefit of great writing leaving you seeing and smelling the squalor of Georgian London. The setting just comes alive.

"William Davenport was a man who walked in order to arrive at places; he did not saunter or peer about at his surroundings. He was uninterested in food sellers and paid no heed to their melancholy cries offering us sustenance. He didn’t appear to notice the cluster of thin grey children sleeping underneath a broken cart at the side of the path, or the half-naked woman in the window above them, lighting a small candle - the better to display her wares to the gentlemen who walked more slowly, looking for precisely those delights."

Ms. Clarke does a wonderful job spicing the narrative with interesting secondary characters - the other whores in Lizzie’s house, their clients, the local tavern owners, the gingerbread seller, the butcher and his wife - beautifully setting the stage for future stories. There is even a well-timed cameo by John Fielding (brother of Henry), one of the real-life founders of the Bow Street Runners.

At the end of Death and the Harlot, the mystery is nicely tied up with a gripping (but believable) plot twist but everything else is left alone. Ms. Clarke does not ‘save’ Lizzie from her current reality and there is no knight in shining armour, which I appreciated. I am hopeful that Mr. Davenport will play a romantic role in the future but for now, Lizzie returns to her life as a whore if not with a smile on her face, at least with more hope for the future.

Lizzie Hardwicke is a terrific, refreshing heroine and a wonderful addition to the growing list of women detectives in historical fiction. I look forward to reading more in the series.

Buy it at: Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes & Noble/Kobo

Visit our Amazon Storefront

I enjoyed the character development in Death and the Harlot, but found myself wanting more historical detail -- anything to place the story in some sort of temporal space. I understand that not every mystery novel needs a 12-month dive into the archives to write, but setting the scene would have helped me overcome my disbelief that a local sex worker would be allowed to insert herself into a police investigation.

*A thank-you to Georgina Clarke, Canelo and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of the novel in exchange for my honest review.*
A truly entertaining debut set in London in 1759. The main protagonist, Lizzie Hardwicke, a young prostitute gets involved in a murder case, and, in order to clear all suspicions working against her, undertakes a difficult task to find the murdere of one of the clients of hers. Right from the beginning, we come to like Lizzie for her intelligence, humour and wisdom which, in spite of her young age, prove that Lizzie is not an ordinary working girl. Lizzie's true identity and the motives behind her professions are revealed throughout the novel, and her story has the feel of those which can be found in 18th century novels , and I found it engaging. Another good bit is the description of Londnd, its not that respected places such as taverns or brothels, which are full of life and interesting characters. Also, the infamous highwaymen, who at that time terrorised English citizens are well worth mentioning. Last but not least. Lizzie co-operates with Mr Davenport who is a memeber of what would become London police in the near future, and we even meet John Fielding, Henry's half-brother, who actually was the man behind it.
All in all, this is an enjoyable read for fans of historical fiction who seek well-depicted period background and a good story to follow.

Perspicacity
A truly gripping story that is full of historical atmosphere and a devilish plot. Death and the Harlot is a wonderful debut novel from the very talented, new thriller writer, Georgina Clarke. The main character, Lizzie Hardwicke, is unconventional, audacious and clever. Lizzie’s background is mysterious and considering this is London in 1759, she can read, write and speak several languages. What she doesn’t conceal is the fact that she’s working as a prostitute in a brothel run by Ma Farley. This provides Lizzie with a comfortable place to live and an income that can enable her to save for an alternative life when she has amassed enough money. What I appreciated was that she didn’t apologise or hide the fact that she was a prostitute and had the foresight to prepare for her future.

With one client, a Mr George Reed, she recognises that he is wealthy and well worth keeping sweet so she invites him to a private party in their establishment. At the party, Reed causes a ruckus and a group of the regulars and the doorman throw him out. He seems to know about quite a few of them as he shouts insults and threats. Later Reed is found dead and William Davenport heads up the investigation. While Lizzie is one of the last people to see Reed alive and therefore a suspect, I nevertheless felt the motivation for Lizzie to step into the role of an investigator to prove her innocence was tenuous. This was the only issue I had with the whole story and wished there could have been a bit more of a compelling reason for her to get involved. Davenport has an issue with Lizzie being a whore and initially shows her little respect. He has his own story to tell but as the novel progresses he starts to see that there is more substance, compassion and kindness in Lizzie than he ever expected. The relationship between them both is fascinating as it develops. This little description gives us a gentle impression into Lizzie's social standing and character, as she helps a young girl on the street.
“She had fallen too far for me to find her a respectable trade – any more than I could find one myself – but I could help her out as best I could. There, but for the grace of God, walked I, after all.”
Lizzie was such a wonderfully formed character and Georgina Clarke leveraged her role to provide us glimpses of London in the 1700s – the squalor and living conditions, the attitudes of people, the precarious ways people eked out a living, and the historical highlights of the time. The main historical gems weaved into the story including the highwayman John Swann, who is captured and facing trial in Newgate, while his gang are terrorising London. Secondly, is John Fielding who founded the police force in England and his men were nicknamed the ‘Bow Street Runners’ and monitored this investigation.

What really stood out in this story was how Lizzie, a whore, was central to the investigation, and the many dynamics she brought to a great full-bodied investigative plot. A plot that weaved in engrossing elements of history, great characters, location, dialogue, and full of pace from beginning to end.

Another buddy read with the wonderful Beata – such a pleasure. I can’t recommend this book highly enough and I'd like to thank Canelo and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC version in return for an honest review.

This book is amazing; it's a fast paced page turner, engaging and entertaining.
I loved the cast of characters, the plot and the setting.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Canelo and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

As a debut work, this is one of the best books I have read so far this year!. I found this to be a fascinating and delicious story, and it was such a shame to come to the end of such a satisfying read. It was great fun for a murder mystery , at times, light hearted froth, other time it showed very intelligently written ,clearly reasoned and explained story lines. I certainly didn't guess the murderer, it was most inventive.
Lizzie Hardwicke is a prostitute,who has the misfortune to be suspected of murder when her last client is found dead. Lizzie is a very strong minded individual, who realises that the Police aren't willing to search for the truth,so she joins forces with Detective Davenport, who is a decent investigator, and together they search for evidence to prove Lizzies innocence . Both previous clients and other street walkers help and hinder this strange pair in assorted ways, and it doesn't help that both Lizzie and Davenport both have secrets in their backgrounds that make each suspect the other! There are many likeable and believable characters in this story, and I had real affection for Lizzie and Davenport, they make a compelling couple.
As a debut book, this made a great impression upon me, and I am hopeful that a prostitute detective will be the next crime sensation! I know this book will do well and I will certainly recommend it most highly. A fantastic work of fiction that feels so historically accurate, with all the smells and sights of London portrayed in all its sad glory. Marvellous.

Death and the Harlot is a good historical mystery with some twists and turns. I enjoyed the plot and the characters.

Great fun-a murder mystery set in Georgian London where the main character is Lizzie Hardwicke,the harlot in the title.She's a wonderful character,feisty and bright.
When one of her clients is found dead she becomes involved with the Bow Street runners' investigation,led by Mr Davenport.The story moves along at a fast pace.In between,there are lots of fascinating details about life at the time and the back story of Lizzie is slowly revealed.
I really enjoyed the book and read it quickly.This is one of my favourite periods in history and I learned a lot more about it !
I hope we will be hearing more from Lizzie-is there a series planned?
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC .The opinions in this review are my own..

I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.

Lizzie Hardwicke makes her living as a prostitute, one of her wealthy customers is found brutally murdered… and Lizzie was the last person to see him alive. Desperate to prove her innocence Lizzie turns amateur detective, determined to find the true killer, whatever the cost.

Good writing, nice mystery. I wasn't entirely certain 'who done it' until it was revealed. I look forward to reading more about Lizzie.

4☆

I’m really excited to have been asked to be part of the blog tour for this book. It will be released on the 13th of May 2019, and my blog will be published on the 14th of May 2019. Visit www.pinkanddizzy.com to see the blog and all the book details!
I received a copy of the book in advance via NetGalley in return for an honest review as part of my blog.
Wow, I wasn’t expecting this to be as gripping and as brilliant as it was! I’m gutted I’ve finished this already I wanted more. I requested to be a part of this blog tour even though the genre of the book is outside of my usual comfort zone. I’m so glad I did as I think this has been one of my favourites this year!
Set in 1759 in London, I expected this to be quite a stuffy book and difficult to read. However, as the author points out in her Historical Note at the end, it is written in a twenty-first century style. This was very apparent, as it was so easy to read. What she set out to achieve was well executed and worked really well. When you read a lot of books set in this era, they adopt the formality of the times or they were actually written during this time and are very difficult to read (for example Pride and Prejudice, it took me an entire year to trudge through this as it was so hard going!).
The book was so well-written you actually felt like you were back in time on the streets of London with Lizzie Hardwicke investigating a shocking murder. It was hard to remember that DNA and fingerprint analysis didn’t exist back then. I kept thinking don’t touch that button it can be analysed, but not back then it couldn’t. The investigation had to be done the hard way by pounding the streets for answers. I was expecting this to be frustrating, but it wasn’t it added to the drama.
The characters were all likeable, especially the protagonist Lizzie, I was chomping at the bit to find out more about her background and why she had ended up in such a desperate situation. However, as the book points out, she is one of the lucky ones! I’m really hoping we get to see more of Lizzie in future books, and I’m gutted they don’t already exist!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, way more than I was expecting to, I need to find out if any such similar books exist. Ones that are set back in time of England’s history but that have such a comfortable and relaxed way of telling the story as this one did!
A brilliant debut novel and I am sure it will do well!

This was a fantastic fast paced and gripping book. Really like the main character and hope there is to be a follow up to this excellent book! I stayed up far to late devouring this :)

A fabulous bawdy romp through the seedier side of eighteenth century London. Lizzie Hardwicke is the titular heroine, a prostitute who finds herself caught up in a murder mystery. She isn't quite all that she seems, and as the story progresses, it becomes clear why she is in the oldest profession. She is an immensely likeable character with a quick wit, intelligence and a heart of gold. When it becomes clear that she runs the risk of standing accused of murder, and that her friends are in danger, she joins forces with the constable Davenport to try and uncover who is behind the crime.
This is a quick read, and my only criticism is that it is quite superficial. But that's down to my personal taste; I like crime to be so gritty I need to rinse my mouth out after reading. I am looking forward to the next in the series though.

My thanks go to the publishers and Net Galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Death and the Harlot is a great book that I really enjoyed reading. The style of writing was easy to get into and the book had a driven and fast pace. I really liked the character Lizzie and very much enjoyed her adventure. I shall be looking forwards to reading many more of her stories.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher for an honest review. Death and the Harlot is a well-written and gritty look at Georgian London from the perspective of Lizzie Hardwicke, a prostitute. Lizzie found herself forced to leave home and ended up becoming a Harlot. Lizzie is one of several girls that live in a house run by Ma Farley which is situated in a respectable neighborhood. In an attempt to get rid of one of her clients, Lizzie invites George Reed, a merchant from Norwich in town for a while to a party Ma is hosting. At the party, Reed's behavior quickly becomes boorish and unacceptable; he is booted out on to the street. The next day Reed's body is found in the yard behind a local tavern. Unsure who is responsible for the death, Mr Davenport of Bow Street questions Lizzie about the events of the previous night and quickly realizes her profession increasing his suspicions of her. Lizzie finds herself caught up in the investigation and works hard to try and prove her innocence to keep from hanging. The mystery is extremely well done; the motive and the killer kept me guessing until the reveal.

Ms. Clarke does a wonderful drop of providing readers with a grittier version of London and life in the Georgian era than is typically seen in books set in the world of the Ton. Lizzie and her friends ended up as harlots for different reasons, but the realities of their lives are not sugar coated; Lizzie has it better than many with her place at Ma Farley's, but she realizes her period to earn money is extremely limited. She has plans for what happens when she can no longer work, but she is tender hearted and money seems to slip through her hands. This book is perfect for fans of historical mysteries who appreciate a story not set amongst the upper class. I hope this is just the first in a series of books to feature Lizzie and her world.

Set at a time when one in five women must prostitute themselves in order to survive Death and the Harlot takes the reader into the mid-eighteenth century from the view point of one of those harlots. Lizzie Hardwicke has been forced into a life not of her choosing but she is educated, curious, compassionate and courageous, she will try to make the best of a bad lot. Qualities which the Bow Street Runner, Will Davenport, comes to recognise even as he suspects her of the murder of one of her clients. The novel takes us into the underbelly of Georgian society, the rakish careless young men, the doomed street girls and the brutal predators. This is a rollicking and enjoyable read, if a little predictable on the crime elements. The limited arena is well researched and evoked but the period markers are delivered with such a light touch that, aside from the appearance of Sir John Fielding, the narrative might have been set almost anytime in the eighteenth century..

I was pleasantly surprised by this debut historical mystery set in 1759 London.

While I did guess “who dun it”, the plot line was more imaginative and complicated than I originally thought. But it was the harlot with the ❤️ of gold and eye for detail that stole the show and really shone here. I also enjoyed the Bow Street character of Davenport (except for one instance of behavior toward the end that really didn’t seem to fit with his character to that point).

I sincerely hope that I haven’t heard the last of Lizzie, her ensemble cast and their further adventures with the Bow Street Runners.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #Canelo for the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.

Lizzie Hardwicke is a woman who didn't need to follow the path she finds herself on.

Actions from the past mean she is estranged from her father and this has led her to the streets of Soho. It is 1759, it is not safe for anyone really to walking the streets of London, let alone work on or near them. Crime is rife, highwaymen are gathering reputation and force and the police are but a mere dream for the future.
Lizzie though seems to find herself in the fortunate position of becoming one of Mrs 'Ma' Farley's girls.

Living and working in what some might see as a respectable milliners but others know as a house where gentlemen can find entertainment and solace with certain types of women.

Lizzie is one such woman. She is luckier than most. That is until her last client ends up dead.

And Lizzie it appears was the last person to see him alive so she must be the murderer.

Enter William Davenport working for the magistrate and he thinks the same, but there is something about Lizzie Hardwicke which sets her above the rest of the potential suspects - the lack of evidence being the main factor.

Lizzie works out the only way to clear her name and save her from the noose is to do some investigating herself. Plunged further into the world of crime, blackmail, fraud and more murder Lizzie finds herself in some very dark places.

With plenty of twists and inevitable red herrings which make up a good crime novel this is an intriguing and interesting read. I had no inclination of the culprit and when it came it was much as a surprise to me as it was to Lizzie.

Interesting relationships are formed between the characters and we get to see perhaps a small glimpse of what life was like for prostitutes in the 18th century both those who could afford that little bit of extra protection and those that couldn't. Add to that the gentlemen who visited them and the magistrates and runners who tried to keep the peace and you have an interesting way of weaving stories, characters and history together.

To engage a more modern audience the book is very much written on the language of now and the authors note at the end explains the reasons behind this but there is enough archaic language in there to get a sense of the time and place.

I felt I was transported back in time to a good old-fashioned murder mystery with all the historical elements to keep me reading and there is definitely an interesting relationship developing between Lizzie and William which I hope we get to see more of in the future.

For fans of murder mysteries or historical fiction or a combination of the both - this debut novel has to be just the beginning for this author.