Published By: Viking
Pages: 368
Released On: 22/10/2026
London, 1911. Coronation fever. Suffragette unrest. A city crackling with tension.
When a policeman is found brutally murdered on the streets of Kensington, blame falls on the three women seen fleeing the scene.
Their sole witness? Stephen Pike: ex-borstal boy, under-butler extraordinaire and assistant to the most unconventional detective in London, Miss Decima Stockingham. Sharp-tongued, fearless and bored of behaving herself, she’s the only one able to see that this case is not what it seems.
Aided by an invisible network of maids – their eyes and ears in every house in London – this unlikely duo must catch the killer before time runs out. But in a city dazzled by ceremony and divided by change, you never know what might be lurking in the shadows…
*****
Thanks to NetGalley and Viking for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.
I LOVED the first book in this series – The Murder at World’s End – and I’ve been looking forward to the sequel ever since.
The first book was his debut adult book and he was finding his feet. But with this one, he’s truly found and honed his voice and even though the first one was a five star read, this somehow reads even better. It feels more sure of itself.
This was part of the suffragette movement I didn’t know about so it was interesting to learn about that period. It also helps ground the fictional story into reality.
Miss Decima is as delightful as ever. Foul mouthed and rude, but I can’t help but love her, she’s a fantastic creation. Although if I was Stephen I’d feel more than a little irked by her behaviour. Stephen is a bigger role in this. Now I know he was the main character in the first book but he was still quite timid, not sure what he was doing. But he’s come into his own here and his and Decima’s double act is hilarious. Their voices are so clear and they’re just wonderful to follow.
The first book had an easier ride because it was new, his first adult debut, there was nothing to compare it to, and it was fabulous. So this sequel was always going to have a lot to live up to because now there’s something to compare it to. But you needn’t worry as it’s just as great.
There are a lot of characters and subplots and threads to keep together. Under a less accomplished writer, it might have felt convoluted and too much, but Ross has managed it so well that everyone and everything feels worthy of its place in the story.
There were so many reveals at the end, tying up every loose end, and unsurprisingly, I saw none of them coming.
How long can this series go on for? Hopefully a long time. It’s destined to become a crime classic like if Poirot and Marple teamed up – but with more swearing.
Books By Your Bedside 