Keith Miles is probably best recognised by readers under the pen name of Edward Marston. He writes several well-received historical mysteries spanning the 11th century through to the 19th century. His website is www.edwardmarston.com
Set in 1880, this novel explores the murkier depths of London. What sets it apart from the work of other authors operating in the same field is the fact that its narrator has a transgender identity.
Leo Stanhope, secretary to a coroner, was born Lottie Pritchard, a vicar’s daughter, who rejected a comfortable existence as a female for a more perilous but satisfying life as a man. His secret is shared with a few trusted people. If unmasked, he’d face derision, violence and arrest.
Leo’s greatest pleasure is his weekly two hours in the arms of Maria, a beautiful young prostitute, who makes him – with his dildo – feel like a real man. When she turns up dead at the mortuary, he is heartbroken and vows to find her killer. In the course of his search, he courts danger at every turn and meets with an endless series of setbacks. And he is handicapped throughout by the physical pain and mental anguish he is forced to endure while leading the life of a man. Ironically, the two best scenes are when he is forced to become a woman again and take on a role he renounced at the age of fifteen.
Alex Reeve’s first novel is an accomplished piece of work. There is perhaps one miraculous escape too many but the background is well-researched, the narrative drives forward and there’s a whole gallery of interesting characters. Those who may find the narrator’s sexuality difficult to accept and impossible to understand will be missing a treat. This is a gripping novel with something important to say about brave people like Leo, living a twilight existence in late Victorian England. I look forward to reading his next adventure.
