The Angel Makers
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4.5 • 2 Ratings
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Victorian London sets the scene for a new rash of murders in “a nail-biting story full of suspense and mystery” from the author of The Sixth Victim (Fresh Fiction).
In November 1888, the specter of Jack the Ripper instills fear in every woman who makes her living on the streets of London’s East End. But there are other monsters at large, those who shun fame and secretly claim their victims from among the city’s most vulnerable . . .
Options are few for unmarried mothers in Victorian England. To avoid stigma, many find lodging with “baby farmers”—women who agree to care for the infant, or find an adoptive family, in exchange for a fee. Constance Piper, a flower seller gifted with clairvoyance, has become aware of one such baby farmer, Mother Delaney, who promises to help desperate young mothers and place their babies in loving homes. She suspects the truth is infinitely darker.
Guided by the spirit of her late friend, Emily Tindall, Constance gathers evidence about what really goes on behind the walls of Mother Delaney’s Poplar house. It’s not only innocent children who are at risk. A young prostitute’s body is found in mysterious circumstances. With the aid of Detective Constable Hawkins, newly promoted thanks to Constance’s help with his last case, Constance links the death to Mother Delaney’s vile trade. But the horror is edging closer to home, and even the hangman’s noose may not be enough to put this evil to rest . . .
“Her remarkable cast of characters kept me turning pages until the end.” —Historical Novel Society
“Fans of paranormal Victorian mysteries will be rewarded.” —Publishers Weekly
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Constance Piper, a flower girl in London's East End, shares narrative duties with Emily Tindall, her old Sunday school teacher, who was brutally murdered and now guides Constance from beyond the grave, in Harris's solid sequel to 2017's The Sixth Victim. Shortly before Christmas 1889, Constance's friend Catherine Mylett is found dead in what may be a homicide. Cath, a prostitute, recently gave up her newborn baby for adoption, but the infant died shortly thereafter. Constance discovers that Cath visited the adoptive family the night of her own death. Miss Tindall then draws Constance's attention to other vulnerable infants, including one found strangled on a London street. She suspects that an illegal "baby farmer" known as Mother Delaney may be involved in all the cases, even Cath's. Harris successfully dramatizes the desperation of Victorian women faced with untenable pregnancies, and her portrait of the unconventional partnership between Piper and Tindall feels fitting for its s ance-loving era. Fans of paranormal Victorian mysteries will be rewarded.
