Thank you to the author, publishers Headline Review and NetGalley UK for access to this as an advance reader’s ebook. This is an honest and voluntary review.

 

Mrs King has left her post as housekeeper for the De Vries in disgrace. But, as the newly orphaned Miss De Vries plans her first ball as mistress of the house and seeks a suitable husband, Mrs King and her gang of ex-servants are hatching a plan to pull off an audacious robbery to get everything the De Vries own.

 

A high stakes heist against the backdrop of 1900s London. It’s an interesting concept, and it works. 

 

The layers of the story behind the initial crime planning adds a depth to the plot which is mostly welcome. The darker sub-plot of what has happened to the maids of the house who have mysteriously left the service over the years feels like it either should have had more prominence or been saved for another book as it doesn’t get the storytelling attention it deserves.

 

The characters of Mrs King and her gang of ‘housekeepers’ are great, I particularly enjoyed the Janes. It would have been nice to see them develop in a sequel, but from the way the ending is written that doesn’t seem to be the author’s intention.

 

The historical setting feels almost incidental so if you’re not normally a historical fiction fan don’t let that put you off. This is well worth a read.